BM 520 or Dominator?

W

Wunderbar

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May 2, 2003
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I am buying one of these as a B-Day gift for a friend. I own a Dominator but I do not even have a single axis lock knife. Funny, considering that BM is my favorite knife co. Which one should I get as a gift? Thanks!:)
 
If you get him an Axis lock it won't be long before you want one if he starts whipping it open faster than you can deploy your Dominator. :) I have an assisted opening Dominator and I can draw and open my Axis Locks much faster. The Dominator is a great knife though. Great feel, finish, etc.
 
I really love the 520. It has a flat ground blade that was really designed for utility work. I had a combo edge 520 for a while and I was rteally impressed. When the budget allows, I will pick up a plain edged 520. I've heard some complain that the 520 will eat pocket liners because of its rough aluminum scales, but what the hey?

The Dominator has an S30V blade which is considered to be superior to the 520's S30V. It is also a simple framelock, no omega springs that can break like an axis lock (I've had at least one axis lock knife since they've come out and it's never happened to me.) If you don't mind spending bucks, A.G. Russell has a manual version of the Dominator in case your friend fears meeting an LEO like the one mentioned a recent thread who busted an assisted opening knife owner for having a switchblade.
 
Originally posted by anthony cheeseboro

The Dominator has an S30V blade which is considered to be superior to the 520's S30V.
Click to expand...

please elaborate....:confused:
 
520 is 154CM.


I can't imagine a tougher choice between two knives.
I like the blade shape, and handles of both.
520 has tip-up carry on its side. I'm a big fan of tip-up.
Dominator has S30V. I'm a big fan of S30V.
Those things are not enough to make me buy one over the other.
Both great designs, made by great companies.
Axis vs. frame lock is a moot argument for me, too. Love them both, equally, for different reasons.
I went with a 520, and have not regretted it. At the time, I was reading complaints about lockup and blade centering on the Dominator.
From what I've read since, those problems seem to have been addressed, so right now, I'd say...flip a coin.
 
I've got a plain edge BM 520 and it's one of my favorite Benchmades ever. That Camillus Dominator looks great and I've been very tempted to get one myself. The only thing that's stopped me is that I've read about issues with the nylon washers causing blade wobble, however, if the bugs have been worked out with current models, I will definately get a Dominator.
 
I got the 520 pe (154CM) and the LE auto version (S30V). I found them to be one of the greatest knifes today.

I´d been a bit worried about how 154CM would perform against S30V, but the difference is very little. I mean differences between the steels may arise, where knifes are abused.

I love the high flat grind. Guess it will come to a benchmark, like "it´s cutting like a 520".

:) :D

The only thing i really don´t like on both is:

This horrible name: "Presidio"


OOOOhhhhh m. G.:footinmou
 
Having owned both, I much, much prefer the 520.

Cuts better, feels better, less action issues.

Obviously the drawback is with the complexity of the mechanism, but the AXIS lock is very smooth and as reliable as the framelock.

-j
 
I own a Dominator and a 5000 LE with a S30V-blade, and it´s really hard to make a decision between these two.

I´d say don´t forget the 520/5000 being pretty big and heavy, and I know a lot of guys who rate a knife with 160 gr too heavy as an EDC.

The Dominator offers a very good ratio between weight/size (closed) and blade size.

I think you should try to find out your friends preferences referring to this question, otherwise it could happen he doesn´t carry it too often.


@ Blop: Hi there, have we met somewhere else already? :D
 
Bingo! The BM 520 wins. I have both the MA and Robo versions of the Dominator and both are tough to close. I went with the 520 cause I thought the axis lock put a nice touch on a unique gift for her. Thanks all for your input. P.S. I didn't know that the 5000 came in S30V.
 
I haven't handled the Dominator, but I own the 520 and it's a real winner. Also one of the best overall cutters I've ever handled. I think that's due to the high, flat grind. The price is right as well when considered in context of the high quality.
 
Originally posted by Wunderbar
Bingo! The BM 520 wins. I have both the MA and Robo versions of the Dominator and both are tough to close. I went with the 520 cause I thought the axis lock put a nice touch on a unique gift for her. Thanks all for your input. P.S. I didn't know that the 5000 came in S30V.
Click to expand...

The friend is "her"? My wife likes the looks of the 520/5000A but says, it is a male knife for anything about it. She doesn´t like to take it, regardless of all the "objective" advantages.

The regular 5000 comes with 154CM. Because of the big wave it made, BM came out with the manual 520, which is the same as the 5000 without spring and safety.

For german market the main BM dealer ordered a LE of 100 pieces called 5000- A, which were shorter 3,25" and S30V.
 
Hey Blop. The knife is for a girl in Koblenz. (She's a friend of my wife.) Her husband works for Deloro Stellite, and we're always giving each other new knives as gifts.:cool:
 
Hope, she ´ll enjoy it. :)

I just mentioned this to give you as much help as possible.:)

I Koblenz? Welche Überraschung sich über das amerikanische Forum zu sprechen..:)
 
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