Chances of Getting a Cuda Dominator that Works Right?

H

HighTen

Joined
Aug 28, 2004
Messages
139
I am interested in the Cuda Dominator but have read a lot of threads discussing Dominators that have some kind of problem. Sometimes the lock doesn't engage correctly, the knife gets loose in the open position after only a little use, or the action is really gritty and stiff. (these are just some I've read about)

So if I get one, what are my chances of getting one that is tight and smooth and will stay that way, even after normal use? Thanks for any info. :)

Oh, just one more question: does the Dominator's blade have a recurve in it? Some pictures make it look like it does and others tell me it doesn't. :confused:

Editedd to corect gramatical errorrs.
 
I got one of the early Dominators and I haven't had any problems with it.
 
i have one, now that i look back on it i should've used that money on something like a manix, or buck mayo tnt, or a nice custom fixed blade, because my dominator isn't an awesome knife. The s30v holds a good edge and came pretty sharp, but the aforementioned problems do come up. The blade goes loose pretty quickly, the lock isn't very secure (mine's failed 3 times), and the robo action has proven unreliable. All in all not a great investment, there's a lot more knife for the money out there, if you're looking at a dominator keep looking, or saving. Hell its halfway to a sebenza, hinderer, or strider, get one of those instead.

(ps mine's less than a year old)
 
Blondie, your knife is not right. I would suggest sending it back to Camillus, they have a great service department and will probably just replace it with a new one. Why be unhappy with a knife you spent good money for?


My Dominator is Sebenza good, not quite the finishing touches but in terms of lockup and overall functionality. I beat mine probably harder than any other folder I own and it's never missed a beat. I've used the butt of the handle to hammer flush the occasional nail & dropped it hard on concrete more than once. Lock engagement is right at my sweet spot and with all of the use/abuse I've given it it's never even budged and is still rock solid.

After one of the hard drops the pivot did get loose but a little loc-tite stopped that from ever happening again.
 
This is encouraging news. From the responses, it looks like it's not normal for a Dominators do this, just defective ones.

Just one question: Is there a recurve in the blade of the Dominator?
 
negative on the recurve, my review may have come off as more negative than I had intended. The dominator I own is not a "bad" knife. It works excellently, 98% of the time. I've decided to use it for some experimentation, heat striping, etc.
 
Try a little loctite and you shouldn't have an issue with the blade coming loose. If the action is gritty, there is a good chance it is grit. Or, there might be some issue with the pivot, the cam to spring interface. It shouldn't be gritty. If the spring opens the blade too slowly, it might be that the pivot is too tight. If you have to tighten the pivot that tight, then the knife need to go in for service.

The Dominator is an excellent knife. Bull strong with great ergos. I agree Camillus could put a touch more effort into finishing the knife. As with any production knife, an occasional bad one will pop up.

Get one, you won't be disappointed.
 
Just to add, I was not happy with the QC on my Dominator. The blade was not centered at all when closed (hit the liner), and I made every attempt to disassemble and reassemble the knife to see if anything could be done. Nothing worked. I know I could have sent it back to Camillus and have had them take a look at it, but I was pretty dissapointed.

If you get a good one, it's a great knife.

Nitin
 
If your heart is set on it don't let me talk you out of it, but for the same money you could get a spydie Ti atr or buck/mayo tnt you may want to give those a lookover before you buy.
 
If you are a little shy about spending $$$ on the Dominator, try the Heat. For the money, is has to be the best deal out there. I love mine, and if a lose it, then a replacement won't kill me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top