Upon opening the familiar purple box my Dominator came in, I was pleasantly
surprised to see a very high quality zip pouch, within which I found my new
Dominator.
My first impression of the knife as I hold it closed is how overbuilt it
seems (and I mean this in a good way). The pivot pin is impressive in how
massive it is. There is no doubt that this knife was built to stay
together.
My first thought looking at the handle was that it would take some getting
use to, that proved untrue after holding the knife open. The "extra bump"
on the handles actually provides for a good clue as to where the knife is in
the hand, and allows a better choice of grips while guaranteeing security.
The blade is super sharp out of the box, and I am happy to say that Camillus
has adopted the toothy edge rather than a polished edge for this knife.
This allows the knife to cut much better over a larger choice of cutting
cores.
Of course, everyone wants to know how the ROBO mechanism works. Well my
first opening was to just press on the flipper and see what happens. The
knife opened with a reassuring snap, but not so strong as to attract
attention. In comparison, my CUDA-MAXX (unassisted) opens with more OOMPH
that this knife, but the Dominator requires no other effort, whereas my MAXX
requires I get the wrist motion down correctly. A good compromise between
getting it open consistently, and not drawing too much attention to the
knife. My second opening was much slower, and I found that there is a
tiny"bump" that serves as a kind of safety. If you open the knife
s-l-o-w-l-y; as if it were being opened by accident in your pocket, it will
not spring open! If you have ever had an automatic go off in your pocket
(like me) you will appreciate this feature.
While I prefer a bigger knife, the overall size of the knife is a good
compromise. In a tactical role, as a defensive tool of last resort, the
Dominator will do what is requires of it, while its smaller size makes it
carry comfortably.
Is there anything I don't like? Well, if it were up to me, I would give the
blade a little more belly, and a different finish. Having said that, my
focus is fighting/tactical knives, and this blade shape does allow for many
uses. Also the finish, while not as pretty as some hand rubbed S30V I've
seen, does a great job of looking good after a long day of use and cutting.
This is no hot-house lily, it is certainly a knife to be enjoyed while you
are using it. Overall I would rate it a 9 out of ten, and a bargain at the
prices I have seen on BladeAuction & 1SKS.
PEACE
GHEN
