Dominator...finally

C

ChuckBuck

Joined
Oct 19, 2004
Messages
218
I don't know if any of you have been following my quest to get a Camillus CUDA Dominator, but I just ordered it. :D :) :cool: I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with this knife, good or bad. I'm also looking for some input on the Emerson Combat Karambit with the Wave opening feature. Is Wave, Emerson's semi-auto feature, kinda like CUDA's ROBO?
 
The Wave and ROBO are completely different ways of speeding the opening of a knife. The ROBO, or Kershaw Speed Safe, or any others like them, are truly semi auto openers. They use a spring to open the knife once you start the blade moving a bit via thumbstud or flipper.

The Wave is a little hook shaper device on the spine of the blade near the thumb disk. You catch it in th seam of your pocket as you pull the knife out of the pocket, and it opens the blade. This method would actually be faster than the ROBO as it opens the knife AS you pull it out of the pocket. With the ROBO you need to get the knife out, positioned properly in your hand and then start opening the blade.
 
Ive been carrying one for about a year. It actually has replaced my kershaw avalanche a knife I had been carrying for three years, that no other knife could replace!!! That says it all for me!!! :)
 
I've had a Dominator and was very pleased with it. Mine had super lockup and I switched out the teflon washers for some bronze ones and it only improved it in my opinion. I ended up selling it but not due to any fault in the knife, just had a custom in mind. One thing I would have liked to do would have been to replace the pocket clip it comes with, with one of the "deep-carry" clips available at www.knifekits.com.
 
Congrats!

I've never handled a Dominator but recently spent a couple of weeks carrying a Camillus Heat through a passaround and was very impressed. I especially liked the fact that there was no blade play in the knife whatsoever. Also the knife didn't need a safety due to the fact that you have to exert considerable force to open the knife. Lock was great too. How's the lockup feel with the Dominator? Any blade play?

SCDUB
 
I have started to have al ittle with mine, but very minimal. I could replace the washers with the bronze, but I am waiting till it is really necessary.
 
I have a Dominator, and the knife is very comfortable in the hand, and overall is a very nice piece. It's very well made. But after a couple months, I experienced a problem that most other people neve have. Instead of the liner lock coming over too far, it doesn't come over far enough, and the blade has some up and down play. Once it's open you can push the liner lock over a little bit to tighten it up, but it you dont it rattles. Since then I've started to appreciate liner locks that come over to the middle of the lock bar. At least then you know it's locked up tight.
 
you can send it back and camillus will fix the problem for you. On a different note the blade paly in mine only started after constantly using it after the first 4 months, or so. The blade play is hardly even noticeable. It is a very well built knife. I definitely would have put the bronze in it during manufacturer if it were up to me.
 
The blade play youare getting is the result of a couple of things. The wear on the teflon washers. Easily fixed by going to bronze. Don't know why Camillus just doesn't put bronze in.

The second is the amount of tension Camillus puts on the lock and the power of the Robo Assist spring. They didn't use the strongest spring they could on the Robo. If htey did, the knife would jump out of most users hands. They used a very moderate strength spring. Because of that, they can't put a lot of thension on the lock. or it would severely impede the opening of the blade. If you are feeling a little industrious, take the knife apart and just add a hair more bend to the lock. You really have to pay attention. It is very easy to over bend the lock.

Or, just send the knife back to Camillus.
 
Its just not bad enough to warrant changing yet. I use to make walker locks and I always used the nylatron washers without any problems. Of course the knives I made were a little lighter than the dominator, but not much. Allot of it has to do with the tolerences; backspacers used, the stop pins, etc. etc. etc. If you have a stop pin and the back spacers are not the correct length that can cause blade wobble, the wrong washers will do that of course. A poorly adjusted pivot will also do that, etc. etc. etc.

Teflon, nylatron, any synthetic is going to wear some, but a folder that is poorly designed will wear much more quickly. I have never had a knife returned to me for problems with the washers. Anytime you hand make a knife you have a better chance of correcting any potential design/manufacture problems. I never let a knife leave my shop that I was not happy with, or would want myself.

Dirk, I did not realize your not far from me, a little north!
 
rev_jch - A little north is right! I never noticed that before. What part of Columbus?
 
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