Dominator initial review:
I received my Dominator today after waiting since May. My first impression is it was worth the wait. Besides, patience builds character. The first thing I did, as most of you will, is open the knife. I expected more opening force from the spring than it had. Will had mentioned in the past that the spring from the Aftermath would be used in the Dominator, this may or may not be the case with production knives. The knife certainly has enough spring force to open the blade, but the user must push on the flipper with some authority or the blade will simply open to the point where the flipper and the back of the handle become flush and stay there. Give the flipper a good push and the blade opens with a good snap. The lock bar moves about 1/3 of the way across the blade when open and the blade has no discernable play when locked. Although against my better judgment, I did smack the spine against a piece of plywood 3 time in a row without any movement. I also whacked the spine against the palm of my hand without incident. If the knife is unlocked, there is still no side to side play that can be felt.
The blade is quite sharp from heal to toe, as good as the initial edge on any knife I have purchased. Two mild criticisms; first when you look at the secondary bevel, there are still a number of grind marks left. If you look closely at the edge, the final grinding/honing was done at a slightly more obtuse angle with a fine grit and the edge is smooth. My second con would be the finish of the blade. It is not polished nor satin finished nor sand or bead blasted. Maybe this is a stone wash finish. Hopefully the photos show what I mean. Neither of the above is a problem for me, the edge will clean up easily as the knife is sharpened and I purchased this knife to be used, not stay in its box.
The knife was packaged very nicely in a large solid box with its own zip up case. A very nice and classy touch. The clip is large and hold to the pocket securely without being to tight. It is solid, held in place with three Torx head screw. It is not subtle. If you clip this to your hip pocket, anyone with eyes will see it, but this also makes it very easy to find and grab when you need the knife.
Now the best part of the knife. The ergonomics. Camillus and Darrel Ralph got this one right. This knife is one of the most comfortable folders I have in all normal positions. The sabre grip is a natural with the thumb notches well placed, it is just as comfortable when you slide you thumb forward for more control or in the reverse grip as in when gutting a deer. The least comfortable grip is the overhand stabbing grip, still quite good, just not as exceptional as the others. Unlike most other knives I own with a pocket clip, this one does not bite into my hand at all in any position. The handle has a nice sandblasted finish and grip notches for the thumb, heal of your hand and in the pinkie area as well as a 3/16 diameter lanyard hole.
The only other quirk I can find to mention is that it takes a little practice to get good at closing the knife with one hand. There is no cut out for your thumb by the lock bar, good for keeping the knife open, but makes it more difficult to close. You also have to get used to overcoming the spring force once the knife reaches about 110 degrees open.
Since I just received the knife, I cannot speak about the edge holding ability of the S30V steel. I feel confident with Camillus proximity to Crucible that the heat treat is up to the quality of the steel. This is an expensive knife for a production item, it is, however, well worth the money in my humble opinion. If you want S30V steel, titanium handle and assisted opening in a very ergonomic package, you will most likely have to spend significantly more to do better than the Dominator. I would include photos, but I don't have an http address to link them to. Richard
I received my Dominator today after waiting since May. My first impression is it was worth the wait. Besides, patience builds character. The first thing I did, as most of you will, is open the knife. I expected more opening force from the spring than it had. Will had mentioned in the past that the spring from the Aftermath would be used in the Dominator, this may or may not be the case with production knives. The knife certainly has enough spring force to open the blade, but the user must push on the flipper with some authority or the blade will simply open to the point where the flipper and the back of the handle become flush and stay there. Give the flipper a good push and the blade opens with a good snap. The lock bar moves about 1/3 of the way across the blade when open and the blade has no discernable play when locked. Although against my better judgment, I did smack the spine against a piece of plywood 3 time in a row without any movement. I also whacked the spine against the palm of my hand without incident. If the knife is unlocked, there is still no side to side play that can be felt.
The blade is quite sharp from heal to toe, as good as the initial edge on any knife I have purchased. Two mild criticisms; first when you look at the secondary bevel, there are still a number of grind marks left. If you look closely at the edge, the final grinding/honing was done at a slightly more obtuse angle with a fine grit and the edge is smooth. My second con would be the finish of the blade. It is not polished nor satin finished nor sand or bead blasted. Maybe this is a stone wash finish. Hopefully the photos show what I mean. Neither of the above is a problem for me, the edge will clean up easily as the knife is sharpened and I purchased this knife to be used, not stay in its box.
The knife was packaged very nicely in a large solid box with its own zip up case. A very nice and classy touch. The clip is large and hold to the pocket securely without being to tight. It is solid, held in place with three Torx head screw. It is not subtle. If you clip this to your hip pocket, anyone with eyes will see it, but this also makes it very easy to find and grab when you need the knife.
Now the best part of the knife. The ergonomics. Camillus and Darrel Ralph got this one right. This knife is one of the most comfortable folders I have in all normal positions. The sabre grip is a natural with the thumb notches well placed, it is just as comfortable when you slide you thumb forward for more control or in the reverse grip as in when gutting a deer. The least comfortable grip is the overhand stabbing grip, still quite good, just not as exceptional as the others. Unlike most other knives I own with a pocket clip, this one does not bite into my hand at all in any position. The handle has a nice sandblasted finish and grip notches for the thumb, heal of your hand and in the pinkie area as well as a 3/16 diameter lanyard hole.
The only other quirk I can find to mention is that it takes a little practice to get good at closing the knife with one hand. There is no cut out for your thumb by the lock bar, good for keeping the knife open, but makes it more difficult to close. You also have to get used to overcoming the spring force once the knife reaches about 110 degrees open.
Since I just received the knife, I cannot speak about the edge holding ability of the S30V steel. I feel confident with Camillus proximity to Crucible that the heat treat is up to the quality of the steel. This is an expensive knife for a production item, it is, however, well worth the money in my humble opinion. If you want S30V steel, titanium handle and assisted opening in a very ergonomic package, you will most likely have to spend significantly more to do better than the Dominator. I would include photos, but I don't have an http address to link them to. Richard
