Kershaw Boa or Camillus Dominator...Advice??

P

porter09

Joined
Sep 2, 2004
Messages
9
Hello Everyone,
I just registered today and would like to ask the advice from those know have the knowledge. I've carried a Kershaw Boa for the last two or three years. I love that knife, but last week I lost it. I bought a Kershaw Leek off the net and while I like the knife, it just feels too small to me. I want something with a little more size/feel. As I shop for my replacement my priorities are:
1) Assisted opening
2) Index finger flipper
3) 3.5" or so blade
4) USA MADE!
5) In the $100-$150 price range
5) Subdued look

So after a lot of looking the past few days I've narrowed my choices to another Boa or maybe giving the Camillus Dominator a try. While I'd love to get 1 of each, I'd never hear the end of it from the Mrs.! She already asking why I'm looking for another knife and not happy with the one I just bought. Anyway thanks for your time and any advice you can offer.

S. Porter
 
Hey Porter hey Porter (sorry, a little Johnny Cash just slipped in there. ;) ) Welcome to Blade Forums, you think the wife is mad now... just wait till she sees what this place does to you! :D
I can't speak for the Boa. I have handled it, but do not own one. However, I do have a Dominator and absolutely love it. Prior to this knife, I was pretty much a dedicated small fixed blade carrying knife knut. Now, I mostly EDC the Dominator. I love the ergos of it, and I'm a converted fan to S30V. I just spent a couple minutes touching up the edge back to screaming sharp. I love the way it fits my hand, and the robo mechanism is still a hoot. Since you already had a Boa, give the Dominator a chance... I think you will like it.
My .02
Mongo
 
Boa - price is resonable, steel more wear resistant (CPM S60V), Liner hidden inside handle, TiNi coating, blade open lock, hollow grind, very comfartble handle and just looks better for me.

kershawBoa-A.jpg


only things I don't like - meaningless holes on blade and handle.

kershawBoa-05.jpg


I managed to find one for less ten $100 (~$97) for Christmas, but do not remember where.

Thanks, Vassili.
 
Is the Boa a liner lock? The Boa is a nice looking knife. I have a Dominator and it's a nice piece. It's a very sturdy and solid feeling knife. I'm still not sold on the robo assist feature. I find it more trouble than it's worth. I don't know if the newer Dominators are any different than the earlier version I got, but it takes a much stiffer push to get it going compared to my Leek.

If you can budge on the assisted opening requirement it will open the door for other great knives. You should try and handle some of the Bench Made Axis locks. I find I can open these knives faster than I can an assisted opening knife and I can certainly close them up much faster. There are many different models available so there is sure to be one that would fit your needs. If you look around you will find models that use high quality steels such as M2, D2, and s30v.
 
Both knives are nice, but I would go with the Dominator.

The Dominator has a titanium handle instead of aluminum.
The Dominator has S30V blade steel instead of 440V.
The Dominator is a frame lock instead of a liner lock.
The Dominator blade is flat ground instead of hollow ground.
I think the Dominator has a more useful blade shape.
The Dominator is stiffer to open and doesn’t need the safety device that the Boa has.
I think the Robo mechanism is more reliable than the Speed Safe mechanism.
 
There are a number of posts in the Camillus forum about Dominator problems. I think, however, they are associated with the first production run. (I recall one forumite wisely saying that he avoids first runs -- what do the rest of you think?)

Anyway, I have one and it's virtually flawless. I was lucky enough to have gotten it from Darrel Ralph and River's Edge (local Col., Oh store), and Darrel had added bronze washers and his low-ride clip. The blade on mine is perfectly centered.

The Dominator has a fairly substantial blade compared to most assists, and the speed of opening is a little slower than a lot of others I've had or tried. But the flat ground S30V blade and sturdy ti frame lock more than make up for that IMO. The ergos are great -- what you'd expect from a Darrel Ralph design. I think the Dominator is not just a knife with the "wow" factor of assisted opening -- it is a top-quality knife using the best materials that just happens to be an assist.

That said I've never handled a Boa.
 
Ookpik said:
Both knives are nice, but I would go with the Dominator.

The Dominator has a titanium handle instead of aluminum.
The Dominator has S30V blade steel instead of 440V.
The Dominator is a frame lock instead of a liner lock.
The Dominator blade is flat ground instead of hollow ground.
I think the Dominator has a more useful blade shape.
The Dominator is stiffer to open and doesn’t need the safety device that the Boa has.
I think the Robo mechanism is more reliable than the Speed Safe mechanism.
Click to expand...

Dayummm, Ookpik just nailed it.... I was going to post pretty much the exact same stuff. Did I mention that I love my Dominator? :D
 
I possede both models and I acknowledge to have a preference for the boa, especially the system of opening I find it easier but slower than on the dominator, my boa is multicolor with the glossed blade I like it much, but the dominator east exellent too.
 
I say get the Dominator. I never cared for the exagerated recurve of the Boa, and it seemed like the handle came down too far below the blade level. I know there's a guard on the Dominator, as well, but it doesn't bother me as much. Ookpik said the rest quite nicely.

DD
 
I have the Dominator and love the knife. I have never had any problems with it. I would also suggest checking out the Camillus Heat. It is a cheaper version of the Dominator but still one heck of a knife. A great knife for the price. I got one at the Blade Show and find that I carry it more then the Dominator now.
 
Thanks for all the info guys. Now everything is as clear as mud!! Serously though, what is the difference between "hollow ground" and "flat ground"? I just went to a local store and looked at another Boa. The blade was S60v. I thought the one I had was 440, has Kershaw changed the blade material, or am I remembering wrong? Lastily, I still have not gotten a chance to handle a Dominator. I did see a Camillus Heat and while it opens quick (quicker then my Boa did) I didn't like the feel. Just didn't seem to have the quality of the Boa. I'm chalking that up to it being imported and a cheaper knife. I suspect the Dominator will be much higher quality.

I'll look into the Benchmade Axis lock as was suggested a few replies ago.

Thanks again, S. Porter
 
Wouldn't the Bump be a fairer comparison to the Dominator, as far as quality, size and price?
 
Probably, but until they come out with a subdued model, I'm not interested. Those bright colored scales (blue or Green Ti) are just not my style. I really prefer the blacked out TiNi coating, but again that's probably bias from my previous Boa.

S.Porter
 
CPM S60V is a new name for CPM 440V. It is 6 times wear resistant then CPM S30V.

I agree with Piney - Bump will be right competitor for Dominator. However I still prefer Boa because of better handle. I do not like thin handles - they are good in the pocket, but if you use knife for cutting for a while it will damage your palm. Check out Avalanche - it's a great EDC. Bit smaller then Boa, G10 handle, Titanium liners and lock, great blade shape, great handle, same CPM S30V and great price - ideal working knife for me:

Kershav-Avalanche-E.jpg


kershawAvalanche-F.jpg


Thanks, Vassili.
 
Wow NOZH2002....great pics! Boa and Avalanche. You must like Kershaw Ken Onions blades? I've not seen a Bump up close. All the pic's I've seen of the Bump have been full on profile shots. Funny how the bright color belies the handle thickness. They look as though the handles are rather thick, but considering they are Ti and framelock, it makes since they would be thinner. That's one of the things I noticed when I got my Leek was how thin the handles where. I really need to find someplace local to handle a Dominator before I make a descision. Also been looking at a Benchmade Stryker Auto online. Could get one of those for about the same $$$. Any opinions on those? Thanks S.Porter
 
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