Kershaw/Bump and Camillus/Dominator

M

manicreader

Joined
Jan 2, 2003
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OK, I guess it had to happen, but there are certain functional similarities between these two knives. Anyone out there handled both?

I've been looking at the Dominator for a long time, but the Bump looks good also. I am pretty much a Camillus fan, but I've had a Chive for about 6 months and it is very nice.

Obviously, blade shape is a major difference, and I think the Dominator might be about .5 inch longer in the blade. Both blades are S30V and Kershaw claims 56-57 post heat treat (seems a bit low to me) while Camillus doesn't say.

At this price (they are both close to the same), my major concern is quality.

All comments, tangential and otherwise, are welcomed.
 
The speed safe is the best assisted system in my opinion.
The Dominator is a much better knife in its lock strength and handle strength. Its in a whole different catagory than the Bumb.

Dont get me wrong,I love Kershaws.

Have you looked at the Kershaw BOA? Its much closer to the Dominator.
 
Crap, just realized you were asking about the Bump, not the Blur, sorry havent handled the Bump yet.
 
The Bump has nice contoured scales. The Dominator has flat scales.

The Bump handle is bit more specific, so it may or may not fit your grip perfectly. It is just a bit deep on the handle "bump" for my middle finger, so the fit is not quite perfect for my hand.

The Bump blade however, has an awesome blade shape, as I prefer more Wharncliffe-shape blades to a skinning/clip point blade such as the Dominator has. The Bump shipped with bronze washers, the Dominator shipped with nylon, FWIW.

Blade on the Bump is satin finish.

Overall the appearance of the Bump is light years different than the Dominator, so that is going to make a big difference if you actually intend to carry the knife.
 
They really aren't in the same category at all. I handled both at Blade 2003, and feel the Bump is great for light duty EDC chores, while the Dominator would work better in a tactical situation. The blade and especially the edge of the Bump is very thin, which is great for cutting efficiency and sharpness, but not so good for strength. The Dominator is quite stout and significantly heavier than the Bump. So it comes down to your intended application for the knife. Light duty = Bump; heavy duty = Dominator.
 
I realize that the knives are not in the same category. But in a way, they are:

They both have a similar blade length, they are both assisted openers, and they are both in the same price range. As a buyer, that puts them in the same category (for me).

Realistically though, I am anticipating light duty with an emphasis on slicing, not chopping. I want the assisted opener to work flawlessly, and I am concerned as to which one is more sheeple friendly. I was surprised at how accepted my Rainbow Chive was during the Christmas season.

Durability is also important to me, but I don't see the thinner Bump blade as being a problem.

As background, I have a Camillus Maxx 5.5 I used for hiking- love it! The Dominator or Bump will be used for EDC including office carry.

Thanks for the input so far; it has been helpful.
 
Definitely go with the Bump. It's thin edge gave me shivers at Blade thinking of what an Edge Pro could do with it. That anodized handle should help prevent a sheeple stampede too, I've gotten lots of positive comments on my Boa with the multi-colored handle. Even my grandmother said it was pretty! Of course, she was a pretty sensible lady too, very much so a no-nonsense type.
 
From your listed concerns the Bump would be the way to go. I wouldn't put it in the "light duty" catagory just because the edge is thinned out compared to the Dominator, it still has a solid cross section of quality steel and a titanium frame-lock handle. The speed-safe is a crisp and easy to operate with stud or flipper, a much superior assisted opening system than the robo-power assist which is harder to both open and close.
 
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