OK, so how's the Dominator holding up?

Klesk

Klesk

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I had an one of the first Dominators, early on when they were still hot. I sold it, but kinda missed playing with the Robo-action, so I just acquired another. My question is, now that they've been around for a while, how have they been holding up? I'm sure that there are some of you who have been flicking that thing open and closed for a year or more now. Has the stop pin shown any wear? Have any broken? Has the torsion bar lost its springiness?
 
I am planning on purchasing a Dominator within the next couple of weeks, and I too would appreciate some status reports on this knife from some of you guys that have been using one for a while.
 
I've had mine for about 3 months. It's seen quite a bit of "play-time" and so far is none the worse for wear. :cool:
 
6 Months for mine, and no signs of it stopping. Very cool knife. I think I like it better each time I carry it. So, in a little while, it may just be the best knife ever! (okay, it really is one of the best already) I really don't see any wear at all. There isn't a stop pin, per se, rather the lugs on the blade bump against the handle. If there is contact with the stop pin on opening, it's shared with the lugs, and the force is spread around. There's quite a bit of contact with the lugs, so overall, the force is distributed over a lot of area.

I'm sure this is a knife that I'll be able to pass on to the next generation. I put this knife forward as one of those knives that could survive over 100 years, if taken care of. The only weak point I see is possibly the teflon bushings, as they might get pinched, or something.

Yes, you were right to get another.

DD
 
Daniel Dorn said:
There isn't a stop pin, per se, rather the lugs on the blade bump against the handle. If there is contact with the stop pin on opening, it's shared with the lugs, and the force is spread around. There's quite a bit of contact with the lugs, so overall, the force is distributed over a lot of area.



DD
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I should have mentioned that when I checked in earlier. The stop pin really seems to have little or no effect on the opening action of the blade..

The knife, overall, is very comfortable in the hand and easily carryable in many different carry positions.

For those that are not comfortable with the assisted opening feature, AG Russell offers the same knife with anodized blue scales in the latest AG Russell catalogue. (www.agrussell.com). The Russell knife is the same, without the assisted opening feature.

Overall, I find it to be an outstanding piece. :)
 
i have been using my Dominator on and off for the past 6 months. it is part of my EDC rotation and sits in my right hand front pants pocket when i'm at work. my usual EDC is a MT Scarab, but for some whimsical reason, i decided to take the Dominator the other night a couple of weeks ago.

my Dominator has held up quite well and i have not had to touch up the blade. the lock up was solid and it is one of the most comfortable folding knives i have. while i'm changing for work, i slip in the Dominator in my pocket for the shift. well, towards the end of my shift, my mates and i stumble upon a rather large illegal operation in a house which needs to be torn down. ;)

i became very annoyed with a pair of clipping shears that were dull and didn't work, so i switched over to the Dominator. the Dominator's blade sliced through electrical cable wire with ease... with no visible damage. went through at lease a dozen electrical cords. even cut some "hanging" wire that wasn't very thick. i was working in a very damp and wet environment but i wasn't worried as the S30V and the titanium would be fine. i then put the Dominator to work cutting down the "vegetation" in the basement and the blade held up great considering that the "vegetation" has a reputation of dulling blades quickly.

then it was onto the heavy rubber tubes that connected to some equipment... this is where the Dominator had a bit of a problem. it wasn't the cutting ability, it went through the rubber hoses very effectively, but needed some effort to push through. there was some twisting involved and the lock did not fail at any point. after about the 4 hose, the Dominator felt a bit funny... the lock seemed to "click" and the handle/frame felt ever so slightly wobbley. on closer inspection, i noticed the locking engagement of the frame locking surface "slipping" on the blade locking surface. i tried drying the knife off and flipping the knife to see if i could lock the knife without the lock slipping... no go... the lock kept moving. i then put the knife back into my pocket, a little discomforted, and moved the last peice of equipment out of the basement.

having completed 9 hours of overtime, i went home and slept the next day away. when i woke up, i tested the Dominator again and it was still slipping. it was totally dry at this point, so i couldn't blame it on moisture. i took out my TORX drivers and stripped the Dominator right down. i cleaned every part and took particular attention to the locking surfaces. there was a bit of (for a lack of a better decription) slimy material on the blade and blade's locking surface. nothing seemed damaged, at least to my amature eyes. i then placed a a bit of pressure on the frame lock and bent it "inward". now i don't think i could have bent the frame lock very effectively as titanium is pretty sturdy stuff and i would think it takes on a pretty stiff memory... but i could be wrong. i then reassembled my Dominator, and low and behold, it locked up tight! just as tight as new! happy happy joy joy!

i have tested the lock and it does not slip anymore, enough for me to be satisfied that it will not fail. the locking surface on the blade is not finished smoothly (but not finished rough though) and i suspect as i twisted the Dominator through the rubber hoses, the slimy material worked itself into the grooves. then again, i could be totally wrong about this and the slight pressure on the frame lock fixed the problem... could be that it just needed to be cleaned too.

well, that was long winded... sorry about that. i'll just end it by saying i still carry the Dominator as an EDC and it still has my confidence.

Jon
 
I traded my Dominator a while ago.

It was a good knife, I just fouund the opportunity for a good deal on a custom so off it went. The only thing I didnt really like was the robo assist action. It was just a bit too stiff. In retrospect I should have gotten a manual version, but they wernt availible when I got mine. It would go great with my Sebenza and BM750 right now as part of the Ti-framelock team. Cammilus keeps doing innovative stuff with its design, as well as their other Darrel Ralph knives. I wouldnt be surprised if I picked up a manual version in the future.

cutting down the "vegetation" in the basement
Click to expand...
mmmMMmmm.....basement vegetation ;););)
 
I've had mine for almost a year, carry it and use it almost every day. It has held up great, and I've come to the conclusion that S30V is a most excellent blade steel. Darn glad I got it, and I recommend it to everybody.
 
The only thing that keeps the Dominator from being in my pocket every day is the comparable Darrel Ralph custom I own. Even so, it sees a fair amount of carry and use. Mine has been rock solid reliable as well as versatile, comfortable, and tough. Great knife!

--Bob Q
 
Thanks all, that's some very good information. It seems that the knife will hold up very well, especially since I am much easier on my knives than some of you are on yours.

Mikjk: it may be possible that the pivot pin worked its way loose under your heavy use, and the relationship between the lockbar and blade tang was affected enough that the knife did not lock up properly. The fact that the knife worked fine after reassembly would bear this out.

I noticed that it is somewhat difficult to remove the pressure of the lockbar entirely from the blade (in order to check for proper pivot pin tension), since the lockbar hits the back of the pocket clip when it is moved aside. This is probably intentional, like an overtravel stop or like the stop that Rick Hinderer puts on his knives.

I also noticed that the knife is somewhat sensitive to the order in which the standoffs are placed. There is probably just enough variation among them to affect the blade's opening, closing and locking. If you disassemble your knife, you should put the standoffs back in the exact position that they started, unless you want to experiment and see if you can improve the knife's function.

All in all, the Dominator seems like an excellent value for the money, though I don't know how much use mine will see after my Sebenza arrives :D
 
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