Question for Sebenza + Dominator owners

R

RAGS

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Jul 11, 2000
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I recently handled a Camillus Dominator and was pleased with the knife.I've been thinking of getting a large Sebenza,but have never handled one.I would like to hear from people that own both.Since they are made from the same material(s30v blade,titanium handle)which is the better choice for EDC?I know alot of guys here love the Sebenza,but what makes it so much better(and almost $200 more)than the dominator?Thanks for your opinions.

Kevin
 
Two different opening methods since the Dominator has the Robo assist, but it seems they have more commanalities than differences. Both do have a S30V blade and titanium handles. Both have a framelock locking system. Both are produced in the USA by very reputable companies.
Now to give you my thoughts. I'm a sebenza fan and I find the construction of the sebenza to be the best of any production knife I have ever had. The consistancy of construction is one of the reasons you pay a premium price. You just don't read about centering problems, bladeplay, locking bars that go over too far, failure to lock up properly, etc..........
Sebenza's are the ONLY knives that I don't even bother to check for bladeplay, blade centered, or lockup problems.....they simply don't exist on the sebenza!
I've had a Dominator and must say that it was a fine knife and exhibited none of the above problems, and at 1/2 the cost of a sebenza it is a great deal.
For me though, I'm going with a sebenza.
 
I have owned both for a while now.

Design wise they are both very good, and very simlar. The edge geometry-profiles are nearly identicle. It is in the construction, the fit and finish that they differ. The Sebbie just fits together so well it makes you want that in every folder you own. The titanium on the Dominator is a bit thinner it seems, and has a different texture that seems to resist scratching. It also has a much more ergonomic handle and the flipper makes it much less likely for your hand to slip onto the blade.

Neether of mine have any bladeplay, but when I tighten the Dom to the point where the lock is solid, the action is slower and harder to deploy with the assist. Also it is not quite centered in the handle no matter wich technique I use to reassembl it. The other problem I had was the pivot pin being stripped when I got it. I transplanted another from my Cuda Maxx and now it is fine.

The Sebenza's lockup is infalible, its blade is always centered, and it can be easily taken apart and ressembled without unreasonable concern of ruining its perfect fit. The titanium feels softer, more comfy to me....scratches a bit easier, but still not bad at all. My sebbie is BG42, I perfer S30v (on my Dom and Strider AR) but BG 42 is very very not-bad.

As far as service I havent had to send in the Seb for anything. I have had some probs with my cammilus folders, and Will Fennel and his crew are great people to deal with. And they love knives, which always makes me happy. I consider there service very good.

I would say the Sebbenza is without a doubt worth the extra dough. Its simplicity, functionality, durability, and impeccible construction are all above even the high quality Cammilus Dominator.
 
I have a sebenza which I am very happy with and I think it's worth the money. Haven't handled the Dominator. There is a choice with the Dominator - agrussell has one that is NOT assisted.
 
I have a Sebenza and had a Dominator for a while. The Dominator was the nicest folder I've handled after my Sebenza. Mine had perfect lockup, perfect centering and was well finished. Overall I would say the finish isn't quite up to the level of the Seb though. There was also no bladeplay on my Dominator. But, I've heard of people who had issues with bladeplay, off center blades, etc. You don't have that worry with the Sebenza. They are basically all perfect.

Overall, I'd say the differences were small between the two, but the advantage deffinetly was with the Sebenza. Only you can decide if it's worth the extra. For me it obviously was because I still have a Seb and I sold my Dominator. If you can't afford the Seb though, I think the Dominator is the next best thing for a lot less. It gets you 90% of the way there for significantly less money. But, if you can afford the Seb, I say get it.
 
Let's throw a thrid choice in here. The A.G.Russell
NON-assisted Dominator.

I own one of these finding it to be a VERY close
alternative to the Sebenza. Everything about this
version is on par with the Sebenza at a MUCH lower
price. :D Considering that the Russell version is
made in small batch lots a lot of the manufacturing
problems noted with the regular Dominator simply
don't exist much like the Sebenza.

So my 02 cents say.......
If you can afford a Sebenza ....great. If not then
the Russell Dominator will sure be a good choice.
It's as close to a fixed blade folding knife as
I've ever seen it's that solid.:D
 
I have both. I have the Sebenza with BG-42. The Sebenza is pretty much flawless. The blade grinds are right on, locks up solid, etc. The Dominator's grinds are as perfect, it looks up well but there is a little play in the lock, but I'm not worried about it failing, and I could probably improve that by tightening the pivot.

The Dominator feels better in the hand, and I feel the lock is more secure as it isn't as exposed as it is on the Sebenza, meaning it is less likely to disengage when twisting counter clockwise.

I personally like the blade shape on my Sebenza more. The Sebenza also has the metal washers, where I hear the Dominator is nylon, so over time the Dominator could run into problems. I'd like to see Camillus offer a washer upgrade kit.

I'd like to handle a manual Dominator. For the slight differences I think you pay a lot more for the Sebenza for slightly better quality control and a better finished product.

When I first got my Dominator my initial reaction was "Wow, this is made nicer than my Sebenza!" and in some ways it is.
 
Thanks for all your input and opinions guys.It sounds like I may have to get one of each:D :D.
 
RAGS,

...sigh...

Keep checking back, when there is something better than the Sebenza, you will hear it hear it here first.

But until you hear otherwise, the Sebenza is the premium production knife. I don't know the exact numbers, but the fact that CR makes far fewer knives means that they can keep their quality high...at a price.

As always, you get what you pay for, quality is expensive.


Steve-O
 
Originally posted by RAGS
This post gave me an idea,....a spring assisted SEBENZA,what do you think?
Click to expand...

I doubt we'd see that. The main point behind the Sebenza is it's supposed to be a very simple design, easy to take apart and clean, etc. There is very little that can file on the Sebenza as far as parts. Once you add the assisted opening stuff you're making things more complex, harder to take apart and put back together, introduce more parts that can fail, etc.
 
I have a small sebbie. It's all decorated and inlaid and all that so I end up nor carrying it much, but I think I'm going to have to buy another plain one to carry, as I had one once and loved it, until I lost it..:( I think CRK knives are about the only production knives I'd place above Microtech in fit and finish. Sebenzas are just about perfect, every one, at least every one I've ever seen.

As to an assisted opener, don't hold your breath. Chris doesn't even approve of flicking as he feels it puts undue stress on the lock pin, so I can't see him ever releasing an assisted Sebenza. Maybe a different design all together, but that doesn't seem to be in teh cards either as well as Sebenzas sell.

Even though I don't use the decorated one I have, I keep it as a reference standard to judge other knives by.

John
 
Ive had alot of high end knives. But none are like a sebenza, the fit and finish is perfect. Save your lunch money and get a sebbie, trust me you wont be sorry.
 
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