Southard or BBS Domino?

The Manix 2 and the PM2 are near-perfect fits for my hand.
I'm not too worried about the Domino being too big. I'm gonna poke around Google for some comparison pics of the Domino, Manix 2 and ParaMilitary 2.

Unless someone has such pics handy...?
 
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Well, the "After Christmas sale" is still in effect, so tonight at midnight, soon as my DD hits my bank, the Blue BBS Domino is getting ordered.
I'll post pics and share impressions once it arrives.
 
evilgreg said:
Southard > Domino.

I've bought dozens of different Spyderco models, and the Domino is probably the model I've liked least; I also own a variety of customized Southards, so I guess I may be a bit biased.

I found the Domino big-handled, clunky in the pocket and with a blade that is too tall and too short (edge length seems stubby for the bulk of the thing), all at once. I loved the scale, the fit and finish were Taichung fantastic, and it flipped extremely well--I just disliked everything else about it.
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A last minute thought. My opinion of the Domino was exactly as evilgreg wrote above. I sent the very nice Domino back and ended up very happily with the beautiful and near perfect (for me) Southard.



Good luck with whatever you decide - er, I mean - with your blue Domino :)
 
Thanks for the well wishes.
Not every knife is suited for everyone. Some people hate the ParaMilitary 2 for various reasons.

I'm not really a fan of the carbon fiber options on the more standard Domino models, so if I were to test drive a Domino, the BBS G-10 version would be my preferred model.
I've been pretty pleased with all of Eric's recent designs, so I'm pretty confident I'll dig the Domino.

As for BBS... this is my first purchase from them (first time I've seen a reasonable price on anything of theirs) so I'm not sure what to expect. Anyone bought from them? What's a typical turn-around time on an order? I placed the order about 12 hours ago and still no email from BBS, just from PayPal... I'm not worried, just curious on a time frame when ordering from them.
 
evilgreg said:
I found the Domino big-handled, clunky in the pocket and with a blade that is too tall and too short (edge length seems stubby for the bulk of the thing), all at once. I loved the scale, the fit and finish were Taichung fantastic, and it flipped extremely well--I just disliked everything else about it.
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That seems to be the typical Domino complaint, but I feel that it's pretty typical of Spyderco's designs. The blade is going to be a bit tall and a bit short, which some people prefer because they might be able to gain a bit more control during the cut. It depends on what and how you're cutting of course, but if one likes Spyderco's typical designs, they'll like the Domino. The Southard is a Spyderco basically by name only.

Regarding the profile in the pocket, I agree. And regarding the the fit and finish, I also agree. Anything out of Taichung is fantastic, and this is no exception. FWIW I found the Domino to flip much easier than the Southard. I personally don't care about the flipping action, but... some do, so it bears mentioning.

I've had both, and I prefer the Southard, but my particular model was at 75%+ lockup right out of the box so I didn't keep it. But the Domino, if you like it, is a really nice knife. If I didn't already EDC a Sage 1, I'd have kept it as well. But it just didn't fit the niche I wanted it to.

Rasco said:
As for BBS... this is my first purchase from them (first time I've seen a reasonable price on anything of theirs) so I'm not sure what to expect. Anyone bought from them? What's a typical turn-around time on an order? I placed the order about 12 hours ago and still no email from BBS, just from PayPal... I'm not worried, just curious on a time frame when ordering from them.
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BBS is hard to gauge. I've only used them for the M390 Para 2 sprint a couple Decembers ago, and because of its popularity I might not have experienced their typical CS. But they're not the quickest. They shipped with USPS Priority for my particular instance, so it was quick once it shipped, but their turnaround wasn't the greatest.

They're alright though. Some may not like their pricing strategies, but I don't remember anything out of the ordinary as far as their shipping times go.
 
Yeah I also wished that that the Domino wasn't so wide bladed and stubby. It's a VERY good knife besides that. Narrower blade and maybe a little longer would have been the ticket. Instead, Eric made the Dice... a smaller even stubbier version.
 
I love my BBS Domino, its probably one of the nicest spydies I have ever received (close to 40 this year), it flips way faster and smoother than my Southard and was razor sharp, the F&F was stunning, perfect centering everything....BBS is definitely proud of their knives but once in a while they throw you a bone and shipping has always been very fast for me, even being in AK, a little spendy but fast.
 
They shipped it out later that same day (Thursday) and it's set to be in my clutches on Saturday.
Pretty good turnaround and shipping. Helps that it's coming from SoCal.

I can't wait to get my Domino. It will be my first flipper with a steel lockbar insert, so I'm gonna start wearing it out right away :)
 
Very impressed with both these knives.
I'm sure I'll never carry the Lil' Matriarch, but it's a cool knife for the collection. Thanks Yo' Mama for the suggestion to score both.

The Domino is like a Manix flipper. Which is awesome. A wee bit small on the handle, but nothing that will bother me.
Flips fine. I have a $40 Kershaw Strobe that flips just as smoothly... But I just got it today and I'm sure it will break in over the next few weeks.

Love this CTS-204P. Sharp as sh!t out the box.

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One thing I noticed....
The Spyderco logo seems to have gotten a light engraving, because half of the bug's thorax is faded.
I tried to capture it as best I could with my phone's camera...

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Aside from that, no complaints whatsoever. This thing is fantastic as far as I'm concerned.
Glad I scored one before they're all gone.
Now I just need to brainstorm with ShepardCC on a red & black G-10 replacement handle scale... the blue doesn't do it for me :p
 
I've had several Dominos and four Southards. Sold or gifted all of the Dominos; same with the brown Southards. EXCEPT: .my latest Southard is the black one; lurked and found it on the EXCHANGE, as new, for 210. I don't plan to sell this one. I found two blacks, as new, for 210 and 220, within two wks, on the X, so they are to be found.
The Domino DOES FIRE HARDER. ...and I love the blue.
But I'll stay with the BLACK. It's a pretty devil; better blade-steel, although thicker than the Domino's XHP.
 
I wanted to ask yall about the blade thickness on the Domino.
It seems a lot thinner behind the edge and at the tip than a Manix 2 or a PM2. Which I really dig actually. I wish my Manix 2 had the same thin grind.
 
Good thread.
Love my BBS Domino and the blue g10. I wish they made a Dice with the same options for g10 and steel. Not a fan of the CF ones.

I'm also in the market for a Southard and am now intrigued with how people are shortening the blade! Is there a separate thread on this mod?
 
I have both Southard and Blue Domino.
Imo, Domino is the way to go. And I don't say that lightly either, because the Southard is awesome. But, in my experience the Domino is dam near perfection. Out of all my flippers, it flips the easiest, unlocks the easiest, easiest to manually open. Its just a true joy to use.
Congratz, on a very fine purchase!
 
Rasco said:
I wanted to ask yall about the blade thickness on the Domino.
It seems a lot thinner behind the edge and at the tip than a Manix 2 or a PM2. Which I really dig actually. I wish my Manix 2 had the same thin grind.
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Yep, pretty sure the thinner blade stock on the Domino is intentional. I find that it slices way easier than my Manix 2 (although that's probably because I have the older saber ground blade) or the PM2. I wouldn't put it through quite as much hard use as I would the Manix 2 or PM2, but the Domino's is perfect for EDC duty and with the CTS-XHP steel it's a zippy slicer. Not sure what it is exactly, but the blade geometry also works better for me doing EDC stuff (small food processing, box cutting) than the PM2's blade.
 
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