Camillus Dominator

BOK

BOK

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Apr 16, 2002
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After some consideration I've decided to make this my next purchase but there's a few things I can't tell from the pics I've seen.

Is this a tip up or tip down folder? Won't discourage my purchase either way but my preferred carry is tip up.

Also how is ROBO vs Speedsafe vs SAT?

Would you rate them all roughly the same or is there one that stands above the rest?
 
I saw one at my local gun & knife show yesterday. Nice good size folder, that doesn't feel as heavy as it looks(I might have to try trading my Military for one. Anyways...)
It is a tip down folder, I prefer tip up also, but I do carry tip down folders(Spyderco Chinese folder)
The one I tried took a good little push, and then it swung open easy. I think it could have used a little oil, and some breaking in time. The only Speedsafe's I have played with are the little ones, and those are quick with such a small blade. The ROBO has that big blade to swing open, but it did it with no problem what so ever. I liked it. :)
I think you will be happy with it. Hope this helps.



Blades
 
Try to handle one first. They take a hefty push to get the blade moving, unlike something like a Kershaw Leek. This isn't a matter of lubrication. I've tried lubrication, adjusting the pivot. You can get it a little better, but it still takes a good push, and this is because this is the way it was designed, so it doesn't open accidentally.

I can open almost all my other knives faster as a result of this design. Might want to check into the manual version without the ROBO feature as I think it's a great knife otherwise.
 
The Dominator is very light. I was surprised at the weight when I pulled my first one out of the box. It is tip down. I don't really care for the Robo mechanism. Wade is right when you push it open, it does take some effort. I also don't care for the "smooth" studs. I have a non-Robo version also, and the studs don't work well. Of course I could use the tang of the blade to open the knife, but I prefer the studs. The lock-up on both versions is super strong. Pretty well made knife. I don't have any other types of assisted opening knives to compare it to, but I have several automatics (BM and MT) and the Dominator does not open nearly as quick as any of the autos.
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

Would anyone happen to have some pics of theirs?

I've never seen any pics of the clip side of the knife.
 
Here's a quick snap shot of the clip side:

dominator.jpg
 
Thanks thats perfect. You are the man!

I'll place my order for this on Monday.
 
Hope you like it, I'm sure you will. For the price I think it's a great deal. It's made very nice. It's also a very solid folder.
 
In all honesty, there is a bit of a trick to open the dominator easily. If you try to push the flipper right at it's tip, you will have a bit of difficulty. The easiest way I have found is to start by putting your finger tip on the back of the handle above the flipper and then sweep your finger down the back of the handle, trying to keep it in contact with the back of the handle the entire time. Try not to think about moving the flipper. Once you figure it out, it is very easy to open.
 
Dirk said:
In all honesty, there is a bit of a trick to open the dominator easily. If you try to push the flipper right at it's tip, you will have a bit of difficulty. The easiest way I have found is to start by putting your finger tip on the back of the handle above the flipper and then sweep your finger down the back of the handle, trying to keep it in contact with the back of the handle the entire time. Try not to think about moving the flipper. Once you figure it out, it is very easy to open.
Click to expand...

I noticed that opening the Dominator is mostly mental. Your finger doesn't want to push hard enough at first, for whatever reason. :)
 
Walking Man, I have a manual version and the studs allow you to open the blade until it's locked. Pushing the tang will not lock open the blade. You have to continue using the studs to fully open the blade or use your other hand to lock it open. I wish Camillus would use more textured thumb studs on the non-Robo version. :) o
 
The Robo-Assist is less than useless, too stiff and the studs are badly placed. If the idea was to make the knife easier to open then they got it all wrong. Just a lousy Speed-Safe knock-off.
 
stjames said:
The Robo-Assist is less than useless, too stiff and the studs are badly placed. If the idea was to make the knife easier to open then they got it all wrong. Just a lousy Speed-Safe knock-off.
Click to expand...

Others have alluded to this as well in other 'Dominator' posts. It's too bad I don't have the luxury of trying one or a couple before buying.
 
As discussed in the Camillus forum, if I remember correctly, St.James had the misfortune to get an early model of the dominator, which doesn't work too well. I love mine, and I mean love, and I think it works fantastic, okay, it's not quite as fast as the small Kershaws, but this thing has mass, of course it's not going to snap as fast.
Wunderbar, I'm sorry about your feeling about this knife. I'd suggest giving it a gentle flick instead. On the Aftermath, IIRC, Darrel Ralph specifically stated that it didn't have thumbstuds.
 
I don't know if I would call it a lousy knock off or that Camillus didn't get it right. If they didn't get it right, they wouldn't be selling as well as they are and Camillus would discontinue it. It is selling so well that they have the Heat coming out and another smaller version coming out. Sounds like the design is doing exceptionally well.

There are no thumb studs on the Dominator. Those are blade stops. Even on the manual. The flipper on the manual will only open the blade so far without a bit a of a flick. That is due the the comparable low mass of the blade. Adjust the pivot a bit and it will make it even easier. I have mine set to where I can get it to just shy of locking by only using the flipper.
 
I've been happy with my Dominator so far. No problems with the Robo mechanism at all. Mine has teflon washers and after a couple of hundred cycles of opening and closing there's side to side wobble. The only thing I've noticed on my model is that the titanium lockbar has worn a bit so it doesn't "stick" to the tang anymore. There's also a tiny bit of vertical play that has developed, but you have to move the blade up and down to really notice it.
 
I've had one for a while. I like it a lot. The assist is smoooth and very fast. Recently, I added some bronze bushings (to replace the nylon ones) and a deep carry pocket clip.

I think it's a very well done knife.

--dan
 
stjames said:
The Robo-Assist is less than useless, too stiff and the studs are badly placed. If the idea was to make the knife easier to open then they got it all wrong. Just a lousy Speed-Safe knock-off.
Click to expand...

I agree. It's a nice knife other wise. The only thing it has going for it is a coolness factor, but I wouldn't want to rely on it if I was in a bad situation and had to deploy it quickly. However, if you don't need to get it out quickly, and you don't mind the big push, it's a nice knife.
 
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