First handled a Dawson Raider 5 at a blade show in LA in 2016 (2017?) and it was the best feeling knife I had ever held. Just fit in the hand like it was moulded and the weight and balance were all on point. Been wanting to pick one up for 7 years now but holding off due to price. Finally pulled the trigger and decided to go with an Explorer Elite which has a little more weight/heft and a better blade profile (IMHO).
I hear almost uniformly good things about Dawson and have seen all the hard use videos online but what I really struggled to find was any pics of the knives next to mainstream pieces for comparison. So here you go, if you were looking to pull the trigger but wanted to get a feel for how the Explorer Elite compares.
Knives in the pics are:
Ontario SP43 Rifleman (one of the most under-rated under-reviewed knives on the planet, seriously, have beat on this thing to no end and it is one heck of a knife)
Dawson Explorer Elite, Arizona Copper and Blue/Black G10
Spyderco Native Chief
ESEE 3 (because yes, everyone has one)
I hear almost uniformly good things about Dawson and have seen all the hard use videos online but what I really struggled to find was any pics of the knives next to mainstream pieces for comparison. So here you go, if you were looking to pull the trigger but wanted to get a feel for how the Explorer Elite compares.
Knives in the pics are:
Ontario SP43 Rifleman (one of the most under-rated under-reviewed knives on the planet, seriously, have beat on this thing to no end and it is one heck of a knife)
Dawson Explorer Elite, Arizona Copper and Blue/Black G10
Spyderco Native Chief
ESEE 3 (because yes, everyone has one)
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