- Joined
- Jan 4, 2006
- Messages
- 6,129
Some shots and quick thoughts on this design. At the time of this post, I've only had it for a few days and haven't done any serious cutting with it.
Specs from TAD Gear's site:
There are some design issues that are deal breakers for other people based on what I've read, and I think those concerns are valid:
On the Dauntless since there's no chamfering, if we measure from the center of the recess/ finger groove, inside of the lockbar, to the inside of the non-locking side titanium liner, we get 2.5 cm
Taking a side view of the Sebenza, we can see a more drastic difference between it and the Dauntless. The non-locking side has a cut out that exposes much more area of the inside of the lockbar. This makes it super easy to get your thumb in there to disengage the lock.
On the Dauntless, we can see that the non-locking side is perfectly flush with the edge of the lockbar. With the complete lack of any of the common features named above, it's difficult to get enough purchase to disengage the lock in a way that's as convenient as we've come to expect from most modern folders.
Despite these criticisms, I plan on keeping it. I just like it, probably a lot. Here are some of my pros:
TAD side
In the pocket
Comparison shots
Overall, I think I'm going to continue to be happy with this purchase. I like the story of the Dauntless. The aesthetics appeal to my preferences in a folder. It reminds me of my old custom XM-18 that I should never have sold.
If you have reservations about any of the criticisms described above, this may not be for you. Especially at this price range, it may be too difficult to justify the cost.
If on the other hand you've always wanted a Dauntless or are a fan of Hinderer designs, it's something to seriously consider. Compared to other Dauntless variations that I've been interested in, this is way cheaper and it's available. Compared to other production Hinderers, it's in the same price range as XM-18s (and Sebenzas), so if you're the target audience for those, the price for what you get will be much easier to justify.
Specs from TAD Gear's site:
There are some design issues that are deal breakers for other people based on what I've read, and I think those concerns are valid:
- The detent is on the strong side. There aren't a lot of reviews on this knife, but of the few that are out there, this is a complaint I've seen repeatedly. Friends who aren't that familiar with manipulating folders have all had trouble opening mine one handed. It actually feels close to the strength of the detent on my ZT 0462CF. The problem there of course is that this is a thumb stud opener, not a flipper.
- The knife doesn't feel as secure in hand as it could. The knife is on the thin side, which isn't necessarily a problem. The titanium side feels a little slick and the handle has no jimping. These factors combined make it feel like I need to grip a little bit harder in order to feel as secure in hand as other similarly sized knives.
- The lockbar is inconvenient to disengage. There isn't a lot of space between the lockbar and non-locking side when the knife is open. That makes it difficult to get enough of your thumb in there to disengage the lock, particularly one handed. They could have done any of the following to fix or alleviate some of this:
- Add chamfering on the lockbar
- Add jimping on the lockbar
- Made it so the non-locking side wasn't flush with the lock bar
On the Dauntless since there's no chamfering, if we measure from the center of the recess/ finger groove, inside of the lockbar, to the inside of the non-locking side titanium liner, we get 2.5 cm
Taking a side view of the Sebenza, we can see a more drastic difference between it and the Dauntless. The non-locking side has a cut out that exposes much more area of the inside of the lockbar. This makes it super easy to get your thumb in there to disengage the lock.
On the Dauntless, we can see that the non-locking side is perfectly flush with the edge of the lockbar. With the complete lack of any of the common features named above, it's difficult to get enough purchase to disengage the lock in a way that's as convenient as we've come to expect from most modern folders.
Despite these criticisms, I plan on keeping it. I just like it, probably a lot. Here are some of my pros:
- I've wanted a Dauntless for a long time. Pretty much all of the previous Dauntless models were either out of reach or just not interesting enough.
- It's pretty comfortable when choking up on the blade, although I haven't spent real time cutting with it yet.
- It's a nice option if you're trying to keep a blade under 3". The top of the to the tip of the blade is shorter than 3", and the edge is much shorter. There's no confusion about exceeding the 3" length limit some areas impose.
- Although the detent is really strong which can make it difficult for some to open, I'm comfortable enough with folders that it flies open for me, especially since I have to overcome that detent. I also had the opportunity to handle a model that had been opened and closed a lot more and it seems like the detent will get better in time. That said, you're never going to get accused of carrying a gravity knife with this one.
- Despite my criticisms on those design decisions, it feels really well made. Everything looks properly finished and very clean. No play, nothing feels out of place. It feels solid, but it's also thin and light so it feels versatile.
- I really like the aesthetics. The accents like the thumb studs, LBS, Tri-Way pivot, etc., very much feel like a Hinderer on the lock side (I carried a custom XM-18 for years). On the non-lock side, it feels very much like a TAD design with their fullers and pivot. The two sides come together nicely. Of course, that shouldn't be any surprise since Hinderer was the first maker to collaborate with TAD on the Dauntless design.
TAD side
In the pocket
Comparison shots
Overall, I think I'm going to continue to be happy with this purchase. I like the story of the Dauntless. The aesthetics appeal to my preferences in a folder. It reminds me of my old custom XM-18 that I should never have sold.
If you have reservations about any of the criticisms described above, this may not be for you. Especially at this price range, it may be too difficult to justify the cost.
If on the other hand you've always wanted a Dauntless or are a fan of Hinderer designs, it's something to seriously consider. Compared to other Dauntless variations that I've been interested in, this is way cheaper and it's available. Compared to other production Hinderers, it's in the same price range as XM-18s (and Sebenzas), so if you're the target audience for those, the price for what you get will be much easier to justify.
Last edited:
