Domino - to those who've had one, what do I need to know before I pull the trigger ?

chipdouglas · #1

Hi there,

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Domino. Given the price point of this last, I want to make sure I know all I can possibly know before I pull the trigger. So, I'm asking those of your who've had it for a while.

What do you not like about it ?

Has there been any issues with it (any kind really) ?

Has there been any disappointment ?

I've been told that XHP is a step up from S30V - that should make it a pretty good steal, as I've been happy with S30V, as I don't have to sharpen it too often.

Any help is appreciated - thank you.

3rdGenRigger · #2

Some of them will have a small rattle. Mine does, though I only found out after reading a thread about one that rattled, and I have to REALLY shake it to hear it...not sure what it is but I didn't notice it in 6 months of using it, and it's definitely not something that affects the performance. The lock disengagement strength is perfect, as is the ball detent. The amount of friction to overcome the detent to close it is just enough so that the blade will swing closed and not bounce back open (Works perfectly 90% of the time for me, but every once in a while I push it too hard and it bounces back open ~1/2". The ergonomics and size are quite close to the Sage 3, and of course with it being a Taichung Spyderco, the fit and finish are about as good as it gets. I also like the fact that the liner under the display scale is stonewashed titanium like the lock side (My Schempp Tuff and Chokwe have a stainless liner). Not sure if XHP is more abrasive resistant than S30V, but it does have a finer grain structure and should take a finer edge better (I prefer a coarser edge on my S30V knives). I absolutely love mine...worth every penny.

chipdouglas · #3

Thanks for sharing. Btw, what's your top three :) , as I see you have quite a few Spydies.

3rdGenRigger · #4

Right now I'd say the ParaMilitary 2, Schempp Tuff, and Chokwe make up my top 3 (With the Techno as a close runner up).

Strong-Dog · #5

With what you can get a Southard at currently, I'd say grab that instead. Better steel, just IMO a better overall knife. Besides the grind, I hate saber grinds.

ASmitty · #6

Here's what you need to know: you'll have absolutely no regrets about the purchase.

adancingmonkey · #7

fantastic knife, looking forward to matching it up with its little brother in the future. Although I did get the blue CF model, so here's hoping the dice comes with the same scales. Or I will just have to get another domino.

tlo14290 · #8

I've only had mine about a month, but I sure like it. Nice blade shape, good steel, feels real solid in the hand. Flipper action is smooth, fast, and intuitive. Nice and safe to close one handed, the back of the flipper hits your thumb first... Not sharp blade!

You won't regret the purchase. That handle feels like a water worn stone in your hand

computernut · #9

Loving my Domino, it's rarely left my pocket since I got it in March. Mine has a little rattle but it seems to be the lanyard tube but it's not not anything I noticed until I shook it. It has a strong detent which is a bonus in a flipper. It's a little harder to deploy by the Spydie-hole because of the detent, slighly recessed hole, and the rotating flipper but once you use the flipper you'll forget about the hole

The stone-wash on the titanium scales is great and less likely to baby it like I do my Sage2. I prefer the hour-glass clip over the wire ones. I think the Domino is a good mix of Sage and Manix lines. The steel insert is jimped which makes it easy to unlock. Other than the blade being very wide, I can't really find anything to fault about this knife. It does stick a bit out of the pocket but I prefer knives that give me a bit of purchase to pull them out.

Spydersense · #10

Get one! The ergos are great. The blade is great. The flipper is great. I've got two of them and can't think of anything negative to say about them.

Oh yeah, the Taichung fit and finish are superb too!

chipdouglas · #11

Strong-Dog wrote:With what you can get a Southard at currently, I'd say grab that instead. Better steel, just IMO a better overall knife. Besides the grind, I hate saber grinds.

Isn't the Southard a hollow grind ?

chipdouglas · #12

Thanks for the many compelling comments guys.

I also considered the Southard, but it seems that the Domino flips better or faster. Also, I'm not super keen on the blade and handle shape of the Southard - maybe that'd change if I held one though. The handle shape of the Domino seems more intuitive to me, but again I've never held either one of these knives. The only way I can is to order them online - the only physical store selling both is let's see...about an 8-hour drive from where I live lol, so that's not in the cards.

I know that the Domino is the better slicer, but I don't slice that much, so that's not a relevant argument to win me over. How's the Domino doing in general cutting tasks other than slicing ?

Again, thanks for the responses guys.

3rdGenRigger · #13

I prefer the ergonomics of the Domino personally. If you've held a Manix 2, you'll have a good idea about the ergonomics of the Domino, as they're VERY close in size and shape when opened.

chipdouglas · #14

3rdGenRigger wrote:I prefer the ergonomics of the Domino personally. If you've held a Manix 2, you'll have a good idea about the ergonomics of the Domino, as they're VERY close in size and shape when opened.

I happen to own two Manix 2 and really like the ergos, so what you wrote above is a rather compelling argument.

tlo14290 · #15

3rdGenRigger wrote:I prefer the ergonomics of the Domino personally. If you've held a Manix 2, you'll have a good idea about the ergonomics of the Domino, as they're VERY close in size and shape when opened.

Very similar, I haven't handled a Southard, but the Domino grip feels almost exactly the same as a Manix2, just a wee bit smoother and less angular, without the aggressive steel jimping on the handle of the Manix. If you put the two next to each other, the edged part of the Domino blade is the same length as the Manix2 edge, but the whole knife is at least 1/2 inch shorter. The ergos make the grip very secure. I've cut double thick cardboard with no trouble, a bit of sisal rope, numerous envelopes, and various sorts of thinner cardboard and other packaging materials. All were handled with no problems.

I even tried piercing the double thick cardboard several times, and the Domino penetrated at least as well as my PM2.

Again, I'm pretty impressed, obviously a lot of thought, experimentation, and just plain good engineering went into this one. A big YEAH! to Mr. Eric Glesser.

3rdGenRigger · #16

Quick crummy cell pic I took literally a minute ago. In the first one it looks like the Domino blade is quite a bit longer, but it's an illusion due to my camera angle...the tips line up almost perfectly (Very slight edge to the M2, no pun intended), but the Domino does have a bit shorter handle.

Strong-Dog · #17

chipdouglas wrote:Isn't the Southard a hollow grind ?

Yes...

senorsquare · #18

chipdouglas wrote:I also considered the Southard, but it seems that the Domino flips better or faster. Also, I'm not super keen on the blade and handle shape of the Southard - maybe that'd change if I held one though. The handle shape of the Domino seems more intuitive to me, but again I've never held either one of these knives. The only way I can is to order them online - the only physical store selling both is let's see...about an 8-hour drive from where I live lol, so that's not in the cards.

I know that the Domino is the better slicer, but I don't slice that much, so that's not a relevant argument to win me over. How's the Domino doing in general cutting tasks other than slicing ?

I've owned multiples of both and I can say of the ones I've had the Domino definitely fires harder than the Southard. It has a nice detent and flips like a rocket. I like the ergos of the domino better than the southard. The southard carries better with its slimmer profile and the lack of hump on the spine. Both knives are good at cutting things.

elena86 · #19

Don't let the others fool you.Southard is a great knife.Better than the Domino.Great blade shape, great steel, great ergos,great allarounder.Sturdy reliable folder ! The only thing Southard and Domine have in common is the fact that they are both flippers.Southard is way above Domino.In my opinion is the best production folder ever made by Spyderco.Brad Southard's designs are masterpieces.Domino is just a.....flaw design.That spydie hole is not supose to be there , everything is just....uneven.I am sorry to say but Eric has a lot to learn from the masters ( from Sal for example).The Brad Southard collab was just a great idea.I am looking forward for a mini-Southard like the mini AWT.Maybe with a brass bolster and micarta slabs.But that's me.... :D .

senorsquare · #20

elena86 wrote:Don't let the others fool you.Southard is a great knife.Better than the Domino.Great blade shape, great steel, great ergos,great allarounder.Sturdy reliable folder ! The only thing Southard and Domine have in common is the fact that they are both flippers.Southard is way above Domino.But that's me....

Can't go wrong either way, they are both nice knives. That said, the Southard is the one that ends up in my pocket every day. Although I have tweaked mine just a little...