Mine arrived earlier today, and I've only had it a few hours, but this is a damn fine blade. Reminds me of a cross between my Umnumzaan and a Strider SNG. It's even better than the photos on their site, as is all their gear and clothing (of which I own quite a collection - and ever growing). My blade came perfectly centered.
Thanks for the TAD lesson! I have never known the differences between the Dauntless versions. I have learned much from you. And, I bet you are right about Protech!
I've had mine for six months. I love it (mine's also od green variant). I did notice that I can muscle a little forward movement against the lock bar when it's open. Not a big deal but, since I noticed it, I can't stop checking for it! After seeing the edge you put on your's I feel compelled to send mine in for sharpening! Thank you for your videos.
Hi Rob, I really enjoy your videos and this is another awesome blade. Thanks for sharing it with us. God bless you and your family. Thanks. Nice greetings from Germany Florian
Awesome knife TAP! You can always try some Never Seize to cure that lock stick, keep up the good work, I hope I get something new to send ya. The word is sharp indeed, thanks for the reminder.
I wish they'd make a "small" version of this one. About 4" closed. Little too big for me as is. Little too big of price tag too as is. Lol. Another great video! Keep it up.....
Another thorough review. Your focus on fit, finish, function over form suits the engineer in me. Well done, but makes me want to get a Sebenza in hand to understand the standard it sets.
***** I understand, Steve. Knowing Sebenzas does give valuable perspective. It also ruins a lot of knives for you... LOL! The Dauntless is definitely stronger in its design or "form" elements than it is in its engineering or "function" elements. But it's also a more than credible tool. On the one hand, I love a knife blade that is just a pure slicer. But on the other hand, this bayonet blade with its large flats, gorgeous swage and perfectly executed fuller is just dripping with classic cool! So I can almost overlook its rather wedgy grind. It's not the most functional folder I own, but it sure is sexy!
There's no question it looks great. I'm such a noob, I'm still trying to learn how to deploy a thumbstud in something less than 3 seconds! The Dauntless deploys at the speed of light compared to the Rat 1 :-) ...oh, maybe it's the operator.
Another excellent review of a knife I'd never heard of that I now wouldn't mind owning . Are you running the caged bearings dry or wet ? Keep up the good work .
kerryrwac I usually run them with a very small amount of Daiwa Reel Oil. But on this knife I tried something new. Since it uses the steel cage method, I packed them like an old wheel bearing with fluoro grease. Seems to be working great so far!
That's great ! Do you use the Daiwa reel oil on the ZT KVT bearings as well ? I'm waiting for my local shop to get the ZT 0450 in after watching your's and 1all's Pub's reviews . I don't know if it'll replace my 943 CF .
Hello Rob, I do have a Dauntless MK4 that I am trying to take apart for cleaning, but the pivet just spins freely and I am unable to remove. Any tips on how to remove the pivot? Thank you .
Allen Rodgers Try putting the knife down on a piece of hard, grippy rubber, then press down hard as you’re turning the male screw. It works like one of those can grippers. Good luck!
As always, very good complete honest review, it's been really great to watch it at coffee time but..OK, a half green knife. Why on Earth one pays hundreds of $ for a toy they don't need is beyond me, I don't necessarily mean you Rob.
Just looking at this thing... mystery of the actual manufacturer aside, it has a few features in the design itself that make me think of a Fellhoelter blade.
Isn't there a strider version of this knife tho ? I've seen many with the tiger stripped blades and flamed lock sides. Does strider make those ? And are these as good of quality?
Do you really think it's worth the $350 price tag? For that price you could have a used umnumzaan or sebenza, a Todd Begg Mini Glimpse or an sr2 lion steel, a brous blades division or any number of less expensive yet equally awesome blades.
this knife the design is shitty the look are ugly as well if they sell for even $50 i wont buy it, you should get a sr2 lion steel better design look nice well worth the money or brous blade have cool design
John 89 If I had to choose between the Dauntless MK4 and a nice used Sebenza, I'd pick a nice used Sebenza. But I don't have to make that choice. I definitely rate this knife of higher quality than all the others you mentioned, except the Umnum of course.
Hi Rob :) I have the Mk3. Had to wait till they did stonewash all over. With out doubt one of my keepers. The lockbar stick on your MK4 is not right, watching.. and it's bugging me :/ There was a rumour that the MK3 had the same issue, however the LB on mine frankley is better than my Seb's. I'd say on par with my Hinderer's. I would be somewhat unhappy with that amount of stick. Have to agree that the hollow grind is more prefrable. Your vids are superb by the way..I watch a lot of them. I do like your reviews and have made desicions sometimes based on them. Most recently the G. Bradley 'Air'..a superb little number..;) If a MK4 came my way at a remarkable price I would pick it up..but my TAD fix is firmly met with the MK3 OD1 ..
Being Outside Rocks I actually don't mind the current level of stick on this MK4. It's not as "hydraulic" or precise as the stick on a Sebenza (which I actually love), but it's continuing to improve as the lockbar mates with the blade tang. Thanks for your kind words, my friend, and congrats on your Bradley Air!
trebleboostboy That's a very good pairing for comparison, I think. The two knives are pretty similar in many ways. Here's a short illustration of the differences which may help make your decision. The build quality of the Hinderer is enough better to justify the price difference, which by today's secondary market is probably $100-150. My only real hit on the Dauntless is a slight off-center grind in the blade, which you can see not only in blade centering, but as you look down the spine of the blade. I'm sure they're not all this way, but several I've seen are. You just don't see that in a Hinderer. But if you're considering this purchase as an EDC blade, the Dauntless wins in two ways. First, it's much lighter than an XM and carries accordingly better in pocket. Second, the blade geometry, specifically thickness behind the edge, is much more suitable for slicing and other EDC tasks on the Dauntless. XM's are, IMHO, much better suited for prying than for cutting. The Dautless is about .030" behind the edge, maybe less, whereas the XM will run about .050". This is pretty significant. Hope that helps.
Mine arrived earlier today, and I've only had it a few hours, but this is a damn fine blade.
Reminds me of a cross between my Umnumzaan and a Strider SNG. It's even better than the photos on their site, as is all their gear and clothing (of which I own quite a collection - and ever growing).
My blade came perfectly centered.
Thanks for the TAD lesson! I have never known the differences between the Dauntless versions. I have learned much from you. And, I bet you are right about Protech!
I've had mine for six months. I love it (mine's also od green variant). I did notice that I can muscle a little forward movement against the lock bar when it's open. Not a big deal but, since I noticed it, I can't stop checking for it!
After seeing the edge you put on your's I feel compelled to send mine in for sharpening!
Thank you for your videos.
Great review Rob. Thanks for the teaching on materials and construction.
05generic Thanks, Robert! Great to hear from you, buddy!
TheApostleP could you do a review on the Buck compadre camp knife please. I really think you'll like what you see. Thanks.
Hi Rob,
I really enjoy your videos and this is another awesome blade. Thanks for sharing it with us.
God bless you and your family. Thanks.
Nice greetings from Germany
Florian
I'll have one Tuesday, can't wait!
simple, fantastic looking knife.
Awesome knife TAP! You can always try some Never Seize to cure that lock stick, keep up the good work, I hope I get something new to send ya. The word is sharp indeed, thanks for the reminder.
The only time I have 'felt the ball bearings' was when the pivot was dry. Some reel oil usually takes care of that.
This is really an attractive knife. I wish I could afford it. Thanks.
Well would you look at that. What a great looking knife. I just got one with a Wicked edge on it from some ApostleP guy. ;)
I wish they'd make a "small" version of this one. About 4" closed. Little too big for me as is. Little too big of price tag too as is. Lol. Another great video! Keep it up.....
Another thorough review. Your focus on fit, finish, function over form suits the engineer in me. Well done, but makes me want to get a Sebenza in hand to understand the standard it sets.
***** I understand, Steve. Knowing Sebenzas does give valuable perspective. It also ruins a lot of knives for you... LOL! The Dauntless is definitely stronger in its design or "form" elements than it is in its engineering or "function" elements. But it's also a more than credible tool. On the one hand, I love a knife blade that is just a pure slicer. But on the other hand, this bayonet blade with its large flats, gorgeous swage and perfectly executed fuller is just dripping with classic cool! So I can almost overlook its rather wedgy grind. It's not the most functional folder I own, but it sure is sexy!
There's no question it looks great. I'm such a noob, I'm still trying to learn how to deploy a thumbstud in something less than 3 seconds! The Dauntless deploys at the speed of light compared to the Rat 1 :-) ...oh, maybe it's the operator.
***** Try any of the Benchmade axis lock knives once the pivots been adjusted to make them free droppers . They're rockets .
The Benchmades are on my list, kerryrwac. I'm counting on getting my hands on several of them at #BladeShow2015 in a few weeks.
your favoritism Over America is going to do yourself in we all care about product
I just bought one of these, looking forward to it. I'm thinking these are made by Brian Fellhoelter.
Good review👍
Another excellent review of a knife I'd never heard of that I now wouldn't mind owning . Are you running the caged bearings dry or wet ? Keep up the good work .
kerryrwac I usually run them with a very small amount of Daiwa Reel Oil. But on this knife I tried something new. Since it uses the steel cage method, I packed them like an old wheel bearing with fluoro grease. Seems to be working great so far!
That's great ! Do you use the Daiwa reel oil on the ZT KVT bearings as well ? I'm waiting for my local shop to get the ZT 0450 in after watching your's and 1all's Pub's reviews . I don't know if it'll replace my 943 CF .
Hello Rob, I do have a Dauntless MK4 that I am trying to take apart for cleaning, but the pivet just spins freely and I am unable to remove. Any tips on how to remove the pivot? Thank you .
Allen Rodgers Try putting the knife down on a piece of hard, grippy rubber, then press down hard as you’re turning the male screw. It works like one of those can grippers. Good luck!
As always, very good complete honest review, it's been really great to watch it at coffee time but..OK, a half green knife. Why on Earth one pays hundreds of $ for a toy they don't need is beyond me, I don't necessarily mean you Rob.
Just looking at this thing... mystery of the actual manufacturer aside, it has a few features in the design itself that make me think of a Fellhoelter blade.
Isn't there a strider version of this knife tho ? I've seen many with the tiger stripped blades and flamed lock sides. Does strider make those ? And are these as good of quality?
It's a strider/ tad collab I think you're talking about. They cost way more than this one!
Would love to hear your thoughts on the carbon fiber version of this knife...
hey whats up bro ...how much do you charge to sharpen...thanks
If you close uour eyes it sounds like your handling a CRK Sabenza. That sound of precision engineering.
Do you really think it's worth the $350 price tag? For that price you could have a used umnumzaan or sebenza, a Todd Begg Mini Glimpse or an sr2 lion steel, a brous blades division or any number of less expensive yet equally awesome blades.
this knife the design is shitty the look are ugly as well if they sell for even $50 i wont buy it, you should get a sr2 lion steel better design look nice well worth the money or brous blade have cool design
***** Ouch... I don't think it's that bad.
John 89 If I had to choose between the Dauntless MK4 and a nice used Sebenza, I'd pick a nice used Sebenza. But I don't have to make that choice. I definitely rate this knife of higher quality than all the others you mentioned, except the Umnum of course.
Darn enablers pushing you to purchase folders.
Hi Rob :)
I have the Mk3. Had to wait till they did stonewash all over. With out doubt one of my keepers. The lockbar stick on your MK4 is not right, watching.. and it's bugging me :/ There was a rumour that the MK3 had the same issue, however the LB on mine frankley is better than my Seb's. I'd say on par with my Hinderer's. I would be somewhat unhappy with that amount of stick. Have to agree that the hollow grind is more prefrable. Your vids are superb by the way..I watch a lot of them. I do like your reviews and have made desicions sometimes based on them. Most recently the G. Bradley 'Air'..a superb little number..;) If a MK4 came my way at a remarkable price I would pick it up..but my TAD fix is firmly met with the MK3 OD1 ..
Being Outside Rocks I actually don't mind the current level of stick on this MK4. It's not as "hydraulic" or precise as the stick on a Sebenza (which I actually love), but it's continuing to improve as the lockbar mates with the blade tang. Thanks for your kind words, my friend, and congrats on your Bradley Air!
What about three rivers manufacturing think they might build it
That is who Halpren Titanium is he said in the video.
How good would that be in comparison to a Brous Blades's knife?
Joshua Jacob Not close. This knife is far superior in machining and build quality to any Brous I've had in hand.
TheApostleP Thanks Rob! I'll definitely add this to my wishlist of knives to buy this year! God bless you!
I think G &G Hawke designed the knife, it's on their website.
+Philip Stryjewski They made a custom version of it. Custom versions were made by many custom knife makers before they started w/ the production model
Reminds me of Benchmade Gold class??? Me gotta get one...
protech uses s35vn, i have a Newport in s35vn
from Cloths to knives.... interesting
Super nice looking knife but a bit too rich for my blood.
That is a very pretty green eyed girl!!
Amen God's word is sharp.
I'm considering a TAD Dauntless or Hinderer XM-18.
I've watched both your reviews.....which speak favourably.
trebleboostboy That's a very good pairing for comparison, I think. The two knives are pretty similar in many ways. Here's a short illustration of the differences which may help make your decision. The build quality of the Hinderer is enough better to justify the price difference, which by today's secondary market is probably $100-150. My only real hit on the Dauntless is a slight off-center grind in the blade, which you can see not only in blade centering, but as you look down the spine of the blade. I'm sure they're not all this way, but several I've seen are. You just don't see that in a Hinderer. But if you're considering this purchase as an EDC blade, the Dauntless wins in two ways. First, it's much lighter than an XM and carries accordingly better in pocket. Second, the blade geometry, specifically thickness behind the edge, is much more suitable for slicing and other EDC tasks on the Dauntless. XM's are, IMHO, much better suited for prying than for cutting. The Dautless is about .030" behind the edge, maybe less, whereas the XM will run about .050". This is pretty significant. Hope that helps.
TAD stuff is OK but absolutely they are a marketing company. And a clever one at that. I find their stuff WAY over rated and way overpriced.
ball bearings...yuck.