.210" CPM-MagnaCut steel - made in the USA by Crucible
This is a great knife. Excellent work and attention to detail. It's not the perfect knife, so unfortunately I am going to have to order more knives until I find the perfect one. I will be ordering from Dawson because if a perfect knife can be made Dawson will be the company that makes it.
The Outcast is a great knife, sharp, and very capable of handling any job!
This knife is perfect. It’s a great size, heavy in the hand, but not too much. You can tell this will last for a lifetime. I love the blade shape and the edge was great. It’s first use was slicing like butter into a ribeye steak cooked over a campfire in the mountains and of course you know it was medium rare.
Precisely the knife I need for the kind of camping I do. Feels great in hand and takes care of all camp chores with ease. Also keeps 2-legged varmints away!
Marauder | Survival, Camp and Backpacking Knife Series | CPM-MagnaCut Steel | NEW Monsoon Finish
I believe it was Dawson knives which, around 3 years ago, did a limited run of some knives based around the designs of a man who frequently featured short blades with full-length handles [Sorry, but I can't locate the photos at the moment]. I regretted not having the money at the time to buy one. But, a few months ago, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the Dawson Steadfast - 2 3/4" blade with a 3 3/4" handle - really perfect for me.
I also appreciate the substantial finger-guard, the CPM Magnacut, the clip point, (for detail work) and, (unbeknownst to me before purchasing) the hollow grind. Really, this knife seems so imbued with quality it practically has a personna.
The only shortcoming for me (and others have brought this up) is that I wish Dawson offered a Taco-Sheath option (or as a separate order even). If they do so in the future, I will certainly purchase one. As it stands, I know of no sheath company offering a Steadfast, so I may just get one for a relatively similar sized knife (such as the Esse-3?) and heat-gun it into conformity. But, in all other regards, I am delighted and consider my search for a great, pocketable fixed-blade to have basically ended. My Steadfast seems more like a custom than a production knife.
Oh, I forgot to mention, since one wouldn't want to do heavy prying with a relatively thin-bladed clip-point, it's great that the designer included a sort of pry-bar, large-screwdriver at the lanyard-end of the knife.
-Blake Conley