I am a new Dawson Knives customer from France. I bought a Marauder and a Smuggler, both knives in CPM-Magnacut "copper finish" and red G10 handles. I discovered Dawson Knives recently and their signature, the copper finish, was very appealing to me.
First of all, customer service is great. They answer mail very fast, which is rare today despite living in the "digital era". Which is even more outstanding knowing they are a small family business.
The Marauder is a fine craft work and handle are very comfortable for the hands. This is the ideal size for a multifunction knife, not too big, not too small, and will be a great companion for outdoor adventures ! The CPM-Magnacut steel bring confidence for years to come in term of corrosion resistance and sturdiness. To my eyes, The copper finish and the red handles are magnificent. This knife will catch eyes of people around you for sure. According to my personal tastes and hand morphology, the Marauder is near-perfect in it's present state, and the only thing that would make it perfect for me would be thicker handle, like 0,2 inch more thick overall. But that's nitpicking.
The shipment was very fast and reliable thanks to Dawson Knives and DHL. It took only two days to arrive from Arizona to France ! I can't thanks them enough for letting me the free choice to use DHL over UPS and Fedex (they are too slow for overseas and their French employees are not that good...).
I also bought a Smuggler from a German retailer. The smuggler is also magnificent and a well crafted tool. For this size of knife, the knife is perfect for me and my use. The ratio blade length/handle length is perfect, and the thickness of the handle too. That thing can't escape your hands despite the size thanks to the very functional handle and the jimping. It can almost compete in the EDC category (a bit too long though), and perform very well in everyday tasks like cutting stuff, preparing food, cleaning nails, and I bet it could be a terrifying and deadly combat blade.
The kydex sheath are very good, very thick and seems indestructible. Kydex is the new standard and that's for good reasons. This carbon fiber finish is beautiful and fit well with the red G10 handles. I hope in the future they offer color variation for the sheaths, a carbon fiber finish in dark red would have been wonderful with the red handles. Full tek-lok compatibility would make the sheaths perfect.
Overall I am very satisfied with the blades and the services provided, and I am very confident for the long term use of these tools as they will probably outlive me.
