D.K.D. Phantom Review (long!)

[Rick]

Hi all, this is my first post to the JerzeeDevil board, though a few of you might recognize my nondescript moniker from the Microtech board at Knife Forums back in its heyday.

I received a pre-production (“W. R. Clark” bone logo) grey Phantom a few days ago, so I thought I’d write a review to introduce myself. I’m sure most of you know the general specs, so I won’t reiterate em here.

Overview:

Old world Italian swing-guard stiletto-meets-modern materials and CNC fabrication techniques is a concept I’ve been looking forward to for a long time now, and DKD has done a great job, especially given the $400-$450 asking price. The Phantom’s high-tech, essentially “tactical” esthetic, coupled with classic, understated lines gives the knife an imposing, purposeful look, but its sleek, graceful form is anything but utilitarian. I wouldn’t consider this knife to be a “user,” unless you fancy yourself a modern-day Luka Brazzi: “Don Corleone, if yo’ daughta has a child, I hope it will be a masculine child.” And “masculine child” is an apt description of someone who chooses to tote around an 11” switch-dagger as a utility knife! Fogeddaboudit; this is a safe-queen collectable all the way, though the build quality appears robust enough to help an occasional bad guy sleep widda fishes if the need should arise.

Strong points:

This knife has excellent action; that’s its main claim to fame, IMO. The slick juxtaposition of classic design and contemporary materials wouldn’t mean squat if the knife didn’t walk and talk as well as its price-point colleagues. It’s fast, smooth, and just powerful enough to insure a quick, solid lock-up every time it’s deployed, but not so powerful that it will eventually pound itself apart. I have a pet peeve with over-sprung, all brawn and no brains automatics: A good auto should be carefully tuned to open reliably and consistently, not just overloaded with so much kick that it wants to hammer its blade-stop and pivot loose in record time. I don’t find a needlessly powerful bang impressive; I think it’s crude. The Phantom is just right.

The grey anodized finish on the integral CNC’d aluminum bolsters/liners (another excellent feature) is good looking and seems quite durable. Repeated cycling has left only the slightest faint marking of the front bolsters where they contact the swing-guard.

The bead-blasted matt black G-10 handle scales give the knife a no-nonsense look and offer a nice non-slip grip, which is a good thing when those dual springs kick out the long blade. There are a few slightly sharp corners where the scales meet the bolsters, but they’re no big deal. To my eye, this material isn’t quite as attractive as smooth carbon fiber or micarta, but it’s a lot less slippery and just as tough and lightweight.

Did I mention the great action? Perfect! The crisp fisheye push-button; the positive snap; the tight lockup of both the blade and the guard; the smooth feel of the lock-bar on release, and the firm, solid click as the blade retaining pin snaps home on closing are all first-rate. This action is easily as good as any custom auto I’ve fired, regardless of price.

Nitpicks and suggestions:

I’m not all that impressed with the execution of the hand-ground blade. A dagger grind is a real challenge, as any deviation in straightness and symmetry is easily recognized, in spite of the eye’s tendency to “correct” irregularities. I've had quite a few custom autos from guys like Harkins, Corbit, Dake, Steigerwalt, Minnick, etc., as well as a few dozen Microtechs, and the Phantom grinds wander more than most. The Dealer who sold me the knife wasn’t even sure that it was really intended to be a symmetrical dagger-grind, but it’s obvious that this is the case; in fact, he hand-picked this one as being a particularly good example. It’s not seriously flawed, but it’s not particularly even or straight either. Any double-edged production UT-6 will happily show it the door. My feeling is that a premium hand-grind should be at least as good as a typical machine-grind; these aren’t, and I’ve seen close to a dozen examples of the Phantom; none of which was any better. I think this knife would actually look a lot nicer with a hand-finished CNC’d blade like the production Microtechs.

Please keep in mind that these grind irregularities are relatively subtle. I’ve seen a few posts in the various knife boards wherein an ecstatic new Phantom owner happily proclaimed that the grind was “perfect,” and more power to em, but if you’ve been around customs and high end production knives for a while, you probably know how to appraise a blade grind. If so, you might not let DKD off so easily…then again, maybe it’s just me.

The secondary bevel on my sample begins almost ½” beyond the onset of the primary bevel at the tang. This further disturbs the blade’s apparent symmetry and visual balance. The primary and secondary bevels should coincide along their entire length, even if the onset of the secondary bevel is “false” for the first ½” or so. Another false secondary bevel on the opposite edge would go a long way toward adding visual balance, and wouldn’t be all that labor intensive. The cutting edge is reasonably sharp, and the ultra-fine point is well shaped and extremely keen.

I’ve cycled the knife perhaps fifty times and the blade lock-up has developed a small amount of front-to-back play; enough that the blade will rattle ever-so-slightly if the handle is given a shake. There’s almost a 1/16” of slop developing in the swing-guard as well. This small amount of blade and guard play isn’t too objectionable, but it’s worth noting, particularly if it continues to loosen over time. Tightening the pivot screw would probably take care of the blade play, but it appears to be loctited in place, and I’m loath to force it. For comparison’s sake, I’ve never had any noticeable blade play in a MT side-opener, even after several hundred cycles. Then again, I’ve handled a bazillion dollar Tony Marfione OTF swing-guard that made the Phantom’s guard seem welded in place.

While the finish on the bolsters is intact, there are two small, bright patches on the underside of the black-anodized guard where the finish has been completely worn away by the harder anodizing on the bolsters. These are clearly visible when the knife is open and certainly don’t add to the overall esthetics.

The knife’s center of gravity is located slightly behind the firing button. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but the knife is definitely ass-heavy, particularly if gripped anywhere near the hand-guard. I don’t own any 11” OAL stilettos for comparison, but my guess is that this slightly awkward balance is endemic to the breed. Perhaps machining away a small amount of material inside the sizable rear bolster would help improve the balance without compromising its strength. Despite the traditionally big-assed handle profile dwarfing the slim stiletto blade, the handle-to-blade length ratio is average for a modern folder.

Conclusion:

The Phantom is a concept knife that’s long overdue, and fills a gaping hole in production/semi-custom auto design. It’s good looking, beautifully engineered, and has the best action I’ve ever felt, not only in its class, but anywhere in my experience, and I’ve been collecting serious custom autos for many years.

It has a few small bugs here and there, and the blade grind is only adequate, but overall, it represents a great value, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it becomes a true collectable and kick-starts DKD into a serious up-and-coming force in the production knife world.

[Mr.LaBella]

awesome first post! to the forums and we appreciate the time it takes to reply or start a thread!


kick back and enjoy your time here, you are in good company!


I had one and couldnt keep ahold of it! it hit REAL hard!~ but very cool


Ron

[BennytheBlade]

If only all first posts were half as good.

[BenDibble]

welcome to the forums! What a sweet intro also. That sure is a good knife, my only addition to your review is that the knife i handled seemed as if it had a overly sensitive button. It might be designed that way, but i was afraid to hold it in my hand without the safety on unless i was going to fire it.


hope to see you spamming around.

[SuperD]

Looks like a good way to break in our new (sub) forum......

[cutty]

The knife is not safe. It was told to me and other people to be careful when opening. It does not matter, can springs be to strong? YES. Also the fit and finish were not that great. The people putting this knife out are the best, but care in manufacturing should be utmost. Can't wait for the next generation or the next style. They will do better.

[wright]

If only all first posts were half as good.

please see my first post.

[Rick]

Thanks to all for the welcome. Much appreciated!

A couple of replies stated that the Phantom is over-sprung. I think I read somewhere on this board that the initial run did indeed kick like a pissed-off mule, but the springs have been tamed-down a bit since then. My knife has a respectable snap, but I've never felt that it was excessive, and as I said above, I'm not a fan of overloaded springs.

BenDibble - The button on my sample is firm and crisp. I'm glad the safety is there, but I've never felt that the thing would go off without a decisive press on the trigger, so either there's a lot of variation going on, or DKD has been fine-tuning the button and spring(s) over time.

Speaking of variation, I've probably fired the knife an additional thirty times since I the wrote the review, and the guard slop is even more pronounced, though the blade play is about the same. I'd have to say that my well-used MT UT6---a production out-the-front auto!---is tighter than my Phantom's blade at this point. I may have to warm up the pivot to loosen the loctite and give the screw a tweak, but I'll probably drop DKD a line before I mess with anything. On the off chance that they've read my review, I'm sure they'll be thrilled to talk to me:doublegun

[hanky]

Not acceptable at this price range,unless it can be adjusted out period. hanky

[Rick]

Hanky, I can't argue with that. For $400+ this knife should lock up as firmly as a $30 CRKT, and I'm sorry to say that it doesn't.

[Hawaiian]

I had passed on this one when it first came out. Last weekend at the Eugene show there was one for sale. I checked it out and after firing it one time and feeling the quickness of it snapping open and especially upon hearing the sweet acoustics it had, I knew it was going home with me. Yep it did and I am very happy with it.
Sometimes with knife or gun, you just need to have it in you hand to appreciate it.

[Horizonod]

The DKD Phantom has been long awaited and highly anticipated by the avid auto collector especially those fond of the classic Italian design that so many American makers took a swipe at but missed the mark.

If you get a good one, you've gotten a nice knife and if you don't play with it too much you will have a nice piece for your collection. There are some problems though.

After handling dozens of the DKD Phantoms I have a few general observations and opinions.

We have received several Phantoms direct from DKD that were flawed or dysfunctional. The flaws have ranged from excessive gaps between the frame and backspring, scratched bolsters, crooked blades, excessive side to side blade play, poor grinds and general poor fit.

Others that have appeared to be fine have developed problems shortly after being received by customers. These problems have been knives that will not stay closed and inoperable safeties.

I see a couple of future problems as well.

#1. While most auto knife lovers just can't get enough speed out of their blades, many are aware that with excess speed (energy) comes excess wear and tear. I believe the Phantom is oversprung for no better reason than to boast of having two springs. It simply doesn't need two springs and the excess energy is going to cause premature wear or failure.

#2. The pin that hold the back spring should be a barrel screw. This would pull the center of the knife together better and eliminate the excessive gaps between the frame and the backspring. The strength of the backspring pivot area is also questionable. It is pretty minimal and the "kick" of the blade may effect this area adversely too.

#3. This one is not as evident but IMHO it is a major weak point of the knife. The base of the blade, where the most torque is applied, is weakened by cutting the blade halfway through for the locking latch. Add to that the fact that, in order to put in the coil spring, the blade has been pocketed out half way through and the pivot/tang area would appear to be substantially weakened.



#4. The sear (pin that hold the blade closed) is pretty small and the catch hole is fairly shallow. We have had problems with knives that won't stay closed after a few days use. This area looks like another weak spot and potential future trouble.

On the outside of things the Phantom looks like a nice knife and certainly trips allot of peoples triggers but for $400.00 plus it should be a better knife. IMHO there are too many current and potential problems with it. Some may disagree but $400.00 means more to some than others and, as I said up top, the quality in not consistent.

[Jimdo]

Hi,
This is Jim at http://www.dkdknives.com and I would like to take this opportunity to address some issues that have came to our attention on different forums. First, let me start by saying http://www.dkdknives.com or http://www.dynamicknifedesigns.com are domains that we hold. We are a master distributor for DKD Knives. With this said; you, as the readers of this post, may think that the issues that we are going to address come from a bias opinion, this is not the case. Those of you that are familiar with Wayne Clarks work realize that the statements in regards to the DKD Phantom and the DKD Swinguard are very misleading and simply aren't true. For those of you that aren't familiar with this maker, please take the time to review this post.
We to date, have received, personally inspected and sold, 125 Phantom I and DKD Swinguard's. Of these 125 knives we have had 1 knife that required adjustment and 125 satisfied customers. To give you some idea of the difficulty in perfecting this knife, for those of you that get Blade magazine you have seen our ad for the Phantom I knife for over a year, in that ad we stated that the knife would be available in May of 2005, when in fact, we didn't start shipping until Feb. of 2006. The reason for this certainly isn't because we didn't want to get the knife to market, it's because Wayne wouldn't allow the knife to be marketed until it was right; however, I'm of the belief, in most cases, where there is smoke there is fire.
Some of the things that are being said on the forums have some truth to them, which brings us to the pre production run knife. This is what pre production run knives are built for. They are made to work out errors and tweak in precision. This pre production run knife was no different; however, the problems that have been stated in these forums are heavily exaggerated. But even with the pre production run knife any small problems that it might have had were corrected and was unconditionally guaranteed for materials and craftsmanship, and Wayne would be more than pleased to correct any problems that anyone might have with any one of his knives.
The Phantom I and the DKD Swinguard knives; as we mention on our site, http://www.dkdknives.com , are unconditionally guaranteed. If you buy one of these knives from any dealer and are not 100 % satisfied, you can return your knife for a full refund.
The next issue I would like to address is the controversy on the Phantom I and the DKD Swinguard. The best word that I can find to sum this up is miscommunication. I'm not sure at what level these miscommunications occurred, but a solution to this problem is that anyone that has bought a DKD Swinguard and had the understanding that they were buying the Phantom I, limited production, numbered knife, will be given the opportunity to return their knife to be numbered and labeled as the Phantom I. Please see the DKD Swinguard link on our site for complete details.
We would be more than pleased to answer any additional questions that anyone might have about these knives. You can call us at 1-618-758-2127 , or email us at sales@dkdknives.com . With looking at these reviews and all of the things that have been said one might ask himself; "who are the people that are saying these things, and what might their reason be for doing it?" We have revealed to you who we are and what our reason is for this post, one would think that someone with as strong of suggestions as " Illuminaughty" would do the same. It makes one wonder what the motivating factors behind this topic of this forum might be. Opinions are one thing and everyone has them, but this appears to me to be a bashing for whatever reason.
Thank You very much for taking the time to read this post just let me say that if you were thinking about buying any DKD products there are none better in the market and there can be no better guarantee and no one more willing to honor the guarantee than Wayne and Hilary at Dynamic Knife Designs. It was also made mention that Hilary maybe hurrying this knife and causing it to lack in quality. First off, Wayne will not allow and would not allow knives to be sold with his name on it that are not of the finest quality and craftsmanship. Secondly, there is no one that has more to lose where this knife is concerned than Hilary, the owner and financier, of Dynamic Knife Designs. Hilary would have no reason to take that chance; it would hurt no one but himself. With that being the case the post that Hilary put on this forum is completely true and accurate.
Thank you for your time,
Jim

[Mr.LaBella]

to THE forums, Jimdo


first and foremost let me say we take all opinions with a grain of salt.

I have owned one of the prototypes myself and it was flawless, fired a lil bit hard for my wee lil bit nubs, but thats an opinion.


I welcome you to post any info you have or want. It was me who spoke to Wayne and hooked him up with a membership when the topic first came up last year.

I dont know why he hasnt logged back on?!

there will no dogpiling and all sides should/will be heard.



Ronald P. LaBella Jr.

[Mr.LaBella]

Hi,
This is Jim at http://www.dkdknives.com and I would like to take this opportunity to address some issues that have came to our attention on different forums. First, let me start by saying http://www.dkdknives.com or http://www.dynamicknifedesigns.com are domains that we hold. We are a master distributor for DKD Knives. With this said; you, as the readers of this post, may think that the issues that we are going to address come from a bias opinion, this is not the case. Those of you that are familiar with Wayne Clarks work realize that the statements in regards to the DKD Phantom and the DKD Swinguard are very misleading and simply aren't true. For those of you that aren't familiar with this maker, please take the time to review this post.
We to date, have received, personally inspected and sold, 125 Phantom I and DKD Swinguard's. Of these 125 knives we have had 1 knife that required adjustment and 125 satisfied customers. To give you some idea of the difficulty in perfecting this knife, for those of you that get Blade magazine you have seen our ad for the Phantom I knife for over a year, in that ad we stated that the knife would be available in May of 2005, when in fact, we didn't start shipping until Feb. of 2006. The reason for this certainly isn't because we didn't want to get the knife to market, it's because Wayne wouldn't allow the knife to be marketed until it was right; however, I'm of the belief, in most cases, where there is smoke there is fire.
Some of the things that are being said on the forums have some truth to them, which brings us to the pre production run knife. This is what pre production run knives are built for. They are made to work out errors and tweak in precision. This pre production run knife was no different; however, the problems that have been stated in these forums are heavily exaggerated. But even with the pre production run knife any small problems that it might have had were corrected and was unconditionally guaranteed for materials and craftsmanship, and Wayne would be more than pleased to correct any problems that anyone might have with any one of his knives.
The Phantom I and the DKD Swinguard knives; as we mention on our site, http://www.dkdknives.com , are unconditionally guaranteed. If you buy one of these knives from any dealer and are not 100 % satisfied, you can return your knife for a full refund.
The next issue I would like to address is the controversy on the Phantom I and the DKD Swinguard. The best word that I can find to sum this up is miscommunication. I'm not sure at what level these miscommunications occurred, but a solution to this problem is that anyone that has bought a DKD Swinguard and had the understanding that they were buying the Phantom I, limited production, numbered knife, will be given the opportunity to return their knife to be numbered and labeled as the Phantom I. Please see the DKD Swinguard link on our site for complete details.
We would be more than pleased to answer any additional questions that anyone might have about these knives. You can call us at 1-618-758-2127 , or email us at sales@dkdknives.com . With looking at these reviews and all of the things that have been said one might ask himself; "who are the people that are saying these things, and what might their reason be for doing it?" We have revealed to you who we are and what our reason is for this post, one would think that someone with as strong of suggestions as " Illuminaughty" would do the same. It makes one wonder what the motivating factors behind this topic of this forum might be. Opinions are one thing and everyone has them, but this appears to me to be a bashing for whatever reason.
Thank You very much for taking the time to read this post just let me say that if you were thinking about buying any DKD products there are none better in the market and there can be no better guarantee and no one more willing to honor the guarantee than Wayne and Hilary at Dynamic Knife Designs. It was also made mention that Hilary maybe hurrying this knife and causing it to lack in quality. First off, Wayne will not allow and would not allow knives to be sold with his name on it that are not of the finest quality and craftsmanship. Secondly, there is no one that has more to lose where this knife is concerned than Hilary, the owner and financier, of Dynamic Knife Designs. Hilary would have no reason to take that chance; it would hurt no one but himself. With that being the case the post that Hilary put on this forum is completely true and accurate.
Thank you for your time,
Jim

Phone # edited for Missy @ Blade Magazine to suppress complaints free too


Look at JerzeeDevil getting caught up in the real world drama