A Question of 2 Doziers?

Lenny

Lenny

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Oct 15, 1998
Messages
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I've been trying to decide between the K1 General Utility or the K7 Slim Outdoorsman.
The K1 looks to have a beefier tip for piercing tasks, but the K7 looks like it would be the better slicer.
I plan to use it for just about everything from the kitchen to general yard chores, to camping.
Any comments on either knife or which would suit my purposes better?
Thanks all,
Lenny
 
First off, let me compliment you on your excellent taste in knives. My last Dozier purchase was a contest between those two models. With Linda Dozier’s advice, I ended up getting the K-1. This was an unusual circumstance, where I was after a Dozier with a convex grind. As Linda explained, the K-1 is ground thicker than the K-7, which is more suitable for convex grinding. I love the knife. If you’d like to add an extra measure of blade durability, at a slight cost in performance, in comparison to the K-7, the K-1 would be a good choice.

But... And this is just my personal taste... If I were buying a hollow ground Dozier, I’d go for the K-7. I like my blades to be thin efficient cutters, and I enjoy the utility value of a nice point tip. The K-7 looks to be a scaled down K-4, which is my benchmark when judging all other knives. A smaller and more convenient K-4 would be an awesome choice. It’s the knife that I’m saving up for at this very moment.

Also, and I can’t stress this enough, order a couple of different sheaths when you buy your Dozier. I always regret not buying another sheath when I get a Dozier. If I get a vertical sheath, I wish I’d also gotten a horizontal sheath for concealment. If I get a horizontal sheath, I wish I’d also gotten a vertical sheath for ease of use. It happens every time. Don’t go through my heartache. Get both. Once you get a Dozier in your hands, sending it back for a new sheath is like sending away one of your kidneys. You can live without it, but it’s not fun.

Again, congrats on the choice of going Dozier. You can pay a whole lot more for a lot less knife. Bob’s knives are an amazing value for people who actually use their knives.
 
Thanks Buzz.
Kinda thought you had a lot of experience with Doziers from your last post about the long term use of your knives.
Right now, I'm leaning toward the K7 with natural micarta scales and thumb ridges.
But I might change my mind in an hour;)
Lenny
 
AG Russell always seems to have Dozier's on hand for immediate shipment, although I don't know if they have the one you want. It's worth checking into.
 
Be aware that the handle on the slim outdoorsman is very small. I have owned the K1,K7 and a couple of PRGs. Unless your hands are quite small you will be better served with the K1.
 
I was under the impression that the K-1 and K-7 both have the same sized handles.
 
OK, someone please clear up the handle thing?
Maybe I'll just have to call the Doziers myself.
Like I need an excuse to call.
Lenny
 
You could also post up on the Dozier web board. Bob usually replies in a day or two.
 
I can only relay my experiance. the K1 I bought from Bob, the K7 I got in trade. Handle length was about the same,however the K7 was much thinner, so much so that I put it up for trade the same day I got it.There is always the chance that it was a special order.I would ask exact dimentions on the handles, not just length.
 
Interesting and informative. There's always the Dozier Sweetwater option. It looks to be identical to the K-4, but with a shorter blade. No handle size problems with that one.
 
Well, I can't comment on the K-1, but I do have a K-7 slim outdoorsman, and I find it to be a fairly substantial slicer. My other Doziers are a straight personal and an Arkansas toothpick. If I had to pick the best one, I'd say the SO because of the longer blade. The fact that it has beautiful stag handles just MIGHT have something to do with it too!
 
I'd go with the K7 because, as you said, it looks like it would be better for slicing and similar tasks. I don't think the K1 would be noticably better at puncturing, but even if it is, most people cut more than stab.
 
I too am interested in picking up a K1

Anybody else make quality fixed blades around this price range?

how are the KS-3 and the military/tactical ones?
 
The handle on my bone-handled K-7 is "slimmer" than than that on my K-1 with thumb grooves. I ordered the K-1 after talking to Linda Dozier on the phone, and got the K-7 with an extra sheath from another forumite. They both are great knives. I carried the K-1 last deer season and it worked like a charm.
I don't have a K-4, so I can't help there, but it is my understanding that the grip on the K-4 is a little bigger than either the K-1 or K-7.
Jim
 
If you talk with Bob, he would gladly make a knife for you with the handle of one model and the blade of another. That's assuming the 2 your thinking about do in fact have different sized handles.

I'm fortunate to have medium sized hands. I can adapt to slightly smaller or large handles. Both my K1 and PGK fit me just fine! Definitely great blades and for the money can't be beat.
 
Originally posted by JohnnyO
If you talk with Bob, he would gladly make a knife for you with the handle of one model and the blade of another.
Click to expand...
And typically, he adds around $25 for this amount of customization. I think that's reasonable considering the price point he brings his stock models to the market.

Handles appear to be same length on these... K-1 might be a hair taller. You could have him lengthen the handle by say 1/4" to 3/8" and that'd make a noticeable difference. Depends on where you want your pinky finger to rest and size of hands. My medium hands result in my pinky riding on the little piece of steel that drops in the butt. I kinda agree that another 1/4" to 3/8" would make a better handle, but the knife will look a bit different... it'll be a touch out of balance visually, but you may not care. Heck, have him make the blade 1/4" longer also. (that might be another $25).

Ordering from Bob can go anywhere from "you lucked out, it's in stock" to the more likely 2-5 month wait, and a guarantee of a wait for customization. Ordering after a major show is probably good.

K-1 General Utility:
Overall Length: 7 1/2"
Blade Length: 3 3/8" at 60-61 Rc.
Price: $185.00

K-7 Slim Outdoorsman:
Overall Length: 7 1/2"
Blade Length: 3 3/8" at 60-61 Rc.
Price: $185.00

These knives are darned close in size... so long since I handled a K1 I can't recall if the handle is a hair taller like it appears.

The K-7 tip is a bit on the delicate side (I do own one), and in exchange you get a nice pointy knife. This is a slicer, a small game and light, versatile utility knife. I call it a "small" sized fixed blade. Pretty near "bird & trout" sized knife.

The K-1 has a steeper angle at the point due to the clip point grind, so indeed the tip might be a bit stouter. Again, just on the "small" side for an adjective describing a fixed blade.

K-4 Straight Hunter:
Overall Length: 7 7/8"
Blade Length: 3 5/8" at 60-61 Rc.
Price: $185.00

The K-4 dodges some of the above issues completely... rounded butt makes pinky position less of an issue (round butt and no little drop at butt), the blade is already 1/4" longer. I call this one a "medium sized" general purpose hunter/utility. It has the "straight" hunter profile, so a sharp point, but I don't have one here to judge whether tip is any stouter than K-7 (Buzz?)... I kinda doubt it. They are hollow all the way and pretty thinly ground slicers. Buzz' convex idea is an interesting idea.

Which one? Depends on what you want to do with it.

I heard (but haven't discussed details myself with Doziers) that Bob will do S30V now also. This is worth asking about... price adder probably, but more to the point, would be good to hear what Bob really thinks about the steel and it's heat treat and performance, etc. He's clung to D2 for a loooong time, so if he's really doing S30V, and is actually happy about it (he ain't shy about such matters), that's a very good sign that S30V is the real deal and if so, it should be an overall improvement over D2 if Bob has nailed the heat treat (signif harder to treat than D2) and can get Rc60 also.

If anyone talked to Bob at Blade or elsewhere recently about S30V, please chime in... thanks.
 
The K-4 doesn't have what I'd call a stout tip. The hollow grind extends all of the way to the tip. This makes it a great knife for game cleaning and stabbing boxes, but I wouldn’t want to use the knife as a prybar or anything. The K-4 was designed for pure cutting efficiency, having a thinner than normal grind. If you’re after the ultimate slicer, the K-4 is perfect. If you’re one of those “tip breakers”, I’d stay away from it.

The handle on the K-4 is very nice in my medium sized hand. All of my fingers fit on the handle. The only downside is that the K-4 is not a small sized fixed blade. It’s not something I’d ever wear in public. My K-1 is MUCH smaller looking.
 
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