- Joined
- Mar 15, 2000
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I was lucky enough to get in on a Dozier Bushcraft prototype passaround. Thought I'd share my impressions here.
The knife came shaving sharp, and I did not need to do anything to the edge. The first thing I did was to go out and made some cuts on a pecan limb from the yard. I was impressed by two things immediately. The D2 bit into the wood like nobody's business, and the blade was able to makes some impressively fine cuts. This knife will excel at fuzz sticks.
I then sat down for a few minutes and whittled out a quick figure-4 trap. The Dozier Bushcraft felt good in hand in a number of different grips--for instance, cutting away from the body, controlled cuts back toward the thumb, push cuts perpendicular across the limbs, etc. I also lightly batoned the blade into the limbs to get a nice "square" edge for the working parts of the mechanism.
After these efforts, I (a) got busy with work and (b) succumbed to a nasty case of hay fever. After nearly a week had gone by, I finally got back to the knife. When I needed to cut some plastic edging for a lawn project, I grabbed the Dozier, and it made a nice even cut without missing a beat.
I also decided to do a little bit of carving just to try the knife in some different grips. At no time did the knife feel strange or out of control. I do wish that the knife had at least a little thumb jimping near the scales. However, it is not entirely necessary, and it's certainly a modification that many folks could do after-market. (I'm thinking of Tom Krein here, who does some very nice mod work.)
One night, I diced some pickles for a tuna-salad sandwich. The pic turned out badly without the flash, but it is what it is. I also chopped up a bunch of strawberries and got a better picture. At .125" thick, the knife is an excellent slicer that will be great for food prep.
Here are some specs and final thoughts:
Overall length: 8 1/4"
Blade length: 3 7/8"
Blade thickness: .125" according to my calipers
Handle thickness: .630" at the center
Handle width: 1.147" at the center
Blade: Excellent Scandi grind in D2 steel. Came shaving sharp and the D2 held up admirably against the few tasks I gave it. A very comfortable length for bushcraft chores, the blade balances the knife nicely in hand.
Handle: Natural micarta. I have largish hands, and the handle, while slender (.630" thick), still fit my hand nicely--mainly because the handle is relatively wide (1.147" at the center). Excellent finish on the handle. In addition, the micarta became slightly more grippy when wet.
Some previous recipients suggested that the knife would benefit from a little more swell in the handle. I agree, but I wouldn't want too much added. As I already mentioned, (a) the knife is nicely balanced, and (b) though the handle perhaps lacks thickness, it makes up some ground by being a relatively wide handle. The comparison pic with the Koster blade helps illuminate my point here.
Sheath: I like the sheath overall. It requires a good thumb plant and a squeeze such that the knife angles its way out of the sheath. Pulling straight out does not work, and this design feature is a nice safeguard against loss. However, I did not care for the fixed horizontal-carry loop that came on the prototype's sheath. I'd prefer a Tek-Lok so that I could adjust as desired. My typical carry is upright.
Overall Impressions: I want this blade to be my first Dozier, and I would like it in basically the same configuration in which I tried it. That statement about says it all, but I'll add that the knife is an excellent specimen for bushcraft chores, in terms of size, ergonomics, and quality.
Update: I'm told that the production version of this knife will have larger scales and will be offered as a standard hollow grind.
.
The knife came shaving sharp, and I did not need to do anything to the edge. The first thing I did was to go out and made some cuts on a pecan limb from the yard. I was impressed by two things immediately. The D2 bit into the wood like nobody's business, and the blade was able to makes some impressively fine cuts. This knife will excel at fuzz sticks.
I then sat down for a few minutes and whittled out a quick figure-4 trap. The Dozier Bushcraft felt good in hand in a number of different grips--for instance, cutting away from the body, controlled cuts back toward the thumb, push cuts perpendicular across the limbs, etc. I also lightly batoned the blade into the limbs to get a nice "square" edge for the working parts of the mechanism.
After these efforts, I (a) got busy with work and (b) succumbed to a nasty case of hay fever. After nearly a week had gone by, I finally got back to the knife. When I needed to cut some plastic edging for a lawn project, I grabbed the Dozier, and it made a nice even cut without missing a beat.
I also decided to do a little bit of carving just to try the knife in some different grips. At no time did the knife feel strange or out of control. I do wish that the knife had at least a little thumb jimping near the scales. However, it is not entirely necessary, and it's certainly a modification that many folks could do after-market. (I'm thinking of Tom Krein here, who does some very nice mod work.)
One night, I diced some pickles for a tuna-salad sandwich. The pic turned out badly without the flash, but it is what it is. I also chopped up a bunch of strawberries and got a better picture. At .125" thick, the knife is an excellent slicer that will be great for food prep.
Here are some specs and final thoughts:
Overall length: 8 1/4"
Blade length: 3 7/8"
Blade thickness: .125" according to my calipers
Handle thickness: .630" at the center
Handle width: 1.147" at the center
Blade: Excellent Scandi grind in D2 steel. Came shaving sharp and the D2 held up admirably against the few tasks I gave it. A very comfortable length for bushcraft chores, the blade balances the knife nicely in hand.
Handle: Natural micarta. I have largish hands, and the handle, while slender (.630" thick), still fit my hand nicely--mainly because the handle is relatively wide (1.147" at the center). Excellent finish on the handle. In addition, the micarta became slightly more grippy when wet.
Some previous recipients suggested that the knife would benefit from a little more swell in the handle. I agree, but I wouldn't want too much added. As I already mentioned, (a) the knife is nicely balanced, and (b) though the handle perhaps lacks thickness, it makes up some ground by being a relatively wide handle. The comparison pic with the Koster blade helps illuminate my point here.
Sheath: I like the sheath overall. It requires a good thumb plant and a squeeze such that the knife angles its way out of the sheath. Pulling straight out does not work, and this design feature is a nice safeguard against loss. However, I did not care for the fixed horizontal-carry loop that came on the prototype's sheath. I'd prefer a Tek-Lok so that I could adjust as desired. My typical carry is upright.
Overall Impressions: I want this blade to be my first Dozier, and I would like it in basically the same configuration in which I tried it. That statement about says it all, but I'll add that the knife is an excellent specimen for bushcraft chores, in terms of size, ergonomics, and quality.
Update: I'm told that the production version of this knife will have larger scales and will be offered as a standard hollow grind.
.
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