- Joined
- Jun 29, 1999
- Messages
- 9,839
For the last year, off and on, Ive been playing with a little Dozier K-2 General Purpose Knife (on loan). Its the first Dozier Ive had the pleasure to use; I couldnt fault anything about the knife. You could tuck this one in your belt and head off for the wilderness knowing you wouldnt need another blade. It is flat-out that good. The craftsmanship Dozier puts into his blades made it a pleasure just to look at and hold, as well as use.
This is also the first knife with D2 steel that Ive tried. It came with a very aggressive edge. I found that it responded best to a medium (red) DMT diamond hone, producing a hair shaving edge with a little more patience sharpening than other stainless steels such as VG-10 or ATS-34. I tried putting on a fine edge with the DMT (green) ultra fine hone, but the ability to shave hair then disappeared. A few strokes with the red restored the shaving edge. I dont know why this is, maybe something to do with large carbides. Dick Person of Teslin, a long-time Yukon guide-outfitter, told me he always sharpened his D2 blades with the coarsest hone he had, finding that they would then cut through muscle and cartilage like little chainsaws. That was precisely my experience. I used it to field dress, skin and bone out a couple of caribou a while back. It snicked through the knee joints almost effortlessly, and worked beautifully on opening the gut sack, parting the ribs, skinning, no touch-up required. I didnt do any prying as its a slicer, but its a stout blade nevertheless.
This wide drop point has enough drop for opening the gut sac, and plenty of belly for skinning. Interestingly, the edge profile is virtually identical to another of my favorite small blades, a Marbles Fieldcraft in 52100; that is, hold them up horizontally one above the other and the curvature of the blades' cutting edge is almost exactly the same. However, the Marbles blade is narrower with an upswept tip, whereas the Dozier K2 has a high hollow grind and a subtle drop point.
The smooth, black micarta grip is elegantly shaped and perfectly suited to this blade. Any larger, and it would overbalance the blade. It is a tad small for winter work while wearing heavy gloves, and the smooth micarta is not as grippy as leather washers or kraton when covered with blood, fat, etc., but if thats a problem for you, Dozier makes his Wilderness model with a larger grip. For this knife I wouldnt change a thing. There is a choil or indentation on the grip for the forefinger which adds security.
I also used this knife around the kitchen, finding it handy for preparing vegetables, dismembering chickens and waterfowl and for slicing meat. The blade is a tad short for a large roast, but two slices will suffice where a longer knife would make one. I couldnt identify any problems with corrosion. The blade also worked great for whittling and wood carving (wilderness spoon), and general EDC work. After a few weeks, I found that the right hip pocket of my jeans had taken on wear marks where I was carrying the Dozier when it wasnt on my belt.
The neatly made and well-designed Kydex sheath supplied with this knife is set up for horizontal carry, to the left of the belt buckle. It wouldnt be my first choice I generally prefer to carry a fixed blade behind my right hip where I can tuck it into a hip pocket but it worked well. It is very comfortable, accessible and inconspicuous. It is also very secure; no way could the knife fall out of this sheath unless youre hurling yourself out of aircraft at mach+ speeds, in which case you may have other concerns. By placing your thumb against the upswept top of the sheath it is possible to click it out quietly, one-handed. The belt loop is compact enough that it can easily be tucked into a jeans pocket. However, I would prefer a more versatile sheath like the one Normark made for my F1, which you can adjust for left side, right side, IWB, and at different angles by unscrewing a couple of post screws and repositioning the clip. That being said, the Dozier sheath is quite discreet; it could be worn under a sports coat or jacket very conveniently, without alarming the Sheeple. I wore it under a sweater at the office one day, forgot I was packing it and took the sweater off, and still no one noticed it clipped to a black belt. (Or at least no one said anything.) Dozier does make a variety of other sheath styles.
Its time to send it back to its owner, though, and Im going to do that when we get back to Canada early next month. D-2 is not my favorite steel; I prefer a finer grain, and D-2 is not particularly easy to sharpen. It can be done, it just takes a little more time patience to get that ultimate edge. But I am going to miss this knife.
This is also the first knife with D2 steel that Ive tried. It came with a very aggressive edge. I found that it responded best to a medium (red) DMT diamond hone, producing a hair shaving edge with a little more patience sharpening than other stainless steels such as VG-10 or ATS-34. I tried putting on a fine edge with the DMT (green) ultra fine hone, but the ability to shave hair then disappeared. A few strokes with the red restored the shaving edge. I dont know why this is, maybe something to do with large carbides. Dick Person of Teslin, a long-time Yukon guide-outfitter, told me he always sharpened his D2 blades with the coarsest hone he had, finding that they would then cut through muscle and cartilage like little chainsaws. That was precisely my experience. I used it to field dress, skin and bone out a couple of caribou a while back. It snicked through the knee joints almost effortlessly, and worked beautifully on opening the gut sack, parting the ribs, skinning, no touch-up required. I didnt do any prying as its a slicer, but its a stout blade nevertheless.
This wide drop point has enough drop for opening the gut sac, and plenty of belly for skinning. Interestingly, the edge profile is virtually identical to another of my favorite small blades, a Marbles Fieldcraft in 52100; that is, hold them up horizontally one above the other and the curvature of the blades' cutting edge is almost exactly the same. However, the Marbles blade is narrower with an upswept tip, whereas the Dozier K2 has a high hollow grind and a subtle drop point.
The smooth, black micarta grip is elegantly shaped and perfectly suited to this blade. Any larger, and it would overbalance the blade. It is a tad small for winter work while wearing heavy gloves, and the smooth micarta is not as grippy as leather washers or kraton when covered with blood, fat, etc., but if thats a problem for you, Dozier makes his Wilderness model with a larger grip. For this knife I wouldnt change a thing. There is a choil or indentation on the grip for the forefinger which adds security.
I also used this knife around the kitchen, finding it handy for preparing vegetables, dismembering chickens and waterfowl and for slicing meat. The blade is a tad short for a large roast, but two slices will suffice where a longer knife would make one. I couldnt identify any problems with corrosion. The blade also worked great for whittling and wood carving (wilderness spoon), and general EDC work. After a few weeks, I found that the right hip pocket of my jeans had taken on wear marks where I was carrying the Dozier when it wasnt on my belt.
The neatly made and well-designed Kydex sheath supplied with this knife is set up for horizontal carry, to the left of the belt buckle. It wouldnt be my first choice I generally prefer to carry a fixed blade behind my right hip where I can tuck it into a hip pocket but it worked well. It is very comfortable, accessible and inconspicuous. It is also very secure; no way could the knife fall out of this sheath unless youre hurling yourself out of aircraft at mach+ speeds, in which case you may have other concerns. By placing your thumb against the upswept top of the sheath it is possible to click it out quietly, one-handed. The belt loop is compact enough that it can easily be tucked into a jeans pocket. However, I would prefer a more versatile sheath like the one Normark made for my F1, which you can adjust for left side, right side, IWB, and at different angles by unscrewing a couple of post screws and repositioning the clip. That being said, the Dozier sheath is quite discreet; it could be worn under a sports coat or jacket very conveniently, without alarming the Sheeple. I wore it under a sweater at the office one day, forgot I was packing it and took the sweater off, and still no one noticed it clipped to a black belt. (Or at least no one said anything.) Dozier does make a variety of other sheath styles.
Its time to send it back to its owner, though, and Im going to do that when we get back to Canada early next month. D-2 is not my favorite steel; I prefer a finer grain, and D-2 is not particularly easy to sharpen. It can be done, it just takes a little more time patience to get that ultimate edge. But I am going to miss this knife.
.