- Joined
- Feb 25, 2001
- Messages
- 6,676
As many of you know, I picked up a stag handled Dozier K-4 a couple weeks ago. I held off making comments on it until now, because I just didnt have the opportunity to give the knife a really hard workout. The Dozier finally got to do some serious cutting this weekend, during one of my frequent trips into the Adirondack Mountains, so Im pretty confident in making a few initial comments.
I originally posted up in the Blade Discussion Forum, asking for ideas on what small fixed blade to get. I wanted something a hair larger than the Dozier I purchased, but people assured me that a small Dozier cuts like a much larger knife. These people were correct in many ways.
I had a large number of small dead saplings, of various types of wood, to strip and smooth for hiking sticks. The standing dead included cherry, maple, cedar and birch. There was also a fair amount of leather cutting and trimming done, as well as the filleting of a few freshly caught largemouth bass. I normally head out into the woods, in search of hiking stick wood, with an axe or saw in hand. Just because I wanted to give the Dozier the full treatment, I left the axe and saw at home. I relied almost solely on the Dozier for the full weekends work.
My success with woodworking was somewhat mixed. The Dozier did not shine when it came to actually cutting down the saplings. The K-4 is more of a specialized skinning knife, not meant to take really deep strokes. It did cut through the trees, but took a long time. I basically had to skin the tree, removing a huge number of thin strips of wood. Thicker knives cut much more deeply, requiring a much smaller number of strokes to do the job. I will say that the grip of the K-4 made the extended work quite comfortable. Bob Dozier seems to be a master of handle design, building ergonomics for long periods of use. His D2 steel held up very well. I cut a huge number of saplings and the K-4 came through the ordeal razor sharp.
My next job was to cut off the bark and knots off the saplings. The skinning style blade really shone on this task. The Dozier took off nice long strips of bark, without digging into the wood too deeply. Ive tried doing this with thicker bladed and beveled knives, and they have a nasty tendency to dig too far into the wood. The Dozier cut through the bark, and basically skinned the tree like it would an animal. Id have to say that the Dozier skinned bark better than any other knife Ive ever tried. The handle was large enough to give me a secure and comfortable tool, and the blade was small enough to do the task with a maximum amount of precision.
Smoothing out knots was a mixed bag. I have two different methods of smoothing out knots with a blade. The first method is to lay the blade flat against the stick and simply chop down on the knot. This way of smoothing is hell on blades. Chopping motions tend to roll and chip edges like nothing else. While the Dozier did not roll or chip, the knife was a little too small and light to create a sufficient chopping momentum. Ill also note that the Dozier actually made a ringing sound as it chopped. I thought that sound only happened in movies, but was proven to be in error. I was a little worried at first, thinking this ring was a sign of an approaching chipped blade. But the Dozier held strong and rang with joy.
My other smoothing method is to remove thin strips of knot, bit by bit. This technique does have some drawbacks. Many knives just cant remove small strips. I usually end up using a slipjoint for such tasks. Another problem occurs when the knot is almost smoothed out. I only need to remove just a tad more knot, and the knife starts digging into the wood on the downside of the knot. The profile of the Dozier was superb in removing the thin strips. The D2 glided through the hard wood, and never dug in on the downside of the stroke. Again, this K-4 is a master of skinning techniques, cutting through any thin strip of material as if it were butter.
There was a problem though. This thin strip method requires you to push the blade through the knot, with both thumbs on the back of the blade. Bob Dozier did not round this blade spine whatsoever. I found this surprising given the semi-custom nature of his business. I expected a little more fit and finish than I would from a modest production knife. The sharply angled edges of the blade spine were hell on my thumbs, leaving big dents and bruises from the pressure.
To make a long story short, the Dozier cut through leather and parcord without even a hint of a problem. The knife is designed for small precision work, and it excels at such functions. The K-4 also made for an incredible fillet knife. I normally use a thin folding Spyderco fillet knife, but actually ended up preferring the Dozier just because the handle grip was so comfortable. My hands were soaked in fish slime, but still maintained excellent control over the blade. You can bet that Ill be having the Dozier strapped at my side the next time Im off catching a meal.
Id also like to comment on the vertical Dozier sheath that came with the knife. The Kydex sheath is tough as nails and very well made. I do have some problems though. The sheath has a small belt loop, which rides a bit too high when sitting down. The knife, when sheathed, has a tendency to dig into my side sometimes. Also, two strips of Kydex partially cover the knife handle, but leave the blade edge and spine sides open. This design holds the blade quite securely, but creates a nasty hazard. If you happen to grasp this handle part of the sheath and draw the knife, the blade tends to stick out of the open edge on the draw, slicing right through your hand. I find this to be an extreme design flaw. If you purchase a Dozier knife, I strongly advise trying a Dozier horizontal style sheath. The horizontal sheath should eliminate both of these problems.
Im very impressed with the Dozier K-4. Im not impressed with the sheath, but the knife itself is sensational. Its a veritable cutting machine, with a superbly styled handle. This is no general use small camp knife, but a very specialized tool. This is a skinning knife through and through, meant to cut thin strips of material. Id actually go as far as to say that the K-4 is as good a knife for the hunter and fisherman as Ive come up against. It comes with a sharper edge than Ive ever experienced on a stainless steel blade, and better ergonomics than any of my other fixed blades. Its light, sleek, and a pleasure to use.
In the end, Ill probably contact Dozier knives about the blade spine. Id really like to get that spin rounded out if possible. I firmly believe that smaller, precision oriented knives should have rounded spines for two handed control. And the sheath .. The stag handle cries out for a leather sheath anyways. That task I can probably handle myself.
I originally posted up in the Blade Discussion Forum, asking for ideas on what small fixed blade to get. I wanted something a hair larger than the Dozier I purchased, but people assured me that a small Dozier cuts like a much larger knife. These people were correct in many ways.
I had a large number of small dead saplings, of various types of wood, to strip and smooth for hiking sticks. The standing dead included cherry, maple, cedar and birch. There was also a fair amount of leather cutting and trimming done, as well as the filleting of a few freshly caught largemouth bass. I normally head out into the woods, in search of hiking stick wood, with an axe or saw in hand. Just because I wanted to give the Dozier the full treatment, I left the axe and saw at home. I relied almost solely on the Dozier for the full weekends work.
My success with woodworking was somewhat mixed. The Dozier did not shine when it came to actually cutting down the saplings. The K-4 is more of a specialized skinning knife, not meant to take really deep strokes. It did cut through the trees, but took a long time. I basically had to skin the tree, removing a huge number of thin strips of wood. Thicker knives cut much more deeply, requiring a much smaller number of strokes to do the job. I will say that the grip of the K-4 made the extended work quite comfortable. Bob Dozier seems to be a master of handle design, building ergonomics for long periods of use. His D2 steel held up very well. I cut a huge number of saplings and the K-4 came through the ordeal razor sharp.
My next job was to cut off the bark and knots off the saplings. The skinning style blade really shone on this task. The Dozier took off nice long strips of bark, without digging into the wood too deeply. Ive tried doing this with thicker bladed and beveled knives, and they have a nasty tendency to dig too far into the wood. The Dozier cut through the bark, and basically skinned the tree like it would an animal. Id have to say that the Dozier skinned bark better than any other knife Ive ever tried. The handle was large enough to give me a secure and comfortable tool, and the blade was small enough to do the task with a maximum amount of precision.
Smoothing out knots was a mixed bag. I have two different methods of smoothing out knots with a blade. The first method is to lay the blade flat against the stick and simply chop down on the knot. This way of smoothing is hell on blades. Chopping motions tend to roll and chip edges like nothing else. While the Dozier did not roll or chip, the knife was a little too small and light to create a sufficient chopping momentum. Ill also note that the Dozier actually made a ringing sound as it chopped. I thought that sound only happened in movies, but was proven to be in error. I was a little worried at first, thinking this ring was a sign of an approaching chipped blade. But the Dozier held strong and rang with joy.
My other smoothing method is to remove thin strips of knot, bit by bit. This technique does have some drawbacks. Many knives just cant remove small strips. I usually end up using a slipjoint for such tasks. Another problem occurs when the knot is almost smoothed out. I only need to remove just a tad more knot, and the knife starts digging into the wood on the downside of the knot. The profile of the Dozier was superb in removing the thin strips. The D2 glided through the hard wood, and never dug in on the downside of the stroke. Again, this K-4 is a master of skinning techniques, cutting through any thin strip of material as if it were butter.
There was a problem though. This thin strip method requires you to push the blade through the knot, with both thumbs on the back of the blade. Bob Dozier did not round this blade spine whatsoever. I found this surprising given the semi-custom nature of his business. I expected a little more fit and finish than I would from a modest production knife. The sharply angled edges of the blade spine were hell on my thumbs, leaving big dents and bruises from the pressure.
To make a long story short, the Dozier cut through leather and parcord without even a hint of a problem. The knife is designed for small precision work, and it excels at such functions. The K-4 also made for an incredible fillet knife. I normally use a thin folding Spyderco fillet knife, but actually ended up preferring the Dozier just because the handle grip was so comfortable. My hands were soaked in fish slime, but still maintained excellent control over the blade. You can bet that Ill be having the Dozier strapped at my side the next time Im off catching a meal.
Id also like to comment on the vertical Dozier sheath that came with the knife. The Kydex sheath is tough as nails and very well made. I do have some problems though. The sheath has a small belt loop, which rides a bit too high when sitting down. The knife, when sheathed, has a tendency to dig into my side sometimes. Also, two strips of Kydex partially cover the knife handle, but leave the blade edge and spine sides open. This design holds the blade quite securely, but creates a nasty hazard. If you happen to grasp this handle part of the sheath and draw the knife, the blade tends to stick out of the open edge on the draw, slicing right through your hand. I find this to be an extreme design flaw. If you purchase a Dozier knife, I strongly advise trying a Dozier horizontal style sheath. The horizontal sheath should eliminate both of these problems.
Im very impressed with the Dozier K-4. Im not impressed with the sheath, but the knife itself is sensational. Its a veritable cutting machine, with a superbly styled handle. This is no general use small camp knife, but a very specialized tool. This is a skinning knife through and through, meant to cut thin strips of material. Id actually go as far as to say that the K-4 is as good a knife for the hunter and fisherman as Ive come up against. It comes with a sharper edge than Ive ever experienced on a stainless steel blade, and better ergonomics than any of my other fixed blades. Its light, sleek, and a pleasure to use.
In the end, Ill probably contact Dozier knives about the blade spine. Id really like to get that spin rounded out if possible. I firmly believe that smaller, precision oriented knives should have rounded spines for two handed control. And the sheath .. The stag handle cries out for a leather sheath anyways. That task I can probably handle myself.
