Dozier Knives: Any advice/pictures of his "Kydex Horizontal Sheath"?

Macchina

Macchina

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Apr 7, 2006
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I am thinking about picking up a Dozier fixed blade and many of them seem to come with horizontal kydex sheaths. If you have one of these, would you mind sharing your thoughts on it? I don’t normally like Kydex sheaths because they tend to really scratch the blade, do Dozier’s sheaths suffer from this same problem? I am thinking about just making a standard horizontal leather sheath for the knife when it arrives but would hate to throw a custom made sheath that is fitted to my exact knife…

How does it carry for a full day? I would imagine it wouldn’t work well with a backpack on (especially if it had a waist belt).

Does a right hand carry attach to your belt on the left side for a cross-draw or on your right side?

Does this style of sheath affect the carrying of a handgun on your belt as well?
 
Dozier’s horizontal kydex sheath does take some getting used to, but it is a fantastic carry system in my opinion. I have several of his knives of different sizes and I wear all of them cross-draw to the left of my belt buckle.

The Kydex sheathes from the Dozier shop are all form fitted to the individual knife, so the knife actually snaps into place. The knife is firmly locked in until you pull up to release it. (I saw a YouTube video once of a guy pulling the knife through the locking system without releasing it and commenting that a lot of force was required to un-sheath the knife. He completely misunderstood the retention system. Levering the knife slightly up un-locks it and allows as little as a two-fingered draw if you wanted.) I really like the fact that Dozier’s knives don’t rattle or flop around on your belt. The sheathed knife stays silent, secure, and it remains where you place it on your belt.

With a traditional vertical sheath I found myself moving things around when I added a holster since the knife usually rode where the gun went. Dozier’s horizontal sheathes allow me to carry my hunting knives and EDC in the same place and allow a standardized placement since the knife occupies “real estate” on my belt not used for anything else so the fixed blade, regardless of size/function, always goes in the same location. I like having my “tools” to be in the same location so when I think “belt knife” my hand is going for the cross-draw location. “Revolver” is always Strong-side just behind my hip regardless if its IWB or OWB.

The Dozier sheath carries extraordinarily well. In fact, they completely disappear when you have them on. As you guessed, out in the field the horizontal sheath doesn’t work under a hip belt on a pack. I remove my Dozier when using a pack frame and my daypacks have all been selected without hip belts due to the knife (and revolver) being on my belt.

As for scratching I’ve had a Pro Skinner that I’ve carried and used for years that shows no scratches at all from the sheath. (Top knife in the first pic.) But then I just took a General Purpose on a bear hunt and something must have gotten lodged in the sheath at one point and my new knife is now pretty marked up. Luck of the draw. The scratches don’t detract from the performance of the knife though and this new General Purpose is the best knife I’ve ever used.

As a “user” I’m OK with the risk of scratches given the trade-off of the significant performance you get from the Kydex. If the knife was an “investment” though I’d probably stick to leather.







Hope this helps,

Z
 
Wow, what a response. If I could ask for a bit more could you compare the Yukon Pro Skinner to the General Purpose? I really want a Dozier with a round butt and those two seem to be great knives...
 
After trying out a bunch of his catalog the YPS and the General Purpose (K-2) are my two favorite patterns in Dozier’s line of hunting knives. Another pattern to consider is the King’s River Skinner. It takes the slightly fuller blade of the K-2 and mates it to the YPS handle, so it’s a hybrid of both patterns.

I got lucky and fell into a fantastic stag YPS a few years ago and it remains one of my favorite knives. Because of the value of the knife, and the lack of good quality stag currently, I started worrying about being able to replace it if I ever lost it though.

I started looking for something to carry in the field that would be more easily reproduced if I ever lost it. (My fear was more about theft when traveling, not losing it in the field.) I started with a Micarta handled YPS and quickly discovered that it was the fat grippy stag combined with the YPS blade that really made the knife I had special. Micarta in the same pattern wasn’t as hand filling and just didn’t “sing” to me.

Eventually I ended up with the single-finger grooved General Purpose and the design of that pattern’s handle really fits my hand and provides not only great balance, but great control and security when handled with either Micarta or G-10 stocks. Along the way I discovered the bead blasted finish Dozier offers so my last knife was given that treatment too. The bead-blasted slate blue K-2 in the above pic’s is a compilation of everything I’ve learned looking for the stag YPS replacement. Great performance in a package I could order tomorrow and receive an exact copy if needed.

More than anything else, I learned the significant difference a slight change can make in a knife and its not until you have it in your hand that you will be able to judge the finished product for yourself. The King’s River Skinner in the picture below is handled in Olive Wood and it’s the slight difference in balance caused by the slightly lighter scales that made this one a keeper while I’ve rotated several more out as catch and release purchases.

All that said, I recommend the K-2. Regardless of handle material I think you will find it a solid choice. Perfect? That’s up to you. Good luck in your quest, the journey is the fun part

General Purpose, King’s River Skinner, Yukon Pro Skinner:



Stag YPS:



General Purpose, Arkansas Traveler:




Z
 
Do it!
I waited too long to try one. Bob makes a PERFECT folder and sheath.
Yes, thank you, Z.
rolf
 
Macchina said:
How does it carry for a full day? I would imagine it wouldn’t work well with a backpack on (especially if it had a waist belt).
Click to expand...

You could mount your Dozier horizontal kydex to the left (or right) shoulder strap of your pack for "vertical" carry



Macchina said:
Does a right hand carry attach to your belt on the left side for a cross-draw or on your right side?

Does this style of sheath affect the carrying of a handgun on your belt as well?
Click to expand...

Wear your horizontal sheath at 11 o'clock; you won't even know it's there. It's my favoUrite carry position (only your car's seatbelt may need some fiddling). I carry a Knife Research Rasul like that and I hardly notice that I'm wearing it. it won't block access to your front pockets (much), either.


I have a few Doziers; the kydex has a great fit for each of them.



In fact, I have one of those King's River Skinners in Olivewood with the horizontal kydex, too


 
I wear mine on my right side for right hand draw.
Use it hunting works very well.
I think a hip belt would be to wide for it.
one of the features I like best is how you can put on & take it off with out undoing your belt. Handy when you have other things like a side arm on. Also when carrying a hand gun on your right hip the knife I'd handy but not in the way.
I carry most of my small fixed blades in a horizontal sheath now.
 
^ Good point regarding removal of the sheath without taking your belt off!

(Love that Olive Wood. Every one of them I've seen has real character!)
 
I have had several. They are first class. However, like other kydex sheaths, they do scratch the blade over time with sheath insertion.
 
Thanks guys for the help and especially the pictures. I ordered a Yukon Pro Skinner today and can't wait for it to come. I own 3 Fallkniven knives that I tend to carry when I want a no-nonsense user on my belt. I will see if the Dozier beats them out of belt space this deer season...
 
Cool deal.

Did you end up going with the horizontal kydex? How about the handle material?

Inquiring minds (well me at least) want to know:D

Z
 
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