Dozier Little Workhorse has arrived!

Emre

Emre

Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
420
Hi, guys.

After playing with production knives since the mid-'90s, I've finally bought my first custom: a Little Workhorse by Bob Dozier. Just arrived yesterday and I couldn't be happier!



Two big carbon fiber slabs with anodized titanium accents.



There's a rough surface finish on the carbon. Very grippy, even with wet hands.



Very simple design. Like all Doziers, it's made of D2.







Love the blade shape. Relatively thick stock, but deeply hollow-ground and tapers down to a very keen edge.





Even though it's the "Little" Workhorse, this is a substantial knife! Really fills the hand...and I have very large hands.





I don't know if this is a problem, but it locks up very early. Feels a little too early to me?



The clip is substantial...



...but it's not too bad in the pocket.



Here's a size comparison with my Chris Reeve Umnumzaan. Overall size is about the same, but the Dozier is much lighter.





Overall, it's much better than I expected. It's a big, chunky, "overbuilt" knife, but weighs in at just 3.5 ounces. It's made with some pretty big blade stock, but it's an amazing slicer. Can't believe Bob can hand-build a knife of this quality for $400.
 
It will wear in, as far as the lockup. Use it.

I don't like tip down carry....ymmv.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I also generally prefer tip-up, but I'm not too fussy about that kind of thing.

If I had one custom made for me, I probably would have specified tip-up. I'd also have asked for a sharpening choil. But I got impatient and this one came up on Ariona Custom Knives, so I pulled the trigger.
 
Congrats!! That is a great knife!! Mr. Dozier is the master of D2!! I love his knives.
 
Not to hijak, Emre but I sold my Dozier because I prefer the Hole.
Carry on!
rolf
 
I like this little guy so much, I decided he could use a big brother.

Stay tuned...
 
Alright, you have put this knife on my radar :D. I have had an umnumzaan before so I know how well built and stout it is. I have been looking at the seb 21's and inkosi's with the carbon fiber scale and they come in just under 4oz with a full slab of titanium and frame lock. I guess I am just wondering how this lock on the little workhorse will compare for really hard use? Would you trust either the same?
 
Here's a link to a video with more detail. About 1:40 for lock details.
[video=youtube;cZom07Rs9tE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZom07Rs9tE[/video]
 
I watched that video last night, not a lot of other info out on this knife. It's called a workhorse but it's built minimalist, this combination intrigues me as their is a fine line to walk. With the carbon fiber scales on a CRK, the weight is getting close and the lock looks like the deciding factor. Just curious of impressions from users with hands on experience with both is all.
 
I don't really know how to compare lock strength in any meaningful way. I've owned a couple of CRK folders over the years, including a large Sebenza 21 with CF scale from KnifeArt. They lock up tight with no blade play at all. The Dozier folders are equally solid with zero slop or play in any direction.

The Dozier "Tab-Lock" is probably stronger than a Ti frame lock. I've got one on my full-sized Workhorse. The whole blade tang is supported along its full length by a thick slab of Ti. And the way Dozier cuts his scales, the lock at isn't going to be accidentally squeezed.

But the Raptor series does NOT have a Tab-Lock (the guy is wrong about that in the video linked above). They've got a variant of the liner lock. There's a channel milled into the scale; a large Ti lock bar fits into it and is bolted into place. Again, it's probably stronger than any other liner lock as it's very resistant to twisting.

Compared to something like an Umnumzaan, the Little Workhorse is a very different beast. It feels much lighter than even my CF Sebenza. Even though the overall weight is only half an ounce less, the scales are so light that it balances further forward along the blade. The steel is D2, which is hard to compare with S35VN. The way Dozier heat treats and profiles his blades, they're very easy to bring to "insanely sharp" status. But it can stain or rust of you're not careful. And they have a kind of striated look.

Finally, because it's a handmade knife, they're all a little different. And unless you get lucky and he happens to have one in stock, you'll have to wait 2-3 months to get your hands on one.
 
I guess not strength but reliability and you answered that. Appreciate you taking the time to indulge me. I much prefer patina and carbon steels vs stainless so the D2 is a big plus in my book. It's a year wait it says on the website, I think I need to get on that list soon :)
 
rockgolfer said:
I guess not strength but reliability and you answered that. Appreciate you taking the time to indulge me. I much prefer patina and carbon steels vs stainless so the D2 is a big plus in my book. It's a year wait it says on the website, I think I need to get on that list soon :)
Click to expand...
The long wait is for his traditional line of knives. The Raptor Series is built in the newer facility (St. Paul) and turnaround is about 3 months.

But if you call them, they'll often have some in stock. I was going to put in an order for a full-sized Workhorse, but then one popped up in the "featured knives" section of their website. When I called, it turned out they had 2-3 in stock and ready to ship. I see another one listed there now.
 
Bob is working on my little workhorse as we speak. Titanium handles instead with some milling , tip up carry and a sheath. It should be done any week now. 85 days and counting. And it is officially starting to snow for the first accumulation this winter.
 
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