Dozier or Bark River ?

338375

338375

Joined
Nov 4, 2006
Messages
19,374
I've already got way more hunting knives than I need, but I'm going to pick up a couple more.

I've owned Doziers, and they are great knives, although a few of the models aren't as comfortable in hand as I like.

The BRK seem to get great reviews and have a multitude of styles to choose from. I am thinking of picking up a couple versions in Stag with A2 steel.
For those that actually use the BRK knives in field, what are your opinions ?
I don't use my knives to beat on and chop wood. General camp duty and field dressing Deer and Elk..
I've noticed too that they are offering knives with other steel besides A2, although I'm already perrty set on the A2.

Any thoughts on the current production BRK's (positive or negative) would be greatly appreciated.
 
I like Bark river knives. They look good, cut good, feel good in the hand. The edge lasts great with the A2 steel. Never tried the other from Bark river.
 
IMO, if money is not an issue, I would personally choose a Dozier. I have two of them as well as a number of Barkies and overall, I think the Doziers are better. That is NOT meant as a slam on BRKT at all; they are VERY good, but I think Dozier is better. That said, the Barkies (if you can get a decent deal on the secondary market) may be a better value for your money, ie. a Dozier that is twice the price is not twice as good.

There is an intrinsic value that only you can place on comfort as well. If you don't feel the Doziers are particularly comfy, but you find a BRKT that is, then you would need to consider that as well. Of course, that is a subjective thing, and one that only you can decide for you, and probably after handling a variety of BRKTs.
 
Dozier = Legendary knife maker. Bark River = Fantastic production company.

I'll take the legend.
 
+1 for the Doziers. Simply nothing better, period. The D2 is superb. I have 3 and wouldn't trade them for anything else.

Barkies are fine in the A2 and CPM154, but Mike has been all over the place with different steels that do not justify the premium pricing. I have 4 of his knives as well. Your call.
 
Yes, they are. Both Dozier and Bark River are semi-custom knives, or....semi-production knives.

I've seen all of Dozier's knives on his website and have handled one. Very nice knives. I admire them. But I own many Bark Rivers and I can find no appreciable fault with any of them.

I have a problem with sharpening D2 steel. Others may not - I do, so I avoid it in all cases except when I must have that particular knife. I will someday own a Dozier, but I don;t yet, and I think what holds me back is his almost exclusive use of D2.

You own Doziers. If you don;t own any Bark River, now is the time to find out which you prefer.
 
StretchNM said:
I have a problem with sharpening D2 steel.
Click to expand...

Can you say "d-i-a-m-o-n-d s-t-o-n-e"??? :D:p

Seriously, that is what you need to get a Dozier sharp once it has gone dull. Ideally, it would never really get dull; rather, you would touch it up along the way as needed.

The only other way to sharpen them (and I have not tried this, but I am 99% sure it will work) is to use the sharpening wheels suggested by richard j here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=578787

BTW, those wheels kick butt and make sharpening so easy, even a caveman could do it! ;)
 
I have both and use both a lot. If you are just skinning and doing camp chores like food prep I would suggest Dozier. If you are doing anything other than that; wood work, fire prep, I would suggest Bark River. You cannot go wrong with either.
 
First, let me say that I currently own both brands. I used a Bark River as one of my knifes for the better part of a year in Iraq. My major complaint is/was that the grip was not ideal, especially with gloves on.

Second Bob Dozier does make a lot of production knives, but he also still does make custom knifes too. I am waiting to take possession of a matched pair after Christmas that I ordered at the Blade show. He is building them to my specs, Bark River will not give you that.

Personally I prefer Dozier, and I use stones to sharpen them; never had a problem, don't expect to ever have one.
 
Get in touch with Tom Krein, or pickup one of his knives from a forum member. You'll be glad you did.
 
338375 said:
I've already got way more hunting knives than I need, but I'm going to pick up a couple more.

I've owned Doziers, and they are great knives, although a few of the models aren't as comfortable in hand as I like.

The BRK seem to get great reviews and have a multitude of styles to choose from. I am thinking of picking up a couple versions in Stag with A2 steel.
For those that actually use the BRK knives in field, what are your opinions ?
I don't use my knives to beat on and chop wood. General camp duty and field dressing Deer and Elk..
I've noticed too that they are offering knives with other steel besides A2, although I'm already perrty set on the A2.

Any thoughts on the current production BRK's (positive or negative) would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Great comments in this thread so far...

If you already have some Dozier's, why not try one of the Barkies in A2?
The quality is absolutely superb, the steel is terrific, and the company (i.e. Mike Stewart) stands behind the product 110%.

And any good dealer will let you swap a brand new knife for another if it doesn't fit your hand just right.
I've owned several Barkies, and have found the handles on all of them to be extremely comfortable. Nicely sized and well contoured.
And the knives have all been great performers in the field and otherwise.
 
I prefer my Doziers to the Bark Rivers that I've had. Fit and finish has been better overall, Dozier's D2 is excellent, and they tend to fit my hands better than Bark Rivers of comparable size. Bark Rivers are still a very good value though.

You might want to take a look at Dan Crotts' work too. He works in the Dozier shop but he also puts knives out under his own name. I believe that he uses the same heat treat as Dozier.
 
I have a Dozier master hunter and a Bark River Bravo 1. For a hunting application I would recommend the Dozier for design (thinner blade), comfort and holding an edge.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I guess the only way to know is to buy one or two and give them a fair shake..

As I mentioned, I do like the Doziers and there are a few that are fairly comfy.
For working on game, I'm really fussy about the way the knife feels in hand, and generally lean towards smaller sized blades.

I will probably pick up a couple different versions of the BRK's in A2 and see how I like them. Worst case scenario, I could always sell them if for some reason I didn't care for them.

But then again, if I keep shooting like I did today, It won't get much use :D
I missed a real nice buck today with my bow :(
 
Dozier! I never had mine go so dull that it was a chore to bring back to shaving. It holds an edge very well even after several deer.
 
Bark River Highland.:thumbup: If I wanted D2 I would go with Knives of Alaska, IMO they do the best job with D2. The Alpha Wolf would be a great knife as well as the Elk Hunter.
 
udtjim said:
Bark River Highland.:thumbup: If I wanted D2 I would go with Knives of Alaska, IMO they do the best job with D2. The Alpha Wolf would be a great knife as well as the Elk Hunter.
Click to expand...


I think that is the first time I've heard someone say they like the KA D2 better than Doziers. I've picked 4 different versions of the BR and the Highland is the first one on my list :D
I've looked at the KA knives at our local Sportsmans Warehouse, and they are a nice knife for the price. If I was going to get one it would be the Alpha Wolf ($66.00).
IIRC, looking at their website, they even had them listed as available in Stag.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top