Doziers: Which to buy?

maximus otter

maximus otter

Joined
Jul 20, 2002
Messages
4,187
As you may know, I retire shortly. ( :D ) I have decided to cream off £1,000 from my gratuity cheque for fun kit.

£850 is earmarked for a pair of Leica binoculars.

I fancy buying a Dozier knife & sheath with the remaining £150.

I will never see a Dozier knife in the flesh. They are like rocking horse (manure) from China here in the UK. I will have to buy "sight unseen."

The knife will have no specific purpose. Within the next year, I plan to move to a very wild area of the UK. The Dozier will be a "Just in case" blade. You know: "Just in case" I find a red deer roadkill that needs to be butchered; "Just in case" I need to cut & shape a hiking staff; "Just in case" I need to cut stray rope from a propeller shaft, etc.

I already own a good range of folders. I also have a CS Trailmaster and a Fallkniven A1.

My hands are a glove size 9 or 10, or "Large."

Looking at the pictures on Mr. D's site, I have narrowed my choice down to one of two models:

k-1.gif


Dozier K-1 General Utility

k-7.gif


Dozier K-7 Slim Outdoorsman

(Before anyone says it, I will not buy both! ;))

My main question: Which would you recommend and why? (Please note, gentlebeings: My mind is made up on the Dozier name. My mind is 99% made up on those 2 models. Recommendations for another Dozier may be considered. Recommendations for any other brand will not.)

Subsidiary questions:

Are the knives available for immediate dispatch from Mr. Dozier? (The site doesn't make this clear).

If not, where might I find someone who has them for immediate dispatch to the UK?

Is the sheath included in the price?

Thanks for having the patience to read this.

maximus otter
 
Otter,
I am a long time Dozier fan. I have used both of the knives you are considering. They are very close in design and purpose. For the tasks you describe, either one would be good, but since you are looking for help in deciding, the K-1 might be better. The slightly dropped point works better for general purposes, and still leaves enough belly for skinning.

The Sheaths are included in the price, and are some of the best Kydex rigs available. There is currently a 10-12 month wait direct from the shop (except the featured inventory, and you just missed a beautiful stag handled general utility), but web purveyors frequently have some in stock.
A G Russell probably has the biggest selection, but check inventory before ordering. If not in stock, the back order can be as long as a custom order directly from Dozier.
 
Dozier rarely has units available for immediate delivery. A.G. Russell ( http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_maker/a_through_d/dozier_knives.html ) has a nice inventory though. All Bob's knives include one of his awesome sheaths. He is the master of kydex.

I retired earlier this year, and it's GREAT! The only thing I miss about working is calling in sick! Enjoy it.

A question, what's the gratuity check for, your years of service or leaving???;)
 
Maximus,

I have owned the slim outdoorsman and I liked its quality and design, except I found it a bit slim for my taste. The handle was about 1 to 1 ½ cm thick and I just couldn’t get comfortable with it. I have medium sized hands and am of very small build. If it were me, I would give Bob a call and ask him how the thickness varies between these two models and see how that fits with what you have found you like in a handle. If I had to chose between these two models, sight unseen, I would chose the K-1. If you were willing to look at some of his other designs, I would consider one that has a more rounded handle, such as the K-2. If I were buying a Dozier today, it would be a KS-3, but that may be more knife than you want. Handle comfort is a very difficult thing to recommend, what I really like you might hate.

In regards to where to buy, I would go to A. G. Russell, he lists the Slim Outdoorsman on his sight and most likely can get the General Utility faster than you could through Bob.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your Dozier during you retirement.

Richard
 
Maximus
We are 12 mo.'s back ordered here at Dozier Knives and can't deliver now. But you might find what you want at A. G. Russell's web site. I hope you find a Dozier that you want so that you will have a dependable tool for your retirement and future adventures.

Bob Dozier

Try Vintage Knives on the web.
 
i'd get the K-1 based purely on looks and blade-shape.

are you sure on those Leica's by the way? be sure to check out binoculars 'in the flesh', for in real life its far best to judge if a binocular fits you or not. i tried Leica's once and didn't like them at all in every aspect. however, i was very impressed with Zeiss, and Swarovski though which is exactly what i hadn't expected.......

try before you buy is the key! :)

happy hunting,

denn
 
Check out http://www.vintageknives.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&grp=63 for some immediatly available Doziers.

I don't think you can go wrong with either chioce there. The K1 is going to be a little larger so probably better for some cutting chores, but also a little bigger knife to carry. I have a Dozier Straight personal that I love, it's a great small knife that is easy to carry. Either way you choose I think you'll be happy.
 
I was in the same position as you a couple of years ago...had two of Bob's knives in mind and almost ordered one via the mails. About the same time I went to my first knife show and tried several Doziers in person and could not believe the difference in the way each felt (I ended up with the "personal utility" where I was going to order the "general utility")! I recently purchased a beautiful jigged bone Dozier from Billy at Vintage Knives and returned it because it did not feel right in my hand. My point in all of this is to suggest you buy one of each you're interested in and then keep the one that fits best and return the other(s). I know the pain in the arse and postage factors would be high, but I think the knives are each different enough in the hand to merit the extra cost. That's my .02.
Good luck with the knives and with your next steps after retirement.

PS: My glove size is the same as yours.
 
The Arkansas Traveler at VintageKnives looks VERY sweet!!!!

Of the two models you mentioned, you might prefer the K-1. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the blade on the K-1 is a bit more stout than the blade on the K-7. The blade on the K-7, while I personally love thin blades, may be a bit too thin for some people.
 
I think the blade stock is the same at 0.135 ". Blade and overall length are the same.
The difference is mostly in the blade profile and grind. I am guessing here, but having used both, not at the sams time, the K-1 did seem "beefier". Perhaps the handle slabs are thicker?
 
imho: can't go wrong with the k1. i have an arkansas traveller and a k1 and they are both fine knives. for the uses you mentioned, i would recommend the k1. enclosed a pix of my k1 with ironwood...if the house were on fire i'd probably grab it first ;)
 
Max,
I believe both of the ones you are considering come with the horizontal sheath. I have returned two knives to Bob to have him make the vertical "wilderness" sheaths for them. Knives go in and come out easily and the nylon belt loop allow the sheath some movement so you hardly notice you have it on. Maybe you could make some arrangement and have the seller send it Bob for the vertical sheath and then on to you. Turn around time is usually just a couple of weeks. Don't get me wrong, the horizontal sheath is great too. Depends on which carry method you like I guess. Having both styles will give you carry options depending on your old retired geezer whims.
 
Buy the Leica. I went to one a few years ago after using what I considered to be an excellent Steiner for many years. The difference is amazing!
 
If you want to know about Dozier mades, then go to www.dozierknives.com to view all the pics and specs. And click onto their Discussion forum for information by folks who have used their knives.

Every K-1 that I' ve handled had a thicker blade stock than many of the other small pure hunting models. This is so indicated at their web site. Additionally the K-1 has a slight swell at the mid section of its scales. This makes for a fuller feel in the hand. Take note of the somewhat slight "birds beak" butt configuration where there a few "corners" in this same area. I have a pair of medium size hands. And those "corners" are just not for me. With some extended use barehanded, I have found them to be annoying. I have found the same in the case of the Slim Outdoorsman as well. I simply prefer the slightly dropped round butt configuration with a single finger groove. The round butt allows for my hands to glide across the handle during slight grip changes. I think this is a factor to consider if you have larger hands and wearing gloves as well. My first choice for a small multi purpose blade would be the KM- 3 Agent model. It is very close in size as the K-1. Good luck on your final choice.

N2
 
Thanks to one and all for the replies so far.

Particular thanks to Mr. Dozier himself for taking the time to help.

maximus otter
 
I bought two Dozier K-7's for my nephews, but I bought the K-1 for me. While the K-7 is a great blade and very comfortable (the nephews loved them), the K-1 had a better blade for my "just in case, bottom of the back-pack" knife. In this case, the names of the two knives are very descriptive.

Here's the Dozier K-1 "General Utility"
dozierk1.jpg

I wear large gloves too.
 
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