Ka-Bar Dozier or Byrd Meadowlark 2?

I

itskratos

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Jul 14, 2017
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Hi all,
New to this forum and looking forward to some advice.

I am interested in getting a folding knife for edc. Being a left hander, I would prefer a lockback knife. Price range is around USD 20. Primary purpose is to EDC it, and as a secondary knife during hiking trips (I currently have a Gerber BG Ultimate Pro Survival knife and will hopefully soon get the ESEE 5P as a primary fixed blade)
Which one of Ka-Bar Dozier (the one with thumb stud) or Byrd meadowlark do you recommend? Any other good lockback knives in that range?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
The Ka-bar dozier folding knife is considered by many to be one of the best extreme budget knives on the market today. They are not a perfect knife but hard to beat for the money.

I own the model with the thumb stud (green scales & blade blade). I found it difficult to open because the stud is not finished out very well and I can not recommend it. Swapping out the thumb stud for one made by Benchmade helped quite a bit. Removing the stud completely also works quite nicely.

The Dozier is also offered with an oval hole instead of a thumb stud. Consider that knife instead. There is no thumb stud to block your cutting path. I think it is model number 4065 but, I'm not sure about that. Personally, I have never handled that knife but I own it's cousin, the Cutco 1891 folder.

Ka-Bar and Cutco are both owned by the same parent company and the 4065 & 1891 models share many parts to include screws, pivots, and pocket clips. Both appear to use the same exact blade. Dozier offers a slightly longer handle, which is a plus.

I can tell you that there is a huge difference in price between the Cutco and Dozier models. Dollar for dollar, the Dozier is the much better buy. I can not recommend the Cutco because of their absurd prices and marketing practices.

Also, consider moving your budget up to $30 and look at the Rat 2 knife. Much better than any of the knives you have been thinking about.
 
I would go for the Byrd myself, as a left-hander I also prefer back-locks (and AXIS locks too) and I happen to prefer the hole on the Byrd over a thumb stud, especially considering the Dozier is a little stiff to open one-handed. It's not impossible, but the stud is rather close to the handle so it makes it harder than the Byrd for sure.
 
I love the blade and handle shape of the dozier. It is comfortable no matter how you hold it. The high blade grind as well as edge geometry both make for an excellent performance.

The meadowlark is not a bad knife but I much prefer the dozier for the reasons above as well as having overall higher quality.
 
I have never ever been let down by Byrd. They are, in my mind, the best bang/buck you can get in the sub $25 range. That's where my vote goes.
 
You can't go wrong either way. The Byrds have a 4 way pocket clip and is easier to open. The Dozier has more color options. If forced to choose, I'd go Byrd.
 
Thanks for the inputs everyone! The votes look almost even for both so I understand both are quite good and I will not go wrong with either in that price range!

sabre cat sabre cat - Thanks for the suggestion on the Dozier with the thumb hole. I will look it up. Rat 2 was initially also on my list, but as I mentioned earlier, being a left hander, I would prefer a lockback and hence Rat 2 is out.

Right now, I am slightly leaning towards the Dozier as it is lighter and hence may be nicer for a budget EDC...
 
I spent my money on the Ka-Bar. I can afford a nicer Spyderco, but a real Dozier is out of reach.
 
itskratos said:
Thanks for the inputs everyone! The votes look almost even for both so I understand both are quite good and I will not go wrong with either in that price range!

sabre cat sabre cat - Thanks for the suggestion on the Dozier with the thumb hole. I will look it up. Rat 2 was initially also on my list, but as I mentioned earlier, being a left hander, I would prefer a lockback and hence Rat 2 is out.

Right now, I am slightly leaning towards the Dozier as it is lighter and hence may be nicer for a budget EDC...
Click to expand...

I like the thumb hole version better, myself. It is slightly taller but, not much. You will still have plenty of room in your pocket. Get one and try it for six months. If you hate the knife at the end of six months, let me know. Maybe we could trade or something.

You will find that the Dozier is a knife that you can just drop in your pocket and forget it. Just remember to touch up the blade from time to time and you will be fine. Get a little pocket sharpener to go with the knife and you will be set.

The pocket clip is butt ugly but works very, very well. I have knives costing much more with clips that don't work half as well. Over all, the knife is an amazing buy.

Please let us know what you get.
 
sabre cat said:
I like the thumb hole version better, myself. It is slightly taller but, not much. You will still have plenty of room in your pocket. Get one and try it for six months. If you hate the knife at the end of six months, let me know. Maybe we could trade or something.

You will find that the Dozier is a knife that you can just drop in your pocket and forget it. Just remember to touch up the blade from time to time and you will be fine. Get a little pocket sharpener to go with the knife and you will be set.

The pocket clip is butt ugly but works very, very well. I have knives costing much more with clips that don't work half as well. Over all, the knife is an amazing buy.

Please let us know what you get.
Click to expand...
I realise that this is a late update. However, just to close this, based on the suggestions received here, I finally bought the Kabar Dozier and also took up sabre cat sabre cat 's suggestion for the thumbhole version.
Must say that i am liking it quite a bit. It was a bit too tight to open initially, but loosening the pivot screw helps. I do find the thumbhole to be very sharply edged, but overall a good solid knife for the price.. thanks again to all for the inputs! :-)
 
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