Kabar - Dozier folders?

B

bestcounsel

Joined
Jul 22, 2004
Messages
46
Greetings all,

I have been looking for a cheap but good :) folder and stumbled on a few posts about the Kabar - Dozier folders. What are your opinions on these folders? I like the price, but am not sure if they are any good. Can some one compare them to any other type folders?

Thanks
 
I have had one of the ka-bar folders for about a year. It became one of my favorite knives in no time. It is still an EDC. I touch up the edge on my sharp maker everyonce in a while. For the money; I think it cannot be beat.
 
have had a lockback kabar dozier folder about a year now and find it comparable if not better than some knives costing 2-3x as much. got to be the best damn $20 knife out there. btw, i live near bob dozier's knife shop and have been there. his designs and workmanship are straightup and made to be used ( i have a k1 and an arkansas traveller). the dozier kabar lives up to its name...imho.
 
I am actually considering one myself, can anyone tell me how good the thumbstud is as opposed to the thumb hole model???

I am a southpaw, but I think the stud is reversible???

Anyone know?
 
I am a great fan of Kabar Doziers - they are about the best value for money knives around. From tests I have done they lock up strong and keep a good edge - some have suggested they roll to easy but I haven't encountered this. They are the best seller in my shop along with the Benchmade Pika which has better steel but a higher price. Highly recommend.
 
"Rolled" means the edge (normally a very fine edge) turns over to the left or right and is normally is removed by steeling. It normally happens when the edge comes in contact with a hard surface. As I said I haven't experienced it with the Kabar Doziers and I have used the "Skinner" extensively in cutting leather, cardboard and the like.
 
i like the blade shape, its slim and nice to carry plus at the cost you wont even give a second thought to using it for the nastiest of jobs
 
These FRN models with AUS steel are just good using knives. Their hollow grinds result in a thin enough edge to slice well. The integrally molded checkering is a big plus in my experience. The pocket clip and thumb stud is reversible. However, you may want to take a close look at the thumb notch model with clip point blade. The thumb notch is actually an oval like hole that can be manipulated with either hand (full time) without having to change over the studs as is necessary on the other models. The inside edge of the hole is left a bit sharp to allow for positive contact. This is useful for those who may be in colder weather or wearing gloves. The studded models have a rather smooth rounded top surface. I flattended and roughed it up a bit on mine to allow for a more positive contact.

Overall, the KaBar Dozier FH models are great values in an ambidextrious lightweight good quality steel lockback.

There is also an aluminum handled version with D2 steel sans pocket clip... ;)

N2
 
I think the Spyderco Delica is better, and the Benchmade 556 is best.

The FRN/Zytel Kabar/Dozier was only "okay" and I hated the pocket-clip.

Happy hunting,
Allen.
 
The Last Confederate said:
I am actually considering one myself, can anyone tell me how good the thumbstud is as opposed to the thumb hole model???

I am a southpaw, but I think the stud is reversible???

Anyone know?
Click to expand...

Yes, the thumbstud and the pocket clip are both reversible so the knives are truly ambidextrous. I have one of the first design (spear point) knives and I'm a southpaw too so this is a user-tested endorsement. BTW, I think these knives are a screaming bargain!

That said, if I had to replace mine, I'd get the thumb hole model. I have both thumb stud and thumb hole knives of this and other makes and, on the whole, prefer the hole.
 
Great Bargain!
Great User!

I have a Spearpoint model as my travel-knife now for more than a year and I'm totally satisfied.

I have given 4 Drop Points to friends of mine in order to bring them to the dark side ;) and my evil plan works.
 
I have had the 4062 and 4064 models for a few months and am really pleased with them. Adjustable blade tension, reversible/removable clip, high quality steel, nicely designed handle--hard to beat for the bux. The only competition I can think of is the BM Mini-Pika, which I also own.

As stated in another post, it locks up tightly. I've polished the blades on mine with Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish, and stroked a very sharp edge on them. Very nice!

At first glance one might take these for the "Your Choice: $4.99" knife barrel at the hardware store, but there's a lot more knife here. If you want a knife to carry that won't break your heart if you lose it, this is the knife. Or if you want a few spare knives to spread around to the auto glove compartments, tackle box, back pack, etc., again, this is the knife.

Only slight downside I found was that the thumbstud seemed to work better when I pushed it directly away from me alongside the knife, rather than moving it outward and around. No problem.

I don't have the model with the hole in the blade yet, but I know that I will be satisfied with the quality when I get it. I've seen this series of knives at $17 and change. All I can say is thank you Bob Dozier! How about adding some more knives to this series?
U
 
Well I took the plunge, based on the overwhelmingly good comments on bladeforums I found one for 18.99 and ordered it. Looking forward to testing it out. I have been looking for a "beater" to replace my CRKT Mirage, I love the Mirage but the pocket clip is not revesible for lefties, and after carrying Benchmades that were I have gotten spoiled on it.

Now I wait on the MAILMAN!!!!!!!!!!
 
I just got one last night. It was quite sharp, locked up quite tight and opened and closed smoothly. I haven't tried to cut anything with it yet, but can't see a thing wrong with it for less than 20 bucks. Just comparing it to one of those cheapies that looks similar, you can tell it is 10 times the knife. The cheapo that I've got has a lot of blade wobble and play and the blade is much thinner. (although it is pretty sharp)
 
Ultrastick said:
Only slight downside I found was that the thumbstud seemed to work better when I pushed it directly away from me alongside the knife, rather than moving it outward and around. No problem.
Click to expand...
Why is this a problem? :D It's my standard method of opening any thumbstuded blade.
 
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