Customer Reviews

KA-BAR Dozier Folding Hunter Knife with Thumb Notch

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this knife to be my EDC knife. It will fit the bill nicely. The large thumb notch is perfect for keeping this blade in my pant pocket, with no stud to get caught. The clip is nice and reversible. Though this is a lightweight knife the handle feels solid and the lock is sure. The blade is very very sharp out of the box. I have not needed to sharpen yet but it should hold its edge well. Overall the Bob Dozier designed knife is brilliant for the price.

The good: Overall, this knife gets an A. It's super light, and inexpensive enough that you won't feel bad throwing it around. The fit and finish are superb for this price, the opening is nice and smooth, the lockup is rock solid, and the handle is big enough for a big man to use. You can open and close this knife with relative ease, even using one hand. Also, you can shave with it out of the box. This is basically a big brother to the CRKT Mo Skeeter, for those who have that knife.

The bad: The FRN is textured but nonetheless a little slick -- no big deal if you are not a professional street fighter. Though very smooth, the opening is not fast. I don't mind pushing my knife open into locked position. However, if you are looking for a super fast flipper, you ought to consider the thumb stud version of this knife. Lastly, the clip is far too tense out of the box, but this is a really easy fix -- I just bent it a little while it was on the knife.

Great knife, had one before and the blade stayed razor-sharp! Extremely lightweight, too and easy to open/close.

This is a great little blade, light as can be (2 ounces and change i think) solid lockback design with no wiggle out of the box, amazing gimping along the back to help with grip and detail work, the handle isn't actually plastic but a polymer Zytel and is very durable thermoplastic polyamide formulations of the family more commonly known as nylon, often with varying degrees of fiberglass to add durability. Great checkering on the handle for grip assistance.

made in Tiawan, but at fifteen to twenty dollars what are you expecting, wherever it was made the quality control is amazing, the blade matel isn't as good as i would have liked (Personally) as it is softer than i prefer for my blades, this means that while it is easy to sharpen and can get razor sharp it will dull rather quickly when in use. thankfully it takes an edge very easily so even most amateurs can put something of a cutting surface on it.

for eighteen dollars i highly recommend this little cutter for gifts and everyday use.

thanks for reading.

This knife is great!! It's got a very lightweight zytel handle with no steel liners. The lockback mechanism insures that the knife has no wiggle whatsoever. The clip is the most secure I've ever seen, although it rides a little high. The thumb notch is adequate, the deployment speed is also adequate/fast with a good wrist flick. The texture pattern is great for traction. The blade came very sharp out of the box. However, the AUS-8 steel is a little soft and had to be sharpened after moderate use. Otherwise, great knife to carry on your person.

I own several of the Ka-Bar Dozier folders (at least one in each of the three sizes) and they are all great knives. This one is my latest acquisition and it is as good as the others. I actually like this one best because of the thumb notch. I find the notch more comfortable than the stud and the medium size is the most versatile for my uses.

This is a quick summary of not only this particular knife, but of the whole line in general:
* They are razor sharp right out of the box.
* They are slim and light.
* They are quite rugged even though there are no metal liners in the FRN handles.
* The handles seem to fit most people's hands just fine.
* The lock is secure.
* The pocket clip is secure, and it is easy to fix if you happen to "spring" it by accident. I've done it once since I got my first one 7+ years ago, and my cousin sprung his once.
* The fit and finish is pretty good, especially considering the low price.
* While steel snobs won't like the AUS8, it is a good steel for us regular folks. It takes a nice edge and holds it well.

If you need a good lock back knife at a very reasonable price, pick one of these up.

Very good knife.

Comes sharp right out of box
EXTREMELY robust. The thing I like about this knife, is it's just cheap enough so you don't worry about breaking it.
just about perfect size, so you don't freak anybody out if you pull it to open a box.

cons:

the clip is not very good for concealment, but thats not to big of a con.

All in all, its very good. And it stands by the kabar name, being a good, quality knife.

This appears to be a quality pocket knife. I've compared it to knife's that that cost five times as much and don't see any significant quality difference. I've decided that I like the thumb notch better than the thumb stud. The size is just right for me. I can easily open it with one hand. And it fits nicely in my pocket.

I am not too knowledgeable with knives. I am not an avid knife collector. I do have 5 or 6 folding knives, with brands such as Spyderco, Kershaw, SOG, and Cold Steel. All of which are under $50 per piece.

But when I hold the KA-Bar Dozier, I was amazed with the lightness of the knife. Initially, it feels "cheap" due to the light weight. But after some fiddling around, I realized how well built it is. The steel is AUS-8, which is supposedly decent (like I mentioned above, I am not an expert). The handle is Zytel, with no metal liners.

-Pro
Light weight
Well built
Sharp out of the box
good size for EDC, thin profile, comfortable handle
Good steel
attractive looking knife design

-Con
The handle is plastic. I pinched the handle and it bent without too much effort. Not too stiff. I wonder if the knife will flex on me if I cut with enough force (it has not yet).

The blade has no forward and back movement, but it does have a little side to side movement. But tightening the pivot screw will fix that.
Do not expect to use it for self defense. Your fingers will slip into the blade, as the handle has little traction and it has no guards. You will cut your self. It is designed for utility only.
It is a great knife for what you are paying for. It is comparable with other well repute knife brand that is $45+.
I find myself carry this knife for EDC over all of my other knives.
Like I said, I am impressed.

Compared to the thumb stud version which I also own, this is not a fast opening knife. The opening is very smooth and deliberate with the thumb notch with a solid lockup. Excellent fit and finish (surprising for such an inexpensive knife). Very lightweight, hardly noticeable in the pocket, very sharp out the box, and comfortable in the hand. Carried more often than its thumb stud brother, its a great everyday carry knife.