ZDP-189
06-04-04, 12:51 PM
After a long wait, the KA-BARs are finally here! Before they go off for sharpening I'm going to blunt them on a whetstone. But here goes for my first impressions:
Finish and appearance is very similar to my late $35 Spyderco Merlin. Business like, with a checked, moulded one-piece Zytel handle that offers excellent grip. There is an ambidextrous steel clip too. It rides mid-high in the pocket with a half inch showing, but the handle and clip are all black and it's subtle. In place of the Spyderhole, there is a good quality reversible machined and knurled thumbstud.
Build quality and action is no tunlike my Merlin, with a nice, firm but smooth opening and lockup. The blade locks open with a loud click. I suspect I could break the hinge with enough lateral force, but probably not unless I set my mind to it. In the axis of rotation, it's solid. All screws are Torx.
Like the Merlin, the blade has a deep hollow ground - Dozier's trademark. Here is where the similarities end. Instead of the Merlin's wicked looking serrated claw, the Dozier is straight and tapers in profile to the tip. Without a tapering thickness, the tip remains strong looking.
Overall, it looks like a good quality working sports/ utility knife worth about twice what I paid for it. There's nothing I would criticise for the price bracket, but it could have been made much stronger (and expensive) with a pair steel liners moulded into the handle.
Check back here later for some performance comments.
Finish and appearance is very similar to my late $35 Spyderco Merlin. Business like, with a checked, moulded one-piece Zytel handle that offers excellent grip. There is an ambidextrous steel clip too. It rides mid-high in the pocket with a half inch showing, but the handle and clip are all black and it's subtle. In place of the Spyderhole, there is a good quality reversible machined and knurled thumbstud.
Build quality and action is no tunlike my Merlin, with a nice, firm but smooth opening and lockup. The blade locks open with a loud click. I suspect I could break the hinge with enough lateral force, but probably not unless I set my mind to it. In the axis of rotation, it's solid. All screws are Torx.
Like the Merlin, the blade has a deep hollow ground - Dozier's trademark. Here is where the similarities end. Instead of the Merlin's wicked looking serrated claw, the Dozier is straight and tapers in profile to the tip. Without a tapering thickness, the tip remains strong looking.
Overall, it looks like a good quality working sports/ utility knife worth about twice what I paid for it. There's nothing I would criticise for the price bracket, but it could have been made much stronger (and expensive) with a pair steel liners moulded into the handle.
Check back here later for some performance comments.