Pros: Blade Sharpness, Handle Material, Handle Feel, Ease of Opening, Pocket Clip, Weight, Lock Ease of Use, Overall Quality
Cons: None
Cold Steel needs to buy this design and do it TriAd style
Spiritual successor to the Gerber LST and close cousin to the first and second generation 3" Cold Steel Medium Voyager. A must-have compared to truck-stop and hardware store garbage, and equal in fit and finish to $40-80 (after typical discounts) pocket knives. In fact, I like this Dozier better than the much more expensive Spyderco Delica, which is saying a lot. The Gerber LST was the first plastic-bodied, ultralight (1.2 ounces) pocket knife. At 2.63" with a lot of that left unsharpened, it simply can't match the modern plastic-bodied Dozier's 3" of almost all-sharpened blade. Not to mention the Dozier's additions of now-expected thumb-stud, one-handed opening, design. In addition, in recent years, IMHO, production quality of the LST has fallen way down, while the Dozier Ka-Bar has been top-notched throughout its long run. This Dozier also holds up very well to the first and second generation all-FRN handled, Cold Steel Medium Voyagers, which used to own a large portion of the lightweight pocket knife market thanks to their short length, 3" blade, and sturdy but un-lined handles. (The current generation went overboad on ruggedizing the Voyager - handles way too thick compared to the CS Pro Lite, used of steel liners.) Since the Voyager changed so much, I've switched to the Dozier 3" as a reasonable substitute, even though the Dozier handler is about 1/2 inch longer. My only lament is the use of the original, classic lockback mechanism in the Dozier (still used by all other makers who aren't using non-lockback mechanisms).The Dozier's lockup is really tight, but there just isn't the deep overlap between rear of blade and lockbar as we find in the TriAd. If I wanted to poke something hard with a lockback, TriAd is the only way to go. For Amazon cartons and food prep, this Dozier (like the traditional Spyderco and Buck etc.) is fine. Hence my headline - this is a superbly flat and light pocket knife with a nice broad blade and a variety of colors. There's a reason it is still going strong after many years!
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