Re Named to Barbarian fan club! (ESEE-4 knife - need opinion)
- Thread starter Ooh-Rah
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Yes, unless you can get one cheaper directly from them. Ive had an esee 3 for about 6 years that I use for gutting/skinning and other random tasks. Holds an edge and sharpens real easy. My dad liked it so much that he ended up getting one as did my brother.
Bussey makes a less expensive model called the Junkyard Dog... essentially the same knife (Essee and Bussey meerged designs when RanndallCo took them over) Essee is overpriced for what you're getting, you're paying for multiple full page ads in every edition of Blade, Tactical Knives Edged Weapons and Knives Illustrated magazines.
Have you had a chance to see if it fits your hand properly and see if you like the balance, edge and hold? Alow price can be a bad deal if you end up hating the knife or it blisters/irritates your hand every time you use it.
Have you had a chance to see if it fits your hand properly and see if you like the balance, edge and hold? Alow price can be a bad deal if you end up hating the knife or it blisters/irritates your hand every time you use it.
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@x SF med , no I have not had a chance to see it live and in person. I have more folders than I can count, and would like carry a straight blade in some circumstances - this seemed to have nice reviews online. I have smaller hands, not sure how well they will work with this knife...will have to check and see if Cabala's or Gander carries - maybe I can fondle a bit first.
I think Cabela's carries them, I know Sportco here does too. It would be in the area tagged Randall Made or Randall Co. or Randall... since they're marketed by Randall Outdoor now.
OK... the 2 knives are shaped for completely different purposes... (prepare for knife geek emergence)... so, the first question has to be, what do you intend to use the knife for? Second, how are your sharpening skills? Third, what kind of climate will you be subjecting the knife to?
I'll expound more on these after you answer.
I'll expound more on these after you answer.
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@x SF med -
I've been carrying some type of knife in my pocket for as long as I can remember...got my first jack-knife in gradeschool as a reward for being a crossing guard (I'm assuming that is not longer policy)
I primarily carry a full size Benchmade Griptilian on a regular basis - always a folder or pocket knife though.
To answer your questions:
1) I am getting the bug for a non-folder. Something that is all purpose I can carry while camping, hunting, and occassional mountainieering. I'm not as concerned about it being a self-defense weapon
2) My knife sharpening skills are amature. I have a diamond dry stone, I'm okay with it, but would be afraid to damage a quality blade. Sometime in the future there is a sharpening class coming my way
3) Overall I would be using it it in woodland climates - occassional winter. Rarely if ever in water (non-diver here)
Thank you for taking the time to throw a little education my way...
I've been carrying some type of knife in my pocket for as long as I can remember...got my first jack-knife in gradeschool as a reward for being a crossing guard (I'm assuming that is not longer policy)
I primarily carry a full size Benchmade Griptilian on a regular basis - always a folder or pocket knife though.
To answer your questions:
1) I am getting the bug for a non-folder. Something that is all purpose I can carry while camping, hunting, and occassional mountainieering. I'm not as concerned about it being a self-defense weapon
2) My knife sharpening skills are amature. I have a diamond dry stone, I'm okay with it, but would be afraid to damage a quality blade. Sometime in the future there is a sharpening class coming my way
3) Overall I would be using it it in woodland climates - occassional winter. Rarely if ever in water (non-diver here)
Thank you for taking the time to throw a little education my way...
Honestly, you might want to look (and prepare your wallet for) anything Harsey makes. Get yourself a Gatco sharpener. They're easy to use and keep the angle you want for the edge due to the design and method of use. I personally prefer pseudo-synthetic handles such as Micarta, like what I've got on my Pacific, or that are on the GB and other like models. That way I'm only concerned about care for the steel of the blade, not the materials of the handle. Woods and such I personally have always relegated to being for more display/presentation knives, since regardless of the treatment it's something that can break, be damaged, absorb things I don't want, etc.
@Ooh-Rah1069 -
What Ranger Psych said, and... You're going to need something that will be suitable for batoning, chopping, shaving, and general cutting. Look into anything Harsey, Reeve, Freeman, Les George, or Spartan make as general use field knives... you will pay for the quality, but the rejoinder to that is, what's your life worth in a survival situation? I'd trust anything made by the guys I mentioned. I own one Bussee, it's a beast, and the only reason it's not an EDC or top of the list knife has to do with some ethical issues from Bussee that date back to the selection of the Yarborough and just after. Look at the Bussee line if you need a comparatively inexpensive, non CPM steel but rugged knife...
You're going to really need to go out and handle knives to see which ones fit yor needs and your hand... a knife has to be comfortable and functional.
What Ranger Psych said, and... You're going to need something that will be suitable for batoning, chopping, shaving, and general cutting. Look into anything Harsey, Reeve, Freeman, Les George, or Spartan make as general use field knives... you will pay for the quality, but the rejoinder to that is, what's your life worth in a survival situation? I'd trust anything made by the guys I mentioned. I own one Bussee, it's a beast, and the only reason it's not an EDC or top of the list knife has to do with some ethical issues from Bussee that date back to the selection of the Yarborough and just after. Look at the Bussee line if you need a comparatively inexpensive, non CPM steel but rugged knife...
You're going to really need to go out and handle knives to see which ones fit yor needs and your hand... a knife has to be comfortable and functional.
Joe Watson has been making some cool knives using a chisel edge, which is very different. He has been getting some really good reviews and his prices are some of the best I've seen for custom work. I've seen his work evolve from small hand made utility blades to custom fighting knives.
He worked for my company a few years ago, he did two enlistments in the Army, Infantryman/Sniper, OIF vet, etc. Good people.
You can Google Watson Custom Knives and see some of his work and probably some reviews. Send me a PM and I'll give you his email and phone number if you would like.
Also @x SF med is Melton (MKD) still building knives? He built me a badass custom Bowie a few years ago out of ELMAX. This knife is awesome, highly recommend his knives.
He worked for my company a few years ago, he did two enlistments in the Army, Infantryman/Sniper, OIF vet, etc. Good people.
You can Google Watson Custom Knives and see some of his work and probably some reviews. Send me a PM and I'll give you his email and phone number if you would like.
Also @x SF med is Melton (MKD) still building knives? He built me a badass custom Bowie a few years ago out of ELMAX. This knife is awesome, highly recommend his knives.
I have the ESEE 5 it is a beast. Much larger than I thought a 5" blade would be. It weighs a pound with out the sheath. I'd never handled the knife before buying it. Listen to the wise advice above. I've had it for over a year and have never carried it. I did not realize I needed to buy a sheath to go with the kydex it came with. That was my fault but it's good to know. I was thinking about the 7" KBar's I'd carried and thought this would be a much "smaller" knife. Not really the case. Awesome knife just not what I thought it was going to be.
Ping LL or me.... maybe a weekend trip to Boise to get it from Chris his own self, or if the timing is right, down to Oregon for the OKCA Spring Knife Show and Bacchanalia...
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usmcvet said:
The mk2 style kabars that are replete throughout the service are made from 5/32" thickness stock (which is in between 1/8" and 3/16") and they are "stick" tang, not full tang. This makes them much lighter but (especially the stick tang) attributes to all the broken kabars you've probably seen.All the ESEE knives I've handled have been well built knives, but they're a little expensive, for what they are.
As far as the "carbon" steel blades, it's hard to beat some of them, so long as your not in a marine or jungle environment. Simple tool steels-or "carbon" steels-have been humanity's mainstay for hundreds of years, and stainless tool steels are a relatively new development, comparatively speaking.
If not for the advent of engineered abrasives, I still wonder if we'd be using any of the newer stainless steels. You can pick up a sandstone out of a creekbed and put a pretty decent edge on a carbon steel blade. You can do that with a blade made of CPM S30V as well, but it takes a WHOLE LOT longer.
That's why I still make some knives out of 1095. But different steels are like anything else-they are just different tools in the ole kit bag. Just a small-time knifemaker's .02
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@Ooh-Rah1069 - ask nice, and @Barbarian might have something for sale... just sayin, keep forgetting about him and his little iron mongery. (mainly because Barbarian hasn't sent me anything from his wonderful inventory to try to break. Even Mr. Harsey gave me an LHR to try to break... btw, Bill hates being called Mr. Harsey, he said that's what we should call his dad, and his dad said he's (dad) just Bill... now, in this case, who do you listen to? I listen to Bill Sr. As a case of respecting your elders elders... even though Bill Jr. isn't much older than me.)
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