Advice on first ESEE Purchase

W

Wriggs

Joined
Jul 18, 2010
Messages
67
RAT pack members, I am looking for some down and dirty advice about which is a more complete knife between the RC 4 and RC 6.

The knife is for multi purpose as I am Search and Rescue operator in Canada. The knife will be used for all things from shelter building, game cleaning, fire building, etc.

My SAR kit holds many tools but with weight always an issue I usual carry a Survival Saw and a knife. Mt last knife has seen its last days and ESEE is the way I'd like to go.

Any pictures and advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
I would recommend the ESEE-4. IMO since you have the saw, you can go smaller and get

away with it. I have both the ESEE-4, and the ESEE-6. I also carry a saw so I opted for the

smaller, and in my opinion more precise ESEE-4. It is big and thick enough to really take

abuse, and do things sometimes reserved for bigger knives like baton.

The handle on the ESEE-4 is smaller than the ESEE-6 but is still large enough to get an

excellent purchase on.

My ESEE-4 is the go to knife for me. JMO of course. :)

A couple of pictures for good measure:

DSC_1730.jpg




DSC_1768.jpg



Hope this helps! :)
 
I started with the RC6.I followed up with the 4 and the IZULA.I think the 4 with orange scales is my favorite.The IZULA is the handiest but if I could only keep one of the three ...I'll take the 4.I't seems that the universal answer is get them both.I will take it up a notch get em all.
 
The 4 is probably a better all around blade, so I would start there. The 6 is more specialized for larger tasks.
 
The 4 is my all purpose knife. Light, nice 4" blade that can handle a lot of tasks being 3/16" thick. Still takes an excellent edge.

I know guys like nutnfancy on youtube think an all around knife should be 7" or over but I'm not there yet. I don't need to baton an 8" log right down the center. I can work with smaller wood for fires and shelters, etc. With that said, the 6 is a decent chopper and will be better for splitting larger wood.

You won't be sorry either way and you'll probably end up with both in the end! Ask me how I know. :D
 
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the straight forward advice. Do any of you have photos of the different colour options out there being used.

Also, does anyone know where to get the RAT pack patches.

Thanks again.
 
the patches come from doublebarrelsheaths.com

there are alot of pics in the photo thread in the last couple of days of the diffrent colors.

take it easy
cricket
 
esee4 for barehanded work, esee6 if you're wearing heavy gloves - because of the larger handle.
being smaller in handle size and blade length, the esee4 is a lighter knife overall, even though both have the same 3/16" spine thickness.
the -4 weighs about 7 1/2 ounces plus sheath, the -6 weighs about 12 ounces plus sheath.
(212 grams vs 340 grams)
 
I bought the ESEE 6. I like it but if I had to do it over I think I'd go with the ESEE 4.
 
I was looking at the 4 or the 6 as well.
I ended up going with the 4, by telling myself that the 6
will be next.
I am very satisfied... And am glad I got the four first.
I have handled a 6, and feel like the four would be a much
easier carry...

oct.
 
The six suits my style better, though I do like my four.

Nice thing about the six is you can get it in any color you want, so long as that color is black.
 
a don't have any of the ESEEs yet, but like most everyone else has mentioned, i think the 4 would be a better all-round knife that's not so big it would get in the way.

since you're SAR i think the orange scales would be the perfect choice.

you can mount the pouch that's sold for the 5 and 6 onto the sheath of the 4, and you could find someone to make a kydex loop to hold a firesteel to bolt to the sheath. check with Shotgunner about that.
 
Well guys, I received my ESEE RC 4 yesterday and couldn't wait to get out and use it.

So I through on my kit and headed out into the wilderness and immediately started chopping and splitting wood for fire. After using the 4 to make the fire bow I sat and enjoyed my new piece of kit by the fire.

Thanks for all the advice..The 4 was a great start !
 
congrats wriggs! I really think SAR is a very cool way to make a living, that 4 will be a great knife to have while out and about! sounds like this is your first ESEE knife?, but we all know it wont be your last lol
 
Jezz.this is a tough call. Doing what I do, and hearing more than a few people say this same advice for special types of work with a knife. "You can allways do the same job with a bigger knife as the smaller one, but you can't do the same job with the smaller knife as you can the bigger one." A little bit bigger knife can really come in handy, pry bar (if it has to be done) batton larger items, and a bigger grip just plain old works better if you have on gloves. Then again, smaller knives are lighter, can get into smaller places, and for the most part are easier to carry. So as said, tough call. Myself, I am buying an Esee 6 this week, along with a Rat/Esee firesteel. I have always used a bigger blade just in case. But.! thats just me, and what works for me. Being in SAR. (Congrats and thanks for ALL of the work you do) I lived in Canada when I was young, and visit often. I allways took a bit bigger blades there only because I used them more than smaller ones. With an Esee you really won't go wrong either way. Enjoy. edgy:thumbup:
 
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