Advise on 3 survival knives..

I've never owned a Bravo 1 or an ESEE 5. I have owned a few Barkie's - the only one I kept is the Fox River. Not because there was any issue quality-wise; they are all fine knives. It's just a personal thing. Some fit the hand better than others for the way I use them.

I do own Fallkniven's F1 (in VG10), TK2 (3G), A1 and A2. They are terrific knives and I'll not part with them!

While I imagine any of your choices would serve you well, I have to cast another vote for the F1. It feels just right (perfect, for me) in the hand in a range of grips, is nicely balanced, not cold in the winter and takes and holds a nice, 'sticky' edge, if you know what I mean. The type of edge that wants to slice into your skin at the slightest touch.

If you've not used 3G before, bear in mind that it can be a challenge to sharpen; although it holds its edge so well that you will probably never need to field-sharpen it anyway. I've not had to yet with my TK2. Sharpening at home with wet-and-dry paper on leather takes longer than with softer steels, but it's just a matter of doing it. I suppose that's why Fallkniven's field sharpener is diamond on one side and ceramic on the other. That works very quickly!

Since no thread is complete without a picture:

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Of the three I'd go with a Bravo 1 in A2 Tool Steel. Especially if you like the ramp. The Fallkniven is a close second but their handles don't hold up as well to a lot of abuse. Get a Bravo 1 with like curly maple handle scales. You'll love it.
 
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I only have the Bravo 1 and the Fallkniven.

I like the Fallkniven better because it's smaller and more compact.
 
I have the ESEE-5 and it is basically a toy for me. I am sure there are people out there that need/require a knife like this, but for *me* it is an exercise in excess.

My sensibility tells me that this knife could be 3/16 inch thick stock and FFG instead of saber and I would still break my arms prior to breaking the knife. I enjoy this knife a lot, but for every task I perform that requires controlled cutting, I had to invest some time to *learn* how to do it with this knife.

The ESEE-5 CAN do about anything, but the real question is, "how easily will it accomplish the task?"

chopping, batoning, prying? This knife does these things well.

Making feather sticks, carving spoons, performing small controlled cuts? It can do them...if you really want to.

I started a couple threads (1, 2, 3)over in ESEE sub-forum showing some of the things I did/do with my ESEE-5. It is probably the funnest toy I own;)
 
Well, they are all good knives. If you want a good looking knife then I'd go for the Bravo-1. BRK&T makes a beautiful handle and if I had my preferences I would totally go for their antique ivory micarta for its combination of beauty and bombproofness. They don't look that great on the pictures, but in person they are gorgeous!

The F1 is a great knife, but personally, I do not think the 3G steel is worth the extra cost. There sure as heck isn't anything wrong with the laminated VG10. Its a trooper that has earned its reputation. 3G? Well that is a super-steel money grab put into the mix to stimulate sales. I would, however, instead consider the F1 in micarta or go for one of them pretty BRK&T custom-handled F1's (BRK&T buys the F1 blanks and puts their handles on them). To me that would be much better than a supersteel with that ribbed (for her pleasure) rubber handle.

ESEE-5 is really a heavy duty tank of a blade and as others have said really a different category. Its for beating on rather than finnesse. If you are pairing your knife with a machete than you probably don't need the brute force of the ESEE-5. The F1 or the bravo will be plenty. The bravo has 0.75" extra length on the F1 which could be good or bad depending on your mindset.
 
I'm not a fan of the super hard super steels either. I do own large DMT stones but would still rather use a softer easier to sharpen steel.I want a blade I can sharpen in the field with primitive means if necessary.Survival to me is all about making the best of an unexpected situation.
 
go thin. with a comfy handle. you'll appreciate both more (with some skill)

and baton away. it ain't a sin.
 
I have experience with Fallkniven and ESEE.

Any of the three blades you are looking at will be a great choice. All are well made and come from fantastic companies. Choose based on which one you think looks or feels the best for you. You really can't go wrong with any of them.
 
I think out of the 3 you mentioned , I'd go Bravo 1 . great knife as a daily user and can handle a pounding.... I love the ESEE5 and own 2 but the saber grind is not as great of an edge for woods bumming around w/o knocking the shoulder off of the saber grind bringing it closer to flat or convex. IMO
 
There's plenty of makers right here on Bladeforums that will make want you want. Do a little surfing in the Makers section.

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All great knives. I have the Esee5 and Fallkniven F1. The F1 is plenty good in VG-10 steel. I personally don't see the "need" for the extra expense of 3G , but each to his own. My personal choice if faced with these 3 would be the F1. For me, it would be able to do the most chores reasonably well in the bush without the extra weight of the Esee 5 ( still a great knife , but weighs 1 Lb.) or Bravo 1. ( Bravo 1 kydex sheath many do not like , therefore extra expense to get another sheath if you don't like it)
Survival knives tend to be jack-of-all-trades kind of knives , therefore not exceptional at one task , but capable of majority of tasks. I wouldn't want to clean a fish with an Esee 5 , nor would I want to chop through a larger tree with an F1. Either could probably do it though in a pinch. One knife only usually involves compromises in some department.
The F1 is a classic. I'd go for that , try it out on a few trips and take it from there. Both leather and kydex sheath choices are well made. There's a lot of people here that have them and are very happy with it's performance. Myself included.:)
 
One knife: Bravo 1
Two knives: ESEE 6 and F1

I handled the ESEE 5 and it's basically a 1 lb sharpened crowbar. The BK2 is not much better. I don't think either makes for a good woodcraft knife.
 
I will just say that a good number of people have had problems with edge retention on their Bravo 1. More than there should be perhaps.
 
I have em all... plus some.

I say go F1 - skip the 3G I have tested 3G VS VG-10 for over a year and I think the 3G is overhyped.

Bravo 1 has the cool thumb-ramp then you use it in the field. Then you go back to the shop and grind it off. (My experience) For me the handle with the micarta was too slippery so I had to rough it up with a 3M satin finish. Still not my cup of tea - too thick.

RC-5 - a thick odd length piece of uselessness in my world. I could do without it easily. Too short to chop with, too thick to do delicate cuts, too heavy to be convenient. Not my type of sharp happiness.

F1 & a machete or axe. If you don't like the rubber handles get a custom F1 or get a blank and put your own handle on. I have been all around with my rubber handled VG F1 and abused it to hell and back - I don't see how people say the handles are not tough... makes me wonder WTF they are doing with the handles.

Good luck!
 
Hombre Secreto said:
LMT66, can you list the models & makers of those knives? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Top to Bottom:
Koyote Slim Finn (Christoff Harper)
Koyote Convex EDC ( "" "")
Wildertools Puukko (Rick Marchand)
Off the Map Outfitters Terrasaur by Joe (Brian Andrews)
Turley Custom Knives Soldier River (Iz Turley)
ML Knives Woods & Bush Knife w/extended handle (Matt Lesniewski)
Diving Sparrow Knife Works Georgia-Savannah Bushcrafter (Abe Elias)
Koster M.U.C.K. (Dan Koster)
 
The 5 is too thick for the woods IMHO. I hear questionable things about BRKT customer service. So I would go with the Fallkniven.

There are alot of good customs on the forum too.
 
Ok first of all thank you all for the responses!

The knife will be used as a main knife on shorter trips for cutting -small- wood, batoning, very basic woodcraft. For the finer stuff i have a secondary one(folder). Also some removal of dense foliage in some areas.

I understand it are two different catergories but it's just hard to choose between the two. :/

The reason why i prefer to include the 3g version of the H1 instead of the VG-10 is that i have had a bad experience with the latter.
For the completeness of the thread i'll also post a few pictures then ^^ :

DSC00960_klein.jpg


DSC00958_klein.jpg

(Legal matters forbid me to talk much about the circumstances just yet. But i didn't do anything that abusive to the blade IMHO. -It involved a collision with a broken glass bottle.)


So edge retention is a thing i hold quite dear now. Maybe it's better not to go with the Bravo 1 then as that is a con i also heard on a YT review if i recall correctly.

The F1 really always and everywhere gets very positive reviews and remarks. Isn't there anyone that has something bad to say about it? ^^

The bulk weight and size of the ESEE 5 seems to be a major con for many people but that's just what attract me to it. I also have pretty large hands, but i haven't got a feel for it yet -in my hands- which bothers me indeed.

I'm going to buy at least one good custom in 2011 but i'll probably wait for SICAC to do the buy so i can meet the maker.

(off topic: I really hope to see Francois Bignon again, his 'Monstre' impressed me alot and now i'm mad at myself for not buying it.)
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I think I've covered the main pointers sorry if i have overlooked important tips but i don't think so ^^

grts
 
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