Army Knife??

BearKinder

BearKinder

Joined
Dec 24, 2010
Messages
130
Hey guys,

I've got a young man who I know that is deploying to Afghanistan with his Army unit. I'm wanting to gift him a knife.

I was thinking of an ESEE-3MIL or ESEE-4, with serrated edge (cutting webbing, etc). Which should I go with, and would it be worth getting him the sharpened clip point or not?
 
i would go for the 4, not sharpened clip point, just the regular version, serrated or not
my reason is because I think the uses for the knife there , such as prying and such are not quite suitable for the thinner blade of the 3
and the sharpened back is not that handy for an utility blade
 
I am deploying to Afganistan and I decided on the 4. I think it will serve my purposes better.


mlrs
 
I'm not sure if a serrated edge is going to be all that beneficial as Esee's heat treatment keeps the blades razor sharp, but a bigger blade than just a 3 is in order for sure. I would take into consideration how it's going to be carried and where. I'd even consider a 6.

Photos are sometimes misleading and I find the Esee knives a bit an the small size, especially with the use of gloves, except for the 5 and 6.

However, I'd stay away from an Esee 5 because of the weight. A whole pound in just a knife gets heavy to hump.
 
He wants something to carry on his armor (so the 5 is probably too heavy). I think the 6 would be too big, I think the 3 would be a bit small, but it has the glass breaker. He wants a serrated edge.

He already has a multitool.

I want to give him an ESEE, because I can get the whole kit and kabootle with all the options on mounting to the issue MOLLE gear without breaking the bank.

The 4 would be a shoe-in if it had the glass breaker (although he'll probably have plenty of ways to break glass if he needs to).
 
You could carefully sharpen the 4 into a semi breaker without interfering too much with the lanyard hole. Like the 6 has, but with less of a steep angle and without the sharp point.

The 4 would certainly be a good useful knife on his vest. Not the best fighting knife, but adequate if a must.

Having said that and knowing bigger isn't always better, I wouldn't feel comfortable with just a 4.5" blade.

The 6 is not as big as you think. 5.75" blade is a good size. With the heat treat ESEEs provide, the blades are quite resilient and I wouldn't hesitate using the 6 as a lever and worry about snapping it.

$50. more shouldn't be a concern when in harms way.
 
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Have him check with his leaders to make sure he can bring it with - people have talked about certain divisions only being allowed to have a blade that meets certain requirements (length, not sure what else). Someone else might be able to chime in.
 
Im currently deployed to Iraq. I brought my 3MIL/CP and it has performed very well. Wears well on my OPV, lightweight, tough, and very sharp. It does everything you need without being too aggressive. Pick him up a Ti mini prybar for his prying needs. Good luck.
 
Superfuzz said:
Im currently deployed to Iraq. I brought my 3MIL/CP and it has performed very well. Wears well on my OPV, lightweight, tough, and very sharp. It does everything you need without being too aggressive. Pick him up a Ti mini prybar for his prying needs. Good luck.
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Superfuzz, thanks for the info and Good Luck/Godspeed. Always good to hear from the guys on point what works for them. Choice words for the OP.
 
3mil works good on deployments:
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I dont wear mine inverted; I have tip down, strong side between my IFAK and utility pouch. Would post pics but layed up in hospital for damned kidney stone of all things.
 
I currently carry a 5 on my rack either an esee 4 or 5 will do the trick. I prefer to have it serrated just to cut rope and nylon straps. In Afghanistan the lighter is better so you may want to go for the 4 but really it is all preference i sacrifice weight for the extra durability of the 5. I pryed an MRAP door open with it and all it did is ding up the blade and paint nothing i couldnt fix with a little time on the stone.
 
the 3 is a big knife in a small package and would be big enough. If I could only take one of those two, I would prefer the 4 only because it's thicker. I would carry a 5, but I never cared about the weight of my gear.
To all our Military:
Thank you for your continued sevice, be safe and come home.
 
Superfuzz said:
I dont wear mine inverted; I have tip down, strong side between my IFAK and utility pouch. Would post pics but layed up in hospital for damned kidney stone of all things.
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Ouch! BTDT! 10 years ago I had a 10mm stone come loose and block the tube, almost had my left kidney explode. Had emergency surgey to unblock it. Was the closest I came to death without weapons involved. Best of luck with yours!
 
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