Benchmade Nimravus 140 vs 141

[Herr_Noobien]

Here is my take on the BM Nim. I have had two. One was the drop point (never had the tanto) with serrations and the aluminum handle. Great looking knife and would no doubt be very good at taking out sentry guards. It just was not as good at being a daily use all around knife.

The knife is probably going to be slitting far more boxes than throats
I think I'm sold on the ESEE line actually assuming the maintenance isn't too much (which I'm told it really isn't)

The Ontario RAK you mention being cheaper is so for various reasons. For all the reasons I mention Esee is great the Ontario will be less great at. IMO, particularly the sheath. A terrible sheath can make a great knife not worth carrying, again, IMO.

It's a nice looking blade in my opinion, that skull crusher pommel is a massive turnoff though.

If you do consider an Esee (or any other knife really) you should also consider what you will be doing with it. If you are planning to cut out from the fuselage of a helicopter, the 5 would be great. It is not that great at being a knife. .25" is impressive but not very good at cutting stuff. I have one and it is awesome but it really is more of novelty. I have had the 4 but found it to still be thick for it's length. It is just as thick as the 6 but the 6 justifies it better with its length. For me the 3, 6, and Junglas are the best Esee makes. The 6 is a great jack of all trades but master of none.

I also just found out that the 5 weighs ONE POUND. That knife is definitely way too overbuilt for anything I would ever be using it for and it would be a shame for me to buy such a knife and not really use it for its intended purpose. To be entirely honest with you, I'm not too keen on the 3 as it does seem to be a bit on the small side. The 4 has a 4.5 inch blade and while I haven't held the knife myself, I wouldn't mind the thicker blade, especially considering this is my first fixed blade and so will probably be my main hard use knife if need be. The 6 also looks like a great knife, it's a fair bit more expensive than the 4 though.

If you don't want to swing the price for the Esee take a look at becker. They have a knife in just about every length or thickness. They are cheaper but their blade steel and heat treat is on par or better than Esee (they use 1095-crovan). Again though, they are cheaper because many of the nylon sheaths aren't very good and they don't have micarta handles. But lots of people love them!

Not too keen on the Beckers...I've had a look at them before but the designs...don't really speak to me, sorry.


At any rate, at the moment I'm leaning more towards the ESEE 4 than the ESEE 6. Additionally, I also had a look at Fallkniven and the F1 and S1 are available for similar prices to the ESEE. I like the simple designs and stainless blades, but I've never sharpened a convex edge before and it seems like something I would be absolutely terrible at. Is it actually that hard? Probably worth noting that I never managed to get anything sharp using various DMT stones until I got my sharpmaker: a testament to my poor sharpening skills.

 

[craytab]

At any rate, at the moment I'm leaning more towards the ESEE 4 than the ESEE 6. Additionally, I also had a look at Fallkniven and the F1 and S1 are available for similar prices to the ESEE. I like the simple designs and stainless blades, but I've never sharpened a convex edge before and it seems like something I would be absolutely terrible at. Is it actually that hard? Probably worth noting that I never managed to get anything sharp using various DMT stones until I got my sharpmaker: a testament to my poor sharpening skills.

Sharpening a convex edge is not that much more difficult than a v-grind but it will require a little different equipment and a slightly different technique. You will need to learn how to strop. Not difficult, just different. People love their falk knives and no doubt they are very good but I will never own one unless it is a steal of a price or a gift. This next bit is rather controversial but is an important factor IMO. Falkniven has in my eyes a bad warranty. They just extended it from only 2 years to ten. Better but far behind most other companies. Further, it is limited to the original purchaser and you must have a receipt and you must purchase from one of their authorized dealers. And finally, it is limited in that they will only repair or replace at their discretion and if they can find a defect in their work. And mind you these Swedish knives are made in Japan. There have been stories for warranty service that a knife be sent from the US, to Sweeden, and then to Japan for inspection. Are they very good knives? Yes. Does the company stand behind them? Not like most other companies, especially American companies. I am sure many will disagree with what I have stated the value I place on a warranty but the warranty itself is a fact, anyone can look it up and IMO it is not up to the cost of the product.

I am in no way condoning or suggest abuse of your tool. Use the right tool for the right job and don't be stupid with it. But stuff happens, if you accidentally drop your Esee from high up and it breaks, you are covered no matter what.

I would say get an Esee with a Tuff-Cloth (recommended for rust resistance my Esee) and use your sharp maker.

 

[Herr_Noobien]

If that's the case (in regards to convexing) I'll probably pass on the Fallkniven for now. I am definitely 100% sure that I'll be picking up an F1/S1 (and an ESEE6) later down the line, but for now, I've decided on the ESEE4
Final question, I really like the orange G10 handles, any major disadvantages vs micarta?

 

[craytab]

If that's the case (in regards to convexing) I'll probably pass on the Fallkniven for now. I am definitely 100% sure that I'll be picking up an F1/S1 (and an ESEE6) later down the line, but for now, I've decided on the ESEE4
Final question, I really like the orange G10 handles, any major disadvantages vs micarta?

Good choice on a first fixed.

If you like orange g10 I say get them. Me personally, I don't see any advantage or disadvantage re: g10 vs micarta on a fixed blade. Some might have a different opinion though.

 

[Herr_Noobien]

Just pulled the trigger on this one
And now the waiting begins.

Thanks to everyone who responded in the thread (even though it went wildly off track and I ended up with neither of the two knives in the title) and thanks craytab for your advice on which ESEE to go for!

 

[craytab]

Congrats. Post up some pics when you get it!

 

[Mikelj80]

Any chance you want to trade your Nim cub for a full size Nimravus 140sbk?

 

[Mikelj80]

I have a 141 and a nimravus cub (smaller version) drop point and can say theres no difference in tip strength ether would work fine for cutting boxes

My preference for work like that would be a tanto use the main portion for cutting boxes and other heavy cutting save the small front portion for opening packages

carving and press cuts would be the drop point

Would you like to trade your nimravus cub for a 140sbk nimravus?