best soldiers knife selection???

My take.. if this is for guys on deply where there are carrying tons of gear.. get them something tough, light and easy to maintain. I would say ESEE4/3 which I think are a value. But if you want to step it up and try to push though some red tape, maybe the F1. 5" is too long/heavy and 3" isn't enough, if it was I'd use a folder. 4" fixed ESEE is perfect weight and toughness. If you are really going to spend the dime on a "mass knife" for everyone... then you should order one of every offering in your criteria and give them to the troops to put through the paces... let them select the blade that meets "their" needs, not a what fits in "your" box. Do the right thing and get samples for real user tests and sell the losers on the board. Each blade is a winner in it's perspective use, but what is the use your guys need? Some you mentioned I wouldn't even consider for backpacking..
 
hey Hawk... agreed on most counts, however not quite as easy as that for this one. I would love to buy a few of each, and let people choose but I've been put in charge of picking one for the platoon that will suit well for as a field utility blade that we can rely on. and by all means, if you have a reason why not to get one of the choices... that's as important as peoples reasons to buy one. and may make all the difference.
 
hi "maddog" I like where your head's at, however again, a multi tool is not the desired effect... just a good ole fasioned hard use utility blade.
 
stoffi said:
I second the M07 or preferably the M95, both by JP Peltonen (Fiskars); but, get the plastic sheath. These knives don't weigh as much as many of the full-tang american bad-boys, such as Busse, ESEE or alike. I had the M95 with a leather sheath during my conscript period as a coastal ranger and while it worked, it got soaked a lot. It still works, but the plastic one is much easier to keep clean and dry and my leather one looks very worn. The M95 is designed around the finnish bayonet, so it's great for pig-sticking and it has a thick spine, so you can baton with it very well too. I would suggest the M95 for military purposes and the M07 as more of a hunter/camping/hiking knife. The shortcomings of the M07 is its piercing length and that it will harder to baton with the shorter blade. It is however easier to do finer carving tasks with. These knives are hand sharpened and the fit and finish is not very consistent, but they will always work. You shouldn't buy this knife for aesthetics, but because it is a work-horse which will get the job done and it extremely sharp. If I had to go to war on a budget, I'd choose the M95 with a plastic sheath.

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Not sure if this question is appropriate (don't want anybody to deal spot here). But here goes (mods...bag this if I transgress)...where does one purchase this M95 in the US? Google got me lots of YouTube and foreign language stuff but did not point me at any online vendors (that I could see). My old faithfuls don't seem to have this. Seems very interesting.

Help if I can be helped in this context (again, not looking for a deal). Maybe I just searched wrong. Fiskars M95 is what I did.
 
The nice thing about the ESEE-3 or 4 is that they offer military special pricing, and their warranty will cover whatever your guys can throw at them. Doesn't matter if they break it doing something stupid--they'll get a new one no questions asked.
 
yeah, they are on my top 3 list right now... and aparently there is a contact on here I should ask about that too. might make it work.
 
PayetteRucker said:
Another vote for Becker, also the DPx HEST. A good grip on an ESEE-4 with anything other than dry bare skin is going to be difficult. You get blood, sweat, oil, water on that soap-bar shaped grip and it will pop right out of your hands. The Becker BK5 or BK7 would be fantastic, as would the Ontario RAT-5 or TAK. I think quarter inch is going to be too thick to be able to constantly maintain a useful cutting edge, otherwise the Entrek Bravo would be great. Maybe the Javalina instead? If you go thicker you'll want a designated slicing knife. Check out the TOPS BOB knife too- 3/16ths 1095 with a 4.5 inch blade and Scandinavian grind.

http://www.bladehq.com/item--EnTrek-USA-Javalina-Fixed--4531
http://www.topsknives.com/product_info.php?products_id=371&osCsid=r0p3opfbtjnckta03svtrrgoh2
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I'm gonna have to politely disagree with your "soap bar" comment regarding ESEE's micarta, or any micarta for that matter being slippery when wet. In my experience, micarta seems to get more grippy when wet due to it's naturally fibrous texture. I would assume that the "Grivory" handles on the Beckers, although slightly more ergonomically shaped than the ESEE micarta, would get much more slippery when wet being essentially a smooth plastic.

Edit: BTW, you say that ESEE's micarta is slippery but you then recommend the Ontario's which are micarta and ESEE designs. They're essentially the early cheaper clones of the current ESEE line and known for being a bit rough around the edges, so to speak. That's not a dis, just a report.

...How say you?
 
See that's the funny thing--soap bars are shaped the way they are to keep them from slipping out of your hand. They're a slippery material so they have to shape the bar so you can hold the darn thing when wet. So wouldn't a soap bar-shaped handle be a good thing? :confused::D
 
The ESEE knives are quite well made and the warranty is really generous. They work and they get the job done, but IMO they are a bit heavy, thick and clumsy in the hand, except the Izula (one of my all-time favorite knives).

Folding knives are a great compliment, but don't make it your primary go-to-knife in the field. It's better to have a fixed blade mounted in a dedicated position and drill its draw, to assign the carry. You'll always know where it is that way. A folder is great to have around the barracks, when you're not geared up, but clipped to your vest or pocket, it might get lost in the field. In addition, if you're under stress you may fumble with it, losing valuable time when you'll need it the most (cutting loose a tangled buddy under fire or whatever). Personally I'd go for more than one knife: 1 primary do-it-all fixed blade (on person or vest), 1 multitool (on person, vest or in backpack) and 1 folder (on person, not on vest or in pack); and, it's not because I'm into knives, but because they all see a lot of use. A folder should probably serve more as a backup in the field and the reason I suggest that you should have it on your person and not on your combat gear is because when you're not suited up you'll always have a knife, as carrying a fixed blade all the time can be a drag.
 
stoffi said:
The ESEE knives are quite well made and the warranty is really generous. They work and they get the job done, but IMO they are a bit heavy, thick and clumsy in the hand, except the Izula (one of my all-time favorite knives).
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Have you tried the 3? It's nice and thin.
 
I wash myself with blocks of micarta. It lasts forever and I love how it makes me feel :p

I'm having a similar problem finding a domestic source for the Fiskars M95 (Sissipuukko)
 
Even though I don't have any experience whatsoever with ESEE (yet), I would still say: get an ESEE 4. Or a SOG Seal Pup Elite (I own the Seal Team Elite, and it's great...very nice sheath too...so the Pup must be just as good, just a tad smaller). Also, if you're gonna be looking at Fallkniven, take the H1, not the F1. The blade is more or less the same (even though the H1 is specifically designed for hunters, you can still do a lot more with it than just skinning deer: the craft is in the user, not in the blade), but the handle on the H1 is way better. Just my $0.02...
 
seal pup has been considered, just because I know it well and it's not bad, but it's at the bottom of my list for a "go to" knife for the guys... there are a lot more blades mentioned on this forum that I would take before a pup... or any blade that's hollow ground for that matter. and for the life of me I can't imagine why you would pick the H1 over the F1 for any reason other than .2" of blade length, which isn't enough to mention. the blade shape is a better set up on the F1 and it's got more of a blade guard (even though it's not much) than the H1 for a utility blade. in regards to carrying folders and multitools, that is all well and good... all of the guys have their fair share of all sorts of knives. I'm just tasked with picking out a fixed blade around 10-11 inches total that the guys can rely on. Does anyone know if the M95 tang goes all the way through the handle? It's an interesting knife, but I can't get much information on it.
 
Just found them on the Kellam knives site and Knife Center, search "Ranger Puukko" and you'll find them too. Appears they go for $150 and up. Too much, in my opinion.
 
jwh said:
I would take a long hard look at the Buck / Tops CSAR T fixed blade knife. I have had the folder for a good while and recently got the fixed blade. If this knife can't do it , it doesn't need to be done. You can't beat the Buck warranty either. Just one mans opinion of course.

James
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The Buck/Tops CSAR knifes are completely awesome
 
Undertow82 said:
I'm gonna have to politely disagree with your "soap bar" comment regarding ESEE's micarta, or any micarta for that matter being slippery when wet. In my experience, micarta seems to get more grippy when wet due to it's naturally fibrous texture. I would assume that the "Grivory" handles on the Beckers, although slightly more ergonomically shaped than the ESEE micarta, would get much more slippery when wet being essentially a smooth plastic.

Edit: BTW, you say that ESEE's micarta is slippery but you then recommend the Ontario's which are micarta and ESEE designs. They're essentially the early cheaper clones of the current ESEE line and known for being a bit rough around the edges, so to speak. That's not a dis, just a report.

...How say you?
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Not cheaper, the designs of the TAK1 and RAT5 are very different and have no ESEE Equivalent. A 5 inch 3/16ths blade... the ESEE 5 is one of my favorite and most used knives but is too big for the described requirement. As far as micarta getting grippy, once it's caked with sweat and hand oils and other residue, AKA after a weekend campout, it might as well be a greased pig. The difference between the Becker grivory or Ontario RAT handles and the ESEE 3 and 4s is not in the material but the shape that affects the blade retention. Having positive stop at the hilt and the butt allow for much easier retention. This much is common sense when looking at the side profile of the handle. Since the ESEE handles are significantly shorter and boat tail within the length of the hand with no positive stop, the beckers with the graduating index at the top of the forefinger and the bottom of the pinky allow for a full fist of awesome retention. I don't mind micarta and I certainly don't mind ESEE, it's just that the handle design on those two particular models, in my opinion, are flawed. As for 42B and his soap thing, well... if you trust your life to it... or at least your pride ;)
 
As a matter of fact, I do trust my life on my ESEE's. My 3 has seen tons of use in tons of different conditions, including one situation where I nearly ended up getting stuck on a mountain in early spring due to an incomplete thaw causing dangerous conditions. The canvas micarta handle of my 3 has developed a pretty good "use patina" like you mention and I don't find it slippery at all. :)

That being said, I know that one problem some people have with ESEE's is the handle is smaller than they're used to. I have small hands so it's not a problem for me, and I have a different set of uses than a soldier would, so take my opinion for what it's worth. I know they're pretty popular with guys in the armed services though.
 
rustyrazor said:
shaped to kill isn't really the main requirement for this one... pretty sure if things got that bad, almost any knife mentioned would do in a pinch, so overall utility is the name of the game for this purchase. I do agree the M95 seems like a phenominal knife, I am just weighing the options that are out there that I might not have thought about on my, and Might I add, you guys are coming through for me in spades. I'm trying to get a hold of a few people now, to see if I can get a couple of them in "under budget" by purchasing in bulk and I'll go from there. I'll let you know how it turns out.
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The M95 is an excellent woods knife. I'm not ex-military, my use for the knife is purely for this purpose.
I see it as a modern Leuku/Puukko hybrid, and it works very well.

I think an important thing to remember when considering a knife (and the reason I recommended this) is the fact that it has been designed and proven in a part of the world which shares the same latitude(s), environmental and boreal forests that you too share. Not to say that the other suggestions are not suitable for this reason but I believe it a noteworthy consideration.

Anyway, good luck searching.

Btw, for those asking about where to acquire the Sissipuukko in the US, there are links in the first post of mine. I do believe they post internationally, there is also Brisa.fi who has distributors in USA and Canada. And don't forget...you'll be paying less as you'll be free of our exorbitant European sales taxes!!
 
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