Esee 4 or 5?

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Aug 15, 2014
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Looking at purchasing one of these knives. At first, the 4 seems like the perfect choice. Most of my folders a in the 3.5 to 4" range, and I have never found a need for more blade than that in a camping and hiking situation. Just looking for the extra strength of a fixed blade. I tend to carry a saw and hatchet in my bag for wood prep. Not really sure if the extra inch in the 5 is necessary. Any thoughts from those how own these knives would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
ESEE 4 over the 5 for sure. They are totally different knives!

I second the Laser Strike. It is worth looking into.
 
Two very different knives. Not so much length but big difference in width. 3/16 vs 1/4 inch thick steel is a big difference. Go Esee 4 for more knife chores, cutting, slicing, etc. go Esee 5 for heavy use / abuse, batoning, hacking, etc. basically the Esee 4 is your average size mid range knife. The Esee 5 is more of a tank design meant to out last the apocalypse.

Personally, I ended up keeping the Esee 3 and the Esee 5. My Esee 4 got sold because I found other handles in the same size range to be more comfortable... Kabar bk16, tops bob, bark river bravo 1, swamp rat ratmandu, etc. sorry if I confused you but figured I would give you more to check out before making a decision. Good luck.
 
If you're going to carry a saw and hachet, why even consider the 5?

And it's not just the 'extra inch" but also the extra weight. The 5 weighs 16oz, 2x that of the 4!

As already mentioned, check out the Laser Strike.
 
Out of the 2 you mentioned and the planned use of it, I have to say go with the 4. Like everyone else said, the 5 is just a lot of weight!
 
Definitely the 4. Not a bad camp knife. If you wanted a 5 inch blade; I'd pick up a GSO5.1.
So between the two mention get the ESEE 4.
 
Some folks (myself included and apparently tueller as well) find the handle on the 4 to be a bit too short for comfort. I'd suggest you try one before you buy it. If you can't do that, I'd go with one of tueller's other recommendations if I were you.
 
C_Becker said:
Laser Strike > 4 > 5 :thumbup:
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Exactly this ^

The '5 is a "sharpened prybar", which some people need for certain tasks, but for general camp chores it's a poor choice. The '4 has the same small handle of the '3, but is unnecessarily thicker.

The ESEE-3 and Laser Strike feel great, they're proportionate in every way. If I had to choose one, it would easily be the LS as it comes with a far superior sheath.
 
As others have said the 5 is super thick and too heavy for all but the most extreme tasks. Between those two I would always choose the 4.

Of course my two favorites; and in my mind the best combo; is the 3 and the 6.
 
MatthewSB said:
If I had to choose one, it would easily be the LS as it comes with a far superior sheath.
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Indeed, the kydex sheath that comes with the Laser Strike is close to custom quality :thumbup:
The LS is plenty strong, while being a much better for actual knife work than the 5 because of the thinner stock and higher grind.
 
I feel its worth mentioning, that if you're looking for something esee 4 sized, you should also at least look at the Becker bk16. The Becker has a similar blade length, longer handles ( a fairly common complaint of the 4 is too small of handle), almost identical steel (1095 for the esee, and 1095 cro-van for the Becker), and almost identical warranty.

But of the two you mentioned, id go with the 4, no questions. However, id personally be looking at the laserstrike and bk16 more.

Good luck :).
 
Well, I ordered the 4 this morning. I also have an Ontario RTAK-II. So when I need a "big" knife for chopping I have one.
 
Considering your saw and hatchet I would go with a Fällkniven F1 or something of Survive! instead. Between the two and again considering your hatchet I'd go with a 4.

EDIT: excuse me. Congrats with your 4!
 
Jeru said:
Considering your saw and hatchet I would go with a Fällkniven F1 or something of Survive! instead.
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I don't see why because he has a saw or hatchet a change of brand would be considered:confused:

Good choice on the for 4 over the 5. For me personally, my favorites are the 3, 6, and Junglas.
 
ESEE 5 was designed for when things really get bad and you need something that absolutely won't fail you not a camp knife. Its also incredibly heavy for its size
4 and the Laser strike will be more useful for general camp tasks

That said, the only ESEE that I use anymore is the Junglas. All the others ergos/handles garbage (even worse if you have large hands) which is why many go for the TKC scales. $20-50 well get you into much more comfortable knives like LT Wright/Battlehorse etc
 
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