ESEE 4 or Fallkniven F1

Ok. Makes sense, I thought my old A1 was kraton

 

I like my F1...I do. I take it on treks and camping and throw it small chores, and it performs wonderfully. I can see how it would be a great knife for the pocket of a bag. In fact that is probably the only situation it's sheath would perform well in. I find it to be a rattling pain in the ass for belt carry.
The F1 is a great little knife, and worth its accolades, however I will NEVER choose it OVER my ESEE 4 .....
Or 3
Or 6
Or Izula2
Just my opinion of course.

 

I totally dislike the ESEE sheaths for the standard ESSE 4 unless you strap it onto a pack or carry it inside. Tis one of the reasons I don't choose ESEE at all. Good knife. But I have others that I like far better. It stays home. I bought an off the shelf sheath to fit it, but still don't care for it much. Don't care about warranty other than if it broke the first time I used it.

Craytab mentioned the SOG Seal Pup. (Have the plain edge Elite version.) That is a pretty good bob knife. But with the knife buying disease, it has fallen out of favor for one I take to the woods. It originally WAS my woods knife back when it was first introduced.

 

Both are great knives imho. You really can't make a wrong choice there.
I choose the Esee 4 (back in the days it came standard with the great kydex sheath) on the day I bought it... could have been the F1 just the same.
I preferred the G10 and micarta handle material and kydex sheath on the Esee, but the steel and the convex grind on the F1...
Both tough use knives that get the job done.

 

Yeah, the A1 and A2 have kraton handles. All of the others, pro and otherwise, are thermorun. I think that’s how it’s been ever since they shifted production to japan, but I’m not sure. It’s been a long time.

That said, as much as I like the VG10 F1, I’d suggest springing for the CoS version. Great stainless.

 

Really hard for me to say one over the other . The ESEE 4 is my beater . I have used and abused it . The F1 is a great knife and I have used it but when I try doing the same task as the ESEE like cutting small branches and doing yard work the edge chipped . The ESEE has never chipped. I sharpened the F1 to get most of the chipping out and it seems like that is doing the trick .

I keep my F1 in my fishing bag and my ESSE in my garage for yard work . I really beat the heck out of it trying to get a new from them but the blade won’t break .

 

Old thread, but I gotta sound off on this one. I've got both knives. I'd suggest the F1. It's my all weather fixed blade. If you may be in cold weather conditions it is far superior to the ESEE, in my opinion. Exposed metal on the grip of a knife used in winter conditions is a disadvantage. Just don't lose your gloves. The plastic sheath that can be had with the F1 is disliked by some. Just use the knife in winter outdoor survival conditions where things will get wet and then later freeze and the disadvantage of close fitting sheaths will be obvious. A knife isn't very useful if you can't get it out of the sheath soon enough to make a difference.
If you live in Hawaii or Florida some of the above factors may not mean much to you. The F1 is a knife that will work in multiple climates, and very well in the cold.