ESEE 5 Complete Review

Used the ESEE 5 to break down some boxes last night over at my dad's, then whittled away at a stick that had been drying in my storage room for about 4 years when I got back home.

The edge will now cut heavy printer paper easily enough, and will still cut thin textbook paper, but not as keenly or easily as before.
Can't shave any arm hair now with any section of the blade.

However, it will still cut things, and that is with the original factory edge! :)

Going to keep it going and see how much I can do with the knife before sharpening is required. :thumbsup:
 
stabman said:
Used the ESEE 5 to break down some boxes last night over at my dad's, then whittled away at a stick that had been drying in my storage room for about 4 years when I got back home.

The edge will now cut heavy printer paper easily enough, and will still cut thin textbook paper, but not as keenly or easily as before.
Can't shave any arm hair now with any section of the blade.

However, it will still cut things, and that is with the original factory edge! :)

Going to keep it going and see how much I can do with the knife before sharpening is required. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Maybe see if you can batton through some sissal rope, like sailors used to do back in the day.
 
Alone said:
Nice test/review, stabman stabman . 👍


Definitely one of my "Top 10" FAVORITE knives... (*For my "medium-sized" hands, the ESEE "3D" scales are straight-up GLORIOUS)



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Nice!

I picked up an ESEE 5 with 3D G-10 scales from the local gun store last Wednesday, and it does feel nice in the hand. Haven't put it to use yet, so not sure what the difference of feel during use will be.

I originally thought the slab Micarta scales wouldn't be very comfortable, but they've proven to be pretty great with my size of hand. Certainly WAY more comfortable than the Ontario Rat 5 was out of the box. Pleasantly surprised. :)
 
Finally ended up sharpening it. Was getting a tad dull for what I wanted.
Sharpened easily on a Spyderco fine bench stone, then stropped on a stiff piece of cardboard. Shaves arm hair with ease. :thumbsup:

Thought I'd go test it out on a sapling in an area where the city cuts them down anyway. Turned out there were too many junkies there, so I went back down the trail and got this pic of it stabbed in a dead piece of wood:

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Got home, and Amazon had delivered a package.
Time for cardboard cutting and stabbing fun. :)

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Worked very nicely, especially fresh after sharpening.

Then, time for food.
Here it is with another pile of inelegantly cut up onions:

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The use and review continues...
 
Yesterday cut up a whole bunch more cardboard.
Sharpened it afterward; stiff cardboard (not Amazon boxes) seems to be the thing that dulls this knife the fastest.
Great for wood and even tires, but probably should not buy it as a dedicated box cutter...🤔

Had to work today, so why not take it with me to pass the time taking pics?

zsaJKqp.jpeg


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Here it is with the original Benchmade Adamas.
Look how thick the tip is on the Adamas!

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The coating on the ESEE 5 is very thick. It is surprisingly durable as well; the abrasive cardboard just smoothed it out a bit.

You will notice the most wear on the side of the blade is at the transition where the grind starts.
You will see that on practically every ESEE 5 that has seen any batonning action.
That is because it is the point of greatest friction...but the same grind geometry that causes wear at that point also saves the edge during batonning.

As the blade goes through, the split in the wood stays ahead of the edge, wedged apart by that thick saber grind.
So while it means you will lose the coating there quite quickly, your edge will stay good for longer. :)
 
stabman said:
Yesterday cut up a whole bunch more cardboard.
Sharpened it afterward; stiff cardboard (not Amazon boxes) seems to be the thing that dulls this knife the fastest.
Great for wood and even tires, but probably should not buy it as a dedicated box cutter...🤔

Had to work today, so why not take it with me to pass the time taking pics?

zsaJKqp.jpeg


xTm9Agw.jpeg


Here it is with the original Benchmade Adamas.
Look how thick the tip is on the Adamas!

LVjUyo1.jpeg


ywTMLxk.jpeg


The coating on the ESEE 5 is very thick. It is surprisingly durable as well; the abrasive cardboard just smoothed it out a bit.

You will notice the most wear on the side of the blade is at the transition where the grind starts.
You will see that on practically every ESEE 5 that has seen any batonning action.
That is because it is the point of greatest friction...but the same grind geometry that causes wear at that point also saves the edge during batonning.

As the blade goes through, the split in the wood stays ahead of the edge, wedged apart by that thick saber grind.
So while it means you will lose the coating there quite quickly, your edge will stay good for longer. :)
Click to expand...
In my experience, 1095 and cardboard don’t play well together anyway. The good news is there’s not much cardboard in the woods. I love how fast ESEE knives get sharp.
 
It's a stupidly thick, fairly soft but kinda tough bit of 1095 that is vaguely knife shaped. But has similar geometry to an axe with almost none of the chopping ability. They're pretty ridiculous. Guys buy them and fantasize about how they could cut their way out of a crashed air plane and do a bunch of other miscellaneous awesome tactical stuff while sitting on the couch playing with it 😂
There are so many better options if you want to buy a knife
 
aido1987 said:
It's a stupidly thick, fairly soft but kinda tough bit of 1095 that is vaguely knife shaped. But has similar geometry to an axe with almost none of the chopping ability. They're pretty ridiculous. Guys buy them and fantasize about how they could cut their way out of a crashed air plane and do a bunch of other miscellaneous awesome tactical stuff while sitting on the couch playing with it 😂
There are so many better options if you want to buy a knife
Click to expand...
I don’t disagree that some people will buy knives and fantasize about adventuring and/or fighting crime, but I disagree that there’s no place for an ESEE 5. I don’t have one because I don’t need one, but it might be just what someone needs.

I think Stabman’s done a great job of reviewing this knife, which shows its capability and it’s pretty honest and fair.
 
aido1987 said:
It's a stupidly thick, fairly soft but kinda tough bit of 1095 that is vaguely knife shaped. But has similar geometry to an axe with almost none of the chopping ability. They're pretty ridiculous. Guys buy them and fantasize about how they could cut their way out of a crashed air plane and do a bunch of other miscellaneous awesome tactical stuff while sitting on the couch playing with it 😂
There are so many better options if you want to buy a knife
Click to expand...

Let's go point by point. ;)
1) It is entirely knife shaped. You have seen a knife before, right?
2) The grind is reminiscent of an axe or hatchet. ESEE knives would likely agree on that.
3) I guess I missed out on the couch fantasizing review aspect...sorry. I do not really like sitting on couches. It is pretty great while sitting in my La-Z-Boy recliner though. :)

I'll bet you did not bother watching the videos or even read this review.
I was quite honest about what the ESEE 5 could do well, what it did less well, and what I was unable to do with it.

When I told my dad about the polycarbonate test result, he said "They're not going to be happy about that!"
To which I said "They'll be fine with it, because it's honest."

That's the thing about ESEE, they tell you what you're getting, then provide what they told you you'd get.
They tell you the steel and what hardness it's run at. If you want different steel or hardness, go elsewhere.
When they had a subforum here, they would tell you the ESEE 5 was not the best cutter. They'd say "Get the ESEE 4 or the ESEE 6 if you want a knife for the woods."

They'd also tell you that maybe you should skip everything and simply buy a machete, because they saw what the folks in South America could do with one. You see, honest. :cool:

From what the ESEE 5 could do though, I decided to get another one; got the one with Venom Green coating and 3D G-10 scales from the local gun store.
Maybe I'll have to try sitting on the couch with it...🤔
 
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aido1987 said:
It's a stupidly thick, fairly soft but kinda tough bit of 1095 that is vaguely knife shaped. But has similar geometry to an axe with almost none of the chopping ability. They're pretty ridiculous. Guys buy them and fantasize about how they could cut their way out of a crashed air plane and do a bunch of other miscellaneous awesome tactical stuff while sitting on the couch playing with it 😂
There are so many better options if you want to buy a knife
Click to expand...
So this is your very first post , after waiting almost 9 years ? 🤨

Maybe too soon , even so . 😏
 
DocJD said:
So this is your very first post , after waiting almost 9 years ? 🤨

Maybe too soon , even so . 😏
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You know, thanks for pointing that out.
In 9 years the one post A aido1987 decides to respond to is a review of an ESEE 5.

Aido… reading quietly in the wings. Waiting for some poor bastard to say a positive word about an ESEE 5. Strewn about him? Dozens on ESEE 5s, each of them a let down.

🤣
 
Thanks for posting this up...it's always a treat to see great knives in action.

I enjoy my Esee knives quite a bit as well.

What's even cooler, is that the pricing has remained relatively flat through the years, despite other manufacturers raising prices.

They are a great value as well as a great tool.
 
MolokaiRider said:
Thanks for posting this up...it's always a treat to see great knives in action.

I enjoy my Esee knives quite a bit as well.

What's even cooler, is that the pricing has remained relatively flat through the years, despite other manufacturers raising prices.

They are a great value as well as a great tool.
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That is true about the price.
The price, build quality and warranty make them quite a good value, as well as a tool you can use without worry. :cool:
 
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