ESEE-6 keeps getting smaller

KNIFEABILITY

KNIFEABILITY

Joined
Mar 17, 2010
Messages
399
The more I use my ESEE-6 the smaller it seems to get. I am now doing everything with this knife now. And do not need to carry a smaller knife at all. Maybe I am just getting good with the knife from practice but I am not being modest when I say that I am no super woodsman or excellent at carving and dressing small game. People talk about this knife like it is big but with it being only 11.8 ounces with just 5.75 cutting edge .188 thick and tapers getting thinner all the way to the tip it seems more like a medium to small knife. So I was wondering what Jeff and Mike had in mind when they designed this knife? Just curious. And people who carry this knife do they carry a smaller knife or just a large machete, Machete knife or small axe with them? I want to cut my gear down to hike longer and go deeper in the mountains as my skills progress? Thanks for any help guys.
 
I have a similar problem, been carrying my Emerson A100, and now my rc3 seems smallish.
Might have a cure though, for me I'm switching to a mini cqc7, that way the 3 seems bigger again. You're screwed though :) unless you start carrying an izula.

I like the axe/hawk/hatchet/sharpthingonastick, midsized knife, and multitool combo. Gives you something to beat the snot out of for chopping and hammering, something to be delicate with to open cans, fix gear, trim nose hair, and a knife for the important stuff, like warding off evil spirits.

Its a solid combo that was taught to me in scouts (roughly, changed the knife to a fixedblade after getting Eagle, silly rules) Has never left me high and dry, though a saw can be darned handy too.
 
I share your sentiments. When I first got my 6 I thought it looked like some big knife that I wouldn't use much. As I keep using it, it seems like a "regular" sized knife. Then I go back to my 4 and it feels like a "small" knife.

There are advantages to having an axe, but I'm cuurently on the nutnfancy bandwagon. Sawvivor or similar take down saw and a good fixed blade to baton it.
 
The reason everyone has different opinions on axes is because in different environments/areas they are more or less affective. If you can get by with just a small SAK in your area, that is fine. I prefer taking my RC-6, a smaller knife, and a multitool(leatherman/SAK).
 
glad you are liking the 6! My 5 has shrunk over time and with use as well.
All of the line are excellent tools.
 
berandom said:
The reason everyone has different opinions on axes is because in different environments/areas they are more or less affective. If you can get by with just a small SAK in your area, that is fine. I prefer taking my RC-6, a smaller knife, and a multitool(leatherman/SAK).
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not much for me to use an axe on here in the desert. still want something nice tho for those rare times when it's the tool i do need.
 
I really doubt you could find a more basic multipurpose design. Camp knife, large knife for backpacking, whatever-.188 is PLENTY wide, especially with Rowen's 1095, and 6 inches is an acceptable length for camp and survival tasks.
 
The ESEE-6 is exactly what you want, a 6" kitchen knife with a little thickness to it. Bark River's Canadian Camp knife was even more like that, but I like the handle, choil, and thumb jimping much better on the ESEE's.
 
KNIFEABILITY said:
And people who carry this knife do they carry a smaller knife or just a large machete, Machete knife or small axe with them? I want to cut my gear down to hike longer and go deeper in the mountains as my skills progress? Thanks for any help guys.
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This will depend on your environment, the natural materials available to you, what exactly you will be cutting... I'd DEFINITELY take a smaller slicer though, HEST/RC3/Buck Paklite/BK11/RKK Snitch/Ranger Shiv or any other number of quality small fixed blades. I don't skimp on tools when backpacking. Usually I carry a machete, a tomahawk, a 5 inch range survival/bushcrafting knife, a Mora and a folder packed in my bag, and my HEST. If not for redundancy, then for skills practice with tools my life may one day depend on.

There's also something to be said for body hardening and getting in shape versus packing less...
 
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I completely agree with the body being your strongest tool. Thanks for the input guys. I do completely depend on my tools for survival and do not have the skills to get by without them, I also go into the woods for fun and like bringing comfort items as well. I think Junglas, ESEE 6 and mora would cover it.
 
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