ESEE Avispa

JD Mandrell

JD Mandrell

Joined
Apr 20, 2001
Messages
18,423
Arrived today, excellent quality, rock solid lockup, shaving sharp!





With the Zancudo for size comparison, substantial size difference.



And with the Ontario RAT 1, cause I figure that is the knife it will be most compared to.




Very happy to see 4 position clip attachment, being a southpaw. The thumbstud is shorter on the side for us, but usable.




Overall, great folder, same quality as I've come to expect from those involved from design to the factory. The RAT 1 has a serious contender here in the "bang for the buck" market.
 
Thanks for the pics! I've been waiting for these to be released, mind telling me where you ordered from?

Also, do you have a RAT-1? And if so, how do they compare?
 
Thanks for the pics, mine is waiting for me at home. Same color combo too.
 
fatheadhill said:
Thanks for the pics! I've been waiting for these to be released, mind telling me where you ordered from?

Also, do you have a RAT-1? And if so, how do they compare?
Click to expand...

www.knifeworks.com

I've got several RAT 1's. Quality is the same, these are made in the same factory in Taiwan as the RAT's. Basically it's a drop point framelock RAT. :)
 
Boy it's crazy to see a different blade shape on that handle...I'm so used to the Rat! :eek:
 
Looks nice. Thanks for the review. Hows the lock-up on it? Any play? Is it early or late?
 
Desert Tan for me, should be here tomorrow, cannot wait for it... Thanks for the pictures !
I loved the Zancudo but wanted larger blade with the same shape, I'm glad they did the Avispa.
Zancudo's lock was not holding at all, I retired this knife, hope this-one is better.
Don't like the frame lock but I can live with... :D
 
I was a little disappointed with the weights of the Cryo 2 and the large Drifter. How is the weight on this knife (compared to the Rat)? What about the handle thickness compared to the Rat1. The Avispa handle looks like it has a little more traction than the Rat? Thanks.
 
mwhich50 said:
How is the weight on this knife (compared to the Rat)?.
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Holding both, I can't tell any real difference, the Avispa might be a tad lighter because it has one less nylon 6 scale and the liner is nested into the scale, where the RAT has to full steel liners.

mwhich50 said:
What about the handle thickness compared to the Rat1.
Click to expand...

Only having one nylon scale, it's thinner than the RAT one by a good 1/8th inch


mwhich50 said:
The Avispa handle looks like it has a little more traction than the Rat? Thanks.
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Yes, the checkering is deeper and wider than the RAT-1
 
I'm gonna toss out something here, that is purely nothing but my opinion, based on my own observances, the Avispa in many ways, seems to me, like someone somewhere at ESEE or wherever, has listened to a lot of the little things that people have said they wished were better about the RAT 1 and designed the Avispa off of those things.
 
To me the handle on the avispa is more comfortable than the Rat, specifically around the index finger. That area is slightly larger on the avispa. I also like the blade shape much better. I remember sine prior complaining about the string detent on the zancudo, the avispa also has a strong detent. Smoothness is opening is the only area in which the Rat wins.
 
I will pick up one or two of these. For $28 bucks and some change, seems like a good deal. I can't wait to see a Youtube vid on the Avispa.
 
9e1h.jpg


Received mine today, very happy with the Knifeworks, lightning fast shipping, great knife, great size, love the color of the scale, excellent fit and finish,
perfectly centered blade, smooth opening, positive early lock-up...

It must be too good to be truth, right...?

Well, if you thought that, you are correct... Take a good look at the picture above and tell me if the clip should lay directly on the lock's spring...
The knife came with tip-down clip, when I switch it for tip-up carry, I found out that someone didn't do the math correctly and by pressing on the spring,
it's almost impossible to open the knife and close it with one hand...

I loosen the screws and repositioned little bit the clip, did tight the screws again and it was supported on the frame, probably with half a millimeter...
It's still there but it shouldn't be that way and I'm not happy... I absolutely love the knife but I cannot imagine I'll use it that way, I hope this is not a common problem with those,
if it is, they probably should come up with wider clip, so when you switch from tip-up to tip-down it will be supported firmly on the frame...
This is how it looks like now...

cnlfe.jpg
 
Maybe they were trying to use it as an over travel stop for the lock. If it doesn't touch, and is only close, how does it effect opening and closing? The lock should never move further (closer to the clip) than it shows in the picture, right?
 
jstrange said:
Maybe they were trying to use it as an over travel stop for the lock. If it doesn't touch, and is only close, how does it effect opening and closing? The lock should never move further (closer to the clip) than it shows in the picture, right?
Click to expand...
I don't believe they made this by purpose... It doesn't make sense to me at al... When clip is moved for tip-up carry, it naturally falls completely on the spring, doubling the pushing force.
I have a really hard time opening the knife one handed, closing it for me is almost impossible if I don't use both hands.

This is how it looks like before I loosen up the screws and reposition it so it barely supports itself on the frame, it doesn't touches the frame at all:

rls8.jpg


When I reposition it, it looks like it is on the bottom picture of my previous post.
There are no knives that I know that would have the clip directly pushing on the spring.
One millimeter wider clip, on both sites, will solve the problem instantly. I hope this is not the case with all the knifes released because it will be real turn off for some.
It is a great knife IMHO, I wish they release a different clip to fix this issue, I would even purchase it because I like a lot the shape of the original,
otherwise I would have to look for aftermarket clip in order to use the knife without worrying that I would not be able to open it one-handed when I need it...
 
Anyone whose familiar with the Rat 1 knows how butter smooth they are. Almost feeling like an assisted opener (why OKC came out with the assisted Rat 1 this year is beyond me. Seems like a solution to a problem that doesnt exist.). Is the Avispa as smooth with the same feel as the Rat 1 or is it a little more stiff. The pocket clip on the lock bar concerns me about this issue. I havent handled the Zancudo but it seems to me that lots of people felt it was a little more stiff and jerky than the Rat. Since the Avispa is a scaled up Zancudo, do you guys feel it is comparable or not? Thanks, i hope that made sense, haha.
 
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