ESEE Izula: What's so special?

[Ankerson]

Yep.

 

[100eyes]

I personally feel Izulas are kinda like Sebenzas. Nothing really special in the ingredients, but there's something right about the sum of its (very few)parts.

Would be great to see a stainless version without the coating imo.

 

[hayes31]

I personally feel Izulas are kinda like Sebenzas. Nothing really special in the ingredients, but there's something right about the sum of its (very few)parts.

Would be great to see a stainless version without the coating imo.

Like this?

 

[Ankerson]

Like this?

Yeah, exactly like that.

 

[100eyes]

Like this?

 

[crom]

Here's my take after seeing one at a gun show, it's too small for a FB. What's the point of a fixed blade if you can't get 4 fingers on the handle? There are many alternatives that are still small and afford a 4 finger grip. That and it's skeletonized, micarta grips are extra. I like the idea of the slightly bigger one though, and the Becker collaboration looks like it might have a fuller handle. Not knocking the quality because it did seem to be a nice little knife, "little" being the operative word here.

 

[Myal]

I have one
its a handy little knife
I thought it would be not great when I first saw it , but after using it for about a year I think now , I like it .
Its a small knife that you can use as if it were a big knife .
I abused mine some , shucked oysters with it , sharpened it on a concrete park bench , ( a previously vandalised broken off bit of it anyway ) used it to lever bits around working on my car , its still doing OK , takes a shaving sharp edge easy , holds it well , Im not scared Im going to snap it digging into wood to get wicheties out or whatever .
the big thing for me is it does all that , and still is small enough to fit in my pocket .. and it doesnt scare people when I use it in public to cut up my apple .
It will lose its edge , and the edge will ding when I baton it thru nails in wood ( yeah .. accident there but hey ) but it sharpens again easy too . For me , with the knife being marketed as a survival knife , being easy to sharpen is important , as is edge holding doing the jobs I do with it . It does good .
That is my experience with it anyway .

 

[chiral.grolim]

That one looks a lot nicer than the one they have with the pry-bar on the pommel. What model is that?

That other little knife is a Swamp Rat Warden, now out of production but available on the secondary market, last one on the exchange sold for $75. It's longer than the Izula in blade and esp. handle, SR101 steel (52100 w/ Busse HT).

MANY companies offer neck/small fixed blades in many different steels, including Buck's 420HC and S30V (also offering a lifetime warranty & good customer service like ESEE whose customer service pales in comparison to Bussekin). These are not "clones", they are different knives of similar size. Prices vary as well.

Is it worth $15 extra over the Izula for the Swamp Warden which lacks a factory sheath? Is the $30 Buck Packlite 420HC or the $20 Benchmark Backpacker (originally 1095) much more deficient? I guess it all depends on what you are really looking for, what your assessment of the "value" of each is and how well that translates to price. I bought an Izula and like it alot, bought one for a female friend as well. It's a tough little knife, thick enough to take a beating (I'll pry with it if I want to, it's my knife), and it resharpens easily. I like the ergonomics of it's handle wrapped in cord, the pronounced forward "lean" and drop-point, the thumb-jimping, the large carabiner hole and round pommel (vs. prybar), the minimal choil... :thumbup: a knife I like that performs well for me. It won't hold its edge as well as 'better' steel or cut with the efficiency of a thinner uncoated blade, but it works for me.
Here's a review that pushed me toward one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSrlvqrZQKY
Is it over-priced? Cost of manufacture is probably much lower (esp. given the size of the operation) so profit-margin may be quite large on this knife, but it is well marketed and is priced where sales haven't seemed to suffer much... *shrug* It's your money, spend it on what you want.

 

[ISKski]

Here's my take after seeing one at a gun show, it's too small for a FB. What's the point of a fixed blade if you can't get 4 fingers on the handle? There are many alternatives that are still small and afford a 4 finger grip. That and it's skeletonized, micarta grips are extra. I like the idea of the slightly bigger one though, and the Becker collaboration looks like it might have a fuller handle. Not knocking the quality because it did seem to be a nice little knife, "little" being the operative word here.

*I am actually right handed

1,2,3,4 for me, and I am 6'0 and i usually fit perfectly in anything sized Medium, so I would say I am a good average/standard, Though my brother who is 6'2'' and a definition Large finds it a little small - so its not for everyone. little is the key word with this knife, I carry this on my waist under my shirt in one of the largest cities in the country/world (yea its number 60 something in the world) near every day and it goes unseen and felt until needed.

 

[DougB2]

1095 is cheap and reasonably strong and cheap.

Oh, did I say it's cheap......

There's inexpensive and there's cheap. 1095 is inexpensive; the "high carbon stainless" used on my Gerber Paraframe is cheap. My 1095 Izula and BK-11 will gladly accept an edge, my Paraframe refuses to consider an edge. A knife in 1095 can be cheap if the heat treat and edge geometry are not done properly. A knife in ZDP-189, S30V, or any other steel can be cheap if not done correctly. There's more to cheap than alloy or hardness.

 

[hayes31]

I have a regular Izzie that I love, so I don't need the stainless... but that may not stop me anyway

 

[nuckingfuts]

Ive wanted a Izula since I got into knives this past Christmas, I kept putting it off by buying strictly folders. But I bit the bullet yesturday and ordered one, cant wait to receive it. Ya'll know how that is!

 

[Dan57]

(also offering a lifetime warranty & good customer service like ESEE whose customer service pales in comparison to Bussekin).

I've gotta take issue with this... I know that Busse, Swamp Rat, and Scrapyard all have amazing customer service, but ESEE's warranty and CS are the standard by which all others are judged; they're second to none. Bussekin's may be as good, but there's no way they're better.

1095 can be taken to the 65 HRC range.

Do you have any examples of this? I've never even heard of 1095 being taken past 60. Not doubting you, just wondering.

 

[AfghanWarrior]

Buck 143 Paklite 420HC steel Knives are $19.99 in every major city in the USA. I would and did get the $20 Buck PackLite first. The Becker $25 BK11 was second. Third get the higher end $$$ Brands. That is where I am right now.

 

[CLE]

I prefer the Izula II's slightly larger working size to the original Izula myself. I find small fixed blades incredibly useful though for every cutting task save chopping.

They're colorful 1095 lollipops with an excellent heat treatment, warrenty and pedigree and they're reasonably priced for the amount of quality and use you get out of them IMO. Whats not to like?

 

[nuckingfuts]

I prefer the Izula II's slightly larger working size to the original Izula myself. I find small fixed blades incredibly useful though for every cutting task save chopping.

Thats what Im worried about. I finally have one on the way after Ive wanted one for months and Im worrying the original Izula is gonna be small for me and I'll have to send it back. We'll see

 

[unklfranco]

I like it. It takes a really great edge, its light, nice blade shape and tough. If it had all these qualities and was stainless, it would be a hall of famer.

Unklfranco

 

[Hauling]

I can't decide what color I want. Leaning towards red.

 

[Ankerson]

I've gotta take issue with this..



Do you have any examples of this? I've never even heard of 1095 being taken past 60. Not doubting you, just wondering.

Years ago I had a skinning knife in 1095 at 65 HRC.

There are also some Chef knives around at that hardness.

Not many makers will push it that high due to the typical use of knives in that steel.

But these days there are much better options in those type of knives so that could be the reason for that.

 

[KennyB]

Yeah, exactly like that.

Yeah, too bad they're still coming soon. They're coming out with a damascus one too

I like the Buck and BK11 ones, but I think after having already bought an Izula it's one of those things where... If it breaks tomorrow, I'm still going to go spend the same amount of money to replace it, even though I know these cheaper ones are available.

I really think it just has more to do with the knife itself than anything. When I ordered mine I didn't really think it was going to be great... Honestly I was just going to see what the fuss was about, and then give it away or resell it if I didn't like it. But I wound up looving it.