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Esee knives vs gso survive?
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miltmaldo
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I have the 4.1 and the esee 4 . The 4.1 is the better of the two great handle and a much better steel better looking if you want it for out doors that's the one I woulda get . Now the ESEE is my first fix blade and it's my better knife great knife yesterday I used it take ceramic tile of the bathroom floor . The tip is still intact I also use it in the spring as my gardening tool for making holes and planting my veggies . The steel is very soft and needs to be sharpened often . I ended with a convex edge without wanting one . I don't baby the esee at all if it brakes all send it back and get a new one so in reality all you need is an ESEE .
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"Alot" is a very subjective term here; I don't think 3v is "alot" tougher then 1095, which is pretty tough stuff as far as knives go, but there are alot of variables that come into play, and again "alot" is pretty subjective. I would say however it is overall better, since all other things being equal, two identical knives, the one in 3v can attain higher hardness and hold an edge longer, will resist corrosion a bit better, all while remaining at the very least "as tough" as 1095 if not being a bit tougher (depends on the hardness attained through HT).
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It is a little bit silly comparing knives with a 2.5-3x price difference. The steel used in Survive knives is far superior in my mind. Maybe not vastly tougher like Stratt says but the other qualities are just better than 1095.
The difference between these knives for me comes with the companies themselves. Esee is a well known and well established brand that has knives made by a will known and respected maker (rowen). Their distribution network and availability is vast and very strong. There customer service support is also very robust. Survive has had growing pains from the begining. It is a small operation and the last I heard a month or so ago, they still have not increased their ability to make knives and handle customers. It does not take years to higher more staff to keep up with demand. Getting a new survive is very difficult. They started a pay up front in full preorder which always seems shady. They have literally thousands of people wanting their product but can't figure out how to satisfy that demand. Where and when else might they drop the ball like they already have for years? That is a problem for me. There are other production companies you can get similar knives from that have a better track record as companies. Further, there are similar custom knives made available in the exchange here everyday for about the same price. Why wait on a company that can't figure out its business model?
I know there will be the hardened fans that won't like my opinion but this is how I see it.
The difference between these knives for me comes with the companies themselves. Esee is a well known and well established brand that has knives made by a will known and respected maker (rowen). Their distribution network and availability is vast and very strong. There customer service support is also very robust. Survive has had growing pains from the begining. It is a small operation and the last I heard a month or so ago, they still have not increased their ability to make knives and handle customers. It does not take years to higher more staff to keep up with demand. Getting a new survive is very difficult. They started a pay up front in full preorder which always seems shady. They have literally thousands of people wanting their product but can't figure out how to satisfy that demand. Where and when else might they drop the ball like they already have for years? That is a problem for me. There are other production companies you can get similar knives from that have a better track record as companies. Further, there are similar custom knives made available in the exchange here everyday for about the same price. Why wait on a company that can't figure out its business model?
I know there will be the hardened fans that won't like my opinion but this is how I see it.
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Cray, solid customer service is a FEATURE in a knife that some of us value when we make our choices.
It can sometimes even overshadow the choice of knife steel.
I'd get a quality 1095 piece that was backed up 100% over a super steel knife with unresolvable issues.
I don't think many folks could take issue with your opinion.
It can sometimes even overshadow the choice of knife steel.
I'd get a quality 1095 piece that was backed up 100% over a super steel knife with unresolvable issues.
I don't think many folks could take issue with your opinion.
I have both brands. 1095 might be my favorite steel for a fixed blade. I like the 3V alot also. I got the 3V mostly for the corrosion resistance if I go kayaking or canoing (though to be honest, I've never had problems with any of my 1095 blades rusting. Just wipe off and keep clean). The finish on the survive! Is better than the esee knives. Their g10 handles are nicer and fit better than essential micarta (imo). I like my gso4.1, but if buying again I don't like 2× more than an esee. Or 4× more than a Becker for that matter. Craytab also made good points about survives small operation. I did wait quite awhile for my 4.1, and I'm not sure I'd want to wait months for a replacement if needed.
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I had a 5.1 in 20CV that I just sold. I still have my ESEE 6. I'm not a huge fan of 1095, would love the ESEE 6 in a different steel (3V would be nice!), but it's a helluva knife regardless. I beat on it mercilessly, and it's still going strong.
No contest, Survive!
I owned many ESEE's prior to S!K getting off the ground, and sold/traded/gaveaway all of them except for the izula ii, but it's days are numbered as soon as the GSO 2.7 comes out.
You'll more than likely hear a lot of whining from people who were too busy with their ESEE's to notice Survive!, now they want one and they are bummed they have to wait in line.
S!K honors its lifetime warranty on ALL of it's products, can't say the same for ESEE.
Hope that helps answer your question.
I owned many ESEE's prior to S!K getting off the ground, and sold/traded/gaveaway all of them except for the izula ii, but it's days are numbered as soon as the GSO 2.7 comes out.
You'll more than likely hear a lot of whining from people who were too busy with their ESEE's to notice Survive!, now they want one and they are bummed they have to wait in line.
S!K honors its lifetime warranty on ALL of it's products, can't say the same for ESEE.
Hope that helps answer your question.
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I'd take the Survive product myself. I am not a big ESEE fanboy. For 1095, I tend to lean toward Kabar and Becker stuff. I probably don't own a Survive knife simply because of the wait. The wait only pushes the price up or justifies it's increase and I won't no part of that. For that price range, I tend to look at Bark River products.
Pokerface
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Yup, BRKT. Or not much more a custom from Big Chris that is available now!
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No one complains about the Junglas handle.
Or the rest of the knife either.
The Junglas is awesome. :thumbup: