Sounds like stainless is the way to go then.
Any carbon steel will rust sooner or later in wet conditions.
Plus, for cleaning deer and stuff, the extra edge retention of some of the "super steels" might make you happy.
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Esee lost a customer today
- Thread starter gpewett
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Sounds like stainless is the way to go then.
Any carbon steel will rust sooner or later in wet conditions.
Plus, for cleaning deer and stuff, the extra edge retention of some of the "super steels" might make you happy.
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Sounds like that blade held up pretty well considering the hard use. Maybe a different sheath (leather, sealed with SnowSeal or something similar to prevent water absorption) or a different carry would have helped with the rust issue. Simple carbon steels like 1095, 1080, 1070, etc., do rust easily but there are millions of machetes out there that still work fine even with a bit of rust. I wouldn't blame Esee.
Post #32...:thumbdn:. The world has enough smarta$$es, we don't need more. OP, move on Jarhead (I say that with respect earned working together with Marines in 'Nam with mac-sog); find another company like the Busse family, I have. 
mmmotorcycle
Captain Slow
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Sounds like stainless is the way to go then.
Any carbon steel will rust sooner or later in wet conditions.
Plus, for cleaning deer and stuff, the extra edge retention of some of the "super steels" might make you happy.
Continuing on the path of more suggestions..... maybe a Bradford fixed blade? I have heard M390 at a value price might work wonders. Bark River and Cold Steel also come to mind for good quality hunting designs. Like many have said, the options are nearly limitless.
Cold Steel might work in the USA.
Living in Canada, their customer service was non-existent.
Luckily, I was able to make an entirely new handle myself (and better than the original, as far as I'm concerned), but for someone who isn't able to make their own knife and handles from scratch, I might suggest a different company.
But inside the USA, it seems their support is fine.
Their horrid customer service didn't stop me from buying some more of their stuff though...because I liked the design, and it wasn't available elsewhere.
mmmotorcycle
Captain Slow
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That is unfortunate but not too surprising. In an ideal world most knives would have lifetime, transferable warranties but as long as the user is smart and the product is reliable... I at least, have never had a warranty issue with any knife or product otherwise.
I have a hunch this thread would not exist if there was just more amicable communication between parties.
Blood tends to lead to rust. Even many stainless can stain from blood.Okay, sorry, but this confuses me.
When you were talking about rust and food prep it made some sense, but why would a nice coating be helpful when ripping the guts out of an animal?
You kinda lost me on that one.
Tell it how it is by using their "no questions asked" warranty as a marketing tool, then going back on it in many ways not listed in the warranty and belittling customers (in this case a veteran who used it on deployment, as I understand)? You and I certainly have different values.
Wow.
The doubling down makes me happy I got a Becker.
I can't imagine Ethan ever talking to a group of customers that way.
Honestly, I can't think of any major company talking to its customers with that much attitude.
I was looking at an Izula for quite awhile but out of the Amazon cart it goes.
I can't buy from a company that seems to actively dislike me from the get go.
Busse and ESEE are not in the same league, of course if you spend 2-3x the amount of an ESEE you'll get a better warranty. Sure you can suggest Busse all you want, but for people who purchase an ESEE they are probably not considering a Busse as an option or else they've already purchased one.
For the OP I'd suggest a Becker knife, they are in the same price range (most are cheaper) as the ESEE knives and should perform similarly in just about everything you're putting in through. I've used over 5 different Beckers out in the woods for years, they last just as long as ESEE and have nice people running the company.
edit: for what it's worth I still don't think rust is a warranty issue. The sheath not being under warranty is strange, considering the knife is not really packable without it, but understandable.
For the OP I'd suggest a Becker knife, they are in the same price range (most are cheaper) as the ESEE knives and should perform similarly in just about everything you're putting in through. I've used over 5 different Beckers out in the woods for years, they last just as long as ESEE and have nice people running the company.
edit: for what it's worth I still don't think rust is a warranty issue. The sheath not being under warranty is strange, considering the knife is not really packable without it, but understandable.
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Rival1314
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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So the co-founder of ESEE chimes in telling a customer to buy from another company?!? I don't care if it was covered by warranty or not, if you don't have the ability to handle a customer issue with some dignity then you shouldn't be in business. Its one thing to deny a claim because its not covered, its another to be intentionally snarky and come in on a forum and be a wiseass. I will certainly not be buying any ESEE knives....EVER. Thanks for the recommendation Mike!
Yep I stand by every word. Anyone that knows us knows we will replace any broken blade no matter how it is broken. The warranty has never covered coating, edge going dull or rust from day one. If the coating had been coming off, blistered when he bought it then you bet we would have replaced it. That is defective coating. But wear isn't a warranty issue (JP8 (jet fuel) did not take the coating off.
And yes I can be 'snarky' in my replies-- read his immediately before, he merited what he shoveled out
I like Jerry Busse by the way. Buy that next time
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mmmotorcycle
Captain Slow
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Oh of course (i agree here with you), I find the OP communicated perfectly and was met with less than stellar responses. ESEE failed here on simple communication. There are TOO many other good options and I don't think the OP loses anything by looking elsewhere.
The cognitive dissonance is staggering.
He dislikes knife consumers so much he posts openly on forums (again, supposedly posting quotes from private correspondence on their forum to mock the customer) displaying his disdain, and yet he can do that and have a successful company only because of the average knife consumer who doesn't come on here and read this and who doesn't use their knife enough to need the warranty.
It must take a precarious mental balance.
Oh come on.
MOST knives from most knife companies don't get used; that goes for Busse as much as Cold Steel, Spyderco, and all the rest.
I'd wager that ESEE and Becker knives get used at least as much as any other brand...maybe more if you count YouTube vidoes of people bashing apart things in their backyards.
You can dislike the snark without having to make up your own "facts."
Oh come on.
MOST knives from most knife companies don't get used; that goes for Busse as much as Cold Steel, Spyderco, and all the rest.
I'd wager that ESEE and Becker knives get used at least as much as any other brand...maybe more if you count YouTube vidoes of people bashing apart things in their backyards.
You can dislike the snark without having to make up your own "facts."
I certainly see more pictures of used ESEEs and Beckers than I do of used Busses, but there are usually a few reasons why that's the case.
I've yet to submit a Becker for warranty treatment, and I've beat the crap out of a couple of them pretty bad. That's because they are tough and taking a beating, not because they don't rust (I've had surface rust show up a couple times, I just polish it off and move on). Rust is not a warranty-worthy damage, it's caused by neglect not by manufacturing.
Vaporstang
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No Esee for me. Thanks OP.
Rowen makes TOPS and ESEE so if you like the product but not the owner you might give TOPS a try. They have some nice designs too. Not sure about warranty though. 1095 is very prone to corrosion due to high humidity. Might be time to try a higher chrome steel like something from Fallkniven.
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