ESEE Purchase Dilemma

Between those two, the 6 without a doubt.

Branching out a bit, I think you should at least look at the Becker offerings in the same size range. They are a bit cheaper, which leaves more room in the budget for a custom sheath if you feel the need (same with the handle scales). The bk10 is 5.5in long, and 3/16" thick, which is actually close to the esee 6.

Another option is the Becker bk12/Ritter MK2. Its made by the people that make esee (rowen), has a 6in blade that is 3/16in thick, and uses the Becker handle design.

Sorry for making the choice harder :/, but the upside is that any of these knives will be good choices, it just comes down to preference :).
 
Vykun said:
Thats good to hear. I've just been a little cautious I guess. I had a previous knife that came with a molded plastic sheath, not only was the retention an issue from the start, but just taking the knife in/out of the sheath caused it to dull the blade big time. I also had to fashion something to hold the blade in the sheath after about a month of use, as it did not hold the knife in it at all anymore after that.

This will be my first major knife purchase, so I am just trying to cover all the bases. And from what I am hearing, the ESEE 6 sheath seems to be a pretty solid item, and my worries were not necessary. Perhaps I will just order a standard ESEE 6, and just upgrade later if I feel the need to do so.
Click to expand...

You're right to question the sheaths. With most manufacturers the sheath is an afterthought. Esee on the other hand has a quality sheath as part of the design so from this particular company, sheath quality is usually pretty good. I say usually because lemons happen no matter the company.;)
 
I've had both the 5 and 6, kept the 6, it's just a great knife and like others have said, the sheath is good also !!!
 
ocnLogan said:
Between those two, the 6 without a doubt.

Branching out a bit, I think you should at least look at the Becker offerings in the same size range. They are a bit cheaper, which leaves more room in the budget for a custom sheath if you feel the need (same with the handle scales). The bk10 is 5.5in long, and 3/16" thick, which is actually close to the esee 6.

Another option is the Becker bk12/Ritter MK2. Its made by the people that make esee (rowen), has a 6in blade that is 3/16in thick, and uses the Becker handle design.

Sorry for making the choice harder :/, but the upside is that any of these knives will be good choices, it just comes down to preference :).
Click to expand...

Yeah, I considered going with the BK2 originally, but read nothing but bad reviews on the sheath. Then I looked into the BK 7 and BK 10. Both of which, I also like quite a bit. But I really don't care for nylon sheaths at all. And, as you said, I took into consideration the cheaper price of the knife, and then moving onto aftermarket scales, and sheath. But, by the time I put the money into that, I had already brought the price range into ESEE territory. Which immediately put me onto the ESEE 5, and really liking the similarity to the BK2, but with much nicer scales/sheath, I was pretty much sold. And, seeing as how their warranty is rock solid, it just seems like a no brainer to go with them. But, being the person I am, and wanting to look at all possible options, I started checking out the ESEE 6 as well. And, neither knife seems have too much in the way of negativity. The ESEE guys seem to really know their stuff. In fact, the most negative thing I have heard about either knife thus far, is that the ESEE 5 is considered to be a bit on the heavy side, and too beefy for finer tasks.

But, when it comes down to it, with ESEE I can get micarta scales out of the box, regardless of which knife I go with. And the sheath for both, seems to be a lot more durable than the other offerings (In my opinion). And the price is almost the same, whether I get a decked out BK2/10, or a stock ESEE with similar parts. The only thing that is really 100% in favor of ESEE, is their warranty.
 
Vykun said:
Yeah, I considered going with the BK2 originally, but read nothing but bad reviews on the sheath. Then I looked into the BK 7 and BK 10. Both of which, I also like quite a bit. But I really don't care for nylon sheaths at all. And, as you said, I took into consideration the cheaper price of the knife, and then moving onto aftermarket scales, and sheath. But, by the time I put the money into that, I had already brought the price range into ESEE territory. Which immediately put me onto the ESEE 5, and really liking the similarity to the BK2, but with much nicer scales/sheath, I was pretty much sold. And, seeing as how their warranty is rock solid, it just seems like a no brainer to go with them. But, being the person I am, and wanting to look at all possible options, I started checking out the ESEE 6 as well. And, neither knife seems have too much in the way of negativity. The ESEE guys seem to really know their stuff. In fact, the most negative thing I have heard about either knife thus far, is that the ESEE 5 is considered to be a bit on the heavy side, and too beefy for finer tasks.

But, when it comes down to it, with ESEE I can get micarta scales out of the box, regardless of which knife I go with. And the sheath for both, seems to be a lot more durable than the other offerings (In my opinion). And the price is almost the same, whether I get a decked out BK2/10, or a stock ESEE with similar parts. The only thing that is really 100% in favor of ESEE, is their warranty.
Click to expand...

The sheath for the bk2 isn't great, but I am personally wouldn't call it horrible. To each their own though. But you're right, a "fully decked out" Becker will cost you about what an esee will. The question then becomes which knives have better ergonomics, which is where I prefer the beckers (the handle profile is just much better imo).

While the esee warranty is better on paper, from what I've seen/heard, experimentally they are identical. The Becker warranty is worded differently so they can choose to deny it if you are blatantly just destroying the knife. That said, I've never seen/heard a Becker warranty request denied (including the bk2 that was damaged when the guy tried to baton through it with a esee 5... With a sledgehammer...). I'm sure some have been denied, I just feel confident that if you're using your knife in an even remotely normal way, their warranties will be the same.

But if your set on an esee, go with the 6. The 5 really is just to brutish (even the guy that designed them all isn't overly fond of the 5, from what I hear) for most outdoor knife work.

Good luck :).
 
Azwelke on the forums (google for website) does axing kydex work, I use him for all of mine. I second the choice for the 6, the 5 is IMO too thick for a knife that length to be efficient.
 
Thank you for telling me about Azwelke, I just checked out his site, really like his work. I'm definitely going to contact him about a sheath as soon as I get my knife.
 
You know, if you're getting a replacement sheath anyways, Becker is looking like a better option. For me anyways. I prefer the handles on Beckers.
Might also want to browse the marketplace on the forums here. You might be able to find an ESEE 6 or LS in good condition, or even unused.
 
I don't own a laser strike, but I think I have all the other ESEE knives in my collection. I'd get the ESEE 6. The 5 is a beast of a knife. Too beastly for most normal applications.
 
The 6 is a very capable blade for woods work/bushcraft. Great combo when used with the Izula or Izula II. I have the 6 in stock and the Izula II and build custom sheaths as well. If you'd like, you can see my video on youtube of my kydex work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptK8oIiCCUo

I also have a brand new 6 and kydex rig for sale. Custom sheath and Tek Lok included.

jpaa38.jpg
[/IMG]
33crgvc.jpg
[/IMG]
3097ga1.jpg
[/IMG]
20ffeq0.jpg
[/IMG]
34xqpg9.jpg
[/IMG]
 
Sounds like you made up your mind on getting the ESEE 6. I think you'll be happy. Don't order the sheath until you have time to handle the ESEE 6 sheath. It may be perfectly fine for you as is. The suggestion of getting the ESEE 3 also was good. I personally would go with the BK-16 for the second knife. I honestly prefer the Becker handle profile to ESEE. I even like the factory handles on the Becker's. The nylon sheaths are functional and I really don't have a big problem with them. I view them as a substitute leather product. I generally prefer leather sheaths, but understand why people like kydex.

Added: Welcome to the knife bug. It starts out just exactly the way you are proceeding and putting in a lot of thought into this first larger knife purchase. I did the same thing, but didn't have the benefit of this forum to bounce off ideas. As you become more older, you may find yourself with 20 or 30 of these kinds of knives and one day you ask yourself the question "why". Enjoy.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top