ESEE(RC) 3/4 and Fallkniven F1...

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ipm

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Has anyone compared an ESEE like an RC3/4 to a Fallkniven F1 in terms of how it cuts wood etc? My question is regarding grind types and how well they seem to work.
 
i wouldn't base my buy to much on that cutting..
i believe all the knives mentioned cut great if sharpened, and if the force applied when cutting is at least equal
cheers
 
I've used a lot of Fallknivens and I haven't found any negatives with them. In fact, I'm impressed with what they build. You just can't go wrong with their stuff, IMO.
 
I have an ESEE 4 and an F1. The F1 has been my go to the woods knife for many years. I haven't had the ESEE4 for to long but my impressions of it are that it is an excellent knife. For me it comes down to handle size. I believe the tradeoffs between these two knives really make any decision on which might be "better" come down to personal preference. The handle on my F1 is a little longer and therefore fits my hand better. For that reason alone I'd be more likely to pick up my F1 however I'd be confident and happy with either in my hand. Just my .02
 
I recieved an F1 recently in a trade here on the forums.

I have an RC4 which has been my EDC blade for around 2 years. I convexed the edge on it immediately upon reciept so I can't say how it would compare without the convex edge.

Both will take a fantastic edge without any problem being easy to touch up in the field and holding it well in use.

The ESEE4/RC4 comes with a far better sheath system than the zytel option with the F1.

No choil on the F1 which is no factor for me I am neutral on choils.

The handles aree quite different. Both are small in my hand, though not enough to hurt funtionality. The shape of the F1 however does provide a better grip in pressur cutting in the hammer grip. The F1's grip would be better to use in extreme cold for it insulates from the steel. The thermorun is a good bit harder than the kraton used on some other brands.

Both knives have an extended tang to provide a striking surface without damaging the handle of the knife.

The lanyard hole on the F1 is in a bad location where the lanyard would cause some discomfort in use. The lanyard hole on the RC4/ESEE4 is out of the way.

I haven't found the F1 to hold an edge any longer than the RC4 in use. I was surprised to find that the VG10 took nearly as crisp an edge as 1095. The F1 is better for use in salt water conditions and arctic conditions where it's specific design qualities shine.

Both knives are axcellent products from quality company's. Either will serve an individuals needs very well.

If one were to buy an F1 my reccomendation would be to make sure to buy one with the leather sheath. Or buy an aftermarket sheath for the knife.

Hope this helped.

RAT PACK #103
 
Nice review comments Wildmike! Micarta handles are a deal breaker for me. I like micarta or wood. I'll suffer G10 for the right knife, but prefer micarta or wood. Anything else is off the table.
 
KGD My preference is for the micarta handles as well (of course you can get F1's with micarta handles as well.). The F1 I traded for to try out has the thermorun handle, and zytel sheath so that is what I have had experience with.

My reprofiled RC4 is every bit as good if not better, and as stated several design considerations make the RC4 superior in my opinion. But I was surprised how good of a knife the F1 really is.
 
wildmike said:
My reprofiled RC4 is every bit as good if not better, and as stated several design considerations make the RC4 superior in my opinion. But I was surprised how good of a knife the F1 really is.
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I don't find that surprising. The company has a great reputation on this blade. I like the Barky custom ones quite a bit. I also really like their Northern Lights series, albeit pricey.
 
I have to say that I haven't used the newer zytel sheaths. I bought my F1 back in 2002 and then it came with a molded sheath that is either a type of kydex or other composite plastic material. It is a decent little sheath. I wondered about the thermorun handle and how well it would hold up. 8 years later it is still going strong. Now I will say that if you plan on using it to baton wood with regularly micarta will serve you better as the thermorun won't hold up to being forced against the wood under pressure.
Wildmike did a good job with his comparison. At the end of the day they're both excellent knives.
 
i dont want to blame fällkniven, it is impossible.
but i have seen some very ugly chippings on lots of f1 blades.

personally i have no experience with their steel and do not look forward getting one.
 
tomzta said:
i dont want to blame fällkniven, it is impossible.
but i have seen some very ugly chippings on lots of f1 blades.

personally i have no experience with their steel and do not look forward getting one.
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I haven't seen any chipping issues

Mine is pretty tough enough.

100_1482.jpg


100_1478.jpg
 
tomzta said:
i dont want to blame fällkniven, it is impossible.
but i have seen some very ugly chippings on lots of f1 blades.

personally i have no experience with their steel and do not look forward getting one.
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I dont think that this comment is fair. If you have some pics to back up your statements or further background on how the chipping occurred, that would serve the OP much better in his assessment of which knife to get- which is what I think the intent of his post was to ascertain.
Wildmike, great comparison. :thumbup:
While I dont have a F1, (I am wanting one) I've used my RC-4 and my A-1 (which has the same lamented steel as the F1) pretty hard.

I'd be happier than a two peckerd puppy to have either in my hand ifn' I was lost somewhere. And both blades will probably outlast little ole me.
 
These are interesting posts, thanks. I don't want to hijack but can anyone quickly summarize where similar BRKT's fit in? Perhaps the Bravo 1, unless that is too big. I have an RC-4 that I have used a bit and like a lot but I wish the handle was ever so slightly longer. Cheers :thumbup:
 
HandofCod said:
I just bought the F1 based on this very issue actually.

This was an interesting review. Btw - he's a bladeforums member too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS4QJJaV6uw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdTlIOGPYnI&feature=related
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Hey, thanks for pointing to my video and congrats on the F1, nice to hear you got it, what do you think?

To be honest, it's not really a comparison, since the vid is about the F1 and the rc-3 is just in there for size comparison. I have used my both my rc-3 regularly in the woods and the F1. I like both very much, but my personal preference goes to the F1 though. In hindsight, I shouldn't have bought the serrated rc-3. Because it's serrated, it's also not really a good comparison in the vid for cutting performance (that's why I picked up the Izula)

BBQ BOY said:
Man that Fallkniven went through it like butter.
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Yes, that's how it feels too when cutting. It's convex grind makes it a very good cutter.


jacktrades_nbk said:
i wouldn't base my buy to much on that cutting..
i believe all the knives mentioned cut great if sharpened, and if the force applied when cutting is at least equal
cheers
Click to expand...
Yes, sharpening helps. Blade grind can make a difference too.

R.A.T. said:
I've used a lot of Fallknivens and I haven't found any negatives with them. In fact, I'm impressed with what they build. You just can't go wrong with their stuff, IMO.
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As you cannot go wrong with rc knives too. I own a couple of izulas, the rc-3, rc-4 and ontario rat 7. You can't go wrong...

wildmike said:
The ESEE4/RC4 comes with a far better sheath system than the zytel option with the F1.


The handles aree quite different. Both are small in my hand, though not enough to hurt funtionality. The shape of the F1 however does provide a better grip in pressur cutting in the hammer grip. The F1's grip would be better to use in extreme cold for it insulates from the steel. The thermorun is a good bit harder than the kraton used on some other brands.

The lanyard hole on the F1 is in a bad location where the lanyard would cause some discomfort in use. The lanyard hole on the RC4/ESEE4 is out of the way.

Both knives are axcellent products from quality company's. Either will serve an individuals needs very well.

RAT PACK #103
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I have to disagree on the sheath system from personal experience for my uses. The rc-3 was getting in the way of my backpack all the time when wearing it on my belt, no matter where I carried it. In a packing/unpacking situation where you're mobile this is a nuisance (pics in this thread). Because the zytel F1 sheath hangs low it's not in the way. I do believe the fastening is more flexible on the rc sheath and I like it for that.

the handle is also more grippy than the micarta, which I really like. for small knives as the rc-3 and the F1 it's not really an issue, but for say the fallknive A1 and the rat 7 it does make a big difference when chopping. The thermorun is better for grippines.

as for the lanyard hole, I wrote fallkniven about that after I did my review, since it came up in the review and I really didn't know what to think about it. this is a part of the reply Peter (founder of fallkniven) sent:

"About the lanyard hole – this is actually not a Swedish design detail, we usually don’t use holes for the handles of our fixed blade knives. However, the F1 is a survival knife and should you try to protect yourself from loss of the knife when you’re on a bridge or in a boat or mountain climbing, it’s possible to secure the knife to your body with a strap. The place for the hole is where the handle is at thinnest and only there, where the handle is flat, I can provide a flat surface hollow rivet w/o the risk of hand palm damage."


They would indeed serve you well, both fallkniven and rc-

wildmike said:
KGD My preference is for the micarta handles as well (of course you can get F1's with micarta handles as well.). The F1 I traded for to try out has the thermorun handle, and zytel sheath so that is what I have had experience with.

My reprofiled RC4 is every bit as good if not better, and as stated several design considerations make the RC4 superior in my opinion. But I was surprised how good of a knife the F1 really is.
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Hey Wildmike, why do you prefer micarta, I'm curious with your experience for thermorun. The comment somewhere about potential damage when batoning is interesting, but for me falls into the same category as "I tried to baton concrete and the edge chipped" :) since you just shouldnt' baton with the handle :D

milani74 said:
I dont think that this comment is fair. If you have some pics to back up your statements or further background on how the chipping occurred, that would serve the OP much better in his assessment of which knife to get- which is what I think the intent of his post was to ascertain.
Wildmike, great comparison. :thumbup:
While I dont have a F1, (I am wanting one) I've used my RC-4 and my A-1 (which has the same lamented steel as the F1) pretty hard.

I'd be happier than a two peckerd puppy to have either in my hand ifn' I was lost somewhere. And both blades will probably outlast little ole me.
Click to expand...
amen brother :cool:
 
zyhano-

I think your mention of the handle damage when batoning was probably in response to one of my earlier posts. In looking back I wasn't very clear.

I'd never baton with the handle. My remark was from having the front of the thermorun (face closest to the cutting edge) wedge against wood that I was batoning. No major damage just some marring of the handle material on that forward face. That thermorun material is surprisingly tough for a rubber-like material but it will scrape away. That was all I was saying. I don't baton much with my F1 anyway. As I said before it has served me well over the last 8 years or so.
 
yeah I know. I was just kidding and basically saying to baton in a way the handle won't touch the wood. :) Incorrect use will damage all knives.
 
I really like the Fallkniven Pilot knife, but the sheath options suck. That zytel sheath is a joke. It looks like something that should come with a cheap fillet knife.
 
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