Help me pick: TOPS BOB vs Esee 4

DarkPatriot

DarkPatriot

Joined
Aug 12, 2011
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Hey everyone, I need some help. In a couple weeks I'm going to be ordering a bunch of stuff from my favorite online retailer, including a new fixed blade. I got a benchmade bushcrafter last month and it got me really interested in that general style of knife and just got me into fixed blades in general. I was originally planning to get the tops BOB knife, but I've been noticing the esees especially the 4 and now I'm torn. I'm sure I'll end up with both but I need help deciding which one to get first haha. I'm taking a month long backpacking trip in Ouray this summer and that's the use I have in mind, feather sticks, carving, maybe try my hand at a drill or fire bow, etc. I want a knife that will excel in a wilderness setting while remaining useful in other settings. I don't have much experience with the scandi grind other than my light my fire mora and I like how it handles with woodwork. I'm also not opposed to the flat grind (I love my bushcrafter :) ). I like the 9-10 inch range spear point style blade. The tops is the g10 version from blade hq. I like g10 and micarta equally so that's not an issue. I've heard great things about both knives. Anyone who has either or both, what do you like and why? Also noticed the Esee laser strike knife which I'm not as interested in but if anyone absolutely loves it, I'd like to hear about that too. Thanks in advance!
 
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My only experience is with the Esee 4. I have small hands and for me the handle is a bit small; something you may want to consider. I believe the Esee 5 and 6 have a more generous handle.

I will say the 4 is a nice blade though. Mine is the older RAT and will never get sold.
 
I hate to be "that guy" who ignores your question and proceeds to impose his opinion on you, but I will be him for your sake. The BM bushcrafter is one of the finest outdoor/BC blades EVER conceived and created by a human(can't speak about blades in the rest of the galaxy as I have no experience). All due respect you don't need the Tops or Esee if you have that. Might I suggest a slightly different knife like a Spartan blades Horkos or Ares? There are several considerations that would make a SB a great companion to your current set.
 
Those both look like excellent knives. I'm assuming via your recommendation that you have experience with them. What sort of tasks would they be better suited to then the bm 162, Esee 4 or tops?
 
Eightleggedfreak, haha you've cursed me. I went from having 2 knives to choose from to 19 knives. In all seriousness I appreciate the suggestion and have broadened the possibilities greatly, including the two knives you suggested.
 
Have you handled or held a TOPS knife before? They are extremely thick, in my opinion, too thick for some of the more delicate tasks you mentioned, specifically feather sticks and carving. Even their smaller knives appear to be overly-thick for the tasks they are intended to execute and unless you get the knife completely re-ground, you will not be able to put a sharper bevel on the blade. Other than that, TOPS appear to be well made and I can't say anything negative about the quality. For actual usability, my vote is for the ESEE 4, but if you are looking for something different, or to fill another void in your collection then go with the TOPS.
 
Some more food for thought, I have found that smaller knives are far more handy for the majority of cutting tasks. I'll reach for my Izula II in the field before I go for a bigger knife. Bigger knives have a role, for me that is mostly for batonning or rendering large pieces of wood... but in almost every task a smaller knife is handier, more efficient and safer.
 
You've already got a better knife for the activities you want to do than the two you're thinking about buying.

There's so much cool stuff to buy in the world, I reckon you should think of something else to spend your dollars on without buying less suitable versions of stuff you already own.

Suggestions: a small axe, a machete, or my personal favourite: a lightweight folder to accompany your BM bushy...
 
A good thought CLE. Redeye that's a good suggestion too. In between my bm rift, 581 barrage and zt 560 I got folders covered. Also good on axes between my wetterlings, Americanax, and estwing. I also have a few machetes but maybe a kukri. I've always wanted a kukri...
 
I didn't see your first post CLE. I wanted one of the 2 as a kind of alternate choice to my bushcrafter, not that there's anything wrong with it of course, just thought the variety might be good. However it seems to be the consensus that the bushcrafter is superior to both, and the TOPS seems to be inferior in all the wrong ways so maybe either a different type of blade, or tool altogether would be the way to go.
 
I think I may try a bark river bravo 1. Long story short I've come into some extra money. Even after the bills are paid, Xmas presents taken care of, money put into savings etc, I have about $4,000 to have some fun and I've chosen to upgrade my hiking/camping kit. Even after I've bought all the upgrades on my list (better tent, sleeping bag, pack, silky folding saw and a camera.) I still have a decent amount to work with so I'm probably going to check out some of the some of the suggestions on here. Thank you everyone for your input, you gave me some things to think about that I probably wouldn't of thought of on my own.
 
Hiking GPS or some really cool compass, satelite phone, titanium spoons plates and pots,.... Shouldn't be a problem to spend a few thousand on camping "essentials" :)
 
I was just in the same boat as yourself. I wanted a good bushcraft type knife with a 4 to 4.5 inch blade. I love this size because I like to carry my knives horizontally just to the left of my belt buckle (I am right handed). I find that is the most comfortable way to carry a knife and this size carries beautifully in that position. The choice of the knife was difficult. Generally the Tops B.O.B. and the Esee 4 came out as the two that matched my criteria and price range. I live in a rural area and could not get the opportunity to handle either knife.I came to realise that relying on the opinion of others for two such well made quality knives was not helpful. In most cases what one person liked (or owned), another didn't. I found a great deal of reports of the Esee 4 handle being too short. However, there is a youtube video of a person comparing the Tops, the Esee 4, and the Laser Strike. His conclusion was that he liked the handle of the Esee 4 best so who can figure? I made my choice and the Tops B.O.B arrived only a few hours ago. I love it and I don't believe I will regret my decision. It is very evident that it is a quality product. I bet if I had bought the Esee 4 I would have found it to be a quality knife as well. As mere mortals, I think we make our decision and with so many quality knives on the market, we should consider ourselves very fortunate.
 
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Glenn, I believe you are right. I kept picking knives and none of them sat well with me. I think there are just too many options and with nothing physical to base it on I couldn't pick. I did see that video which is what led me to this post in the 1st place. I will probably end up ordering some stuff that I don't feel as strongly about and hold off on the knife until I can get somewhere and hold them in person. My bushcrafter is an excellent knife and is more then up to any task so there is no rush. I am going to have a custom sheath for it made since A) I like to carry my knives like you and B) while fixed blade knives are ambidextrous, theirs sheaths aren't and I'm left handed :).
 
Between the two knives:

B.O.B > ESEE-4 (IMHO)

As stated above though... you've got quite a bit covered with your Benchmade Bushcrafter already and it strikes a fire steel better than both of them. I don't think you would go wrong with any of them, a lot of guys just replace the scales on the ESEE-4 with aftermarket TKC scales and it extends the handle a bit. I love comparison pics especially when you can't get your hands on a knife so here's some that I took a while ago with the knives mentioned.... no 4 but it does show the BM162 and BOB together.


(top to bottom) Ontario:SK5, BRK:Bravo 1, BHK:Bushcrafter, Benchmade:Bushcrafter, TOPS:BOB, Becker:BK16
36c1bc80-5b04-427f-802c-5abcf62cfab1_zpsdc4b86df.jpg

d606be78-79f2-4665-b346-c3d22966d8a7_zpsbc4ec77b.jpg



7eae732c-43e3-4a4b-a92c-967fd9adf96b_zps30cb1e61.jpg





The BOB from my experience comes really sharp but more importantly it sharpens up fast (convex/strop), hope these help.


Eli
 
Thanks for the pics, GodSpeed. I know you said the bushcrafter throws a better spark, how do you feel the 162 and the B.O.B. compare in other aspects? I've never really owned a carbon steel knife and was interested in how it compares to my stainless collection? I like the scandi grind on my mora, and like how it goes through wood and would be interested to see how it is on a larger knife. I may end up pulling the trigger since I'm not in a place currently that I need to be conservative about knife purchases, but I'd like to hear how the 2 (tops & and 162) compare from someone who owns both.
 
Unless already mentioned, you can typically do a little searching among the numerous forum exchanges and will find an ESEE 4 (or old school Rat4) that someone is selling w/some TKC scales attached already and sometimes in the same price range as a TOPS BOB. These scales drastically change the dynamics of the handle issue being too small and puts the knife in a whole different league in my opinion. Just traded off a BOB myself before having the opportunity to use it but would probably still lean torward my 4 for most tasks.
 
Good to know scout. I found a store a couple hours away who sells Esee's and the B.O.B. I'm going to go in and give both a look. If I like the 4 I'll start looking around for 1 with TKC scales. I know there's a lot of love for the esee's on here. I may end up buying both and giving them a test run. Worst comes to worst I don't like one and I can gift that one to a friend or give it to my son when he gets older. Right now I have a brk bravo 1 on order and am still looking at the other 2.
 
I think they're both too thick, the Bravo-1 even more so. As a previous poster mentioned, you've got a great knife already (Mora).
I'd add a Victorinox Huntsman and call it good. I owned an Esee 4, GREAT sheath, didn't like the coating, small handle or choil.
The Becker BK16 comes w/ an okay sheath, you can get kydex for it easily, good ergos, although the micarta scales are
extra, the do improve the knife.
 
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