Is the Esee Junglas heavy?

[rodogg]

I want to buy a big knife as I'm trying to but together a kit and have covered the small knife, so I was considering the Esee Junglas. Now I want to keep my kit light, so Im wondering is the Junglas a heavy knife? On the Esee website it says it weighs 22.5 ounces, or 0.63 kilos, but that doesn't mean much until you feel the knife in your hand. Ill be using it for wood processing and shelter building, and various other tasks. If you find it to be heavy,what other knives would you recommend?

Thanks!

 

[uyotg]

It is a pretty heavy knife. The balance however is right at the front of the handle/back of the blade, so it doesn't feel too blade-heavy compared to other knives of that size, a lot of them meant to be blade-heavy choppers. A pretty comparable knife is the Busse Bushwacker Mistress, which is also about 22.5 ounces. There's the Browning Competition which I think is 17-18, and you can also go with a Becker for something light.

It's not a bad choice, anyway. Hard to go wrong with ESEE unless you simply just don't like and can't get used to their ergonomics. I would still consider carefully what the small knife is, however. I have a Fallkniven F1 that goes well with an axe, but if I just had one knife, I would have a Junglas or some equivalent.

 

[Brad "the butcher"]

Get a becker bk-9 to start yourself off on big camping knives.
Great chopper, same steel and quality, very reasonable price'd, lively in the hand and the grind makes it a good slicer...can actually slice onions thin which is hard to do with most choppers.
Use mine breaking down salmon and large beef cuts as well as the woods. Really reminds me of a 21st century Mountain Mans "butcher knife" that can do it all.

I am not saying the junglas can't fit your needs, but if price is an option and your not sure a big knife is for you the bk-9 will be a good start.
If you don't like it I bet one of your friends would buy it off you once handling it but its a moot point. Everyone that owns a bk-9 on the forums has nothing but good things to say. Order the remora companion knife that fits in the sheath for it, good little knife.

 

[Shotgun]

Have you looked into machetes? For a lightweigh chopper I don't think they can be beat. To me lightweigt means under 22.5 ounces for everything sharp.

 

[jdk1]

The Junglas is not heavy at all IMHO, and I'm sensitive to heavy knives after numerous arm surgeries. The balance, which can be more important in actual use, is superb. If you're looking for an ultra-light set up, than a big knife in general is out. I am a khukuri fan, but my Junglas covers my bases well. It chops very well, but acts like a machete on thin, wispy plants. It would handle path clearing, shelter making, and wood processing equally well. It was designed to be a one knife solution for marijuana eradication (much to the annoyance of some members here). As such, it needs to get you deep into varied terrain/forest/jungle and once there, must efficiently act as a machete in clearing marijuana plants. The ESEE owners/designers are into survival (understatement), so the capability of sustaining you in a harsh environment had to be built in. It really is a truly outstanding knife with wonderful ergonomics. It can also take extreme punishment. I watched a buddy baton his through what seemed almost petrified oak. This was a large log and it required him to literally pound and hammer like a mad man. At points, the knife refused to move after several very heavy hits, so he hit it harder! Afterward, it would still shave arm hair. My bud, a big khukuri and huge GB axe fan, admitted that it would be what he would grab for a one blade trail clearing/camping/survival situation. Rowen's 1095 is something to see. I couldn't reccomend the Junglas highly enough. It also comes with the best production sheath I've ever seen. Period. Back to the original question of weight, I think you get much more from the Junglas than what 22.5 ounces should offer. Strapped to a pack I doubt you'll notice it's there. It feels a heck of a lot lighter than my 30 something ounce Nalgene filled up! Good luck and let us know what you get.

 

[chiral.grolim]

For impressive hard-use durability, I won't question the Junglas or other such large knives from reputable makers (e.g. Rodent 9 or SYKCO 711), but...

For the purpose mentioned, have you considered packing a folding saw and light machete instead? For example, the Mora 333 Ultralight Machete weighs only 7 oz... Ontario, Becker, Condor, Cold Steel and others all offer large bowie-knife or small machete options that make excellent and durable choppers at low price - just choose your preferred blade length and weight. Just an idea.