Looking for the perfect bush/survival knife for me. Going with ESEE most likely.

Awesome advice, thanks! I still may go for the Esse Laser Strike for my first/smaller knife, but I still am looking around at the others posted, like the Mora. Then I will find a much larger blade/machete as well as a folding saw and I should be set (until I upgrade them all to better ones over and over ;))
 
I'll weigh in. First, do go look at AntDog's thread about a good woods combo. Link here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1211203-Show-me-your-WELL-USED-trusted-woods-combo!

I have or have had most of the Esee knives (all but the 3 and laser strike). If you want a jack of all trades knife the Esee 6 is it. Big enough for wood processing, small and thin enough to get at detailed tasks. The Laser Strike would probably offer much of the same. The problem is it is a jack of all trades master of none. It does everything fairly well but not one thing the best.

For a woodsy bushcrafter blade forget the Esee 5. I don't mean you shouldn't get one, they are very cool. It is the only Esee I have bought, sold, and re-bought. It is a fun knife to have. The thing is just too damn thick for any actual cutting. Forget any sort of food prep. Took me like half an hour to cut up an onion once.

I think you are starting to see finding the perfect knife is almost impossible. There are so many options. My advice to you is get a gold membership here on BFC and buy knives on the exchange to see if you like them. If you don't like something, sell it at very little or no loss to you. If you happen upon the perfect knife the $30 you pay for a gold membership will be well worth it.

Now some pics but don't let your wallet look:

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Go look over in the "Knife Makers For Sale" section of the forums. You can get some amazing handmade knives for not much more than a waterjet cut knife from one of the big guys. I can guarantee they will have more style to them as well. Plus it helps support your fellow members.
 
Save your money a few more days and get a Dozier. Better steel (D2 heat treated by Dozier), better craftsmanship and handle ergonomics, and maybe the best kydex sheath in existence. Let us know which one you pick.
 
On the short machete approach to a "big chopper", I like the Condor Pack Golok and Village Parang. It has a longer blade than the BK-9 which is a good cost effective "big knife". But they have multiple choices and most are good. On saws, Silky's are good. I have the Jr. It works and is small enough to slip into your pack and do most any kind of cutting that is needed at a campsite vs building a log cabin.

I noticed the SOG Tigershark in the pictures above. There is a cool knife and one I have several of (paritally serrated and old SK5 plain edge), but I just feel like you can spend less and probably do better. When I dig it out, I still say... now there's a knife. It is pretty much just another unused knife in my pile.
 
Wow awesome guys, I really appreciate this. Hawk45 I may just do that!

Also, this might be a stupid question but what is the point of having a serrated section on a blade? What would I use that for? More cutting/sawing than slicing?
 
I find partially serrated blades pretty useless.... just taking up good edge space. But the serrated edge is commonly used for cutting things like rope or fabric. I do have a fully serrated Endura and a couple others, but they are seldom used or carried.
 
subver said:
Awesome advice, thanks! I still may go for the Esse Laser Strike for my first/smaller knife, but I still am looking around at the others posted, like the Mora. Then I will find a much larger blade/machete as well as a folding saw and I should be set (until I upgrade them all to better ones over and over ;))
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After owning, and actually using, everything ESEE makes at some point, the only fixed blade I am interested in is the LS. It has just enough blade and just enough handle to be perfect, and no unnecessary steel to get in the way. It also comes with one of the best kydex sheaths available.

Like another said, if you are actually going to wear and use the knife, forget the ESEE-5. It's just bad at being a knife. If I needed a knife shaped hammer, I would get another. Actually, I wouldn't...
 
subver said:
Hey guys,
New member here.. have always loved knives but never really got into quality ones. I love camping and hiking, and I live in a mostly wooded area (in the chance I need to survive, it will most likely be in the woods.. upstate NY)

I've been putting more thought into survival lately and decided to start a little survival pack because, well, ya never know!

Anyway, I've pretty much had my heart set on the ESEE 5.. seems like it will hold up forever and can do most survival tasks. Is it too thick for dressing small game?

I would prefer something that is good at chopping down limbs to use for shelter, dressing small game and fish, have the ability to do smaller tasks like whittling, making precise traps, etc.

<snip...>

Also, I'm really sorry if this is a typical newbie post, but I appreciate any replies I can get.
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First, IME survival is best handled by not getting into the situation. I run with scissors though, so making a good backup plan is important.

Second, I think knife and survival essentials are inseparable from location.

Here's my experience...

I do a fair of bit of winter climbing and backcountry ski touring in New England, primarily in Whites of New Hampshire and some in Vermont. This is where things might go bad for me.
Lunch stop by Pinnah, on Flickr

Ski touring is like bike touring. Ounces add up to pounds and extra weight slows you down incredibly. Things get dangerous when you set your sites on a long trip - think pre-dawn departure and post-dusk completion with the aid of headlamps. In between the start and the stop there are all sorts of things that can pin you down: broken ski, slip into the river on a crossing, broken leg, getting lost, getting hung up in blow downs or deep unconsolidated snow. A part very nearly died last year doing a tough but fairly common "Pemi Traverse" across the Pemigewasset Wilderness.

Gear is a problem. Extra gear is as much of a safety problem as it is a solution due to the weight and speed penalty. I won't go into the whole backcountry skiing gear list as it's too much for this thread, but dealing with this question has led me to some conclusions about knife, fire and shelter.

1) Carry a light tarp, Zdarsky tent, Bothy bag or tarp/tent. It will provide more protection and cost you less effort than trying to build something in the woods.

2) Carry a folding wood stove like the Emberlit. This will relieve you of needing to haul heavy white gas (or heavier alcohol) and cost you less effort in the woods since you'll dramatically reduce the wood harvesting needs.

3) Carry a 4" fixed blade and a small folding saw for wood processing. IME, this is the most efficient and the most needed to operate the Emberlit. Chopping, whether with a big knife or hatchet really isn't needed and the weight is "bad weight".

Winter fire tools by Pinnah, on Flickr

4) Pick a 4" knife you think is cool. <shrug> Might as well make you grin. In all honesty, the Mora Companion HD is all I need.

5) More thoughts on a "essentials" kit here:
http://home.comcast.net/~pinnah/DirtbagPinner/essentials-list.txt
 
So I didn't Read everything but I also like esee of all their knives I have heard the 4 meets the all purpose knife from a lot of people. It's big enough and small enough. Personally I would go with the 6 I own the 6 and it is perfect I was basically in your shoes and picked the 6 and it does everything the choil makes it good for small work and it's size is good for chopping and it is their most balanced knife. The only thing I didn't like was that it was to big to legally cary around. But I got a folder to solve that. Now I'm still always looking at new options the esee company and survive! knives have almost same warranty. But S!K has supper steels. They have available now a 5.1 with no sheath you have to wait for them to have more but get it while it's available. Look into it best survival knife will outlast 1095 3 to 1 on edge retention being cpm 3v. So I say esee 6 $120 ish or gso 5.1 $220 or 200 with mil discount. Worth looking into won't be disappointed both easily sharpened with light field sharpener. Gso will out last esee in destruction tests and edge retention and rust resistance all things are important. 100 bucks more ... from your post maybe not worth it like I said I rock the esee 6 all day.
 
Damn you guys are great, very helpful! I also slightly hate you all because now I want all the knives. All of them!
Still haven't had a huge chance to research more into the other mentioned blades.. but man I would love to score a GSO 5.1!
 
Set your finanacial sights on getting a GSO 5.1. That is the way it's done. Get it when you are ready. But who knows, there may be another one that comes up that you like better or just as well.
 
Yup, definitely gonna keep an eye out for any available.. Probably will end up paying for gold membership to keep an eye out for sales on here as well. I think it would be worth it to pay a little extra scratch for a quality knife.

I still need to research types of metals as well.. which would you guys go for, the CPM-3V or CPM-20CV? I'm assuming it would be better to get the CPM-3V and just take good care of it? What about long trips, if I didn't have oil or anything to take care of my knife? I saw there are some types of cloths that do the same thing as using oil? Are they as good?

Is it correct to assume the metals that are more resistant to staining (stainless steel) are lesser quality, except for the fact it won't rust? I take care of my things so I am not worried about that, just thinking of extended trips if I happened to not have any oil or cloths or anything like that. Then again I think I read if you get a good leather sheath and oil it up a bunch, eventually the oil will soak into the leather and it will become a sort of self-oiler by itself - is that right?

I clearly have a lot of learning to do!
 
The powdered steels are generally very good. You pay for them. There have been threads discussing the merits of "steels in general" which you might want to dig up. I tend to lean toward non-stainless steels, but that's me and it is often because I don't want to pay the premium price for what I consider only slightly better performance. But I buy stuff that catches my interest and sometimes the blade is made of one of the newer supersteels. For me, it's about fun and learning.

A lot of oil on a leather sheath is not a good thing. A little is no big deal and part of the result of carrying an oiled knife inside a sheath. For water proofing, you would be better off using something like snow seal or a silicone leather treatment on the weather side. Not something I worry about much. How often do you actually head out into the "wilderness" for days on end that you couldn't slip a oily rag in a zip lock or a RemOil wipe?

Most of us learn by trial and error, trying stuff out and making our own judgements along with reading what others say about a particular knife. The Kabar Becker BK-2 is a great example. Many on the forum rave about the knife and how multi-dimensional it is. I bought one purely because of the reviews and discussions. Generally speaking it is not a knife I want to carry for much of any reason. It is just too much of a chunk of steel that I find trying to use clumsy. It is not particularly good at anything as far as I'm concerned except maybe cutting your way out from inside a downed plane or helicopter. The ESEE 5 is a similar knife. I know the BK-2 is a serviceable knife, but I have others I like much more. Not something I worry about and I'm glad I purchased the knife as I would always wonder. I suppose I could sell it as it just sits in the factory box. But I generally don't sell knives and I am not about giving people big bargains. I would rather give it away to a younger developing knife enthusiast who I might know.
 
So as for rusting i would look at the youtube videos. They show cpm 3v get some rust agyer sitting outside for a month but not pit. And them he cleans it all off very easily. It also shows one left oit for a uear get cleaned with only a light patina left. So point being it only lightly surface rusts. So unless you are using it at sea or exclusicly in a tropical region or snow ( and even the i wouldn't worry) get the gso. Also the 5.1 will not be available long. They only are selling left overs from production. They made the 3.5 then the 4.1 so not sure then the 5.1 or 5 will be next in line worth the investment. If you get it i know a guy who will make you tje sjeath for a good deal he is making mine now.
 
I'm a big fan of ESEE knives, and I've owned just about all of their knives except for the Laser Strike. The only ones I've kept long-term are the 3mil and the 6. The 5 is a sharpened pry-bar, plain and simple. If you're not punching out of a glass canopy or through a piece of sheet metal, its weight is not really justified (IMHO). I found that it was more difficult to baton wood with and to resharpen than the 6 while not providing much offset benefit. Honestly, I've used the 6 about 20x more often than the 3. At the $100+/- price point, there are a lot of good knives to choose from, but the ESEE six was my choice and I've haven't regretted it for a second.
 
^ agree the 6 is nice and i still have always will. Just wish it stayed sharper in the field longer and to be honest the edge is not very strong iv seen it roll a few times. So this os where cpm 3v would not. So yes 6 great 5.1 obviously a better tool for survival. Just watch vids on them.
 
They both have the same warranty. Well gso you cant break it for fun then return like esee so dont.
 
I have owned many Esse's and for the weight you will be much better served with a scrapyard knife. Esee 5 is a 16oz

The scrapyard
511 7oz.
711 14.6oz
911 16.5oz

if you are in a extended survival situation, weight will be just as important as anything and honestly if I could have a 911 for half an oz more. there is no contest.

If you need micarta I would go with Swamp Rat but the Esee would be a great choice and less expensive option.

The difference is the handles, Micarta handles look "cooler" than the Scrapyard Rec C handles but the Rec C handles will last a lifetime and are by far better to work with. With less weight in the handle the scrapyard are more forward heavy, giving you even better chopping performance per ounce. You will pay more but I think everyone will agree SR101 out performs even Esee's excellent 1095. From a resale value standpoint, you can beat the hell out of a scrapyard for years, turn around and sell it on line for 80% of what you paid for it. People need to ask themselves, do they want cool looks, or superior function to weight ratio.

I have owned them all. Esee's, Kbar's, Ontario's, Cold Steel, Swamp Rat, Scrapyard etc., in all the size variations. The light weight, weight forward design of the scrapyards simply cannot be beat. When backpacking in the back country and fire is a necessity, I go with the Silky saw, 911 and 511 ( bottom) . Total weight without sheaths, around 36oz and the capabilities are endless. When on a fishing or day hike and my need for fire is low, I take the cold steel bushman and mora clipper, around 10oz. so light I forget it ( top left)

Personally I would rather have the Coldsteel Bushman with in the backwoods than the Esee 5. They come with secure x sheaths now, are far lighter, larger blade for battoning, can do all the fine detail work and can take an extended handle to clear brush or a shaft to make a spear. Although the Esee is cooler the bushman is far more capable and lighter.

To put this all in perspective you could go with a 511 and a silky pocket saw for less weight than a Esee 5. I say go with 711 and a $15 mora clipper in stainless. That is a smart set up, with most capabilities for the weight.

 
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