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

Subver - where in NY are you? (You can email me if you'd rather not post that).
If you're local, I might be able to help narrow down the decision.
 
hhmoore said:
Subver - where in NY are you? (You can email me if you'd rather not post that).
If you're local, I might be able to help narrow down the decision.
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Thanks man, I just emailed ya!

Pretty close to pulling the trigger on the ESEE-6 and a Mora knife.. still unsure of stainless steel or carbon, though..

Next I would love to find a really nice sheath for my ESEE-6 (or whatever one I get) that holds a fire stick, maybe has a little pouch or something.. I love me some rugged thick leather! I wish I knew how to work with leather, I would try to make my own, but I really don't know what goes into it.

Again, seriously, you guys are awesome, even if you made me picking a knife much harder, I definitely learned a lot just by the suggestions and info posted here. Glad I didn't spring for the ESEE-5 right away.
 
If your gonna go Esse , I personally think the 6 is the best choice for an excellent bush knife. Spec ops sheath would be a nice option for it also.
 
Thank you everyone, definitely made my choice up and am going with the ESEE-6 as my first blade. Down the road I may get an Izula-II, but I will still look at smaller blades and do more research.

As far as sharpening your ESEE blades, what do you guys use? I was looking at that Spyderco Sharpmaker but not sure if I should go another route? That one was suggested by someone over at ESEE so I figure it's probably a safe bet! Also will be getting a TUF-CLOTH.. not sure if I need the TUF-GLIDE as well or not, though. Is that basically the same stuff that is on the TUF-CLOTH? Would you guys recommend something other than the TUF-CLOTH? Again, that one was suggested by ESEE (on their website)

As far as sheaths I will probably stick with the plastic one that comes with it for now.. I heard it was good (also heard it wasn't.. so I don't really know) - but I was debating on getting that MOLLE back for the sheath as well. Not sure if I should do that or save up for a really nice sheath. I would LOVE a nice badass leather sheath with a firestick holder and maybe little pouches or something, or a MOLLE backing.. I still am unsure :P

Thanks so much guys, you've been a great help. Expect to see more of me here as I buy more knives. I've definitely caught the bug! No... not ebola... the knife bug!
 
I'm up by lake George. Wondering why u haven't considered a stainless steel. I have a Fallkniven volcano in laminated cobalt steel and its awesome. Also have a Fallkniven juni in 3g which is great too. Fallkniven has some great options similarly priced with the esee's. F1,S1,A1 are great knives in laminated vg 10. Also the NL series are more money but are heirloom quality. Then u can also look at the phk in 3g,sk 1 in 3g or the krut in laminated cobalt. U get what u pay for with these knives. These are pretty much custom level knives at production pricing. Another good item I've been using for a few yrs now is a roselli axe. Great tool wide variety of applications. Skinned out a deer last year with it. Good luck in your search
 
jfk1110 said:
I'm up by lake George. Wondering why u haven't considered a stainless steel. I have a Fallkniven volcano in laminated cobalt steel and its awesome. Also have a Fallkniven juni in 3g which is great too. Fallkniven has some great options similarly priced with the esee's. F1,S1,A1 are great knives in laminated vg 10. Also the NL series are more money but are heirloom quality. Then u can also look at the phk in 3g,sk 1 in 3g or the krut in laminated cobalt. U get what u pay for with these knives. These are pretty much custom level knives at production pricing. Another good item I've been using for a few yrs now is a roselli axe. Great tool wide variety of applications. Skinned out a deer last year with it. Good luck in your search
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I have said this before on here and I will say it again; and will most likely once again catch flack and probably get called a fanboy (Though I am not). Fallkniven no doubt makes fantastic knives. That is a fact. With this said, I believe the Esee to a better value here in the US. First and foremost, Esee has a forever, transferable, no questions asked warranty. Compare this to Fallkniven's 2 year limited warranty. I am sorry but for the price paid, I cannot get behind a company that only gives me 2 years. Even if the product is perfect, drop and break your Esee vs your Fallkniven? Guess which company will replace it without question. Accidents happen. One company covers it the other doesn't. There are many arguments behind this that I will not get into, if you are interested go look it up.

Second, I like the fact that Esees are designed, made, and sold here in the USA. I am not some sort of USA only snob. Fallkniven is designed in Sweden, made in Japan, and then sold to your here. That is a lot of hands in the pot. There are examples of knives going back for warranty inspection to Sweden that then need to be sent to Japan before a final judgement call is made if the blade will be replaced under warranty. No thanks. I like no questions asked.

I just stated my opinion on the subject. Yours might differ and that is fine. The important thing is for the uninformed buy should make up their own opinion.
 
Mora knives are great, i was pretty much born with a Mora in my hand, ive always had one, and im pretty sure everyone here in Sweden owns one.
They are amazing.
 
subver said:
Thank you everyone, definitely made my choice up and am going with the ESEE-6 as my first blade. Down the road I may get an Izula-II, but I will still look at smaller blades and do more research.

As far as sharpening your ESEE blades, what do you guys use? I was looking at that Spyderco Sharpmaker but not sure if I should go another route? That one was suggested by someone over at ESEE so I figure it's probably a safe bet! Also will be getting a TUF-CLOTH.. not sure if I need the TUF-GLIDE as well or not, though. Is that basically the same stuff that is on the TUF-CLOTH? Would you guys recommend something other than the TUF-CLOTH? Again, that one was suggested by ESEE (on their website)

As far as sheaths I will probably stick with the plastic one that comes with it for now.. I heard it was good (also heard it wasn't.. so I don't really know) - but I was debating on getting that MOLLE back for the sheath as well. Not sure if I should do that or save up for a really nice sheath. I would LOVE a nice badass leather sheath with a firestick holder and maybe little pouches or something, or a MOLLE backing.. I still am unsure :P

Thanks so much guys, you've been a great help. Expect to see more of me here as I buy more knives. I've definitely caught the bug! No... not ebola... the knife bug!
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As for sharpening an Esee or any knife with a V edge, the Sharpmaker will do great. I don't own one but the reviews are out there and it is recommended by Esee. My system is a coarse and fine stone with a ceramic Rod for touch ups. The tuff cloth is great. The coating on the Esee will protect all but the edge of the blade. With use, the coating will come off. What is under the coating is also quite durable before you get to bare smooth steel. On my well used Esees the uncoated parts have developed a patina that matches the coating color. With the Tuff cloth, worn spots will not rust. The best prevention for rust on 1095 is use. If your edge gets a little discolored, which it will, just go cut something or sharpen a bit. It will come right off.

The Sheath. I like it. Could it be better? Yes. Slight rattle. Thumb ramp could be better. I wouldn't replace it though unless you really like leather. Then it might be worth it to you. I got the Molle backing for the 5/6 (I have both). I have not used it with the knife. The sheath and clip plate are sufficient for my needs. I did put the optional survival tin and holder on the lower portion of the back and throw it molleid on a pack as a small survival kit. If I could do it over again I probably wouldn't get the molle back. My advice would be to get the knife, see how you like the sheath, and decide where to go from there (custom sheath, molle back, whatever).

Hope any of that helps! Let us know when you get it and what your impressions of it are!
 
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I don't take any issue with craytabs statement at all, in fact I agree. However, everyone makes decisions(in all aspects, not just knives)based on information, experience and opinions. I have a few esee knives and they are pretty.much bulletproof. Just like many other aspects in my life my tastes have changed/evolved as I age and gain experience. If I cannot accept the fact that shit does happen, shit does go wrong, stuff breaks,I'd take no risks at all. The age old statement "opinion s are like assholes, they all stink n there is shit behind every one" is on the money. I'm ok with fallkniven and their warranty policy. If I wasn't I wouldn't be carrying them. SOME people have the same attitude, some differ. Their reasoning can run the gamet. I like fallkniven and will say so. I like esee too,but from all my experiences I choose to endorse them n their product here over any other that I have experience with. I enjoy all 50+ knives I own and hope u do as well
 
In any case, IMHO you just gotta have two, one big (a nice chopper, BK9 or Extrema Ratio170KS (small Kukri)) and something medium to small (ESEE or Boker)...with long bright lanyards.
 
fallkniven are great knives, like someone said, custom value at production cost, they are very good, very tough knives, and i love the fact that its got the tough HC inner core wrapped in SS vg-10, and sweden is a very harsh country, a knife they design for their military will be built to handle most situations, and there might not be any place on earth id rather have something made then japan, im all about america, but those japs turn out high quality products, things made in japan, germany, and usa are all ok in my book
 
"Those japs"?!

Haven't heard that expression in a while.

But yeah, I get what you're saying. "Made in Japan" went from being the mark of a crappy product to the mark of quality and attention to detail. I've seen lots of made in japan item go from being treated like trash to collector's items in the past few decades.
 
GuyWithaFewKnives said:
fallkniven are great knives, like someone said, custom value at production cost, they are very good, very tough knives, and i love the fact that its got the tough HC inner core wrapped in SS vg-10, and sweden is a very harsh country, a knife they design for their military will be built to handle most situations, and there might not be any place on earth id rather have something made then japan, im all about america, but those japs turn out high quality products, things made in japan, germany, and usa are all ok in my book
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Nope, not even close. A good custom maker would warrant a knife for more than 2 years. A Good custom maker actual designs, makes, and sells the knife him or her self. And if you haven't noticed, this isn't WWII anymore. You can't refer to people from Japan they way you just did. It is now racist.
 
Wow. Lots of information in this thread. I don't really know where to start, except to say that an ESEE 6 and an Izula II is a great combo for starters. Using it will give you a good handle on what are the pros/cons of a big knife and little knife. And for just $12 more, I'd get a Mora also. This will give you that extra feel for what role a 4" knife can fill. Once you have a little more dirt time, you can decide which direction you're starting to take with your knife use. Then, you can either keep what you have, sell it to buy different stuff, or just start amassing a huge collection of various blades. I think you've set your feet on a very long road. Welcome to the party, pal. I made my suggestion of a Mora for a very specific reason. If you decide (like many of us here), that a 4-5" blade is the most used/important tool in your arsenal, you can then invest in something a little nicer/more expensive after a while, like a custom (check out some of the custom puukkos out there...fantastic!), or some of the nicer production models (I personally have never been disappointed in Fallkniven, especially the F1 in VG10). I really think there is a reason why most folks I know, and most members on these kinds of knife forums, post about and use 4" blades. Build your high-end collection around that, and I don't think you'll regret it. That being said, I've owned quite a large number of the most common "bushcraft" blades talked about here and on other forums, such as Survive!, Fallkniven, Tops BOB, ESEE 3 4 6 and both Izulas, Ratmandu, Becker BK16 15 BK 5 7 9, various puukkos, a few customs (Big Chris, ML, Ray Laconico, GL Drew, JK to name a few)...well, you get the picture. Guess what I started with, and ended up with? A Mora. You buy one, I'm pretty much guaranteeing you'll keep it. Whaddaya got to lose? It's 12 bucks! OK, I'm done now.
 
Thank God I'm not racist. I hate everyone. Now to me it just sounds like craytabs has a need to be heard above and beyond everyone else. Tough way to go thru life. Good luck with that and I'll still take a Fallkniven over esee guarantees be damned
 
it is now racist?? only if you make it that way bro, cause im not racist at all....you can stay stuck in ww2 all you want, i wasnt alive for that so i wont share your opinion, i could understand if i said, i hate those japs and they should all be rounded up and put into camps, or if i said japan should be destroyed, but im actually complimenting the japanese and their craftsmanship, saying those japs is simply the shortest and most efficient way to get my point across, i truly cant stand people who are constantly looking to turn things into "racism" or negative things, thats on you, not me, and i dont really care what a "good custom maker" will do when im talking about one of, if not the best production blades made, only a complete idiot would defer to the warranty of knife to decide if it has value or not, my local costco will take back anything youve ever bought there, doesnt matter when you bought it...does that mean costco sells the best product ever made, according to crabytab it does...idiot....SS blade that can endure as much physical abuse as most HC steels including custom knife makers with their exellent heat treatments at half the price.....yes please
 
jfk1110 said:
Thank God I'm not racist. I hate everyone. Now to me it just sounds like craytabs has a need to be heard above and beyond everyone else. Tough way to go thru life. Good luck with that and I'll still take a Fallkniven over esee guarantees be damned
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Hating everyone, now that's a tough way to go through life. Good luck with that. Me needing to be heard? Come on. You even agreed with me. I will say what I have said many more times just as I have said in the past so to take it so personally would just be futile. We have many great members here and the best thing is we dont all agree on things. We say our piece in honest discourse, and sometimes opinions are influenced. Sorry if you don't like that.
 
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GuyWithaFewKnives said:
it is now racist?? only if you make it that way bro, cause im not racist at all....you can stay stuck in ww2 all you want, i wasnt alive for that so i wont share your opinion, i could understand if i said, i hate those japs and they should all be rounded up and put into camps, or if i said japan should be destroyed, but im actually complimenting the japanese and their craftsmanship, saying those japs is simply the shortest and most efficient way to get my point across, i truly cant stand people who are constantly looking to turn things into "racism" or negative things, thats on you, not me, and i dont really care what a "good custom maker" will do when im talking about one of, if not the best production blades made, only a complete idiot would defer to the warranty of knife to decide if it has value or not, my local costco will take back anything youve ever bought there, doesnt matter when you bought it...does that mean costco sells the best product ever made, according to crabytab it does...idiot....SS blade that can endure as much physical abuse as most HC steels including custom knife makers with their exellent heat treatments at half the price.....yes please
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Yes, it is a racist term. Perhaps you didn't know that. Did you know that this county rounded up Japanese American citizens and put them in camps all while referring to them as "japs"? This is among many other things that makes it a racist term. Not the preferred nomenclature. Go educate yourself on the subject if you need further clarification.

And calling me an idiot helps no one. You made the mistake of using a racial epitaph and you have defended doing so. You also have made the mistake of claiming that a production knife is at the level of a custom. You are wrong on both accounts. Sorry.
 
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Hi, Subver! I was in a similar situation and quandry a few years ago. Other than a custom, (LOVE my Fiddleback Forge Duke!), at least look at the TOPS Tex Creek XL. I bought one and have been extremely pleased with it. The build quality, fit and finish is first rate, better in my opinion than most production knives. It comes with black micarta scales over red liners. Its a great knife, and a nice size, and would compare size/application wise to the Esee 6. Andy Tran has a great video review on it. When I go out camping I bring a Hawk or BK 9 on my pack, either my Duke or the Tex Creek on the belt and my Condor Kephart in my pocket or in my pack. That Condor is a great little knife as well, but does not fall into the size range you're looking for. Best of luck in your quest. If you're like most of us you'll end up with multiple knife options for each application! But that's the fun of it!
Vonrichthofen
 
Discuss the perfect survival knife, do not discuss each other. Use the triangle icon in the lower left of a post to report it to the moderators if you think it's a violation of our rules. Now drop it or I will close the thread, with individual action to follow.
 
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