New Esee-5 vs. Esee-6

S

seabornshade

Joined
Dec 18, 2008
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First off, sorry if this has been done before, but since the old thread has closed, i had to create a new thread.

Here, I'd like to ask which knife would you rather have with you during a disaster: say a typhoon or earthquake? Some examples of specific situations would be, if a wooden telephone pole is blocking the road or some rubble has pinned shut the only door outside your apartment/office? Would you rather have an Esee-5 or would you rather have an Esee-6.

Of course, you may have access to the respective emergency kits you have in your car/apartment so you may actually have access to saws, hatchets, pry bars, if you keep them in the kits and if you keep these kits close to where you are. (I keep an emergency kit in my car and another in my apartment but not in my office, only the car has a hatchet and saw, both kits have breacher bars.)

Of course, these knives are going to be used in other activities such as hiking and camping, thus any advantage in day to day utility will still count but how much would be up to you.

Thanks for your attention. (BTW, i don't spend too much time in/near my car or apartment and in a disaster such as a fire, trying to gain access to either may worsen the situation so I may be screwed either way)
 
The ESEE 5 has a thicker blade and was designed as more of a survival knife. It's the most bombproof knife in their lineup, and I'd go with that.
 
The ESEE-5 (formerly RC-5, same knife) is designed as a downed pilot's extraction and survival tool. That means, like everything else in life it is a compromise, leaning towards cutting you out and then being an all around survival tool that WON'T BREAK. I keep one in my plane attached to me with a much smaller knife in my flight bag, a Fallkniven F1, which is better at smaller tasks. What you describe is clearly more an ESEE-5 than a 6 although the 6 is a tough knife also.
 
Sea, as mentioned the numer five is a more stout knife. It is a full 1/4 inch thick and is a heavy duty knife. I posted a similar question and Jeff Randall responded saying he carries the five in his car in the event he has to cut his way out.

I don't want to start the serrated vs non serrated debat, but from my research the partial serration five is usefull if your a not going to be able to sharpen regularly and b if you have to cut through Fiberous or metal material.

That said for day to day carry/ hikes general use I love my six. It is super light and quick and the extra length is useful.

I ended up getting both:), the six for hiking and the five for emergencies and car
travel. Remember your not always in your own vehicle, and you might not be able to
reach your bob in the boot of your car after an accident.

Hope this helps, if you cant find comparison pics let me know.
 
So, no one thinks that an Esee-5 is redundant when I already have a prybar? Nor, that with an Esee-5, I give up too much utility and comfort? Should I get rid of the breacher bar since it is redundant? Maybe the breacher bar with the Esee 6 still can't match the performance of the Esee-5? Or, is redundancy worth the extra weight? I can't afford both the 6 and the 5.

And, these 2 knives are very different in purpose, is there a knife that matches the strengths of both the Esee 5 (unbreakable toughness) and the Esee 6 (light weight, slicing performance) or at least is a good compromise between the two? Maybe even at approximately the same price?
 
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I have a stanley fubar in the truck for prying/hammering and an ESEE6 in the BOB/GHB.
the 6 feels better in hand to me for knife-type tasks.
 
I think the reasoning that people are going with the 5 is that your really talking about breaching something more than actual knife tasks, may i recomend a halligan set? something like the one i used: http://www.blackhawk.com/product/Tactical-Backpack-Kit,662,105.htm

you could get a much cheaper halligan kit and just use and ESEE-3 i dont think youd need bolt cuters. they make halligan tools and axes that mate together: http://www.blackhawk.com/product/Tactical-Backpack-Kit,662,105.htm

i know your looking for a knife here but right tol for the right job, your gonna have a rough damn time getting un traped with jst a 3/16-1/4 thick knife. Try breaking a damn halligan tool i dare you.
 
I still think after reading all the posts above ( and good advice too ) that in a disaster situation there is no way I would grab another knife besides my Esee 5. The closest alternative is my Becker BK2. I have the Esee 6, but I wouldn't touch it over the 5. That being said, if all I had was my Esee 6, I would feel damn grateful for it.
 
seabornshade said:
So, no one thinks that an Esee-5 is redundant when I already have a pry bar? Nor, that with an Esee-5, I give up too much utility and comfort? Should I get rid of the breacher bar since it is redundant? Maybe the breacher bar with the Esee 6 still can't match the performance of the Esee-5? Or, is redundancy worth the extra weight? I can't afford both the 6 and the 5.
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You asked for a comparison between the ESEE-5 & ESEE-6, not a comparison between a knife and a breacher bar. I'm not exactly sure how you're defining breacher bar, but my definition includes things like crowbars, Stanley Fubars, and other tools designed for ripping down walls, which I would choose in the scenario you outlined over any of the ESEEs.

If I could only have the ESEE-5 or ESEE-6, I would choose the 5. It has a shorter, thicker blade, which should be more resistant to breakage, especially when using it to pry. However, if I only had an ESEE-6, I would still use it to do what I needed to, since after all, you're talking about an emergency situation.

Other than hacking my way out of a building, I would choose the ESEE-6, because I think it would be the better choice for general knife usage. For yourself, you'll need to determine whether you plan to do more hiking or building demolition. :)
 
I can't see any scenario where I'd pick the 5 over the 6. The 6 is superior at pretty much any task appropriate for a knife, and for the less appropriate tasks, its good enough. Though the 5 is certainly stouter, the 6 is hardly a fragile tool. Even in an abusive situation, you'd be hard pressed to break the 6
 
CID25 said:
I can't see any scenario where I'd pick the 5 over the 6. The 6 is superior at pretty much any task appropriate for a knife, and for the less appropriate tasks, its good enough. Though the 5 is certainly stouter, the 6 is hardly a fragile tool. Even in an abusive situation, you'd be hard pressed to break the 6
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This :thumbup:
 
Having and used both of those knives , the only advantage the 5 has over the 6 is extreme prying and a glass breaker pommel. The 6's geometry slices better , the knife weighs less and the FFG is easier to sharpen. These are my observations.
My carry only -one- knife is an Esee 6s. For me, it outperforms the 5 in most knife-use situations. The 5's sabre grind and thickness make it too specialized ( which is what it is ; a downed pilot's knife)
 
If you want it as the only knife in a disaster, I'd go with the 5. If you want a tough knife, but have other prying options, I'd opt for the 6.
 
seabornshade said:
Of course, these knives are going to be used in other activities such as hiking and camping, thus any advantage in day to day utility will still count but how much would be up to you.
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I'd go with the ESSE-6 there.
 
RainDropDamascus said:
ESEE 5 & a Junglas!!!!! Great combo!
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No disrespect but what would be the point in carrying the 5 and the Junglas? Why wouldnt you carry say the IZULA or 3 instead of the 5? Would make finer chores a breeze and you would still have the junglas to chop and baton etc.

.02
 
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