- Joined
- Dec 3, 2000
- Messages
- 3,002
So, I've been looking at ESEE knives for awhile now, but with only marginal interest. It's not like they're real eye catching or flashy, and I've been really quite happy with what I've got. Haven't seen real need for a fixed blade in the last couple years.
The other day I got a wild hair, and ordered an Izula and a Model-3 on a whim, and they just came in last night. There's a million reviews on these things, and I probably got nothing to add, especially after having them for a mere 24 hours or so, but I gotta say....I haven't been this impressed by a knife in a long time.
I only handled them each for a few minutes, read the literature, and realized that there has been countless hours of thought and experience put into these things. They damn sure aint the latest cool looking, curvaceous design that happened get a secret squirrel endorsement of some kind.
So...I'm not a review type of guy, but a couple of initial impressions of a new owner:
Izula: There's a quite a few other similarly sized knives made by other companies, and several that I've owned, (and then rapidly traded or gave away) but this one is just...a helluva lot of capability in a very small package. I don't think I'd have a problem cleaning moose or caribou with this thing at all, except for the lack of handles. I think it could realistically take care of the vast majority of my outdoor needs. The blade is the perfect thickness between durability and cutting efficiency. I was really impressed by all the sheath options mentioned on the accompanying paperwork. Like I said, it's apparent that a lot of good thought went into the design.
I've seen the "survival kit" version sold, and it was always a head scratcher for me. It looked like someone had emptied the key container out of my household, with all the old miscellaneous crap and decided to call it a survival kit. After reading the paperwork...it all became a bit more obvious, and I stand corrected. It's a cool little kit. I got one without, because I figured I have enough pieces parts, and stuff floating around my man cave and night stand. If I'd been smart enough to do more research, I probably would have gotten it. As is though, I have plenty of magnesium fire starters, split rings, etc. to fudge it.
I've cut very little with it, just a bit of KP and household piddling around, but it's clearly impressive. I did absolutely love the ease of sharpening. After getting hold to a nice, normal chunk of 1095 I've come to realize that I have exotic, CMP/ uber tool steel burn out. Yeah...I'm one of those guys, I'm already re-profiling it to 15 degrees on each side.
The RC-3...once again, a brilliant sheathing system. It's much the same goodness as the Izula, actually. Nice, easy to work, and durable 1095 steel, perfect blade thickness, and a darn versatile design, equally at home as a hunting knife or a camp knife.
I quite frankly, would have rather had the RC-4, but I got the 3 so I could carry it on the North Slope for work. (BP likes to keep knives at or below a 4" blade limit) but I'm real pleased with having the 3" If I can't do something with this one, it probably won't be because the blade was 3/4" too short. Having said that I might buy an RC-4 one day, before my ESEE binge ends.
In any case...I'm awfully glad to find such a practical, well thought out knife, made in the US, by what appears to be some real fine folks. I just wish I had gotten adventurous and tried them last spring instead of this fall. (My winter time hibernation habit, as opposed to frolicking in the forests during warmer Alaskan weather)
The other day I got a wild hair, and ordered an Izula and a Model-3 on a whim, and they just came in last night. There's a million reviews on these things, and I probably got nothing to add, especially after having them for a mere 24 hours or so, but I gotta say....I haven't been this impressed by a knife in a long time.
I only handled them each for a few minutes, read the literature, and realized that there has been countless hours of thought and experience put into these things. They damn sure aint the latest cool looking, curvaceous design that happened get a secret squirrel endorsement of some kind.
So...I'm not a review type of guy, but a couple of initial impressions of a new owner:
Izula: There's a quite a few other similarly sized knives made by other companies, and several that I've owned, (and then rapidly traded or gave away) but this one is just...a helluva lot of capability in a very small package. I don't think I'd have a problem cleaning moose or caribou with this thing at all, except for the lack of handles. I think it could realistically take care of the vast majority of my outdoor needs. The blade is the perfect thickness between durability and cutting efficiency. I was really impressed by all the sheath options mentioned on the accompanying paperwork. Like I said, it's apparent that a lot of good thought went into the design.
I've seen the "survival kit" version sold, and it was always a head scratcher for me. It looked like someone had emptied the key container out of my household, with all the old miscellaneous crap and decided to call it a survival kit. After reading the paperwork...it all became a bit more obvious, and I stand corrected. It's a cool little kit. I got one without, because I figured I have enough pieces parts, and stuff floating around my man cave and night stand. If I'd been smart enough to do more research, I probably would have gotten it. As is though, I have plenty of magnesium fire starters, split rings, etc. to fudge it.
I've cut very little with it, just a bit of KP and household piddling around, but it's clearly impressive. I did absolutely love the ease of sharpening. After getting hold to a nice, normal chunk of 1095 I've come to realize that I have exotic, CMP/ uber tool steel burn out. Yeah...I'm one of those guys, I'm already re-profiling it to 15 degrees on each side.
The RC-3...once again, a brilliant sheathing system. It's much the same goodness as the Izula, actually. Nice, easy to work, and durable 1095 steel, perfect blade thickness, and a darn versatile design, equally at home as a hunting knife or a camp knife.
I quite frankly, would have rather had the RC-4, but I got the 3 so I could carry it on the North Slope for work. (BP likes to keep knives at or below a 4" blade limit) but I'm real pleased with having the 3" If I can't do something with this one, it probably won't be because the blade was 3/4" too short. Having said that I might buy an RC-4 one day, before my ESEE binge ends.
In any case...I'm awfully glad to find such a practical, well thought out knife, made in the US, by what appears to be some real fine folks. I just wish I had gotten adventurous and tried them last spring instead of this fall. (My winter time hibernation habit, as opposed to frolicking in the forests during warmer Alaskan weather)
