Nyala, ESEE-3, or S-T-S-3?

dakota

dakota

Joined
Oct 3, 1998
Messages
247
I'm wanting a smaller fixed blade for general use. I've narrowed it down to the ESEE/Rat ESEE-3, Chris Reeve Nyala, or the Bark River S-T-S-3. I'm not a plastic sheath fan, so I would be buying a leather replacement for the ESEE or the Bark River. That Narrows the price gap between them and the Nyala considerably. The role I want to fill is edc tasks, day hikes and kitchen use. Which one would I be least likely to get bored with and sell? :)
Am I missing any other similar blades?
 
Fallkniven f1 could be nice option.



But i like all the knives you listed.

The only one i have is the rc3 and i like it very much.
If you buy the rc3 with sharpshooter leather sheath (130 dollar) you're still about 100 dollar cheaper then the crk knife. So that would mean an extra rc3:D.



But if you have the money buy the crk:thumbup:.
Great knife and will last a life time just like the other 2.;)
 
Not sure if you want to go custom, but KnivesShipFree.com just started carrying Landi's latest design. A small fixed blade that appears to have superb ergos. At $129 shipped, they certainly fit in your pricepoint. I have not owned any of his blades, but they sure do look tempting. Just something for you to consider.

http://www.knivesshipfree.com/Landi-Custom-Knives

You'd have to get another sheath as it comes with kydex, but KSF ships sharpshooter sheaths as well.
 
All very nice choices at very different prices. Some notable differences:

Nyala: most expensive, but has the highest grade steel. It has conditional lifetime warranty. If you abuse it and break it you foot the bill. IMO, my favorite as far as looks is concerned. These are also hollow grind I believe. These may or may not be a selling feature

RC 3: Durable little worker. IMO not the best looker out of the 3, but is a very good working knife. Also very reasonably priced. I have one, and it doesnt see much use, but I like it a lot. If you have large hands, the grips may be too small for you. UNCONDITIONAL lifetime warranty--imo very nice for the price point.

The Barkie: I dont have any experience with this knife or bark rivers stainless or coated knives. However, I really like my bravo 1 and these also have a great warranty.

Just some food for thought. Remember, there is no one best knife, just the best knife for you. If in doubt, get em all :D
 
oh man that is a toughie, well i have an ESEE3 and i really like it, as previously mentioned it has an unconditional lifetime warranty. you can get an ESEE3 for ~100 and leather sheaths arent that much money, KSF sells a sharpshooter leather sheath that is fitted for the ESEE3 and isnt too much money. for the money i would get the ESEE3. if you have more money and are willing to use a nice knife get the nyala. either way you will not go wrong because all of your prospective choices are all good.
 
For normal EDC all will serve you very well. If you are already at the $230 price point I would (and did) choose the Nyala and it serves the EDC roll well for me. It is the best fixed blade in its class (at least that I have purchased to date) and I think it is a steal at $230.00 (shipped from knivesshipfree.com.) I have not had mine long, but so far I don’t have any complains…as it had done everything I needed.

I threw a little plug in there for knivesshipfree.com because they have taken very good care of me. They have great prices, fast shipping, and topnotch customer service!

If you don’t buy the Nyala, I would check out the Landi’s as Big_Red mentioned.

Best of luck!
 
Thank you for your suggestions. I was not aware of Landi's wares. They look very nice. I will check them out.
The cheapest that I am seeing the sharpshooter sheath for the ESEE is $50. I really want to like the ESEE because I know the full flat grind and thin blade will cut like mad. The price is good too. The sticking point is the crinkle finish. I would much prefer DLC or nothing at all. I have no real experience with it though.
 
dakota said:
Thank you for your suggestions. I was not aware of Landi's wares. They look very nice. I will check them out.
The cheapest that I am seeing the sharpshooter sheath for the ESEE is $50. I really want to like the ESEE because I know the full flat grind and thin blade will cut like mad. The price is good too. The sticking point is the crinkle finish. I would much prefer DLC or nothing at all. I have no real experience with it though.
Click to expand...

i really like the coating on the ESEE knives. it is one of the toughest that i have seen, the only thing that it doesnt do well against is wood/battoning. but even then it still holds up really well. my izula, smaller than the ESEE3, has been used a lot since i got it, and its coating is holding up really well.
 
dakota said:
The cheapest that I am seeing the sharpshooter sheath for the ESEE is $50. I really want to like the ESEE because I know the full flat grind and thin blade will cut like mad. The price is good too. The sticking point is the crinkle finish. I would much prefer DLC or nothing at all. I have no real experience with it though.
Click to expand...


As i said in my previous post rc3 and sharpshoother leather sheath can be bought for 130 dollars;).
KSF:thumbup:.


My rc3 is my "heavy" user alias work/yard knife.
I did some batoning with it and also did some tire cutting.
Both were hard on the coating.

youtube vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF3YApM13Ak&feature=related


And it looks like this now:D.


IMG_8533.jpg


With normal use it will probably wont go as quick but it will wear.
So you can always take the coating of and create a patina.
 
I had an STS3 for a bit, used it a few times, the one thing I can say is that it was VERY sharp, and the handle was actually more comfortable to me than my bravo-1. Probably one of the most comfy knives I've held for some time. I liked it a lot, had I not needed the money, I would have kept it.
 
For me, it would come down to the warranty and if you think you'll use the knife hard enough to possibly need it. I'm a CRK guy, but that warranty on the ESEE is too hard to ignore. I just picked up an Izula and I'm very impressed with the little guy. It won't likely knock my CRK out of my pocket for EDC use, but for abusive tasks, it's gonna be my go-to.
 
I'd go with the Esee-3. The STS-3 is expensive and made with 154cm, I'm not sure how that will do with hard use, but the 1095 will be easier to sharpen and takes a great edge. They are both made in the same place, and I hear many people swear by thier BRKTs like people do with Esee's. They both seem more comfortable than the CRK to me too.
 
I'd go with the Bark River, that one is just a treat. The contoured handles feel soooo comfortable.
 
You can't go wrong with any ESEE knives, they are all rock solid & great users. However, I just got a Nyala this week and it is one great knife. I have not been able to use it hard yet but it is super comfortable & sharp.
 
No one has mentioned it.. and I know it wasn't originally listed... but what about a howling rat?
 
gundude73 said:
i really like the coating on the ESEE knives. it is one of the toughest that i have seen, the only thing that it doesnt do well against is wood/battoning. but even then it still holds up really well. my izula, smaller than the ESEE3, has been used a lot since i got it, and its coating is holding up really well.
Click to expand...

The izula with scales is a nice little knife! Very easy to carry. The above mentioned Howling Rat is my favorite 4 " woods blade, scrap yard Weiner dog I'm loving...check out Koyote's section...the edc convex thread...GREAT blades!!

IMG_2464.jpg
 
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