On the fence between RC-3 or Falkniven F1

MtnDude said:
I have some experience with both manufacturers. I own a standard F1, a custom F1, and an ESEE 6. I have also held all of the ESEE models at my local knife store (SMKW). With that said, I would choose the F1 over ANY knife from ESEE. Without a second thought. Others may have the opposite opinion and that's ok with me. Based on my experiences and what I like in a knife, ESEE doesn't offer anything even worthy of comparison.
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Is there a little more room on the handle of the F1 than there is on the ESEE 3 & 4? Thanks! :)
 
cziv said:
On what observations do you base your statement. Just curious. :)
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the fact that i get 20 clippers here for the price of a esee 3 :P , don't get me wrong i think esee is really cool , i have a ontario rat 7 which i like ,

reason i'd go with the esee over the f1 is cos i favour carbon steel
 
F1 is quite simply one of the best production knives I own. Tough as nails and a design that just works.
 
I have the F1, ESEE-4, ESEE-6, and Ontario RAT-3. I have medium sized hands. I actually bought the F1 (2 each) for my young daughters in the interest of corrosion resistance and finger protection (i.e., no choil). Although I love ESEE, I bought the Ontario RAT-3, because it was $30 less than the ESEE-3, has a good sheath, is a half inch shorter (that much better for pocket carry), doesn't have the pointy glass-breaker, fits my smallish hands just fine, and I wanted to test it's ability to handle hard use.

The verdict is still out on the RAT-3, but I personally think the ESEE-4 is the best all around knife reasonable money can buy. I tend to agree with people who recommend against a choil, but RAT-designed (i.e., Ontario and ESEE) choils are VERY well-designed and comfortable because they rely on the front face of the handle (unlike most other choils), and the hook-like nature of the choil can be totally eliminated by filing/honing the front corner of the choil a little (smoothing the transition from choil to blade)--virtually providing the best of both worlds. I suspect that ESEE's steel (excluding corrosion resistance) is better than VG10 for general use, and the sheath and handle are MUCH, MUCH better than the F1's.
 
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celebornen said:
the fact that i get 20 clippers here for the price of a esee 3 :P , don't get me wrong i think esee is really cool , i have a ontario rat 7 which i like ,

reason i'd go with the esee over the f1 is cos i favour carbon steel
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Nobody asked you dude. The fact that you can x amt of Moras for the price of an ESEE is not what I asked MtnDude.
 
Cziv, the answer to your question is yes. There is definitely more purchase on the standard F1 and the handle does have some contouring unlike any of ESEE's knives. As you already know the ESEE 3 and 4 handles are exactly the same. The scales are interchangeable. Both feel way too short and not very ergonomic for my taste. I have to admit that while I do enjoy using the standard F1, where the knife really shines is in the custom versions. There are options if one decided to go that route. There are at least 3 different versions built (Bark River, DLT Trading, and WorkwearCanada) that I can think of . You can also purchase F1 blanks and finish it out with scales of your choosing like I did.
 
Grip purchase is a very important consideration, but it depends entirely on the size of the user's hands and personal comfort.
 
The ESEE 4 is the knife I carry in the woods hiking, fishing, camping, etc. It's never let me down.
 
MtnDude said:
Cziv, the answer to your question is yes. There is definitely more purchase on the standard F1 and the handle does have some contouring unlike any of ESEE's knives. As you already know the ESEE 3 and 4 handles are exactly the same. The scales are interchangeable. Both feel way too short and not very ergonomic for my taste. I have to admit that while I do enjoy using the standard F1, where the knife really shines is in the custom versions. There are options if one decided to go that route. There are at least 3 different versions built (Bark River, DLT Trading, and WorkwearCanada) that I can think of . You can also purchase F1 blanks and finish it out with scales of your choosing like I did.
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BillWolfel said:
Grip purchase is a very important consideration, but it depends entirely on the size of the user's hands and personal comfort.
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KBamhi said:
The ESEE 4 is the knife I carry in the woods hiking, fishing, camping, etc. It's never let me down.
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Ergonomics are everything to me in a knife. I have the ESEE 3 & 4 next to me and just gripped them hard. All I can see is about 1/8th inch or less of the metal tang peeking out from behind my pinkie. The bulk of th handles are up in front of my first two fingers.

I think a sale is in order and replacement with a more suitable bush knife. I wish we had some knife stores - or any stores beside Wal-Mart around here. There's a Gander Mountain and some kind of Bass Pro (?) store about 1 & 2 hours away respectively. Maybe I'll let my fingers do the walking and see what they carry before driving that far to look for and handle a quality field knife before blindly making any more purchases. :thumbup:
 
celebornen said:
what makes ur esee 3 better than my mora clipper? lol those esee knives are terribly overpriced... however i'd go with the esee over the f1
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They certainly aren't overpriced. Let's see you produce the same knife for less. ;) In fact, they put out a higher quality knife at a lower price than a lot of other companies are charging for pieces made overseas.

Full flat grinds cost more to machine than scandis. Full tang costs more. Micarta or G10 cost more (both in material cost and machining time) than injection molded plastic. The sheath is much higher quality, as is the warranty. This all comes at a price. I love my Moras and carry one on my pack--hell I even SELL the things!--but don't confuse a higher price with being overpriced. They are two distinctly different things. :)
 
This thread need a comparison pic!

5189849907_26895c5321_z.jpg


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dont own a 3, but the f1 is amazing, ive chopped down trees and batoned through logs that it shouldnt have been able to, with no chipping at all, so please if you dont own an f1 dont say that its easier to chip, ive chipped the blade on my izula easier. also for those saying that the sheath on the 3 is better, you might like it aesthetically, but the zytel sheath has been proven to perform much much better in cold conditions than any other style of sheath, and also if you get the blade covered in any sticky sap, friction fit sheaths become a problem. So if your planning on being out in the winter, the f1 was designed for that where as the 3 was not.
 
Umm...I respectfully disagree on your comments regarding the sheaths. The sheath for the 3 is a polymer that, if anything, would fair just as well as zytel in cold conditions. I should know--I've taken it out in sub-zero conditions every winter since I bought it 3 years ago. :D
 
The F1 is a stunning little knife but unfortunately just about the same handle size as the ESEE 3 or 4.

About 1/2" or so too small in that dept. :(
 
If you like the F1 and have any ability to use small power tools, get an F1 blade and some micarta and make your own handles. The rubber feels nice but wears out, while micarta never will. Costs more in time and money than buying an RC-3 but more fun, too.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Umm...I respectfully disagree on your comments regarding the sheaths. The sheath for the 3 is a polymer that, if anything, would fair just as well as zytel in cold conditions. I should know--I've taken it out in sub-zero conditions every winter since I bought it 3 years ago. :D
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He was referring to this video review. Fallkniven replied to his inquiry and explained why they chose Zytel. At first they used Kydex before they moved to Zytel.
[youtube]6LhBfUbPtfs[/youtube]
 
Yes--but he draws a direct comparison to the 3...which does not have a zytel sheath...The 4 has kydex and the 3 has injection molded polymer. ;)
 
The Falkniven F1 has performed great! Congrats to fallkniven for making such a tank of a knife. Now im gonna have to buy an S1 or A1 to keep the F1 company...
 
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