Things the ESEE 4 does better?

I was having trouble deciding the same thing. I have an Izula or two or three. I decided that I am going to go with the 4 instead of the 3. To me the three doesn't offer the blade length I am looking for over the Izula which is an EDC blade for me now. I am going to use it mostly for outdoors stuff and deployments so I think I want the longer blade. Just for giggles I decided that I am going to get the 6 and Junglas also. I figure that if I decide I don't like one of them for my needs and want one of the others instead I will be able to sell it to someone.


mlrs
 
On the ESEE4 I find the balance is better for throwing than the 3. The blade is thicker as well so it doesn't ding up as much.

Vin
 
IMO the 3 is somewhat underrated. I feel you gain more of an advanage from the thinner stock in cutting performance than you really lose out on in terms of strength.
 
vba said:
On the ESEE4 I find the balance is better for throwing than the 3. The blade is thicker as well so it doesn't ding up as much.

Vin
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Jeff is gonna beat you with a rubber hose! :eek:
 
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vba said:
On the ESEE4 I find the balance is better for throwing than the 3. The blade is thicker as well so it doesn't ding up as much.

Vin
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Did you miss an ' :D ' in there? Or are you for real?

To add, I would rather have the four, as it can baton slighly larger wood, and I find it able to do smaller tasks just about as easily as anything smaller than it :)
 
for me the 3's thin handle didn't feel as comfortable as the 4's so i sold it.
 
When in the woods, I'd always choose the 4 over the 3, and don't mind the little extra weight on my side at all. That's true for me because the 4 is big enough for everything I come across on my hikes. That is where I stay.

If I had to carry another, bigger knife with me, I may choose a 3 to complement it, but I don't see a thing I can do with it that I can't with the 4, since it is very controllable conducting fine tasks (a bigger knife might not be). The other way round the 4 does many rougher tasks better I suppose, like chopping the small branches off of a branch, generally splitting/making firewood. But not only that, for slicing a loaf of bread I also prefer a bigger blade.

What I want to say is that I guess the only thing I'd personally prefer about the 3 is that it's smaller and lighter - and thus more likely to be on my side in every day situations. For me, the Izula works pretty good as an EDC blade though - however that comes down to your taste and needs.

If you want a better answer, you might have to specify what you intend to do with your knife.
 
William.45 said:
Thank you all so much. I will be picking up a 3Mil here shortly and choosing which one is better suited for me. :cool: Like I said I don't really do any batoning so I feel that i'll really like the 3. I do have an Izula and was kind of thinking that that and the 3 together might not be the best combo but I guess we will find out soon enough. Thank yall again, it really helped.
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Let us know what you decide.
 
William.45 said:
This may have been answered before but I searched multiple VS threads and couldn't come up with any good answers. I am not trying to start an argument but when it comes to the ESEE 3 vs 4 what exactly does the 4 do better or worse? I own a 4 but am considering adding a 3 even though I don't need it. But for all around woods chores/edc etc. why would one choose the 4 over the 3 or vice versa?
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I have both, the 3 is a little better slicer, easier to keep razor sharp, and is easier to carry discretely. The 4 is thicker, tougher, has more lateral strength. In my opinion the 3 is a great general utility cutter, the 4 makes a better rough-use survival knife.
 
I have the 3MIL and the 4 - Ive mentioned before I was suprised the 3 was smaller than what I expected. I guess because of the positive reviews of how capable it is I was expecting it to be a bit chunkier.

I then got the 4 and seriously like both knives.

Mist is right on the mark - the 3 is a very capable blade but if you need something for hard use then the 4 is probably better suited.
 
For most ordinary cutting chores, the 3 is just fine. For more abusive outdoor stuff like breaking out some hard fatlighter, I chose the thicker ESEE-4.

Fatlighter028.jpg

Fatlighter027.jpg
 
benzology said:
Ive mentioned before I was suprised the 3 was smaller than what I expected. I guess because of the positive reviews of how capable it is I was expecting it to be a bit chunkier.
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Me too. I had the RC4 before I got the 3MIL so the thinness and flex of
blade of the 3MIL caught me by surprise. It took really using it to gain faith in it. It is definitely a very capable knife, and I really grew to appreciate the design cleaning fish and small game with it...but I'd still love to have a 5/32" thick version of it.
 
TheGame said:
Did you miss an ' :D ' in there? Or are you for real?
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I'm not very good at all these smiley things but here is my attempt.

;)

Vin

edit:

Wow it worked:)

Oh, and you can get a good idea of age by my avatar.
 
Pilot1 said:
I have a 3, 4 and 5. I like the 4 for backpacking, and camping. Its thicker blade and longer length gives me more confidence for harder woods use. I take the 3 mostly on day hikes and for camp chores, and food prep around the fire. The 3 is small enough where you can even throw it in a pack for a back up to your 4 or 5.

The 5 is for when I get shot down over occupied, communist territory, like New Jersey. :D
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Thats a good and informative po..... YOU MOTHER*&!@%# !!
:D
 
I own 3's and 4's. The 3's are stashed in various places and packs, and never get used. The 4's get used a lot. I sometimes regret buying any 3, but the MIL is nice and useful, with the glass-breaker. In theory, that is.
 
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