What exactly is the protective grease put on ESEE knives and how toxic is it?

J

James0723

Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Messages
1,322
I just got my RC-4 and an OD green Izula today. I already owned a black Izula.

The RC-4 is the nicest knife I've ever owned. I've got smaller hands and it fits my hand perfectly.

When I got my first black Izula I was a bit disappointed because it wasn't as razor sharp as everyone said RAT knives were. However, both my RC-4 and OD green Izula did have that razor sharpness. The RC-4 has one of the sharpest factory edges I've ever seen. My black Izula was just an exception I think. I mean it wasn't dull, it just didn't have as good of an edge as these two I just got.

The one thing I don't like about the knives is that protective grease. I think the fumes started to give me a headache. I handled and inspected the knives, threaded the paracord through, etc, for a bit and after that I felt a bit mentally foggy. What exactly is this grease?
 
I don't think they grease them. I know my ESEE 6 had a bit of a smell to it out of the box, and I have read other posts about the smell. I think it is the micarta handles. I noticed my 6 had a smell, like a "new car" smell, but after an hour I couldn't smell it anymore.

Maybe I'm wrong, but the knives are dry when I have gotten them. If I am wrong someone will correct me.
 
Fairy dust.

Most reports say it's Tuf-Glide. I use the stuff on a bunch of my gear, and the smell is the same, as are the results I see. Package says it may be irritating to skin or eyes, though I doubt there's much just on the blade. The package refers to using a soaked cloth of it. "contains mineral spirits"

The stuff works very well, and the smell goes away with use.

EDIT: from the ESEE website:

Note: Our knives are made from high carbon 1095 steel. And while 1095 is a top choice for professional cutlery designed for hard use, it will rust and stain if not properly cared for - especially on the cutting edge and around the laser engraving. It is the user's responsibility to keep the blades properly lubricated and cleaned. We suggest using a dry film rust inhibitor such as TUF-GLIDE or TUF-CLOTH.
 
There is a rust-inhibiting grease put on them, it's not just the handles.

When I pulled my OD green Izula out of its sheath, it had small gobs of translucent grease around the edge. I thought at first that the edge was rolled or malformed, but I was only seeing it distorted through the translucent grease gobs.
 
??? I own four different ESEE's purchased from several different vendors and never noticed any grease/oil/lube whatsoever on any of them. Strange....
 
Fritz24, I bought mine from knifeworks.com, and the Izula I got was part of a new shipment. I know a month or so ago they had no OD Izulas in stock. Maybe because it was from a new shipment the grease didn't have time to dry as much as it would have if it had been sitting in storage.
 
James0723 said:
Fritz24, I bought mine from knifeworks.com, and the Izula I got was part of a new shipment. I know a month or so ago they had no OD Izulas in stock. Maybe because it was from a new shipment the grease didn't have time to dry as much as it would have if it had been sitting in storage.
Click to expand...

Could be!
 
I got my OD RC5 last Saturday and it didn't have any type of grease on it. Also, it didn't come as sharp as I had heard they come.
 
The esee knives that I got that had micarta handles had the odor; probably soaked the protectant. The knives with g10 handles didn't have the odor.
 
it is some deadly-ass shizz; don't even look at it or you will die.
 
It's just some of Shon's shaving gel. He personally tests each knife prior to shipping by shaving his legs with them.
Did I mention he's captain of his own olympic swim team. TEAM ROWEN. WOOHOO!!
 
I'm with Diz; I think it's tuf cloth. Has the same smell and not-quite-texture. Good stuff IMO.
 
All of mine have had the chemical smell when I take them out of the package. I always just wash them with dish soap right away. Usually the first chore of every ESEE knife i get is eating with it. I've never suffered any ill effects. I think as long as you wash the knife first, you'll be ok. Now if I could just figure out why this extra arm is growing out of my back...
 
I licked it off of mine and haven't noticed any real side effects since then other than a slight twitch that wasn't there before, and a twisted brain stem.


You should be fine.







:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top