Which ESEE 3?

J

JamesofArc

Joined
Apr 19, 2016
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310
So many esee 3s its hard to pick.

Getting my daughter a backpack for hammocking and will be putting an esee 3 in it but which one. There is the original, the 4hm and the jg and i believe the military or something like that.

Which would be best for a 16 year old girl who will use it to whittle wood for small fires for tea while hammocking?

Should i just go bk16?
 
ESEE has the best warranty service. So it is a really good option to select ESEE. The traditional ESEE 3 is enough for a girl.
 
I would go for the standard 3 with the round butt and orange slabs. For anyone who has spent a lot of time behind a knife, I'd also look at the 3-hm, but let them choose. The 3 is a great small size, and will cover nearly any survival usage.
I know a lot of guys don't like the 3 due to its handle size, but I wear a size small glove, and I love my ESEE-3. Its heavy for a backpacking knife, but its by far lighter than most "survival" knives.
 
I have the 3 mil with handles from TKC. The original handles was not comfortable at all for me, to blocky, but the TKC handles made it a new knife.
 
The 4hm is not a 3 :p The 3hm is though :D
I picked the 3mil, but there's no wrong choice possible.
If you have the chance try holding the regular handle and the hm to see what fits your hand best.

The sheaths are different berween the regular and hm. Maybe that helps you make a choice.


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The Becker warranty is pretty solid, as well.
lhzeng said:
The traditional ESEE 3 is enough for a girl.
Click to expand...
Are you suggesting that the traditional Esee is not enough for a guy? Or that a girl wouldn't want/need features of other models?

J JamesofArc
The HM has a more "traditional" handle, which may/may not be a better fit for your daughter's hand. There's also the RB3 (with scandi grind) and the JG3, both of which have slightly different handle shapes. Any of them will serve her well; so I'd make the choice based on handle comfort.
As far as the BK16, that's a more direct comparison to the Esee 4. I have a BK 16, Esee 4, and DPx HEFT4 - and have had no problems with any of them.
*Edited to add - I see the TKC scales have been mentioned. They're a little slimmer, and better contoured than stock - I've got a set on my Esee6 and BK4, and find them to be an improvement on both knives. I'm not sure how I'd feel about them on an Esee 3 - the handle is pretty small already...but they're definitely an option if your daughter doesn't like the stock scales. (Esee's micarta is pretty easy to shape with a half round file, if she finds the scales too blocky)
 
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My suggestion would be to look into the regular (not PRO versions) Falkniven F1 or S1. I own a RC4, F1 and S1 among other knives. The RC is thicker behind the edge, steel feels softer, the sheath is bulkier, and coated blades (in general) offer more drag when whittling or cutting anything.

I also believe that the stainless blades are a plus and the convex edges are easier to get sharp free hand.

The equivalent to the ESSE 3 would be the F1. I am just throwing the idea of the S1 just in case you find the handle too small.

Mikel
 
hhmoore said:
The Becker warranty is pretty solid, as well.

Are you suggesting that the traditional Esee is not enough for a guy? Or that a girl wouldn't want/need features of other models?

J JamesofArc
The HM has a more "traditional" handle, which may/may not be a better fit for your daughter's hand. There's also the RB3 (with scandi grind) and the JG3, both of which have slightly different handle shapes. Any of them will serve her well; so I'd make the choice based on handle comfort.
As far as the BK16, that's a more direct comparison to the Esee 4. I have a BK 16, Esee 4, and DPx HEFT4 - and have had no problems with any of them.
*Edited to add - I see the TKC scales have been mentioned. They're a little slimmer, and better contoured than stock - I've got a set on my Esee6 and BK4, and find them to be an improvement on both knives. I'm not sure how I'd feel about them on an Esee 3 - the handle is pretty small already...but they're definitely an option if your daughter doesn't like the stock scales. (Esee's micarta is pretty easy to shape with a half round file, if she finds the scales too blocky)
Click to expand...
On the Esee 3, the TKC handles add some palm swell, and makes the handles thicker (and of course, less blocky)
 
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