Who's tired of waiting on ESEE's stainless line?

Boats said:
I'm just saying the entire world was explored and settled by people using carbon steel blades.
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...And we know ‘they’ would’ve poo-pooed stainless if given the choice because... how exactly?

Nice SBT, by the way. No doubt those 15c-17c explorers and 18c-19c settlers would’ve appreciated its micarta scales (mid/late 20c), full tang (mid/late-20c), and stock-removed (mid/late-20c) powder metallurgy-sintered, semi-stainless super-alloy 3V (21c).
 
I'm pretty sick of waiting for the ESEE stainless so I'll probably try the Spyderco Serrata instead.

ESEE also talked about an Izula folder years ago that never showed up; meanwhile Blue Ridge Knives is getting their ESEE designed Zancudo folders soon.
 
retzius said:
So... The entire world was explored and settled by people using sailboats.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't take advantage of new technology that improves performance and eases maintenance.
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Chromium at or over the requisite 14% for "stainless" makes a "survival" knife more brittle. It's not a step into the future so to speak, but a step backwards toward the relative fragility of stone based blades.
 
Boats said:
Chromium at or over the requisite 14% for "stainless" makes a "survival" knife more brittle. It's not a step into the future so to speak, but a step backwards toward the relative fragility of stone based blades.
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Some of the tough ones would be interesting such as M390 or Elmax. I'd even go for an AUS8 one if it had a great tough heat treat. In the next several months I will be doing research in Kauai's high elevation forests where it occasionally rains constantly for days....it would be great to have an ESEE stainless to match that tasking.
 
Boats said:
Chromium at or over the requisite 14% for "stainless" makes a "survival" knife more brittle. It's not a step into the future so to speak, but a step backwards toward the relative fragility of stone based blades.
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This is an absurd statement that demonstrates both personal bias and a complete lack of understanding of the process of steel formulation and production methods. The COMPLETE formulation of the steel, how those elements are physically combined, the heat treat, the overall geometry of the blade, and the knowledge of the user combine to dictate performance.
 
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I don't really care about the esee SS line that much.

I think it losses esees charm and niche. But I could be wrong.
 
Styg said:
I don't really care about the esee SS line that much.

I think it losses esees charm and niche. But I could be wrong.
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Amen. ESEE is a design bureau in this regard. They had the original knives made to perform to their needs as survival specialists. Anything beyond that is marketing, building the brand for a few more bucks. Not a bad idea if it works, but you can see they aren't in any hurry to reinvent the square wheel.

They work in South American rain forest. 1095 gets the job done for them. 440C is a viable option but they don't need it.
 
100eyes said:
I'm pretty sick of waiting for the ESEE stainless so I'll probably try the Spyderco Serrata instead.

ESEE also talked about an Izula folder years ago that never showed up; meanwhile Blue Ridge Knives is getting their ESEE designed Zancudo folders soon.
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+1!
I would buy a ESEE-3 , and a Izula in 440C.
I'm also waiting for the Izula Folder.
 
Randall knives uses a lot of 440 B stainless (medium Carbon), and the world is beating a path to their door. I wouldn't mind spending a few extra bucks to get a knife, gun, car, frying pan, bicycle, trailer hitch, etc. that required less maintenance (Titanium is OK).
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Amen. ESEE is a design bureau in this regard. They had the original knives made to perform to their needs as survival specialists. Anything beyond that is marketing, building the brand for a few more bucks. Not a bad idea if it works, but you can see they aren't in any hurry to reinvent the square wheel.

They work in South American rain forest. 1095 gets the job done for them. 440C is a viable option but they don't need it.
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This all around. ESEE knives are made with very wear resisant coatings, and honestly 1095 isn't really all that rust prone as people say if you're using it for a lot of wood processing stuff--the wood rubs the rust right off. I can see how that would be unfavorable for someone who is just EDC'ing or maybe using it for some kind of food purposes though, so I think that's why they started to soffer the SS and uncoated versions. There actually has been a pretty good demand for it.

But really, 1095 is just works. It's super cheap, and that's what ESEE is about: Making a good blade and keeping the cost down. They could go ahead and using some kind of super-tough, modern stainless steel that's tougher than 1095 could ever hope to be and at better hardnesses... But then their knives would cost much more, and they wouldn't be able to offer the excellent warranty they do.

I think amongst the knife community there's a certain segment of the populace that has gotten a little spoiled with using "the best" materials, when realistically you could be passing on a lot of cost savings or investing that time/money into other facets of knife design.
 
Boats said:
Chromium at or over the requisite 14% for "stainless" makes a "survival" knife more brittle. It's not a step into the future so to speak, but a step backwards toward the relative fragility of stone based blades.
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This statement makes me wonder if you ever used a SS knife.
 
Just another design studio that re-invents the wheel...Rowen deserves all the credit for the excellent finish of these hard use knives. That said, I bought a BK-24 after realizing the stainless Izula would be released along with the Izula folder around 2199 A.D.
 
INFI mmmmmmmm

Stainless enough
Tougher than 1095
Sharpens just as easily
Not that much more expensive than ESEE
 
Stainless is important for me.. used to take a cs recon tanto spear fishing and even though i would clean it up and oil it, it eventually rusted under the handle.. it was pretty beat up so i figured instead of a re-handle, i would try to give it a real good work out :D... (i just wanted to see what the aus8 could do) i beat it up over concrete and hammered on it and only managed to get 1 chip around 2mm... the rest could have been evened out really easily. I think when it comes down to it, stainless is more than capable of getting the job done. NOW.... an esee in stainless would be perfect! What i really need at the end of the day is stainless with removable handles so i can keep it clean, so yes please esee!
 
I would like to have them made from tougher steel with higher wear resistance so they would stay sharp longer. I have a few 1095 (misc) and 1095CV (Becker) blades, but I need a edge that last longer. I've also seen a bunch of 1095 blade just snap in half when chopping with them, including the big BK9 with 1/4" blades. The bottom line is there are much better steels on the market, both stainless and high carbon tool steels. If hey produced a 3v version of their blades they would have more business then they could handle. That's why GSO blades sell out before the batches are through the manufacturing process. They announce availability dates and are sold out via pre-orders two weeks before that date comes around. I keep trying to like 1095 and it just keeps coming up short.
 
Also, Jan's sells a 440C Izula for $20. I let ESEE know about it a few years ago and it ticked them off. Jeff wasn't to happy with then and called them a few names, but he couldn't do anything about it. One does have to ask why knives make from the most inexpensive steels cost more than those made from better steel. If Jan's can sell a 440C blade for $20 and make money you know the 1095 version surely only cost 1/4 of that price. Their no BS warranty simple means they charge you 20 times what the blade should cost so they can give you another if them mess up the heat treat.
 
I don't see a point for stainless version since ESEE already coated most of their blades. Except rust resistance 1095 would knock out 440C in every categories.
 
Nope, not waiting for anything SS from ESEE.
Perfectly happy with the current carbon steel line.
Carbon steel rocks!
 
440c is good stuff that's plenty tough when you start with 3/16th inch stock, the lack of coating lowers the amount of friction the blade creates which will make it a better slicer and very high corrosion resistance will make it much better suited to saltwater environments. I don't know if the preliminary pricing on various websites is accurate, but as is it seems to fall right in line with the 1095 line. I think the SS line makes total sense for ESEE. Practical, simple knives made out of solid materials with a good track record.
 
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