Why are esee knives so expensive?

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BigBert said:
Keep in mind the warranty is only as good as the company. ESEE has only been around since 1997 and they are a relatively small company, nowhere near the size of say Ka-Bar or Ontario- their longevity remains to be seen.
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17 years? Schrade had been around 100 years and then Boom! (July 2004 RIP). Camillus had been around even longer and then Boom! (Feb 28, 2007 RIP) What their warranties were worth in the long run is that they spoke of a company which made knives they were proud to back up. The companies are gone but the quality remains.
 
m0sfet said:
I see, so the good warranty is what people are paying for. Is that the real answer?
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No, the real answer varies from person to person. You say they are expensive, so compared to what? A Mora? M-Tech? Busse LE? BRKT? Value comparisons are rarely ever unified across the board because to someone that has a lot of disposable income they are inexpensive compared to other knives in their size and material range. To someone that has little to no disposable income, they might be out of reach and alternatives might be looked into.
 
Yes, the "bitterness lingers", but some people will not understand. It takes time and experience to form these market based opinions. My one brother would be quite content using the chinese made el cheapo knife and he would simply never understand the difference.
 
m0sfet said:
They are made of relatively cheap 1095 steel for pig's sake. What am I missing?
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I love it when people that have never manufactured and marketed any kind of product declare something over priced. I guess ESEE knives should run around the same price as a Mora turned out almost totally by automated machines, right? After all they are both something close to cheap-o 1095 steel and that must be the major cost of production. :)
 
BigBert said:
With ESEE a lot of the cost goes into the warranty; you pay more so that some ahole can cut his with a torch and get a free one. I personally don't put a lot of merit in "lifetime" warranties because all that means is its guaranteed for the life of the company, not you or the blade.
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You mean a person can't utilize the warranty on a knife if they are dead? What is this world (or the next) coming to? ;)
 
Mannlicher said:
expensive? I thought they were inexpensive blades, of great quality. Guess I am missing something. :eek:
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I thought that myself, inexpensive durable, well made and with a good sheath. Great warranty if you need it, well made optional goods to go with them too.
 
I don't call my ESEE Knives ESEE's ~~ I call them $S$$'s.!** We all spend our money on what we want no matter what the
cost as we have to have it no matter what ~~ there are some things in life that you just have to have and "no" I won't go
into detail at this time.!!**^^ LOL
 
Codger_64 said:
17 years? Schrade had been around 100 years and then Boom! (July 2004 RIP). Camillus had been around even longer and then Boom! (Feb 28, 2007 RIP) What their warranties were worth in the long run is that they spoke of a company which made knives they were proud to back up. The companies are gone but the quality remains.
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Exactly, theres no such thing as a lifetime warranty. Both Schrade and Camillus were larger and were more of a household brand than ESEE and they went under. By Jeff Randalls own account, they are a small company without the financial resources of a large manufacturer (he said this on these boards as RAT was splitting from Ontario and he didn't have the money to fight them in court). I'm just saying I think ESEE is much more likely to go under than say Ka-Bar, so I feel more confident with Ka-Bar's warranty in the long run.
 
BigBert said:
Exactly, theres no such thing as a lifetime warranty. Both Schrade and Camillus were larger and were more of a household brand than ESEE and they went under. By Jeff Randalls own account, they are a small company without the financial resources of a large manufacturer (he said this on these boards as RAT was splitting from Ontario and he didn't have the money to fight them in court). I'm just saying I think ESEE is much more likely to go under than say Ka-Bar, so I feel more confident with Ka-Bar's warranty in the long run.
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But if they produce a quality product that one likes, and at a reasonable price, where's the beef? Do we base our purchase solely on the prospect that something is likely to go wrong? I still buy Schrade and Camillus knives knowing full well they aren't warranted. It is the quality that earned my respect, not the warranty.
 
Karda said:
Not entirely true. ESEE knives warranty does not cover normal wear-and-tear or usage as a throwing knife.
I suspect that acts of stupidity will only be covered on a case by case basis and only once.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ty-issue-that-is-unbelievable?highlight=idiot
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Jeff will warranty any knife that fails. Even if from some dumbass that screws it up by trying to modifying it or the jack that shoots holes in it with a .30 cal rifle. They are just good hard use "field" knives with an insurance policy IMO.
 
Karda said:
You apparently didn't take time to read the link I provided.
They [may] replace it if you throw it. They will also tell you to purchase elsewhere in the future and publically make fun of you.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ty-issue-that-is-unbelievable?highlight=idiot
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I at least read the first post. I kinda agree with them. Purposely tearing up a knife and asking for a replacement under warranty just isn't cool. In the end it ruins a good will agreement between the company and all of their customers. IMO, it's pretty awesome that they would provide such a warranty.

For the OP, ESEE makes a well thought out, quality, American made product with a great warranty. Best? Probably not. IMO, there's not much to complain about with what they offer. I see their offering of 1095 as something you can sharpen in the field.... which would probably be important for what those knives are built for. I don't think I'd want something fancy.
 
No one has mentioned the Rowan factor in this discussion. They produce consistently outstanding quality blades.
 
I personally split through two or three cords of doug fir and maple with my Junglas, plus dozens of bushcraft weekends before it needed to be sharpened... When I finally sharpened it, it took all of 15 minutes on my edge pro to take out every roll and imperfection. 1095, especially with ESEE's excellent heat treat, is amazing.
 
Bmurray said:
Jeff will warranty any knife that fails. Even if from some dumbass that screws it up by trying to modifying it or the jack that shoots holes in it with a .30 cal rifle. They are just good hard use "field" knives with an insurance policy IMO.
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I can guarantee you that they won't replace stupidity multiple times.
Who could blame them if they didn't?

I know all about this type of thing....
Not all to long ago in the past, a company I know had an "Unconditional Warranty"....
It was in effect from 1988 to 2009.....a total of 21 years.
That was until the burden of customers wanting warranty replacement for issues of carelessness, abuse and negligence and some unscrupulous individuals purposefully destroying product to receive warranty replacement became a problem that the company could no longer bear out of it's own pocket. It came to a decision: 1) Triple prices to cover the losses. 2) modify the warranty to make the user responsible for his actions and care of the product. 3) Go out of business.
It was decided that the warranty would be modified and they would be a bit more scrupulous in warranty replacement.
 
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Among the custom makers who make the most desirable stuff in both folding and fixed blade world, many of them prefer plain simple carbon steel.

-Michael Burch : 1095
-Jeremy Marsh : 1095
-Jerry Fisk : 1084, 5160
-Burt Foster : 1095
 
They're proven, simple designs made of sturdy materials. People either like 'em or they don't. The people behind the company are clearly very smart about their marketing, and they've built an almost rabid following in a fairly short period of time. More power to 'em!

Karda said:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ty-issue-that-is-unbelievable?highlight=idiot
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Yeah.

Intentional abuse, such as your friend is doing, will eventually cause us to not guarantee our knives with the excellent No Questions Asked warranty that we have now.
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Well then, it's not really a "No Questions Asked" policy, is it? More of a gimmick that means "we'll brag about it to get your attention, but only actually warranty what we feel like". (I'm only half-joking here)

FWIW, I completely agree that throwing knives is idiotic and should not be covered by warranty unless the knife is specifically built for throwing... nor can a company warranty against "normal wear and tear" or even rust because, guess what, that's exactly what happens when you use a knife.

It's difficult to warranty anything these days, especially a knife, because sure enough some twit will freak out over the tiniest scratch or go after it with a sledgehammer and pound it through a cinder block, just to be a pain in the neck. *shrug*

Karda said:
They may replace it if you throw it. They will also tell you to purchase elsewhere in the future and publically make fun of you.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ty-issue-that-is-unbelievable?highlight=idiot
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Which I think is perfectly reasonable... and their base clientele loves that attitude; it's part of the whole "brand". So, good for them :D


shqxk said:
Among the custom makers who make the most desirable stuff in both folding and fixed blade world, many of them prefer plain simple carbon steel.
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What's your point? Many more custom makers use extremely complex tool and stainless steels.
 
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