Why did you choose an ESEE?

J

Jamesh Bond

Joined
Jan 14, 2007
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1,760
My next fixed blade purchase is narrowed between an ESEE 5 or 6, or a Ratmandu. A Survive! GSO of some sort was on there too, but as a last choice due to the price and weakest warranty. Ive pretty much decided on the Rat, but recently got to hold an ESEE Junglas and it felt awesome. I have never held a Ratmandu so i cant attest.

Anyway, to ESSEE owners, just curious before i pull the trigger. Why did you go the way you chose? Right now the biggest win for the Rat is higher performing steel. Price and warranty are comparable. Thoughts?

Thx.
 
Though I dont own one yet I would choose the rat as well. That said, I would also get the esee 6 and Junglas, both of which I do have and have used quite a bit. I wouldn't get the 5 for actual knife uses. It is a better sharpened pry bar than a knife. The Junglas has the best handle of the bunch IMO, the rest are sort of flat which some people take issue with.

The reasons I choose an Esee (I have lots of other knives so this is not an exclusive choice) are the functional nature of the knife, the steel/heat treat, the fit/finish, and the warranty. It says a lot about a product when a company stands behind it 100% and forever no matter who owns it.
 
I believe Swamp Rat has the same warranty, which is a trump for me. I do like some good ol 1095 tho.

Thx.
 
Would choose a GSO cause of CPM 3V, by far the toughest and and with 7.5% Chromium by far the most stain resistant out of the three.
 
My only ESEE knife is the "4". Bought it because I wanted to handle and try out one of their knives. I tend to prefer Kabar Becker knives at this kind of price point.
 
I also have went with Becker. I MO best bang for the buck.
I do like the esee 6 and Ratmandu. The survive knives I am sure are very good if not a little over priced.
 
Jamesh Bond said:
I believe Swamp Rat has the same warranty, which is a trump for me. I do like some good ol 1095 tho.

Thx.
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Yes, the warranty is basically the same. The Swamp Rat is not that much difference in price as well considering what you get. The one downside would be you will need to come up with a sheath for the Ratmandu. Every Esee I have owned comes with a great sheath. The Junglas sheath makes the package actually a bargain IMO.

Jeru said:
Would choose a GSO cause of CPM 3V, by far the toughest and and with 7.5% Chromium by far the most stain resistant out of the three.
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Yes 3v is better stuff. I just can't get over the look of Survive! For me it looks too bland which is totally a personal preference. They are quite costly as well.

22-rimfire said:
My only ESEE knife is the "4". Bought it because I wanted to handle and try out one of their knives. I tend to prefer Kabar Becker knives at this kind of price point.
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I would consider Esee and becker in different price ranges with becker being more budget and possibly a better value. However, for me, the sheath and handle material upgrades on the Esee close this gap.
 
I have an Esee 5 that gets heavy use. Love it for all the same reasons stated above. My Survive 3.5 is my EDC. If anything, I feel Survive is under priced. 3v is expensive and completely over kill for most applications.
 
Got my hands on a 4. Didn't seem to fit my hand at all. Tried adding liners to it to get me some extra width. Still didn't do much for me. Traded it for an Izula 2. Man, what a difference. I know it's a different knife , for a different purpose, but I absolutely love the I2. Could not be happier. Maybe I'm just a a smaller knife kinda guy ;)

Joe
 
Regarding Beckers, you can upgrade to the micarta scales for around $30. And i have never once heard anyone complain about the Becker handles on any of his knives. Own a 24, 16, 2, 9 and the handle is so perfect. I upgraded to the micarta for the 9 and love it.

I do not own any Esse's you are asking about but i do love my venom green Izula with the Becker scales.

My brother has a ratmandu and it is a great knife with great steel. Very nice handle. Just add a Special Forces sheath and good to go.

Don't think you can really go wrong with any of them. But I vote Becker with upgraded handles. You can dye them woth Ritt very easyily.
 
I've got an Izula and a 3 really like them both, for me it was about edge geometry, warranty, and toughness. I prefer to not chop with a knife so the larger ones are not really my thing I always find they are too thick for cutting so you essentially end up with a knife that will only chop why not just get a hatchet?? Let me say this is just my opinion after using a few survival type large fixed blades.
 
I own an ESEE Izula which I like (comfortable) and would not mind owning a Junglas.
But I prefer Swamp Rat and Survive! Knives for their steel (higher quality, higher hardness for improved edge strength, still very tough) and for their overall designs including ergonomics - much more comfortable to use than most of the ESEE line. I've done the pre-orders and clearance sales for S!K thus avoiding some of the price concerns. I trust the S!K warranty as much as the Swamp's and trust EITHER over the ESEE warranty. Why? Because ESEE doesn't extend that warranty to stainless knives (only the soft 1095 stuff) and because they seem to lack confidence in the durability of even those they DO warranty. For example, ever seen what happens to an ESEE owner who does something like this?

[video=youtube;QyBhMK5zlxU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyBhMK5zlxU[/video]

Or what about this?

[video=youtube;iCphmLgvaV4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCphmLgvaV4[/video]

I prefer Swamp Rat and Survive! for their materials, design, and the confidence they inspire in their products :thumbup:
 
A swamp rat Ratmandu is my dream knife. Unfortunately as a college student, it's hard to spend money on frivolous things. BUT, I chose the esee 3 over the rat 3 just because of fit and finish, esee superior HT, and better warranty
 
If you throw a non throwing knife you deserve to be called an idiot when it breaks.
 
craytab said:
If you throw a non throwing knife you deserve to be called an idiot when it breaks.
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Y'all see what i mean? :D

1095 at 55Rc and 3/16" thick down to ~0.030 behind the edge? I've yet to see anyone break SR101 at 60Rc with similar geometry under similar conditions. That S!K GSO-5.1 is similarly hardened to 58-60Rc but reaches 0.020" behind the edge... didn't even roll the edge much less fracture with such use. Gerber uses 420HC at hardness >55Rc in their military knives, not seeing those broken from throwing. Cold Steel tests a number of their much thinner Aus8 blades under harsher treatment than just throwing...

So what is it uniquely fragile about ESEE blades that induces this response of "your an idiot for throwing a non-throwing knife"?? I don't think they are so fragile, but still this is the response you get. Why the lack of confidence in their products?

I love the standard response to the question, "Does Busse make a throwing knife?" Yes, take your Busse and throw it.

The response of the owner of S!K to that GSO-5.1 video: "You made some really good throws"

I like that ESEE has a record of standing behind the products that their warranty actually applies to, but the application is limited and the manner in which they stand holds me away. *shrug* YMMV
 
I bought my RC-3 because I liked the steel choice, liked the HT, liked the sheath, liked the handles, liked the warranty, and loved the two guys running the company. Its still my go to heavy work knife.
 
craytab said:
Yes, the warranty is basically the same. The Swamp Rat is not that much difference in price as well considering what you get. The one downside would be you will need to come up with a sheath for the Ratmandu. Every Esee I have owned comes with a great sheath. The Junglas sheath makes the package actually a bargain IMO.



Yes 3v is better stuff. I just can't get over the look of Survive! For me it looks too bland which is totally a personal preference. They are quite costly as well.



I would consider Esee and becker in different price ranges with becker being more budget and possibly a better value. However, for me, the sheath and handle material upgrades on the Esee close this gap.
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I would agree with all of this. I also have knives from Becker, KA-BAR, ESEE, and multiple Swamp Rats. I love 'em all. They will all do what you need done, and ESEE and Swamp Rat have bulletproof warranties. Ka-bar/Becker's appears to be pretty good also.

I don't own any Survive! knives because I also think they're a tad spendy for what they are, and as you can see, I don't really need one. I have plenty of other knives which work just as well for my needs and would do anything a Survive! knife can do.
 
Quiet said:
I would agree with all of this. I also have knives from Becker, KA-BAR, ESEE, and multiple Swamp Rats. I love 'em all. They will all do what you need done, and ESEE and Swamp Rat have bulletproof warranties. Ka-bar/Becker's appears to be pretty good also.

I don't own any Survive! knives because I also think they're a tad spendy for what they are, and as you can see, I don't really need one. I have plenty of other knives which work just as well for my needs and would do anything a Survive! knife can do.
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Yup. Agreed!

And to the above, why throw a non throwing knife? Just because. Okay, have fun but break it and you are going to be called an idiot. Sorry, that is how it is. You Mr. grolim are the king of practicality. So why on earth would you throw a knife at anything? If I need a metal object to be propelled a matter of yards away from me for any practical reasons I can accomplish that just fine. It's called a bullet. No need for silly expensive knife throwing.....
 
craytab said:
...You Mr. grolim are the king of practicality. So why on earth would you throw a knife at anything?
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Certainly no "king", i throw knives for sport, as a hobby... like collecting knives ;) But I AM practical about which knives i throw - those that can handle it without failure. :cool: Swamp Rat and Survive! both make the cut. Why would the ESEE-owners have so little faith in Rowen's manufacturing? No idea, but I try to respect their opinion of their own knives and not buy them since they lack confidence in their durability. *shrug* They call me an "idiot" for throwing knives built to withstand much harsher treatment, much stronger forces, and demonstrably capable of such? *shrug* Their position seems irrational. If one of my knives breaks from throwing, I promise to post about on BF :thumbup:
 
I got a Junglas because I wanted a Junglas. :)

It has stood up to all the abuse I have dished out to it...other than throwing.
If I threw it, It probably would NOT break...because I'd miss the target, and it would go sailing off into the woods, burying itself never to be found, like the last knife I threw. :D
 
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