ESEE 6 itch

[Billy-o]

I have a proper jonesing here for an ESEE-6. Has anyone here got one, had one, had a go on one?

1095 steel at about Rc 55-57, so pretty soft ... tough and easy to sharpen being the qualities aimed for, I guess.

Here's a little video, because, well, you know, because ...

I like that guy from Knife Centre. Kind of low impact and pleasant ... not one of those neurotic rambo types you often see in the context of ESEE stuff

 

[Erbswurst]

Why do these knifes have this large ricasso? That's the reason why they aren't interesting to me.
In my opinion a handle should be made to hold the knife and the blade is made to cut.

 

[Nice65]

I had one, a real beaut in olive drab green G10 with orange liners from The Knife Connection. Truly a thing to behold it was, I know exactly where your itch is at

But, it’s a lump. Not such a lump as the 5 which is a pry bar at 6mm thick, but the blade is too long and still too thick to be of much practical use. The balance is way off for chopping, it looks like it should but it just doesn’t. It’s an attractive brute, but despite that, it spent its life with me taking it out of the cupboard and admiring it rather than it being used. In short, it was useless though incredibly satisfying to own.

 

[Billy-o]

Yes, 'guilty, as charged'. I don't think that its being useless diminishes it in any way at all. With that coating off, they look great, too

@Erbswurst, you might like the 6H, then

 

[gra_farmer]

I had this itch, a while ago and had a chance to get one at a cheap brand new price.....but I didn’t, for me it was between the fallkniven A1 and this.....the fallkniven won, and do not regret it.

I have not yet had a chance to review side by side, and compare, but like you I have done a lot of Googlefu and have been drawn in.

 

[Erbswurst]

If I would be forced to choose one I would probably take the 4HM, but I think even here the blade is too thick.

I guess I would choose the 3 HM if somebody would gift it to me.


But I know a lot of other knifes I would buy before, for example a stainless Mora Garberg with leather sheath, a Casström 10 or Lars Felt, a Marttiini Tundra CB or GL or something like that...

In my opinion a survival knife must be designed like this.

 

[Billy-o]

I like his survival hat

I think the ESEE is more of a glee knife than a considered survival tool. Other hand, for another register of outdoorsing that involves fire starting and skinning beasts, it could do.

It's not as if I need the ESEE, I have these. But I do like the idea of that broad flat blade a lot.

I must say that I dont now think much of the Bark River and the Fallkniven here at the moment. But the Ackerman in the middle is a piece of art ... fantastic at what it claims to do.

 

[Erbswurst]

Don't forget, that you need also a Keith titanium canteen, custom made boots, an Akto, Hestra's Lars Fält gloves and other bargains...

 

[Billy-o]

Yes, it is a very Gucci wardrobe he has there ... benefits of the reviewing, perhaps

 

[Erbswurst]

But to be honest:

Because I currently haven't so much to do, I dig out my old stuff step by step and clean it.

Doing this I discovered that most of my middle priced equipment got destroyed by aging in the storage during 10 to 25 years.

The only stuff which is still good to use is military surplus of every age and high end expedition equipment which was the most expensive available when I bought it.

In the long run only military equipment and expensive high end stuff is worth the investment.

 

[fielder1963]

I like his survival hat

I think the ESEE is more of a glee knife than a considered survival tool. Other hand, for another register of outdoorsing that involves fire starting and skinning beasts, it could do.

It's not as if I need the ESEE, I have these. But I do like the idea of that broad flat blade a lot.

I must say that I dont now think much of the Bark River and the Fallkniven here at the moment. But the Ackerman in the middle is a piece of art ... fantastic at what it claims to do.

What is it about the Bark River and the Fallkniven you don't think much of?

 

[Billy-o]

It’ll pass ... but on a thing that big I don’t much like the broomhandly handle on the BRKT and compared to the Ackerman it has no ergonomic nuance at all .... which is fine when one is in that blunt mood, but that’s far from always. Mind, the 3V (steel) is great. Been sharpened up a bunch. So, any of that sometimes noted frailty in the BRKT edge should be gone. The Fallkie is a bit too weight-forward and thick in stock for my tastes at the moment. But, like I say, I am sure I’ll get back to liking them before long.

I’m on a bit of a carbon steel tip at the moment. O1, A2, 52100, M4, K390 ... thin, hard, tough. Some softer steel in there as leavening; that's what I’ve a taste for just now. Hence the ESEE-6. Though, having said all that, I wouldn't mind owning a Roselli Leuku again.

 

[Erbswurst]

 

[Billy-o]

A tip? Kind of means a mood or mental demeanour or can mean like a new and ongoing slight obsession. It's sort of slang. Well, it was in about 2000.

 

[chimpy leon]

On the face of it Esee seem to be quite expensive for what are fairly basic and relatively cheap materials such as Micarta and 1095. but once you factor in their “if you break it, we will replace it” warranty, they’re probably quite good value for money if you intend to really use the knife. I don’t know of anyone in the U.K. actually testing this but it’s still a great thing for a company to have this day in age.

That said I find their blades a little too soft for my liking but it makes sense for them to be that way.

 

[Billy-o]

Something just put me off ... all the signage and branding and mottoes. They are etched into the metal of the blade. I hoped/thought that they were just applied in some kind of paint along with the blade coating. But it looks like no. Those people who have stripped the finish off seem to tend to photograph the finished item from the other side ... kind of unsurprisingly. Well, maybe I was just unlucky with the pics I have been seeing over time; or, just wan't looking for it.

 

[Nice65]

Something just put me off ... all the signage and branding and mottoes. They are etched into the metal of the blade. I hoped/thought that they were just applied in some kind of paint along with the blade coating. But it looks like no. Those people who have stripped the finish off seem to tend to photograph the finished item from the other side ... kind of unsurprisingly. Well, maybe I was just unlucky with the pics I have been seeing over time; or, just wan't looking for it.

I had every intention of stripping off the coating. On a user knife it binds in logs etc. But as I said, it never became a user because it was neither here nor there in my world, and looked cool as... with that coating.

Mind you, I still have a hankering for the orange handled and venom green coated Junglas, so probably best ignore me.



The only ESSE I really like are the 3 and 4. The 3 is now the only one I own, and has been walloped with logs and asked to do more than it should.

 

[Billy-o]

It took me years to come to terms with that yellow, but once I saw it right I was all for it. I did do a whiney when it came out, I have to say

 

[Erbswurst]

If it would be completely orange, I wouldn't buy but accept it.

Do you mean that this design shows that it's made by serious people?

And looking into the details I also tend to ask the question regarding the other stuff they make.

 

[Mr Wolf]

many moons ago I was tempted.
I nearly got a cm6 as I didnt want a choir or broom handle. with a view to bluntening the swedge and removing the graphics.
the shite logos only stay if you purposely etch them,otherwise stip,polish,pretty much gone