It does take practice to get that muscle memory, but it don't take that long to get used to it. It took me quite a few tries to get it down. There's a ton of YouTube videos also that could help. Good luck in whatever you choose though!
One of my favorite things about the ESEE 3 is its versatility. Sure it will do fire prep, And I wouldn't be stressed if I was lost in the woods and all I had was a 3. But it excels as a kitchen knife too. The thin profile and flat grind conspire to make it pretty slicy. It was pouring down rain this morning. So my outside breakfast got moved indoors. I love working with leftovers, so many rich flavors built right in. The 3 chopped up some Andouille sausage, red & green peppers, and onion. Then a leftover spud that was fire roasted with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and olive oil. To the spud I added some magic Red Eyed Hog. It all went in the Lodge carbon steel skillet, Veggies first, then the sausage, then the tater. Feeling a little lazy after a big day in the woods yesterday. I opted to just toss the eggs right in the same pan. Less cleanup. Not the prettiest photo in my collection. But breakfast was awesome! Don't be afraid to rock your ESEE 3 for food prep. It does an amazing job for a field knife. I really need to find a way to drive more folks back to this website. I don't do BookFace, and Insta is just FBOR (face book once removed).
Nice shots! I also love to use the 3 for food prep, it is my best slicer. I really want to strip it, but not able to make good finish afterwards is still stopping me from doing it. I made something similar to keep me going through the night shift yesterday, good eating for sure.
I used the vinegar patina after I stripped my esee 3. It holds for a few months, depending on usage. Then I'll soak it again in vinegar and repeat.
The patina comes up really nice indeed. What bothers me is that often the finish is rough under the coating, which is fine and understandable, and I can't make it very good with sandpaper by hand. Perhaps the scotch brite pads can apply some finish if used properly. And just a random pic of the Perfect One
I have found slicing a bunch of raw potatoes will bring on a nice even patina. Can't say it will work for everyone, But I have had good luck with it. This knife went from freshly stripped to this after some spud work. No forced patina other than cutting up potatoes.
The winter prep has officially began here. Anyone has experience with TKC HM G10 scales? I wonder if I will lose a lot of grip with them, but G10 appeals to me for this particular knife, as it gets wet and used on food a lot.
Cutting food with a possibly rusty, paint covered slab of steel when having real kitchen knives in the drawer??? YEAH
This Tweener model is one of my favorite and most used knives. My “getting outdoors” time is pretty limited these days, but this BK, my ESEE 3, and Izula see the most use out of my smaller fixed blades.
The E3 is the perfect fixed blade for my current life. I’m not rural enough to tote anything much larger, but I’m away from the city enough to bump up from the Izzy/TOPS Tibo carry. I’ve been contemplating adding 3D scales, but the stock scales carry so well for my uses.
Yep. Real deal. That one has seen some use and abuse. Ferro rod notch would not have been a factory thing.