Hey ESEE Forum! This is my first post and I am hoping this will be a solid community for knife info. ESEE knives are why I am reading through forums and watching videos on knives late at night lol I had an unfortunate experience this morning signing up for bladeforum and the IMMEDIATE (5 mins after signing up) lack of respect towards new members (and people in general), especially the subsequent emails from Kevin Schlossberg at One Stop Knife Shop I believe after I asked for my bladeforum account to be deleted. Hoping this experience will be a lot more informative and mature. Anyways, I just ordered an ESEE 5 with the molle backer from my drop leg last night to go along with my 3 and 4. Any tips or suggestions for the ESEE 5 are welcome!
Lucky! Any tips or suggestions for optimal use with it? I use my ESEE 3 for most things, but my 4 wasn't beefy enough for some work I was doing in the mountains over winter. I'm not a fan of axes (I don't like swinging heavy sharp things near my only way out of the mountains ie feet in an emergency lol). I'm hoping the 5 can fill this role for a lot of splitting and prying.
Welcome to the forum....you will find that this forum/group focuses on sharing experiences and staying focused. We are big on mutual respect and keeping the internet trolls OUT...Be civil and respectful, contribute in a positive way and you will pick up some great info here from some solid folks.
The Junglas have been a big part of that late night forum reading and video watching lol. I've found I very rarely chop though, it uses a lot of energy quick with a heavier knife and it's easier with my Baco to saw through what I need. I am hoping the 5 splits well as that's what I mainly purchased it for. I've found the 3/16 of the 4 sometimes gets ridiculously pinched in the wood and more of a wedge is needed to split efficiently sometimes.
Welcome aboard @The General! Bladeforums isn't all bad. but the signal to noise ratio is almost out of control. I don't have a 5, but I have similar knives in that space. What prying needs do you have? I'm curious to know how you want to use your knife. Generally speaking, I would say using a knife as a pry bar or a screw driver is going to be disappointing from a performance perspective. Unless you have a Becker Tac-Tool, then yes, go pry things.
Welcome aboard. As you would have noticed already this is a pretty welcoming place where you will find lots of knowledge and people willing to take the time to answer your questions. It does not move at the pace of larger boards but that also has the advantage. Andy
I never even got a chance to find out lol. It really depends on whats happening. Digging arrows out of stuff it shouldn't have been shot into, pry a door if possible, flipped truck and something needs to be smashed, dug, or pried out quick. Random I know, but these were all situations I was encountering over the last year or so. It's purpose is to get through anything I put it through without failing on me and without me having to constantly think about if it will hold up.
I absolutely have. It's literally polar opposite on bladeforum. Everyone there felt more sad/angry on the inside to me and seemed to be acting that out in an immature manner. Sounds silly to say, but I actually just mentioned to my sister how welcoming you all are. This is what I was looking for.
Welcome to the party! I can't see you having to worry about the esee 5. There isn't much thats going to stop it from doing its job. They are definitely tanks.
If you like to do Bow Drill, keep some Bee's Wax in the Divot, Candle Wax will work but only once, it will pop out never to be seen again. Bee's Wax will mushroom and can be pushed back in. If you do a lot of Bow Drills, drill a second hole on the flip side to keep some spare Wax in, Wax isn't necessary, but it is helpful. If you like to do Flint and Steel, File the spine of your Knife and hit it with some Flint. Making Fire this way will bring out the Primal side of you. If you got the old style Micarta Handle , lock the Blade in a vise and take a File to it, shape your Handle as needed. G-10 will add another ounce to your Knife, G-10 feels slick to me when wet, Micarta feels grippy when wet. {just my opinion} The two piece Molle has a hinge in the middle, it folds up when you bend over. Take a piece of plastic and insert it in the back to make it rigid. I cut the Handle Snap off mine, the Kydex is all I ever need, it just got in the way. Girth Hitch your lanyard if you put one on, this will make it easy to remove, sometimes its just in the way. You can store it with Girth Hitch on your sheath so as to not lose it until you put it back on your Knife. If you wear a Pack with a waist belt, you can add a dangler to have it ride a bit lower and better. ESEE 5's don't like it when you yell at them....... Welcome to the Asylum.
This is what I was hoping for. I suppose I should ask the group, is there anything I shouldn't do with the ESEE 5?
Thank you for the suggestions, these are great! I honestly forgot all about the bow drill divot, would B-Fat work for the purpose of putting it in the divot? I'm with you on the Micarta. My 3 has canvas micarta which I love and have zero complaints about, and I accidentally ordered my 4 with linen micarta; I've found does not grip the same to me in the rain or snow. Can you explain more on the Molle folding when you bend over? I use the molle backers with a leg holster so that my tools are where I need them at all times and haven't had issues, but then again, I haven't slapped a pound worth a steel to them yet lol.
I have the linen on my 4 as well. Here's a pic of mine so you can see how I dealt with the slick handles. Lots of folks have done similar and honestly better jobs then me but it works.
I actually really like that. Staring at that 5 in your pic is seriously making me antsy for mine to come in. Any tips for the 5 that you've learned from using it?
Welcome to the forum. You “digging arrows” comment resonated with me, I’ve literally used my 5 to dig an arrow out a pine tree that I shot through a 3D target. It tends to go back and forth between my truck and close to the fireplace cause it excels at what you’re after with splitting wood that’s been sawed to length. I prefer my Junglas for general woods/swamp use, I probably encounter a lot more thickets than most folks with the the field aspect of my job so I like that it’ll function as a machete when needed. I’ve had an Izula, Izula 2, 2 3’s, 2 laserstrikes, a 5, a 6 and I Junglas. I currently have the Izula 2, both laserstrikes, the 5 and the Junglas. Due to use overlap the ones I don’t have anymore just sat cause I used ones I kept and I’m not much of a collector unless it was a gift or held a nostalgic meaning I sell or trade off. The 3 is awesome and those two were hard to part with cause what they excelled at for me they really did well, but over time I just found the Laserstrike to do just as well with more time in hand. I’ve got TKC G10 on all mine except one modded LS. Once again it’s more because I live/work/play in some really wet conditions and I like that G10 doesn’t absorb water.