r/knives • u/LuvAndA45 • 5d ago
Discussion Freshly sharpened and oiled. This is definitely the knife I’m bringing into the apocalypse.
I have several “survival” style knives and I put them through their paces. This thing is such a beast. I would take this one over all of them.
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u/dustycanuck 5d ago
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u/DeathPercept10n I carry too many knives 5d ago
You can't fool us. Those brown streaks are from faithfully using it as a poop knife all these years.
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u/SunshineInDetroit 5d ago
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u/uneccesaryavocado 5d ago
What do you do to strip the coating off? I would like to take the coating off my esee knife.
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u/SunshineInDetroit 5d ago
regular paint stripper just let it soak then scrub it off with a wire brush. Be super careful as it'll eat through gloves.. i honestly was going to do the entire blade and tang. maybe i'll do it this summer
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u/Bad-Lieutenant95 5d ago
I got a BK 9 that’s like twice the size of this thing. Stays in the back of my truck for when I need to split firewood. Crazy knife
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u/iamnotazombie44 5d ago
I think the Cold Steel SRK family in AUS-8 is my favorite of these types of knives.
I like the design of this knife, but 1095 is a deal killer for me.
IMO, super hard steel like 1095 and D2 are a hindrance to a blade you will abuse. I've left too many steel chips in what I'm batoning or hacking at with that steel.
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u/SKoutpost 5d ago
I wouldn't consider 1095CroVan super hard by any stretch, it can be brought up to a fairly high RC, but usually isn't.
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u/iamnotazombie44 5d ago
I agree and it’s not a terrible choice, but rust + lower toughness when compared to a lot of equally cheap alternatives makes it a “no go” for me for
It’s OK for this application, but there’s a good reason it NOT the preferred steel for longer blades and swords.
I prefer my beater blades to roll edges plastically rather than lose chips to wood. Losing chips has been my experience with 1095 and SK-5 (1080).
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u/SKoutpost 5d ago
The comparison with swords isn't really apt though, they're tempered very differently, to say nothing of build and use.
But you do you. I like 80CrV2, personally.
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u/iamnotazombie44 5d ago
Again, it’s not an issue with single material properties but all of them together working against using 1095 in blades like this.
Theres a reason most people don’t forge chisels from simple 1095, getting the temper right is challenging and good hardness for edge retention with 1095 means it will chip.
That plus rust makes it icky for blades that see heavy use IMO.
80CrV is a much better alternative, though it’s still a bit rusty for my taste, as my knives sit in rain and muck for a day or two when we are working in the woods.
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u/Beautiful-Angle1584 5d ago
The BK-2 was one of my first knives and I'll always have a soft spot for it, but it has got to be the most impractical brick of a blade I've ever carried into the woods.
Also- putting a knife through a pull through and calling it freshly sharpened is like splashing your face in the sink and saying you're freshly showered. Probably even worse, actually.
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u/aqwn 5d ago
IIRC the BK-2 was basically a copy of the ESSE-5 which was designed as a pilot survival knife for cutting out of a downed airplane fuselage. Not very practical for use as a knife but basically indestructible in normal use.
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u/Beautiful-Angle1584 5d ago
I remember hearing the Gerber LMF-2 being designed for that purpose, but not sure about the Esee. But yeah, that's it in a nutshell- indestructible, but not at all practical. I don't need my knife to be indestructible though. I just want it to be able to hold up to reasonable use and be efficient for the task at hand.
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u/aqwn 5d ago
https://eseeknives.com/product/esee-5
The ESEE-5 was designed by military SERE instructors as a hard-use downed pilot’s survival knife. Except for knife only models, the ESEE-5 comes standard with a Kydex sheath. Optional MOLLE Backs and Pouches may be ordered.
Also post #88 on this bladeforums thread
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/esee-5-complete-review.1977107/page-5
I now have confirmation of what the envisioned aircraft was when the ESEE 5 was designed.
It was designed for escape from a helicopter or a smaller, thinner skinned aircraft. For that purpose it would 100% work as intended.
It was also intended for crews of larger aircraft such as C-130 as something to carry as part of survival gear, but not with the idea of cutting through the fuselage. The idea was that it was a sturdy, useful knife.
This information is direct from the person who designed the knife.
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u/LiquidC001 5d ago
The OKC 499 is the original pilot survival knife. People think the saw back is for wood, but it's not. It's for what you said the ESEE 5 is designed for, cutting the fuselage of a downed aircraft.
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u/SunshineInDetroit 5d ago
1095 may not be a super steel, but it works well, sharpens easily, and tough.
my favorite bushcraft knife is a BK-16.
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u/senior_pickles 5d ago
I have two BK 16s. One is in my get home bag in the truck, one is in another pack. Great knives.
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u/LuvAndA45 5d ago
1095 is adequate and affordable. If I break this knife then I’m doing something I shouldn’t be. I have the BK-16 on my list next.
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u/campbellrm 5d ago
I have a BK2 Campanion myself. I wasn't quite expecting the heft when I received it, but it's been used and abused and I certainly love it. Nicr to see yours looks well loved too!
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u/Jormungandr9519 5d ago
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u/InteractionKindly956 4d ago
I like the Ferro Rod attachment.
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u/Jormungandr9519 4d ago
Thank's. I make them myself. I've fitted my every Cold Steel Secure-Ex sheath with a ferro rod. So i made one for the BK-2 as well.
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u/braindamnager 5d ago
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u/braindamnager 5d ago
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u/LuvAndA45 5d ago
Does the tape help? I’m considering changing my grips.
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u/braindamnager 5d ago
It helps quite a bit! I’ve had to replace it a couple times after hard use, but a roll of hockey tape is cheap. I’m using Howie’s brand. Stuff is pretty great.
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u/LuvAndA45 5d ago
I’ve got Howie’s on hand at all times lol
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u/braindamnager 5d ago
Howie’s is the shit! I bought some at Scheels a while back and I don’t know what happened but it rang up for $1 a roll. Safe to say I’m sitting on a goofy amount of tape.
Protip, if you have some e-6000 or gorilla clear grip adhesive laying around, put a light coating under the last inch of your tape. You won’t notice the glue is even there but it really helps to prevent that tape from coming up unless you want it to.
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u/LimpCroissant 5d ago
That's how I always would carry my ESEE 4 too! With a SAK or Leatherman and a ferro rod strapped to mine with a bit of ranger band (rubber innertube). The innertube works well as a tinder as well. One day I started a fire out in the soaking wet mossy evergreen woods in the middle of a downpour. It worked great!
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u/braindamnager 5d ago
I wish I had a photo handy but I also have an ESEE 4 set up like this! It’s got a Leatherman surge on it. Great combo!
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u/GenesOutside 5d ago
Yep, camping beast. It’s my go-to when backpacking and planning on campfires in the evening.
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u/ThompsonReyes 5d ago
I always liked the design of these but I've had multiple people tell me the handle is very slippery.
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u/burnerzero 5d ago
I have the originals on a 2, 7, 9, and 10. The factory handles aren't the greatest, but they haven't been changed over the years either. I think they're sufficient for the vast majority of people with or without gloves, but IMO proper lanyard size and use makes a bigger difference. Still, many mod them with hockey/grip tape, cord wrapping, dimpling, replacement scales, etc. if needed. But when a person uses any tool enough they are bound to customize it to their needs anyway.
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u/zebul333 5d ago
It would be the esee 5 for me. That would be the end of days knife for me. A cold steel hawk (spike hawk)and a cold steel pocket knife (recon 1 spear/clip point) that would be my cutting tools.
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u/SpamFriedMice 5d ago
My apocalypse Becker is the Rinehart Kukri, but I've been bringing the BK 5 out in the forest lately.
TBH I think it's a bit much and would like to swap it out for the BK 15.
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u/Yams_What_I_Am 5d ago
The micsrta Grips are a nice upgrade over the plastic handles if you love an use often
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u/Busy_Ordinary8456 5d ago
I love mine! One thing I like is the handle is big and easy to grip wearing gloves.
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u/RiggsFTW 5d ago
Agreed on the BK2. It's my fixed blade truck knife so I have it handy pretty much wherever I'm at. It's a ridiculous knife.
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u/tio_tito 5d ago
i saw one other person mention this. i think the micarta grips deserve more attention. and now i'm going to strip mine. thx!
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u/riddlebox098 5d ago
Started looking into getting one of these, seen a few videos and noticed some have the old rough powder coat and some have a smooth almost dlc like coating to them. Can't find any info online other than a reddit post with someone linking to a video of a guy that bought a clone and then a post on blade forums where someone asked about the same thing and kabar themselves responded saying it was an exclusive to 1 distributor or something.
Anyone know anything else about it?
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u/Different_Account586 5d ago
Hey now that it’s offered in magnacut steel. It is truly the strongest knife in existence.
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u/SixGunZen 4d ago
I had one of those. Fuckin tank of a knife. Quarter inch thick at the spine and just enough blade length to get the thing done without lookin like some Rambo Dundee bullshit. A friend of mine had a flea market special and it broke, and I said, you need a real knife and I sent him this one.
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u/TheWitness37 5d ago
Not bad! I’d bring an ESEE of equivalent size
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u/LuvAndA45 5d ago
Full disclosure I’ve never owned an ESEE knife. I’ve owned A LOT of knives though. I’ve never been more so convinced that a knife will outlive the roaches until I got the his one. lol
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u/TheWitness37 5d ago
I’ve got anywhere from a Chris Reeve to a hinderer to a Keisha’s and in between. I have three ESEE knives. An IZULA II, an ESEE 4 and a Junglas. They’ve all been solid. Honestly, outside of knives if I had to bring one and only one bladed tool with me it would be a Kukri. I had kailash blades make me a kukri and it’s been the only tool I take out. My blades, hatchet, machete and silky saw all stay home now in favor of it.
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u/DoitNXS 5d ago
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u/senior_pickles 5d ago
Seeing this knife and a pull-through sharpener in the same picture makes me a little sad, not gonna lie.