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What Knives Are Better Survival Knives Than The Esee 6?

S

ShinyLoveMachine

Joined
Jul 3, 2014
Messages
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I'm dead serious when I say Esee seems to keep coming out on top in the forums I research.

So I do a lot of wilderness hiking/backpacking etc. in Montana. That said I bought the Esee 6 after doing hours of research on some of the best full tang tough survival knives out there. There are a lot of knives that I might want for others purposes like the KaBar USMC fighting knife etc.

That said after researching tons of forums including this one many people have asked the question of "Becker BK7 Vs Esee 6". Or SOG Navy Seal Knife Vs Esee 6 and the vast majority of users say "go for Esee you can't go wrong".

Since it seems Esee is indeed awesome (and I love my Esee) I'm wondering is there is a better knife out there for the same purposes that anyone here owns? Any advice on an even better upgrade knife? I also own a Ruana knife (Made in Bonner MT) they are better in my humble opinion, but the one I have isn't made for chopping and survival in the same sense Esee is.
 
I don't think there is a single best, since we all move around the backcountry in different ways.

Our choice of forums will determine the answers you get. So will the verbiage we use.

Search a forum like Backpacking Light and you'll find that a lot of people go crazy deep into wilderness areas carrying nothing but a razor blade or a Victorinox Classic. They would view the extra weight of a heavier knife as a safety hazard, as it would slow them down while providing no real value (they rely on their tarp and stove).

Search a forum like White Blaze dot net (focused on AT thru hiking) and you'll hear a different set of responses.

Substitute "survival knife" for "climbing knife" or "backpacking knife" or "UL backpacking knife" and you'll get different responses. All of them need to be understood in the context of the entire kit and the entire philosophy of the approach. IMO, all are equally valid.

This is my favorite backcountry carry if carrying a gas or alcohol stove.

Outdoor Carry by Pinnah, on Flickr

If I'm carrying a small wood stove, I'll replace the Opinel with a Mora Companion and a Silky 170 saw, which together probably weigh less than an Esee 6. I'm not saying my picks are better. Just better suited to where I go and how I go.
 
hard question. loved my esee 5 but it was hefty.

ultimately i still carry a fallkniven s1 (used from our very own BF) and my edc BM perdue folder. (carried it last hunting season and works well with the damp snow/water). I don't hike at all anymore. My rotterman has gotten arthritic :(

Weight will be an issue to consider, especially if you're packing a sidearm
 
The Kabar is "the" survival knife.

It's the original to which every other survival is a copy, attempts at replicating the Kabar, either by design or materials. The Kabar pretty much still remains in its original design. Tried and true, tested through decades of combat (extreme use) and outdoors (hard use). Officially approved warranting that it's good sht.

Everyone needs to own a Kabar original before any other survival knife. Then you'll know the standard to which all others compare.. and it's good.
 
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KaBar is a great knife don't get me wrong. That said, when it comes to doing a lot of chopping wood, the KaBar is not a full tang and there's a weakness near the handle, therefore these knives have been known to break at their weakest point there when under a lot of stress, whereas Fallkniven and Esse 6 knives would likely be fine!
 
It is designed for outdoor recreation though. Kabar is a bowie knife modified for combat by adding elements aimed at combat mostly the cross bar and materials and just making it as strong as feasible. Bowie knives were kitchen knives modified for bears.

Kabar, for armed bears of course.

All the mentioned above are great too, I've been really in to Esee since it's move from Ontario, but everyone needs a Kabar. It's a must.
 
wensynch said:
It is designed for outdoor recreation though. Kabar is a bowie knife modified for combat by adding elements aimed at combat mostly the cross bar and materials and just making it as strong as feasible. Bowie knives were kitchen knives modified for bears.

Kabar, for armed bears of course.
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1) No it isn't. It's designed for combat/utility.
2) Bowie knives were not "kitchen knives modified for bears". They were kitchen knives modified for fighting people. Hence you also would not need to modify one for combat.
3) The Kabar name preceedes the USMC knife by a very long time.

Not that it wouldn't work in the outdoors. But it is not what is designed for.
 
ShinyLoveMachine said:
KaBar is a great knife don't get me wrong. That said, when it comes to doing a lot of chopping wood, the KaBar is not a full tang and there's a weakness near the handle, therefore these knives have been known to break at their weakest point there when under a lot of stress, whereas Fallkniven and Esse 6 knives would likely be fine!
Click to expand...

The KaBar USMC is not even the best KaBar for the woods, that would be the USN MK.1, the one designed as a survival knife from the get go. Yes, it still has a stick tang, but it's still a better blade geometrically speaking, and it dumps the top guard.

For lots of people here, chopping/batoning isn't very high on the list of what they want from their sheath knife in the woods.
 
The Kabar of WWII was designed by committe to do a few things ok, but the result is like most items by committe that it doesn't excell at any of them. Also the Bowie, as in Bu-ee not BOwie the rock icon was a butcher knife. If you can butcher a Bison with it people don't stand much of a chance. To the Op. What I would choose to defend myself may be different than your choice.
 
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Fallkniven knives are my favorite and my go to for any outdoor activities. Lots of good choices: A1, A2, A1pro, SK 6 krut, NL 1,2,3 &V1 volcano, which is my current outdoor activity edc. Happy hunting.
 
Don't forget that Kabar Beckers would be good for the woods with what you seem to have in mind. (As much if not more of a following than ESEE) Not fond of the big and smooth grips but modding them should be easy. (I had a kabar potbelly at one point and the grip was horrendous)

The cerakote on the esee seems to hang up a bit more (especially after you scratch em) and if I'm wearing winter gloves I need a smaller grip. Fallkniven A1 is definitely drool worthy.

I do like the looks of some of the Bark Rivers.

Rhinoknives1 said:
The Kabar of WWII was designed by committe to do a few things ok, but the result is like most items by committe that it doesn't excell at any of them. Also the Bowie, as in Bu-ee not BOwie the rock icon was a butcher knife. If you can butcher a Bison with it people don't stand much of a chance. To the Op. What I would choose to defend myself may be different than your choice.
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dunno where in Montana but I'd definitely be hefting around a g20.
Last time I took my SO hiking in the San Gabriel mtns for a vacay weekend - passed by a trio: nearly naked couple of guys and a lass walking barefoot on some jagged rocks. I'm not even sure how they made it halfway up the trail (blood everywhere on their feet). I left them alone since they seemed to have a very strong fascination with staring at the sun.
Had an ESEE Junglas with me to help clear the brush in the deeper parts weirdly enough.
 
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If you want the same basic style knife but just a different steel and maker then I like the Survive Knives GSO range.

As pinnah said different people come up with different solutions to the different ways they go about enjoying the great outdoors. What works in one place may or may not in another. Most knives which carry a half decent edge will be just fine, though how to go about a task might change.

The more experience I have the less "knife" I seem to need. I don't find "one knife does it all" very useful and prefer to carry a more efficient blade for what compliments what I'm doing better.
The combat utility blade, or survival knife, is an all rounder that isn't very efficient at anything in particular. I do like the KarBar as its not a heavy example of this ilk. I am actually quite against heavy overbuilt mid sized blades other than for keeping in the truck. If you are going by foot weight is important, and knives get carried a lot more than ever used.
For the same weight then a small knife and saw might be more effective. Or small knife a machete. Recently I've carried a multitool and a Skrama. Next week it might be a S!K GSO 3.5 and an axe.
Local laws play a part too. A penknife might be all you can carry.

ESEE are a great start, but there is fun in finding what works for you. Lots of choice, again give the GSO's a look. Lastly the most efficient way to upgrade your ESEE 6 is to get a Silky Saw.
 
wensynch said:
The Kabar is "the" survival knife.

It's the original to which every other survival is a copy, attempts at replicating the Kabar, either by design or materials. The Kabar pretty much still remains in its original design. Tried and true, tested through decades of combat (extreme use) and outdoors (hard use). Officially approved warranting that it's good sht.

Everyone needs to own a Kabar original before any other survival knife. Then you'll know the standard to which all others compare.. and it's good.
Click to expand...

French and English trade knives, Green River knives, the Puukko, Nessmuk, Kephart, and Bowie were all long before the KaBar.

I carried and loved my USMC KaBar in the Corps, but I carry a SAK, Nessmuk, and tomahawk in the back country.
 
Sorry, the Kabar was just an homage knife - and Kabar wasn't the primary contractor, it was Camillus. The original was the Marble's Ideal. http://masterwoodsman.com/2013/classic-camping-knives/ The Army issued what was called the "quartermaster" knife which is another variation without clip point. Still the same thing, carbon steel, leather stacked grips on a stick tang.

It's entirely arguable which was more common in WWII when they were issued. If your job was ground combat and you lived in holes you dug, you might likely have one, but it isn't an entrenching tool and it does take up space and weight. The #1 criteria for a soldier packing his combat load in the field is weight and size - many didn't carry 6" fixed blades as a four inch folder could do nearly all the same work for less effort transporting it.

Now were back to the pic of the Opinel - which for some would be oversized and left behind. For just as many in the service the issue Camillus or Ontario scout/camp knife would be more than enough, bringing the package down to the "Swiss Army" knife as their primary knife.

One man's camp knife is another's machete. In third world tropical areas that is the minimum.

No doubt in English language forums where temperate weather camping is the norm - ie there is a cold weather and plenty of arboreal vegetation - something like the Esee 6 is a popular knife. Me, I chose the Laser Strike, tho. Equally effective in chores, less a "combat" knife in historical looks. The Kabar look is a significant factor in public sales of carbon steel fixed blades. World wide, tho, other knives have established a long history and those blade styles predominate. Like, Swiss Army knives in Europe, or machetes in tropical regions.

Step back into the past and you will discover the preferred large blade for temperate zone use was a smaller blade, and the hatchet preferred for doing work with wood. It's why the combination was the basis of a lot of trade goods to native Americans and they adopted it readily. It worked here just as well as Europe.

There are a lot of Esee 6 fans, yes. It's a good knife. I'm not sure you could give one away as the only tool to use near the equator, and if you were stuck near the Canadian border in a downed aircraft the required survival instruments are a sleeping bag and axe. Knives are nice - but when the heavy work is done, even the Army uses a pioneer tool kit with axes. Camping with a heavy 6" bladed knife is also camping with the needs of shelter and wood gathering already solved - tents and stoves are taken along, too.

It's all part of a system and every environment has it's requirements and specific tools that work better in it.
 
ShinyLoveMachine said:
I'm dead serious when I say Esee seems to keep coming out on top in the forums I research.

So I do a lot of wilderness hiking/backpacking etc. in Montana. That said I bought the Esee 6 after doing hours of research on some of the best full tang tough survival knives out there. There are a lot of knives that I might want for others purposes like the KaBar USMC fighting knife etc.

That said after researching tons of forums including this one many people have asked the question of "Becker BK7 Vs Esee 6". Or SOG Navy Seal Knife Vs Esee 6 and the vast majority of users say "go for Esee you can't go wrong".

Since it seems Esee is indeed awesome (and I love my Esee) I'm wondering is there is a better knife out there for the same purposes that anyone here owns? Any advice on an even better upgrade knife? I also own a Ruana knife (Made in Bonner MT) they are better in my humble opinion, but the one I have isn't made for chopping and survival in the same sense Esee is.
Click to expand...

Wow, ESEE-6 was one knife that, after owning and handling, went on the chopping-block immediately as an inferior choice. I even did a lengthy review on it vs. two comparable knives - the Swamp Rat Ratmandu and the Survive! GSO-5.1:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...1-compared-with-Swamp-Rat-Ratmandu-and-ESEE-6

Against the SOG, I'd take the ESEE no question. Against the Becker, I'd take the ESEE for the large choil and slimmer profile that i prefer. Against the Kabar, ESEE-6 has the preferred blade-grind. But in each and every one of those cases, I'd take the ESEE with reservations, which are that the handle is going to need an upgrade due to its terrible ergos, and that the warranty wording and behavior of the owners is suspect.

I will also add that I consider the ESEE-6 overly large for most tasks and too small for others, it is a size that i find much less useful for "survival" tasks. Give me the more compact GSO-5.1 or RMD, or give me a larger GSO-10 or BK-9. That knife is not for me.
 
There are a lot of great knife makers out there, Scrap Yard and Swamp Rat are a couple of mine. I'm looking forward to getting a Survive 7/7 at some point as well. I do like my Esee 6 and Esee in general.

Add: I spend less time thinking about best/better and more on what I like...
 
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I'll take a Survive! GSO5.1 in 3V please....

Why do we usually forget about these guys?!
 
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