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New video comparing the different handle shapes and materials that ESEE and after market companies are producing.
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0:00
Hey Wanderers, Prepared Wanderer in the Man Cave
0:16
I've got a video for you today that I think you're going to find pretty interesting
0:19
What I want to do is I want to discuss and show my collection of Esee knives, but in
0:27
particular I want to talk about handle shapes, handle materials, and the differences that
0:35
are out there in all the different models that Esee makes, as well as custom scale options
0:42
that are available for you as an Esee owner. So it's going to be kind of a cool video, definitely stick around, it's going to be
0:51
fun and we're going to get into it. So as you can probably tell by looking at this little display that I've set up that
0:58
I'm definitely an Esee knife fan. Esee knives have been in my stable of knives for years
1:09
I've owned, I think I've owned pretty much everything that they make with the exception
1:15
of some of the newer stuff that's come out in recent years, but definitely have been
1:20
through all the different iterations, the 3, the 4, the 5, 6, Junglas, Laser Strike
1:30
Zulu, Zulu 2, Kandiru, all the different ones, even some of the folding knives that they've
1:37
come out with. So I've definitely had my fair share. What I want to do is I really want to talk about not so much Esee knives as a brand because
1:46
I think if you're watching this video you're probably already aware of them and probably
1:52
already a fan of them like I am. But what I want to discuss is and show are the different types of handle materials or
2:02
shapes that Esee has available now on the market and also maybe discuss some of the
2:09
aftermarket scales that are available too because I think this really has opened up
2:15
the market for these knives a little bit more. It's a little bit more accessible now because there are so many options for you
2:21
You're not married to just the standard handle shape that they've been known for for years
2:27
Alright, so the first knife that I think we need to look at is the standard Esee model
2:36
This is the handle profile that basically started it all. This is kind of where it all began
2:45
This is kind of what I would call their basic slab handle model
2:53
This was found and still is found on the 3, the 4, the 5, the 6
3:02
It is, as you can tell, just a very straight thin handle
3:11
This is a micarta handle. Now a lot of people who pick up Esee knives and start using them, this is probably the
3:21
one thing that they complain about is because it is thin and there's not much contouring
3:27
to it at all and for some reasons people don't care for it
3:33
Now in this blade shape or size, the 3, I have had no problems with this handle size
3:41
I've used the 4, and the 5, and the 6 and really never had too many issues with it
3:50
It doesn't seem to bother me but the thing is everybody is very different and I think
3:56
people with bigger hands, maybe beefier hands are looking for a little bit different material
4:04
or different shape and profile but this definitely is where it all started and this can still
4:11
be found on a lot of their knives and for me, not really an issue
4:16
Now this one, as you can tell, has been very well used
4:20
It's been modified, the coating has been stripped and the logos have been etched but looking
4:29
at this micarta handle, there's definitely a lot of sweat and staining on the handle
4:41
It's just a really well loved knife and it's probably my all time favorite knife from Esee
4:47
for sure. It goes on a lot of different trips with me, gets thrown into a lot of bags, used it for
4:54
a lot of different things, fire prep, cutting up food, things like that
4:58
So great all around basic knife is the Esee 3 with this handle shape
5:08
Now within a few years maybe, maybe a little bit longer, Esee came out with a new handle
5:17
shape and this came out in the form of the line called the HM line and the HM line, if
5:26
I remember correctly, is also the 3, the 4 and the 6 and as you can tell, it is a much
5:35
beefier, rounded handle. Just comparing these two, you can really see the difference
5:45
It's huge. A very big difference and for a bigger knife like the 6, this handle shape is awesome
5:57
I really love it. And actually before this one, I had a standard 6 and then I bought some aftermarket grips
6:05
for it, tried this for a while, it was okay, it was not too bad
6:11
But then I got a chance to try the HM when it came out and I liked it so much better
6:19
I just love the handle shape to it. As you can tell, it's a little bit more dropped in the back, there's a little bit of a curve
6:28
to it and then just that really thick rounded handle and it's amazing how much it changes
6:38
the feel of the knife by doing that. So, great design and it's just a great upgrade that they came up with in handle shape and size
6:52
Somewhere in between all that, the Gibson line of knives came out that were designed
6:59
by Gibson and the handle material or shape that he came up with was this contoured handle material
7:12
Which I think, I believe in one of his videos when he was talking about this, he was talking
7:17
about this kind of reminiscent of a piece of napped flint. It's got that napped look to it
7:26
And for a lot of these knives, it definitely does a great job of adding traction and grip
7:35
to the knife. This is the Gibson Axe. I've really liked this handle material on the Axe
7:42
Now, I will say that the PR4, which is the Patrick Rowland knife, that originally came
7:56
with that traction grip and it was a thinner slab and I didn't care for it as much in this configuration
8:06
So, when I got a chance to try this knife with the upgraded handles, these are from
8:12
the Knife Connection. This is an aftermarket grip. It really changed how this knife felt to me and I preferred it for this size blade
8:24
The Gibson Axe, I don't really mind the traction grip at all. It doesn't bother me
8:29
Maybe it's because the handle has more of a curve to it and it's a little bit thicker
8:34
The PR4, I didn't care for it and so I ended up picking up one of these in the aftermarket
8:44
and this had the Knife Connection handles on it. As you can tell, with the Knife Connection handles, and we'll talk about those here in
8:49
a little bit, there's definitely some upgrades to it. It's a little bit thicker, as you can tell
8:57
There's a bow drill divot and then there is this recessed contouring in the handle
9:04
for your lanyard. So, a couple of unique features, but this is an aftermarket grip
9:11
This is not standard on the PR4 or any other Esee knife
9:16
Now, kind of an anomaly that's worth mentioning and showing is the RB3
9:26
Now, the RB3 was the first Scandinavian grind knife that they came out with and this was
9:31
designed by one of their survival school instructors. It's a very unique design compared to all the other Esee knives just in the overall
9:47
design of it, but also in the handle too. It's got a thicker handle like the H&M model, more rounded
9:56
It's got that very pronounced guard coming down, which really allows you to choke up
10:01
on this thing and do finer tasks with it. Reuben, who's the gentleman who designed this, did a really fantastic job of coming up with
10:11
this knife and it's been very popular. It's a very well-loved knife in the lineup
10:16
Like I said, it's kind of an anomaly. It really doesn't fit in with all the other standard knives in the catalog, but it's worth mentioning
10:27
It's worth showing. It's in my collection, so I thought I would definitely compare it and just kind of show
10:30
you compared to some of the other knives, like the standard three, the big difference
10:37
in the handle thickness. It's pretty pronounced. So if you're making a decision between the two, there they are compared
10:48
Now I will say, if you're getting into bushcraft and you're looking for a very capable Scandinavian
10:57
grind knife, do not overlook this knife. I don't think it gets enough love in the bushcraft community
11:06
Everybody raves about the Mora's, which are good, and of course there's so many custom
11:11
makers out there that are making fantastic knives, but if you're looking for something
11:16
that's not going to break the bank, it's very affordable, and then it's just an overall
11:21
great design. This definitely has that Scandinavian look and feel to it, but there's some thickness
11:29
to this blade, so you can definitely wail on it. It does have a sharpened spine for striking a ferro rod
11:37
So overall, a fantastic beginner bushcraft blade that will serve you very, very well
11:45
So definitely check that out if you're interested in that. So kind of fast forward to this year, I think, is when these came out with, maybe last year
11:59
They came out with another lineup of handle shapes, and this is the 3D contour handle
12:10
The 3D handles, as you can tell, definitely have a swell built into the middle of them
12:18
and they taper to the back, and they taper a little bit to the front
12:22
So you've got more of that classic Coke bottle style handle. I think this is going to become pretty popular for them, because for people who don't like
12:34
that standard slab, this is going to fill that niche. It changes the feel of the knife for sure
12:45
It's much more comfortable than the slab handles. So this is going to be a great option for a lot of folks
12:50
And so if you're looking at EZ Knives, definitely check these out, because I think these are
12:56
coming out in the 3, and the 4, and the 6 as well
13:00
I don't think the 5 has these handles, as far as I can remember
13:05
Don't know off exactly off the top of my head, but for sure the 3, the 4, and the 6 should
13:12
have these. And these are out now and available in different color configurations
13:19
This is the OD Green Blade with the brown micarta handle, and that is a very heavily
13:26
textured handle. It really has more tooth to it than the other standard handles, not as smooth as the other
13:32
handles are. There's some grain to it, so you can feel that
13:36
That's really going to be nice when your hands are wet. So fantastic shape, and that's the newest shape that they have out
13:49
Now getting back to these aftermarket grips. There's been one company in particular that really have done a fantastic job with coming
14:00
out with so many different handle upgrades for EZ Knives, and that has been the Knife Connection
14:08
If you've not checked out their website, definitely do so. They carry pretty much all the EZ brand, or line of knives
14:17
A fantastic amount of aftermarket grips that they've designed to go on these knives to
14:24
really enhance them. And some of these handles will even help extend the knife a little bit longer
14:35
I think particularly in the 3, in the Azula, and maybe even the 4, their handle design
14:44
will actually go past the tang a little bit and help extend that, so it gives you a little
14:48
bit more grip, a little bit more length to it. But they're just fantastic, and they have really cool color combinations
14:54
There's all different color combinations, so you really can create a pretty custom knife
15:02
for you that's going to suit your needs and the look and feel that you want
15:08
So they're definitely worth checking out. And these grips, like I said, really change the feel of this particular knife for sure
15:16
And I've had them on other knives too, and they're definitely an upgrade
15:22
They're well worth the money that they charge for them. They come with all the hardware that you need, and like I said, just a multitude of
15:33
colors to pick from. But I think this particular handle upgrade for this model of knife has been fantastic
15:41
It has made this knife much more usable for me, personally. And I really enjoy using this knife now, much more so with this new grip
15:55
It's just been a great upgrade. So it's a great time to own an EZ Knife because there are so many different handle configuration
16:07
options out there for you to consider. And you don't have to be stuck with just the standard basic slab handle
16:20
So if this doesn't work for you, I would definitely check out some of the other models
16:26
like the 3D, the H&M, and then some of the aftermarket grips like from the Knife Connection
16:35
Or even look at some of the other models that are designed by Gibson, as they all have that
16:40
tread and flint look to them. So definitely great options out there for you to consider
16:48
So you can definitely tell that I'm an enthusiast of EZ Knives
16:55
And if someone was to ask me, what is your favorite production knife company out there
17:00
right now on the market, I would always say EZ Knives. I've been using them for a very long time since the company began, really
17:12
And definitely was a fan of the earlier RAT models that were out for a while
17:20
And then when they finally became their own company, EZ Knives, I bought into that and
17:27
started collecting those and have been using them. And there's more knives than I want of theirs
17:33
I would love to own all of them at some point. I've owned a lot of them over the years, that's for sure
17:40
This is kind of what I've landed on recently and have been using. And a couple reasons why I think they're so great is, one, I think they probably have
17:52
one of the best heat treats in the business. And then second, their warranty, it's absolutely ironclad
18:00
They stand behind their products. If you break it and you are doing something extremely stupid with it, they will replace
18:10
it. And I think that's a testament to the company, to the people who work there and who run it
18:18
and who develop these blades. And also it's a testament to the quality of these knives because I don't think they get
18:25
a lot of returns. These things are very tough. So anytime someone comes to me and asks me, oh what knife branch should I go with, just
18:33
starting out, want a blade for my bug out bag, for survival, for starting bushcraft
18:40
you can't go wrong with the Esee knives. They're fantastic. And there's so many different models and sizes that you have options
18:50
You're not stuck with just a couple of knives. There's a lot of different things to pick from
18:55
And now, this day and age, 2021, a fantastic amount of handle shapes and sizes to pick
19:03
from as well as companies who are turning out really fantastic custom handles to make
19:10
these knives even better. So tons of options out there for a fantastic brand
19:18
I hope this information was helpful to you and just gives you kind of a taste of what's
19:24
out there and available and lets you kind of see these things side by side
19:31
You know, if I had to pick one handle shape that I love the most, it would definitely
19:37
be the HM series. Like I said before, this on the 6 is phenomenal
19:46
It really changes the control of the blade, the feel of the blade in your hand
19:53
I enjoy using it more so than any of the other handle shapes that I own
20:00
Also, the 6 in itself is a great knife size-wise because it's a big blade that you can do
20:10
a lot with as far as camp chores, batoning wood, you know, doing crafting, that kind
20:19
of stuff, I mean, in camp. But the blade shape, it does delicate work as well, not a problem
20:29
And another thing to note with these knives, when you get them from the factory new, they
20:36
are screaming sharp. And I also find them probably one of the easiest knives to maintain in your shop or in the field
20:51
They're just extremely easy to sharpen. They don't take an incredible amount of finesse or knowledge of knife sharpening to get these
21:01
things back to where they belong. Just a few simple tools and you can get them working sharp in the field for sure
21:11
And I just use, I use like ceramic rods and maybe a strop or something like that to finish
21:17
them off and that's about it. And they're ready to go again
21:21
So, love these knives and I love that there are so many options for handles out there
21:27
nowadays for you guys to pick from. Definitely makes it more fun in trying stuff
21:35
Alright guys, I hope you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching as always
21:40
Please check out the Facebook group, really getting big, growing very well
21:45
Check out my Instagram page. Just turned over 5,000 subscribers on there
21:53
So that's growing pretty well. Of course the channel is growing very nicely and it's all because of you guys and I really
22:01
appreciate it. Thanks for watching and we will see you next time on The Prepared Wanderer