If you already have a big fixed blade to get the tough job done, i would recommend you the ESEE3 over the 4. The blade is way thinner, so for food prep and light duty tasks it'll be way more appropriate than the 4 IMO.

You're welcome sir. I think the tkc scales are definitely a plus for the comfort, it does extend the handle of this "missing inch" people complain about... never tried em but i heard a lot of good things.

I went with it for similar reasons. It was between this and the 6, and this fit the bill. It's very good for small and hard use tasks. Decent carry weight means it's not a big deal to throw in my purse or on my belt, the length gives me a lot of versatility, and it fits perfectly in my hand. I love this knife for what it is. It's my general use knife and it's been awesome to me For chopping and some splitting tasks I pair it with my junglas, another amazing knife but it's more limited.

Gotcha. Thank you for the reply. I ended picking up one with tkc scales.

Exactly. The 4 is IMO the best compromise if you're only taking one knife with you. Now, if you already have a 6, it's more appropriate to carry something smaller with it, like the 3 or an izula. A great combo would also be a junglas + a 3.... or just getting them all because this knife company is pretty addictive :) Thanks for stopping by man !

@Halfmoon67 Thank you, I understand the steel diference now. I choose the Esee4 because its a very tough tool, and even if I use my knife mostly for cutting and some batonning, during an outdoor trip, my knife is the only tool I have with me. And you never know in what situation you can get in. So in an imergency case, an accident, I will probably have to use my knife for much havier uses then just cutting, thats why I choose the Esee. It seems to be one of the strongest awaillable.

@Forester226 I agree, the izula is a fantastic knife and a great companion for a big fixed blade

Great video thanks. For survival a Esee 4 is a great knife over the ESEE 3. Esee 4 is the lower end size & Esee 6 is middle sizes both hitting the sweet spot for easy carry and detail use and still survival capable size blade. I picked the Esee 3 but in the bush it will only be a back up to my 6.5 cutting Edge Survival knife the seven inch long bladed (6.5 Field Buddy) from TKC made by tops knives with G10 Esee compatible contutoured handle scales. In the bush my moto is two is one and one is none. If all I had was a Esee 3 I could survive in emergency but much rather have a Esee 4 over the 3 if it was my only knife. Having a thick blade and having a thing blade paired together makes it much easier to have the right tool for the job when you can not always have thing go as planned and if you have two hand why not two knives.

@Halfmoon67 yes ,, i stand corrected ,,,, i assumed you used both kniives ,,,, but it is clear now to me ,, the intent of your vid ,, thanx for the explanation ,

@TheJungleD Yess indeed the destruction test is impressive! I haven't seen "127 hours", but i've often heard of. I'll check it out this week! Thanks man!

@MsFiguren I exactly agree with you. I think the combo ESEE Junglas - ESEE 4 is really interesting. I've never tried the junglas, although it seems quite awesome for bigger/tougher jobs. Thanks for watching man !

lol, that's the problem with esee knives, they're all so great that once you've tried out one you want them all :)

I was new to knives and bought the ESEE 6 ....... bit too big xD so now i'm looking to get a trade for a 4 or a 3. nice review btw ;)

@fraudioc It's true, the handIe is maybe a lil short but no big deal and if you choke up, it is fine. It hasn't been a problem at all for bushcraft because when i chop wood i hold the knife further back on the handle with my first 3 fingers, when i'm batonning i use a regular holding, and for more precise cutting i choke up. 1 cm more would have been perfect IMO, but definitely not a show stoper Of course it will depend on the size of your hands (i have "medium sized" hands for what it worth..)

just a suggestion, if you have a 7 inch marine ka-bar (great knife!), you might want to try the ESEE Izula, or Izula 2 to compliment it, great for food prep and smaller tasks, easy to carry as a neck knife or on your belt/in your pocket and still very strong.

@Halfmoon67 @Halfmoon67 I have medium to large size hands. I'm planning to buy one of these, I don't collect knives, I only use them, so I'm reasoning a lot on pro and cons. Thanks a lot for you kind answer :)

The weight ratio is pretty good on this knife with a balance point located on the first index groove (not the actual choil) and it makes the knife a little heavier on the butt which gives a good control for cutting. The lenght ratio blade/handle is 1/1.. IMO the handle is a little short. I would say it's pretty good for my hand though (medium sized hands), but a hande 1 cm longer would've been interesting. Not a show stopper IMO, unless you have really large hands. Thanks for watching man !

@heettreet No i have never used the ESEE3, although i would really like to. No problem man, thank you for watching!

@TheJungleD The F1 is a very good knife, i'll make my review on it soon. BUT, as its blade is made of stainless steel, it is clearly not as tough as esse4's blade made out of carbon steel. So that is my main problem with the F1, it holds an edge better, but for hard use, it will chip way easier than 1095 carbon steel. So which one is better? It depends on your use. For hard batonning & tough jobs, esee4 is better; for cutting performances the F1 is better. Thanks for your comment man!

hey, @Halfmoon67, good review! Are those Allen screws on the handle? So, would I be able to take the scales apart? Thanks!

I have the ESEE Junglas, ESEE 6 and ESEE Izula, I like the ESEE 4 I think I will get that one for a companion to my ESEE 6.

Hi. My first Esee knife was the Izula, so I bought the Esee4 because the 3 is to close to the Izula, and I like a 10cm blade better for outdoor tasks. But I have to resharpen it often. I have a Falkniven Idun in VG10, it holds the sharpeness much longer. What do you think, you have the F1, so wich one is better? Good video, do some more pls.

@mihatek Indeed, it's a very good knife ! Thanks for you comment man

Nice knife. I have the RAT-3 and think it an excellent outdoor/hunting knife. Has performed very well for me but then again I use a knife for what it was intended, to cut things a knife was meant to cut. Knives were never meant to be used for hacking wood, splitting logs, or cutting through steel drums - I see that stuff all over the internet today and I think it's a joke, a terrible and bad example for newbies to cutlery. Use a knife for it's intended purpose and it will serve you well.

i would say the esee 3 is the better urban EDC..its lighter, cuts smoother (because its not as thick) and seems to have more carry options available to it...both serve a purpose and both have the warranty but with the linen handles the 3 shines as an EDC while the 4 seems better suited to bush craft....

I personnally think that the ESEE 3 is too big for an edc knife. But that's for MY personnal urban edc. If it fits yours without being too bulky then get the 3! Otherwise keep your izula for edc (i do edc it sometimes and it's great!).

yeah, that's a good solution too :)

@ghostdevill Amen brother :) Thanks for watching

@calibrebom Yes, these are allen screws, which makes it really easy to take apart.. and you can get some custom scales if you don't like the originals. Thanks for your comment and for watching man!

am watching your vid but in my case, i have ka-bar marine knife (7 inch) and was thinking of getting a smaller knife for food prep and light duty tasks that would be uncomfortable with a 7" blade (i'm not gonna bring folding blades to camping) so looking around 4" knife....

That looks like a really good all around knife for survival/camping situation. Id rather have a bigger knife than a smaller knife when Im stuck. :)

hows the handle and weight length? Ive heard people having issues with the balance of the knife....Suggesting a longer handle

@12sick4x4 I personnaly wouldn't edc an ESEE 3 on my daily life. Too big, heavy, not discret at all, and, for me, not required by my every day tasks. But indeed, if you can accept to carry it on your urban edc, then you definitely should go with the 3, over the 4. hanks for watching man !

@Halfmoon67 Well, I have seen the distruction test of Mr. Noss. I was surprised what the Rat/ Esee4 could endure before breaking... Did you watch ''127 hours''? A great movie and probably the only movie about a real survival situation and about what can happen to us during a trip. Thank you for your reply mate.

@themegajosh09 Thanks for watching man!

I'm looking at either the ESEE 3 or ESEE 4 for a boot knife. Which would you recommend for that role?

Yeah the esee 6 is pretty bulky, it's also obviously more capable than the 4, but IMO too big/heavy to be carried for a hike... Get a 4, you won't regret it, i still have mine and use it everytime i'm out! Thanks for watching man!

@joezbackwith2gatz Thanks a lot for the kind comment :) Like you said, at some point you'll probably end up having them both lol.

My problem was trying to decide between the ESEE 4 and the 6. I went 6 but still want a 4 LOL.

hi there. I remember that virtuovice san in his review said that the main problem with the ESEE-4 is the short handle. I'm not an hunter and so you. Did you notice some problems in bushcraft tasks with this knife ? Thanks ;)

good vid' !!! but I keep thinking that a bazooka is the best choice to strictly get the tough job done! Go on ;)

how do you post a video comparison of two products and only have one of the products to compare,,,, "thumbs down"

should of have both knives side by side to compair

I got the esee 4 over the 3 becasue I own a Rat 1 and the Rat 1 looks a lot like the RC3... what that said i really want an esee 3 now lol ...but that's just out of greed, I want them all.

Esee 4 is better for bushcrafting and Esee 3 is a knive to have arround with u for lighter task!!! Mostly when i go out into the woods i take my izula II and my Esee 4 with meand i,ll get all jobs done!

@heettreet I don't have the ESEE3, i say it at the beginning of the vid. Here i just explain which reasons made me pick the 4 over the 3

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Very well done... Im still not sure what one to go with but I think I will get them all at some point...LOL... But really I will. You made a lot of great points over the 3 and 4. I was gonna get the 3 for EDC but the 4 is only a bit longer so Im thinking the 4 is next on the list. Thanks for making this video. Its like I always say. Lets all learn from each other. Joe Tactical

exaclly :D

If I am going camping and taking an axe and can only take one knife, would you take an esse 3 or 4?

Maybe I missed it but I didn't see the Esee 3 in your video comparing the 3 to the 4.

For a boot knife, these two seem fairly big. The ESEE 4 is definitely too heavy for this role, and i don't think the ESEE 3 would fit well neither. IMO, an Izula or Candiru should be more appropriate for your needs. Let me know your decision :)

would you say that the esse 4 is to big for every day carry?

Kazakhstan accent?

Just Decide to buy both, save yourself a headache.