ESEE 4 Mystery Steel Pass Around----all spots taken

Discussion in 'ESEE® Knives and Gear' started by shaneadams90, Feb 8, 2019.

  1. STPNWLF

    STPNWLF Member

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    3 knives that have seen a lot of love :D
     
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  2. timdgsr

    timdgsr Member

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    [​IMG]
     
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  3. FortyTwoBlades

    FortyTwoBlades Moderator Staff Member

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    Kind of hard to describe. Mostly the feel on the stone, the rate of abrasion, and the kind of edge produced/the nature of the finessing required to get a clean, crisp apex. But I could be wrong.
     
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  4. timdgsr

    timdgsr Member

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    I like 154cm and have had good luck with it. I feel like its a good value, so I found this statement interesting.
     
  5. FortyTwoBlades

    FortyTwoBlades Moderator Staff Member

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    It's quite solidly performing steel, for sure. It's just more likely to take damage from glass fibers thanks to it basically being modified 440C, so it's all chromium carbides. Something with a bit of vanadium carbide in its matrix like S30V and the like tend to resist damage from glass fibers a bit more than any of these knives exhibited, so I reckon we're in the non-vanadium steels with these.
     
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  6. erik

    erik Member

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    picked up the box at the PO Saturday on my way out of town - got home this evening and opened it up.
    supposed to rain the next 3 days, so I'll get outside this weekend and should be ready to ship Monday if I have an address for the next contestant on "the knife is right!"
     
  7. erik

    erik Member

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    boxed up and ready to head out tomorrow.
    since the heavy lifting had already been done, I decided to go with some lighter duty tasks -- so I went through the scrap pile and found some red cypress.
    (or something similarly soft & coarse grained)
    [​IMG]

    knife 1 shaved hair the best/smoothest/easiest, but tended to drag when making thin shavings -- almost felt like it was chattering.
    Knife 3 was easier to carve with than knife 2 for the most part, because it didn't seem to bite as deep -- but knife 2 seemed to do a better job when shearing cross grain.
    Knife 1 carved the "KLO"
    Knife 3 carved the spoon
    I started carving a spoon with knife 2, but it bit too deep (or I hit a particularly weak spot) and sheared off one side of the spoon. so I changed my plan and started carving a fork out of what was left -- this was going really well, until I was separating the tines and split the wood again. at that point, I gave up on knife 2.

    none of the knives showed any noticeable dulling, so I left Ben's edges alone and boxed everything back up.

    thanks for letting me play!
     
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  8. Bushcraft_Dave

    Bushcraft_Dave Member

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    @ChromeDome is up next, then me! Heck yeah, I can't wait
     
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  9. erik

    erik Member

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    according to USPS it landed on ChromeDome's front porch today.
     
  10. Bushcraft_Dave

    Bushcraft_Dave Member

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    The knives have just arrived! I'll start using them tomorrow
     
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  11. shaneadams90

    shaneadams90 ESEE Knives Marketing Director Staff Member

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    Thanks for the heads up !! please keep us posted as you develop opinions on the mystery knives!
     
  12. Bushcraft_Dave

    Bushcraft_Dave Member

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    Let’s see how these blades handle some Pacific Ocean salt water!!!

    upload_2019-6-25_2-10-8.jpeg
     
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  13. Bushcraft_Dave

    Bushcraft_Dave Member

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    Hey guys, quick update. I got the knife in on Monday and I have a 4 day bachelors party starting tomorrow. I'm really dumb, I should've moved myself to later on in the list. My apologies.

    I talked to @shaneadams90 about it and asked him if I could have a couple of extra days before I shipped it off to @Not Sure. Sorry brother, I'll ship it out Wednesday
     
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  14. Not Sure

    Not Sure Member

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    No problem on my end, thanks for the heads up.
    P.M. incoming with address.
     
  15. ChromeDome

    ChromeDome Member

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    I tried to take a different path with my testing. I’ve used my own 4 as a project knife. That means carpentry, woodworking, and making fencing gear (custom handles and instructors’ armor). So, I decided to replicate those kinds of tasks.

    Before any testing, all knives were fully resharpened to give a standard edge: Spyderco SharpMaker; both angles; Diamond - Extra Fine; unloaded Strop; Deburred in wine cork between each grit. I included my own uncoated 4 (which I used for a few of the tests - referred to as “M”). All blades would easily shave arm hair, and cut thin sheet packing styrofoam, with no drags or tears

    First task: Cutting through (de-spining) spiral-bound lab notebooks prior to shredding. Each knife cut through 5.5” x 13” of paper (in units of notebook thickness; 1/2”-3/4”), including the card stock covers. Occasionally the blade would hit the wire coil.
    All blades exhibited significant (i.e. butter knife-class) dulling, with rolling where edge hit wire. None were able to make clean cuts to styrofoam packing sheet.

    Blades were resharpened at all angles, using all stones.
    #1: Reasonable effort to restore. No unusual burring.
    #2: Kept burring. Two full sharpening cycles to completely remove burr.
    #3: Quickest to restore edge. Least burr.
    M: Effort and burring somewhere between #1 and #3.

    Test cut: Hanging bag drop. A standard-weight plastic store bag was dropped, and cut mid-air. If the edge has any imperfections, the bag will not be cleanly sliced. (I’ve done this before, but usually with either a Wharncliffe or Hawkbill blade. It’s more difficult if the blade has any belly.)

    All knives sliced equally well, performing admirably.

    Next three tasks done in a sequence. 12 slices were cut through each material: Nylon-reinforced 1” rubber heater hose; Nylon-reinforced 1/2” PVC Vinyl tubing; Rigid 1/2” Polyethylene tubing. Following this progression, all blades were used to cut strips of an aluminum seltzer can to make shims.
    At each stage, all edges dulled to point where cutting that material failed to produce a clean slice. Then cutting progressed to next stage and material. After all hose and tubing were cut, all edges stropped to working sharpness (but, would not cut foam sheet).
    Shim cutting:
    #1 Bound and tore shim material
    #2 and #3 crushed material with no cutting

    Follow shim cutting, all edges exhibited rolling.
    #1 Significant rolling
    #2 and M Some rolling
    #3 Minimal rolling

    Full resharpening at 40 degrees.
    #1 Some burring until stropped
    #2 Significant burring - required extra time on fine rods.
    #3 Negligible burring before stropping.

    All blades easily sliced foam sheet.

    Single-cut leather skiiving: From experience, if the edge does not grab immediately, it will skip. Using extra pressure will result in a deep cut. Testing was done on an old Garrison Belt blank.
    #1 and #2 OK slicers, nothing exceptional

    #3 Excellent slicer with great control

    Foam sheet test. Edges still OK.
    #1 Minimal change in edge
    #2 Slight dulling
    #3 No change in edge

    Slicing up heavy-weight cardboard furniture shipping box (a real beast): Each knife cut 330” of double-walled corrugated.

    #1 and #2 Sliced well, but dulled significantly by completion. would not cut paper.
    #3 Sliced well, with some dulling by completion. Would cut paper, but not well.

    Resharpening at 40 degrees. Same degree of burring.

    Use as draw and push knife on Maple (left over from discarded furniture): Emphasis was on getting a well-controlled bite on the wood regardless of push or pull.
    #1 So-so control. Inconsistent bite

    #2 OK control. Consistent bite

    #3 Excellent control. Very consistent bite.

    Full resharpening prior to pass-along. All stones, all angles. When completed, all sliced foam sheet and shaved. General comments follow:
    #1 Seemed to “dig into” diamond rod on first angle.
    #2 Significant burring until very late in process
    #3 Least problematic

    After all the tests were completed, I realized that the handle of the 4 is just a wee bit too short for my paws. Ended up ordering a 6, which I’m now putting through its paces. However, it also made me appreciate the choil (prior to this, I wasn’t much of a fan).

    All in all, this was great fun. Certainly made me appreciate ESEE commitment to involving their customers. Awaiting the envelope telling us what we tested.
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    Last edited: Jun 30, 2019
  16. shaneadams90

    shaneadams90 ESEE Knives Marketing Director Staff Member

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    Nicely done @ChromeDome !! excellent write up...

    Thank you
     
  17. Not Sure

    Not Sure Member

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    Proof of Life photo.
    DSCF4854.JPG

    Got them today, Thanks Dave.
    Leaving tomorrow for a few days up around Mt. Adams.
    I will ship out on my return.
     
  18. Not Sure

    Not Sure Member

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    First off thanks to the ESEE crew for letting me join in this.
    Mine might be the least useful review, just day to day testing for three days in the mountains.
    I used one each day for the full day, felt this was the best way for me.
    Some but not all of the things I did were just basic Bushcraft/Survival/Camp chores.
    I took over 100 pics and could have got more but, battery died.
    I will post a few pics, most will be self explanatory, some I will comment on.
    Day 1 Knife 1........... Used my sheath to make it familiar........
    DSCF4859.JPG DSCF4869.JPG DSCF4874.JPG
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  19. Not Sure

    Not Sure Member

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    Day 2 Knife 2
    DSCF4947.JPG DSCF4941.JPG DSCF4948.JPG

    Quick tune up on the Edge.
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    Walked into a ambush of M.A.R.E.'s { meals almost ready to eat} but one look at the the mighty
    ESEE 4 prototype and they ran up the white flag pretty quick.
    DSCF4930.JPG
     
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  20. Not Sure

    Not Sure Member

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    Day 3 Knife 3.

    DSCF4953.JPG DSCF4957.JPG DSCF4961.JPG DSCF4966.JPG DSCF4964.JPG
    Here is where my Camera died...
     
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