ESEE 4HM Fixed Blade Knife w/ Kydex Sheath & Micarta Handle

Pro:- hervorragende Qualität- durchdachtes Design- sehr stabilNeutral:- eher für kleinere Hände gemacht, ESEE6 ist eher für große Hände, Klingenlänge ist dann aber ein rechtliches Problem in Deutschland.Contra:- sehr teuer

ESEE 4 is a great knife. Sharp &sharpens easily. Big and strong enough for hard use without being too big to carry easily. Sheath is excellent as is the belt clip.4 VS 5 -ESEE 5 ( I own both) is a big thick heavy knife. It’s not something that can be tucked inconspicuously into a pocket or waist band like the 4. The 5 is overbuilt (good thing) with better grips IMO than the 4. Sheath clip on the 5 is a little goofy compared to the 4 but 100% functional and comfortable. 5 is a great chopper and excels at splitting firewood. This said it’s heavy in the hand and just a tad clumsy.Esee 4 is a great “I may need a hard use knife” where the 5 is a great “I NEED a hard use knife”.I have a emergency blanket, ferro rod, string, lighter, fishing kit and 3 large nails strapped to the sheath of my 4. The 4 still fits in a cargo pocket or tucks into front pocket of my jeans.Personally I would recommend the 4 over the 5. The 4 will go with you more often while the 5 will spend more time in a draw due to the size and weight of the 5. I love both knives, but if I lost the 4 I would order another. If I lost the 5 I likely would not buy another.I’m better suited with the 4 and a small Gerber belt hatchet than the 5. This said both are really great knives.

Like any ESEE knife, this one is beautiful, and is a favorite of mine for light tasks around our 160-acre wooded property. I have the ESEE 3 in the regular handle design, and love it. But I thought I'd try the 4 in the new "traditional" handle design, and I love it, too. I don't miss the finger choil for detailed tasks as I feared I might, and the rounded handle really does feel great in my gand. I did add a lanyard cord to give me a bit more security during light chopping tasks, though (the regular handle's shape makes it a bit easier to get a secure grip for light chopping). As for the sheath: I really love that ESEE makes a kydex sheath for it now. It's attractive a good quality. My only complaint about this knife (and a lot of other ESEE fixed blades) is that the knife rides too high on my waist in the sheath. It's a personal preference thing, but I like a lower ride. So, I added a leather dangler sheath attachment from Sagewood Gear, and problem solved!

I have experience with 4X ESEE knives, and there is a tool for every job - I love them all. I bought this one to "downsize" from the ESEE Laser Strike which I found to be way too heavy to carry all day, and while a phenomenal knife, was not as well suited for smaller tasks. This one I found to be the perfect size for just about everything you do in the outdoors. Also, for folks with smaller hands, or a desire to work the blade more deftly, the smaller handle drops weight and is more easy to manipulate vs. it's larger cousins. After much experimentation, I've settled on carrying this knife as well as the tiny fisherman version which has a very small blade (2.5 inch) and is perfect for squirrel and fish work. The two together cover most tasks well. I also purchased an aftermarket fire steel with a kydex sheath which I added later. I then had to MOD the blade by ever-so-gently using an electric wire brush to remove just about an inch of the blade coating on the spine of the blade right near the handle so you can effectively spark the fire steel. Now, that will require extra oil maintenance to prevent rust, but if you take care of your tools, they will take care of you. I would love to see ESEE create a sheath which could house all three items (anybody listening?). Now if you are bushcrafting, remember to always carry a folding saw (safer) or a small axe. With those four tools, and a sharpening stone, you can rebuild civilization! If you have never had an ESEE knife, you will love this, so don't hesitate as it is bomb proof and will last you forever. If you could only have one blade and your life depended on it, this is the one. I may make some videos on this knife and when I do, you can find them at "Thecameracommando" on youtube. Cheers and happy camping!

Love this knife. Well built with nice balance. The modified handle fits very nicely in my hand, the micarta provides good grip surface and the elimination of the finger coil from the handle makes kitchen cutting easier expanding the knife's duties from outdoors to indoors as well. Very sharp right out of the box.The Kydex sheath is really secure and it takes a pretty good tug to remove the knife, clicks in hard on return.I'll give it a few months to judge how well it holds up but for now it's worthy of every day carry and up to every chore I've thrown at it. Very happy with the purchase.