Ka-Bar Bowie Full-Size Navy Knife Leather Sheath vs ESEE Knives ESEE-5PB-002 Fixed Blade Knife

I wont purchase another KaBar product if this is the direction they're headed with their quality. I would avoid this knife. It is WAY overpriced for what you get. I have a knock off that is actually of higher quality

This knife is pretty big it's a little too much for every day carry but for camping trips or other outdoor excursions I find it to be perfect size. Just the other day I was gutting some fish and when I went to cut the head off the handle of my kitchen knife snapped right off, I pulled out this knife and it worked like a champ. Yeah the $140 price is up their for just a knife but considering this thing will last longer than me it's worth the money.

It does come with a sturdy leather sheath but I went with the "package" option and got the hard knife sheath and sharpener. I prefer the hard sheath as it is more rigid and doesn't flap as much as the leather one when worn on the hip.

SOLID LOCK! The sheath also has plenty features for teclocks, molle, and paracord. By far, this is one of my favorite fixed blades I use for every hike and camp trips.

- The leather sheath that comes with this is stamped with the US Army logo and isn't as sturdy as the black leather sheath. It's great for display purposes though. (It will scratch fairly easily and is definitely more for show.) If you want to take it camping, I recommend you buy the plain leather sheath separately (or the black one) as they are more sturdy, and you won't care about beating them up

The Rowen powder coat is phenomenally durable. A great deal of batoning has beaten the coat off the spine of my ESEE 3, but there is merely moderate wear along the side of the blade. Be ye not deceived; this is remarkably little wear in light of the abuse the ESEE 3 has taken. While I have been respectful of the cutting edge, I have otherwise been deliberately brutal so that I could report just how tough it is

second is the handle is of set to the spine of blade. And thirdly is the the hilt is bent forward .

Compared to the similar Becker BK-2, the experience in hand with the ESEE 5 is significantly better. Better balance, handling, and better OEM canvas Micarta scales. Superior handling to the BK-2 with the Becker after-market Micarta scales. Pluses for the ESEE 5: Better grip and handling, slightly better sheath, jimping on blade that BK-2 does not have (this is a significant difference)

Ok about the knife itself...it is a KA-BAR made in the good Old US of A (few things are anymore sadly) (the sheath is made in Mexico but is very good quality leather it is well stitched and is stacked as well as having rivets for reinforcement) secondly it is very well balanced and the steel in these new ones are 1095 carbon steel High Quality easy to sharpen and holds an edge for a very long time

25 inches long, and is a full quarter-inch thick; the blade is a black powder coat that I haven’t been able to test yet, but I’m interested to know how durable it will be over years of use. This thing is heavy. It will cut down small trees and is a little more than I was anticipating. I’m thinking I should have went with the ESEE-4, but won’t be returning it (why return it when I can have both?!)

I had difficulty cutting a piece of notebook paper which is my test for blade sharpness. As a comparison, I've owned quite a few buck knives in my time and not one of them has gotten home and not been razor sharp. I have sharpen the ka-bar so it has that sharpness to it. Other than sharpness knifes like I remember it to be

This was my first big purchase as well as my first fixed blade. After weeks of watching YouTube videos review the esee 5 and it's competitors (usually pitted against the Becker bk2 but also compared to other 5" fixed knives) I decided to throw down the money for this knife. I cannot think of anything I don't like about this knife. This seems like the pinnacle of what a survival nice should be