KABAR kukri vs ESEE Junglas Black

It's a little more tactical and a little more expensive than you're looking for, but when I was doing forestry work I really liked my Kabar Kukri machete. That thing would cut through 4" grape vines if you swung hard enough.

I researched a lot of large knives and could not find an overall better deal. I am thoroughly satisfied with my purchase and with Amazon primes 2 day shipping I ordered on Friday and received it on Sunday.

Is the blade good? Yea. I hit a rock with it a few times now cutting out the base of things. The rock did not survive. The blade did and remained sharp

They're not just throwing junk together and collecting a paycheck. The blade is thick and very strong and comes out of the box sharp enough to shave your arm hair. It pulled the hair a little but with a handful of passes on my spyderco sharpmaker it was smooth and just rolled the hair off! This thing is scary sharp for being as big as it is. The handles are beautiful and offer great grip

The handle of the blade is well shaped and comfortable to hold, however due to the nature of the material I would recommend picking up a good pair of work gloves if you're going to be using this in wet conditions or if your hands get sweaty. I have not lost my grip using this, but its not the sort of thing you'd like to let go of mid swing. There is also an appropriately sized lanyard hole on the bottom of the handle that seems to be reinforced. The sheath that comes with it is ok

.Micarta handle feel good in the hand and will be adding a paracord lanyard as additional safety.

I used to get a knife and get upset after a few days simply because I didn't think it was ' good enough'. A lot of knives broke. A lot of money was wasted on junk knives that had hypocritical good looks about them at the flea market. But ALL THOSE HARD SHIPS WERE WORTH IT!! - even for just this one knife! What I am trying to say is that all that was worth it just for this knife

I will update this review following 5/17/21, thanks for reading before then. I am testing this and an El Chete for more forestry work.

Good investment in my book. I especially like the sheath. I think it would be prettier if it were all leather, but the main thing is that it's really functional. I wore it on my left hip during a day of heaving yard work, with lots of bending and squatting, and a couple trips to the store for supplies

The sheath is great, it's a kydex model with all the right attachments and capabilities, and retains the blade whether you have it strapped in over the handle or not - it's designed to hold the blade regardless. Now, I will say this: you lose out if you decide to go the initially cheaper route and buy the Junglas by itself for $139 - then decide you want the kydex sheath separately. I considered doing this, but it's not smart. Why? Because the sheath sells here on Amazon for roughly $75, give or take a dollar

The only reason this is not 5 stars is because I don't feel I have fully tested her durability yet, though she seems mighty sturdy. Also, I like the style of the sheath, with its hanging D-ring swivel, but the blade cut through the stitching the 5th or 6th time I slid her in. I guess that's bound to happen eventually, but still. For the price, if you are thinking about buying one, do it now

It has excelled for almost two seasons of chopping and splitting seasoned black locust, one of the hardest domestic woods in America. I have NEVER chipped or rolled this edge on wood of any kind, no matter how hard or dry. And although I do enjoy Ontario Knives, the Junglas’ black coating lasts months longer. The sheath is near equal to custom kydex with dozens of mounting options, and adjustable tightness

The forward curve of the blade is enough to give the leading edge a lot of weight to your blows but not so curved as to be unwieldy for most people. The blade features a full tang, which I always prefer in a tool like this. The full tang gives added weight and control to your swings when chopping. The edge of the blade stays sharp and sharpens easily

At first i was skeptical of using 1095 steel, but i now see the advantage over stainless. This blade will get a razor sharp edge effortlessly, and most importantly, WILL HOLD THE EDGE. People, just learn how to take care of it. This is a REALLY big knife and quite heavy, so if its gonna be used for backpacking/hiking, i recommend something more lightweight, like the Esee 6, or the Junglas 2, but if you have a strong back, this thing will do anything really good, batoning, feathering, etc