ESEE vs ESEE: Stainless S35VN or 1095? Edge Retention
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
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Good gravy its bricky on things
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Yes! I said this on your last video comparison. The idea of comparing the base version and the high end version is so good! Keep this up please, great content👍
Thanks for still going strong after all these years... I along with thousands of other people really appreciate your test
What made this most interesting for me was that this is not just testing steels against each other. Since both knives are Esee, it seems to also eliminate any variance in heat treatment, which arguably is the most deterministic thing you can do to change the properties of steel. It's a huge assumption though. Very few companies speak to their secret "heat treatment sauce" that makes their knives superior. It's not exciting, but it is absolutely critical. This is the first test that I consider reliable that tells me how much better S35VN is than 1095 for normal edge retention.
I just bought a ESEE 4 with the S35vn steel because I care about my knife being able to slice instead of prying. Really like the new contoured g10 grips.
Same here and I agree with your comments. Just ordered the ESEE 3 in S35VN
Me too. I bought an ESEE Ashley Game Knife with S35VN steel with a G10 orange and black handles. Its also a perfect sized fixed blade for my medium sized female hands. The ESEE is too large and heavy for me.
If you bought an esee 4 then you clearly don't care about slicing ability regardless of what steel the knife is made from
Love your videos! They always standout amongst the table top reviewers that sit there and fidget with their knives and describe how it "feels" in the hand.
I've long been a fan of the esee 1095, but now.. I'm thinking it's time for an upgrade. Thank you for the effort, time, and excellent review/comparison.
I lean toward the stainless in my EDC knives too, so I'm really glad they finally put an Izula out in S35VN. For bushcrafty stuff, ESEE themselves recommend 1095 because of the resistance to breaking, not that I'd know much about it. I think they've broken a few of their own knives on their YT channel just to prove the point.
@@cloudcleaver23 not to forget the ease of sharpening in the field
Want an overall upgrade to 1095 while not being too expensive ? Try 52100. More wear resistance, tougher, can still be differentially heat treated.
@@cloudcleaver23 they didn't break them to prove their point. They broke when they tested them vs the 1095 and were like " well you guys want this so just so you know this is What happened during our tests"
@@jhtsurvival does that not prove the point that 1095 is a tougher steel?
9:30 While we're having a lovely AMSMRRSMRSRMA interlude, I have to say that one would NEVER lose that Orange Esee in the wilds. It's a bright bugger.
I bought a mora in orange for that purpose.
"I gotta tell ya, this is pretty terrific" - Moe Szyslak
You beat me to it!
2 wives?! I thought you said 2 knives!
I’ll thumbs up anything to do with Moe Szyslak. I’ll never forget him and crew stealing a killer whale, too funny!!!
What a great video. This dude actually works. Not just another desktop review warrior. And it's funny!
Lenny: "Geez Homer, I thought someone with 2 wives would be happy"
Karl: "No, you're thinking about someone with 2 *knives*"
Pete @8:48 (standing in for Moe): "I gotta tell this is pretty terrific hahaha yeah!"
I like to think of 1095 vs S35VN as a silverado vs camaro (or charger vs ram/mustang bs f150). You can use a truck as adaily driver but it shines off road. You can take a muscle car down to the docks but it shines in the city. 1095 is gonna perform better as a camp knife but S35VN is going to perform better as an EDC
that is a very palatable analogy, i dig it
Great analogy
Always a pleasure to watch, I hope things work out with Santa Ernest.
Very large jump in retention from the factory edge. I didn't expect that much improvement. Very nice.
S35vn is a harder steel. So, it'll retain its edge better for a longer time.
Cheers mate for taking the time and effort to demonstrate the two type of steels. I wonder how difficult it would it be to sharpen them too. I'm guessing that the S35VN would be much harder over the 1095. Due to higher ability to perform better as it retains its edge better.
Bro we haven't seen bricky in so long. Is he ok
@DTL :(
He's probably stoned, and can't move freely
@Patrick Henry I asked Joe about this. He doesn't remember any of this, and said he tripped and fell on the stairs
You did great not only on that edges but puns were on point too.
Nice to see the comparison so people can make up their minds. I never realized there was such a big difference.
You're spoiling us with all these uploads Pete!
Excellent test and comparison
Appreciate all your time and effort in making these videos
Excellent video! Thanks for putting it together. I hope you enjoy your knives.
Pete my boi, you sir are literally my hero lol I swear that anytime I see a knife that peaks my interest and catches my eye I want to go and have a look see how they fair and 9 times out of 10 I check your page and BAMMM there it is and full review with testing showing everything I'd have to look forward too shall I buy it.... good on you mate
This was fascinating. Thank you. I doubt I'll ever need the toughness of 1095 in a smaller knife like their 3 inch model.
1095 is not tough, but it is easy to sharpen and gets super sharp
@@krissmith007 not tough? Lmao
@@pubplays368 its very low in toughness thats why manufacturers leave it soft. Steels like 5160, A8mod are 4 times as tough at higher hardness. Dr Larrin Thomas has some very interesting data if you want to learn more about steels.
@@concealmenttraining9371 58hrc isn’t soft. Most successful manufacturers of 3v go between 60-62hrc for their 3v. This includes bark river, Bradford, lt wright etc. not much higher than 1095 at 58. You can take 1095 and damn near bend it in a 90 degree angle and have spring back to straight. Wether or not you want to call that tough is debatable when speaking on technical terms. Lb for lb. That’s a tough ass reliable blade. 5160 spring steel is amazing at a similar hardness for knives. I personally love 01 over everything. Easy to sharpen and tougher than 1095. 80crv2 is also really good.
@@pubplays368 Esee's are hardened to 56hrc.
The cut tests are greatly appreciated. 👍
I took my s35vn esee 4 out for a hike last week and had a great time with it
I like this flow of videos lately, great vibes, for us knife nerds
FMD, that packaging is basically identical to the EKA RTG-1 that EKA has Rowen make for them.
Never knew that with Rowen making the EKA, that it would come down to the same packaging too ;-}
A coconut, knives, wire, entertainment, survivin', and a cat with no eyes. This channel has it all!
Sounds like a MacGyver episode on how to make a combine harvester!
I want to see the trash can toss test. You can also do some real stupid stuff, take dickhead survival to the extreme, and esee will warranty them nqa if you manage to bust them. I heard they dont like s35 because its not as tough for prying and shock absorption, but will still cover them. Interested to see how many trash bins each knife could take.
I have the ESEE 4HM and I love mine.
The carbon steel touches up easier and faster with a rock from the creek if need be. Can strike sparks off the spine of need be. I’m old school and still prefer 1095 for those reasons. Still carry my old timer 1095 carbon. Takes a wicked keen edge with little effort
Nice initial video, I liked the steel comparison. To really compare the advantages and differences with each steel, could you do a cut test initially (or review one) then use both for some hard survival/bushcrafting tasks such as batoning, chopping, and using the tip to dig a divot for a bow drill. Then perform a cut test again, then field sharpen and a final cut test. Maybe you could include this in your well appreciated DH survival series, thanks.
I have the ESEE $ in S35VN it is a great knife the most I have done to it so far is touch up the edge with a ceramic rod and strop it and it is a work beast.
YES! I was just hoping you'd revisit 1095 with one of your newer tests.
Hoping to see some more data on these basic/old school/ tried-n-true steels! I think you tested many of them a while back, but your sharpening is so much better now it makes the data hard to compare.
Thanks Pete!!
Would love to see some newer data on 12C27, CPM154 & AEB-L if you ever get the chance. You may have to quit your job so you can do this full time!
For sure I just you know you can bash that 1095 probably into a rock and still cut that paper and probably split the s35.. which makes sense that the factory edge would be different given that these would have different use cases just by the nature of the steel you don't buy s35 for beating, as much as I would love it to be able to, tragic still better than s20 right?
Pete, not too long ago we saw you move your knife lab down into a new blade bunker. Your first couple vids from the blade bunker showed you dehumidifying and ventalating the new blade bunker. Since then, most of your vids have been either outside or in one of your sheds. What happened to the bunker? Did Bricky throw you out?
Thanks for the informative videos. I look forward to your full reviews on those two knives.
That hoodie is all sorts of United Colours of Benetton! And yes, new knives smell steely fresh.
Brilliant example of sharpness very interesting cheers pal
I have an esee 4 1095 after using it in the woods I wish I would have got a 6
Great vid as always Pete. Glad to see you are better now.😁👍
In a comparison like this, an assessment of the relative effort required to reset and polish the edges would be informative. Perhaps with diamond hones the difference isn't too great. I expect with stones, the difference in effort could be substantial.
Yes it's significantly different.
S35VN is very easy to sharpen on a $10 aluminum oxide stone. i typically use those on S35VN, but S30V is borderline needing diamond. S35VN= 3% vanadium S30V= 4% vanadium
Thanks for making these videos
You never fail to entertain. I just found out that Rowen, which manufactures ESEE Knives, is here in Idaho! Buck, ESEE Knives, Tops Knives, Chris Reeve Knives, way to go Idaho!
The teddy fresh hoodie is sick.
I love this video for the scientific method with the two different steels. However, I’m also a DJ, and I wish there were some credits for that beautiful cocktail music.
Love the first cutting music the best…please make it standard and never change. 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻
Noticed you haven't been filming in your Batcave lately? Thanks for you entertaining reviews.
ANOTHER great video! Thank you. I've been thinking about getting an Esee in S 30v.
In terms of sharpening, what was the difference in ease to get it to that mirrored edge between the two?
Ik im not him, but in my experience stainless is harder to sharpen than something high carbon
1095 much easier to sharpen and polishes well. Prone to corrosion though
Love the vids Pete keep up the good work
Very interesting result!! Thank you again my friend for another great video!
Really looking forward to that review!
Enjoy your Videos is a Mix of entertainment comedy and knifeology
So basically I have to buy a 4 in s35, 5 in 1095 and 6 in 1095. Great, good luck to my budget this month
If ESSE was going to go upmarket in steel, there are alternatives that combine edge retention, strength, shock resistance etc. Granted those steel choices would necessitate a higher price point. I do have several folders in S35 and while they do keep and edge well and can be cleaned up easily, I really have not beat on them very hard. Mostly breaking down cardboard boxes and opening packages etc.
S35VN does seem quite inconsistent with their philosophy.
I just bought the esee4 in s35vn, I'm impressed.
what did you mean when you said "gets my steel hard". What hardening process do you use or recommend
If you have to ask…
Viagra
Go to alpha knife supply and read their 1095 steel page. That is a gold mine
Just need a presence of a pretty woman.
Work hardening
I also got both knives. Is it just me or the stainless seems to be a little bit thicker and taller. How much tougher is 1095 compared to the s35vn in your opinion?
Thanks buddy!! Big fan of your videos, keep the good work.
ill try and test that as best i can
There is a good video out there of some of the ESEE guys that run one of the survival schools testing these. They snapped the s35vn, but not the 1095. I need edge retention more than toughness so I am leaning towards the s35vn myself.
@@CedricAda that would be cool !
Jesus 1095 is THE WORST with corrosion resistance. I just bought one! The dude who broke that S35VN said he would still go with 1095
@@LXT43 maybe I should get a BK16. Horice Kepart style
Just bought the Izula 2 in S35VN. Waiting for it to come in the mail, and after watching this test I’m pretty excited with my purchase. Can’t wait to try it out myself.
Didnt think they made the izula 2 in s35vn... where did you find it?
Excellent!! Sharpening time difference? S35 is easy to sharpen, but the claims for quick filed repair on 1095 persist..
I felt them about the same, but I suspect also the coating on the 1095 one bound up my stones as a mm or so did need to come back
Wow, very intresting. Thsnks for your effort !
Dangit. Now I have to get the S35vn version!
Awesome bud bro. Definitely informing
I have an esee 4in S35VN and I love it it's one of my edcs,for a fixed blade it's awesome.
Complimenti,bel video👍
I really wish they made a 4 in 1/8....I like mine but it would be better thin and 1/8 is plenty thick for a 4 inchish blade that wide
Great video. Thanks
I owned a Esee 3 in 1095 several years ago. This thing got dull just from looking at it. After field dressing one deer it was dull as s**t. Blood is pretty corrosive, but even just carving tent pegs or something this knife went from scary sharp to damn dull in an instance.
I have the Esee 4. Same thing, it gets dull in no time. Strange thing for a so called survival knife...
Soft steel can be easily re-sharpened on rocks I don't know if that's what they're going for
Sounds like y’all just got unlucky with the heat treat. Or you’re exaggerating. My Esee 5 gets honed twice a week at most. I’ve sharpened it a handful of times over the past 10 years. For reference, I’m out in the woods for about half of the year for work. So my knives get plenty of use.
Yep. Touching up an edge is no big deal. Having a tough knife that can be resharpened easily might be life or death. If you need an edge holding marvel, maybe add a nice folder in m390 to your kit.
Great video do you have to use diamond to sharpen the stainless
Excellent vid!
Love my esee s35vn hope to see your review on it
Thx for showing ☝🏼👊🏼🥃
Just about to receive my ESEE-4 S35VN with orange G10. The postie "knocked twice". I have to go to the post office so I can actually get it 4 days later.
I have more than a few knives that hold an edge better than 1095. But if I had to rely on a knife for survival, my Esee 6 1095 is the one I would trust to hold up to any abuse I could heap on it.
Judging by the bird noise at 5:02 I think Toe Cutter's gang from Mad Max are coming for ya.
I did my 1095 esee izula at 15 per side on my sharpmaker. Last week. It’s too soft for that angle in my opinion. Every time I check my edge it has little glints from a rolled edge from like cutting open a plastic bag or being resheathed. To test it I pushed it through some stuff cardboard and there was only two more tiny shiny spots.
Am I wrong? Is it not too soft for 15 degrees? That’s what I assume that means.
Great job man. 👍
Thank you for that Review, so iwas very intressted on the Essee in Cpm S35vn, but when i saw the Price here in Germany ....very Expensive! So, i searched to other Companies, and i found the Buck Pursuit Pro with this Steel, and its a Price Breaker! But....there is no Review in the wide Internet about this Knife....nothing about the edge retention really nothing. So i ask you, can you test it?
Luv ya work mate. Was wondering if you had any experience with the Tassie Tiger ttks5? Cheers Bart.
1095 with the dual-grit edge would be interesting.
Waiting for the AGK to come out in S35VN. Where do others think the best place to buy ESEE knives is for an Australian?
Hey, did you ever get around to these reviews? I'm not seeing them.
An interesting and valuable review. If your 'Bucks' can stand it, could you run a 440C Stainless Steel Esee 4 against these two versions for a fully rounded assessment of the Esse 4 offerings from the first Y.T. user to put them 'head-to-head'?
Bruh, good reality TV INTRO to video 😅❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉😂😊
I have the Esee 3 in S35vn and it’s slicey . Put a 19 degree mirror polish on it and it’s a laser !!
Love the teddy fresh
Didn't they make in the esee4 in 440c as well?
for a short while I think but they never warranted it. I *think* they warrant the s35vn one to the same level as the 1095 ones
3 minutes in and 10 bucks says the Esee wins.
@Brian J Agreed. I was almost convinced the other would be the winner, but then...
I wish they had S35VN in those flashy colours.....
Good stuff, thanks bro!
Thanks. I would go for the s35vn for the esee 5.. Any comments? Do you like it?
A toughness test would be nice
im trying to work something out, just working out the application of force and how to keep it even
Thank you sir! I just heard about the izula being made in 35vn. I feel like it should have been the first knife in their line made from it. It just arrived and I’m stoked!
At least I'm not the only one with a " man crush" on Mr. Emerson.🤣🤣
Hi, I like your videos, and I only wish you would have included the time it took to put the new edges on the two different steels or was there no difference in sharpening them? Thanks.
While I'm not a huge fan, they do have great warranty and customer service. Can't be beat.
Gotta say it. Dope Hoodie
I really wanna see you implement a Bess Sharpness Tester into these edge retention video I think it would provide some interesting data
I sharpened my Esse 3 S35vn down to 17 and man, it is a cutting fool.
Nice comparison, also is it possible to work Bricky back in at some point? The question for these two knives, choosing one is: are you going to be slicing more or beating on it more?
Where are the field reviews?
Wish the candiru came in a better steel for edc