The ESEE 4 in 1095 is a beloved knife by ranks of outdoorsmen. The size, weight, profile, and general ergonomics are excellent, especially with the 3D scales.

The knife is hefty in the hand but not cumbersome, with a blade that is nearly long enough to do some light chopping. For making camp furniture, carving, food prep, cleaning harvests, and even processing firewood, it excels as few knives do. It’s in that middle ground where it’s smaller than what most people would consider a camp knife, but almost big enough to handle camp knife jobs.

It’s a comfortable knife, too, especially, as noted, with the 3D scales, which improve the comfort and indexing of the knife, offering excellent traction without producing any hot spots.

The ESEE 4 in S35VN steel is even better.

Shortcomings of 1095 and Advantages of S35VN

ESEE knives are mostly made with powder-coated 1095 steel blades, with a few exceptions. This is a suitable steel, and it has some virtues.

Notably, the 1095 is very tough and yet soft enough to sharpen very easily in the field. You shouldn’t throw an ESEE 4, but otherwise,  it’s tough enough for any job, including batoning. Even so, the steel is soft enough to easily touch it back up on a soft Arkansas stone.

That’s actually one of the shortcomings. While the soft-ish steel is a beneficial attribute, some consider it annoyingly soft. Ask anyone who’s used an ESEE 4 and you’ll hear right away that the knife will only hold the edge you give it for about a day, if that.

Another ding against 1095 is that it rusts like crazy at the least provocation. That’s why ESEE powder coats the blade. Still, if you aren’t careful, the edge and logo will rust to oblivion in short order.

This is why the ESEE 4 in S35VN is considered by many to be a premium option. This alloy, S35VN, is considered by many to be a super steel, containing not only more carbon than 1095, but considerable concentrations of both vanadium and chromium.

First, let’s look at those former two. More carbon in the alloy gives the steel a superior ability to form a crystal structure and through heat treatment, to attain a higher hardness rating. Vanadium only helps with this, as it reacts with carbon to form vanadium carbides, which further improve wear resistance.

The result is that an ESEE 4 with S35VN steel is much, much harder than a 1095 model. It will hold an edge for a long time, despite abuse. The drawback is that it’s harder to sharpen.

There is another advantage here, and it’s that S35VN has a healthy concentration of chromium, at 14%. By contrast, 1095 has only negligible amounts of chromium, if any. The effect here is that the ESEE 4 in S35VN is considerably more corrosion resistant.

This is one of the reasons that ESEE forgoes the powder coat on the S35VN model of the 4.

At the end of the day, in spite of the higher price, you get an ESEE 4 that offers significantly better edge retention, no noticeable degradation in toughness, and which is much more corrosion resistant than the standard 1095 model.

Where to Get an ESEE 4 in S35VN

Here because you’re ready to pull the trigger on an ESEE 4 in S35VN. You can learn more (or just buy one) online at The Knife Connection, and while you’re at it, you can upgrade the scales, too. Check out their website for more information or get in touch with them directly.

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