Gear Review – ESEE Lite Machete taking abuse and loving it (Video)
ESEE Lite Machete Review - 4.75/5 (My new primary bushcraft blade)
I had been questioning what kind of blade I needed as either a chopper or utility type blade aside from a neck and/or belt knife for several months. I was originally considering the new junglas from ESEE but when I considered the weight vs. utility factor I just didn't see why it was any better than a specialized tool. So I started asking around about hatchets as opposed to large knives and really considering my needs in the bush.
As people started to answer it was evident that large knives were out and the real battle was small axe vs. machete. So I started thinking about my AO and approach and thought to look up some videos on thicker vegetation areas like jungles. That's when I came across Colhane's Youtube Channel. This guy is a machete master! He's a Baptist minister that spends a lot of time in Brazil and leads a kind of outdoor ministry at times that frequents rain forests. Now, whoever of you out there doesn't think the areas I operate in are as thick as jungle, check out the area behind me in the Sitka Review Video. Most importantly from his videos I saw what the machete could do to smaller trees - that is, take them down. I had previously worried about the strength of a machete for serious chopping, but seeing some really thick trees felled quickly with no damage to the blade convinced me enough to try one out. Besides, even the most expensive machetes are half the cost of a good belt hatchet.
I had seen that ESEE was producing a new 18" machete (23" OAL) and being a bit of a fanboy, decided to order one. Add that I had just seen Woodsmonkey's review and was smitten. Let me tell you first, it's an improved copy of the 18" Condor machete and is almost twice the price. ESEE adds their own blade treatment and micarta handle, but other than that it's the same. The reason why I support ESEE regardless of price is outlined a bit later.
So it came and it was of course, razor sharp. I mean shaving sharp (which was an issue later on). The handle is a tad bit long for my hand but is really comfortable. The sheath was a fairly inexpensive cordura type that I'm not a big fan of, but it'll do for now. The whole feel of the machete, the balance and the handle together is just awesome.
Now, I was going to wait until the lease work day to try it out, but I was excited about it and took it trailblazing with the dog in tow. It was great, felling 1-2" saplings with one swing and up to 5" with relative ease, so chopping down frame materials are no issue at all. Clearing vines and palmetto was nothing. I did this for about two and a half hours and had a blast. At least in my AO and for my purposes a machete was going to fit the bill perfectly. But the real test was going to be using it as the only clearing/hacking/cutting tool on the work weekend for our deer lease in South Carolina.
So as promised I took the ESEE Lite Machete to do some trail clearing during our work weekend. We cut pine, maple, trimmed up (hacked of 4" branches) of scrub oak. My dad once stopped hacking with it to say "that's a dang good machete!", and he is not easily impressed. While putting up his ladder stand on a new area he had never hunted he realized that although the area was perfect with two clear lanes, a food plot not far, when he climbed up and looked out he hadn't counted on one single old maple to be blocking about 90 degrees of shooting. From the ground it wasn't in the way, but its leaves at 15-20ft definitely were. My dad thought we could "bend" it back but it was 7-9" thick and we didn't have enough rope to throw over. I said "let's hack it down", now my little brother says there's no way the machete could take it, accepting the challenge of it I said I could do it in less than five minutes. So I started hacking down into the tree at about 54 inches, then started wedging up. I was making good time but got out of breath and dad took over. Within two more minutes the thick maple was down.
We were all sold at that point. The ESEE Lite Machete had taken three hard days of serious abuse taking down hard and soft wood up to maybe nine inches thick and had come out begging for more. I will never need that size wood while scouting or bushcrafting, but it's great to know that this machete's performance will far exceed my needs. I am so impressed with the performance here that I am going to perform Colhane's mods and possibly purchase or make a good leather scabbard for this blade because it's coming with me every time now. The only thing this baby doesn't do is baton and split wood, it's also quite large for delicate tasks. So I'm going to really evaluate what other blades I need. My Izula is utterly unnoticed while on my neck and it takes an edge so quick that its a must have. So the question really is, is my RC-4 past it's prime or do I really need a specific batoning blade?
The issue: The first day I had used the machete I noticed some denting/chipping on the blade. It didn't effect performance but it still concerned me so I emailed ESEE's info address asking if they knew of any bad batches or how they preferred to re-profile the edge. Amazingly the very next day I go an email from Jeff Randall himself (owner) and through the day we isolated the issue to a very severe grind leading to a super thin edge and a possible heat treat issue. He told me how to fix the edge and said he'd send me a new machete immediately. That's the kind of service I like and it's why time again I will order from smaller American owned businesses with a reputation for pride in their products.
A problem with the ESEE lite machete and Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon II’s on sale
I couldn't resist taking out the new ESEE lite machete before this weekend so I went trailblazing with Desmond the survival dog. You might have already seen Woodsmonkey's vids on Youtube and boy is he right. This thing comes literally shaving sharp with a thin grind out of the box. But that ended up being a problem.
You see, with constant chopping a super thin grinds tend to roll and chip at the edge and that's exactly what happened. After two good hours of use through palmetto, Kudzu, and taking down small pine saplings the edge was chipped in several places. I was not happy. So I sent an email to ESEE which was promptly answered by Jeff Randall (the owner) and he's sending me a new machete with a less severe grind at no cost. He also explained how to work out the burrs and chips and put the proper angle on with a file - I used a smith's tri-hone. That's why I support ESEE/Rat, great service, knowledgeable staff, and true confidence in the product.
I will still use the machete I have this weekend for a video review.
I also wanted to let you guys know that Maxpedition has a load of factory second OD green Pygmy Falcon II's for $62.99 plus shipping. I know some people don't like that Maxpedition uses foreign produced bags but it's still American designed and American owned.
ESEE/Rat Rc-4 Sheath Modification
I have been taking a serious look at a new belt sheath for my RC-4 lately. The Molle back it came with really wasn't working on my belt and - wanted something with the capacity to hold small items of kit and maybe make the sheath into a small PSK (personal survival kit). The Spec-Ops Combat Master looked great, having that little pocket, but even the "short" sheath is shaped for a slightly longer blade. The typical KSF/Sharpshooter sheath didn't have a pocket, just a firesteel loop, and was $50. Every other decent option was more expensive than that. You'll see over time that when I'm frustrated in a product search or activity out comes the redneck engineer. So I start to thinking that maybe I can make a sheath myself or just modify the kydex body the RC-4 came with.
So I head on over to Youtube and take a look at Colhane's channel. He had a neck knife setup as a PSK using bicycle inner tube for flaps/pockets. I then remembered a Dave Canterbury video where he did something similar with a machete. Having made some "pathfinder" type gear myself I thought I could do the same with the kydex body. That would solve the pocket issue, but what about the belt carry?
As I looked around for images of different RC-4's I saw one mod where a poster on BladeForums used a piece of rappel grade webbing and some zipties to add a loop for his RC-6. That would be perfect if I sewed some loops to keep the webbing from shifting under the zip ties. I know I can do it now, and for cheap.
So while on a break at work I took some time to do this.
Materials - kydex sheath body, two 8" zip ties (will be cut), one 12" section of webbing (will be cut), 26"x1 3/8" inner tube, and I sewed the webbing loops with upholstery thread but that's not necessary.
Tools - knife/scissors, needle if you choose to sew loops in the webbing.
1) Cut a piece of webbing that will eventually serve as the belt loop. You could also use old belt leather or even paracord as an alternative. I chose to sew several sections so the webbing wouldn't shift. Cut it to reach an inch lower than you plan the lowest zip tie to be but long enough for the sheath to ride where you want it.
2) Put the zip ties into as many rivet holes as you'd like. I think two is fine.
3) Loop the webbing and place it where you'd like height-wise against the body. Remember to place it for righty/lefty.
4) Cinch down the zip ties and cut the excess. That will create the belt loop section. You should be able to modify these plans for horizontal carry fairly easily
5) Cut inner tube to the size pockets you want. Remember that the larger you cut the pieces the harder it will be to stretch them and slide them into place.
6) Starting with the top pocket slide the inner tubes into place with each new piece overlapping the "bottom" of the higher piece. I'll admit, this part is difficult. This will create the pockets.
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Now that I've completed the "construction" I'll have to put together a PSK on the sheath. I'll post better pictures when it's complete.
Gear Review (video) – 5.11 Rush 12 pack
Note - I didn't realize the lighting was so horrible so I'll be doing another video outdoors in the next day or so.
I've been using this pack for about two weeks for a mix of EDC and some bushcrafting. It is a great size option when you think something like a Maxpedition Condor or Rush 24 is too big. I would use it as a secondary scout bag except for the quality. It's just not on par with Maxpedition. On my 5.11 Rush 24 I had a seam split on the hydration carrier pocket. Not sure how it happened, either.
This bag is from the first production run in which the only color choice was black (not my first choice). I'm not sure if the next production run coming out later this month will have other options.
My experience with this bag thus far has done two things: Reaffirmed my wish of a two-strap Maxpedition Sitka (please guys, I'll put up the preorder money today!), and that 5.11 products should be kept for med/light use. The QC just seems to be hit or miss.
The point - Great EDC bag, but not stout enough for serious bushcrafting.
Organization: 4.25/5
Comfort: 4.5/5
Build Quality: 3.5/5
Value: 4.25/5
Gear Review – Using the Rat/ESEE Izula to baton wood
Not a full review but the first time I have used the Izula to split wood. It's small and needs alot of adjusting due to the small "target" size, but it will take some serious abuse.
Video – Why I chop standing wood rather than baton it
I had been asked in the video using the Rat RC-4 to chop down a sapling why I chop rather than baton. The reason is because the angle of approach is odd unless the knife and desired cut is above your shoulder line, as the swing would be underhand and not a "hammer".
Gear Review – Video of the Maxpedition Sitka
This is not an in-depth review, but rather a short review due to a poster on the Zombie Squad forums asking about using the Fatboy on short hikes. I told him I preferred the Sitka, and here's why.
You see it used here as a scout pack.