don't like it as much as the 3
I loved the ESEE 3, really solid little knife, the only thing I didn't like about it was, the handle is as small as I would ever want on a knife that you need to get a good grip on. I decided to remedy this problem by getting a larger model, the 5 & 6 were probably overkill for my needs so opted for this 4, the problem is the knifes larger but the handle is the same size as the 3 and it doesn't feel right, sort of unbalanced. This must just be me because I've never really seen a bad review for the ESSE 4, so I've done something I've never done before, I've altered the knife handle, two hours of hand filing to remove the finger guard, its now very similar to the modified handle variant and I'm really happy with the results i just wish the handle had been about a centimetre longer start with thats why I've only given it a four. Just a quick note to anyone thinking 1095 steel isn't up to the task or won't retain an edge, I had the blade alone in an engineering vice, using three grades of quality hand file it took two solid hours work just to remove the finger guard, thats one tough steel. P.S. do everything by hand especially sharpening and metal will always retain its strength.
