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Definitely looks like Esee whipped out that old OKC Kukri design , I brought my Ontario Kukri in 1095 steel around 10 yrs ago from Amazon for $55.00 .... Aaaahh the good ole days ... Nice Review Aaron ...👍🖖

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!!

@dasta7658

Ай бұрын

Your right; I own both and side by side they are almost identical except the OKC has an ever so slide rounding to it and their handle is black. I prefer the ESEE for some reason though.

The problem with "Thin" bladed Khukuri's is you have to use arm strength when chopping. The 12 inch long Jungle Black Khukuri, is heavier. All I have to do id guide where I want the blade to go, and then recover. Much less work.

I’m actually surprised that Esee is putting their name on this knife. It looks like they just replicated the OKC Kukri and the fit and finish looks sub par.

@andr14317

Ай бұрын

A Lot of okc designs are from when the esse guys worked with them.

My favorite Budget Chopper is the Kershaw Camp 10. $54 on Amazon and is an absolute Beast! Hope you get one and revisit a chop off.

I have a condor K-Tac Kukri and it’s an absolute MONSTER. I’ve had it for about 4 years and I love it. It has amazing fit and finish, heat treatment, a true convex edge, micarta scales, a kydex sheath, the part of the blade closest to the handle I turned into a scandi grind for fine work. The Condor kukris with the wood handles and leather sheath I’m sure are just as good. A little more pretty too!! I would highly recommend it over this blade to be honest. It’s a lot more bang for your buck.

@gladeshunter8796

Ай бұрын

These kukris are made for Esee by Condor . They’re clearly cutting corners to meet the price point .

@barneygo2010

Ай бұрын

Loving my 3 year old KTac Kukri by Condor. Gets lots of gardening work during the off season! Heh Heh Heh... Peace Be The Journey!

1. Great review; 2. You are absolutely correct in comments about sheaths usually being afterthoughts. I have worked on many machetes and found Machete Specialists has the widest selection of sheaths for machetes and long bladed knives. 3. I appreciated the portions of the video where you wore eye protection.

Esee mailed this in…..Not impressed, sheath and handles seem like afterthought

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Hahah totally!

I have a kershaw camp10 I bought years ago it's still one of the best choppers out there. Especially for the price

Can you really call it budget if it's more expensive than a real official Gurkha Kukri? Im shocked how cheap you can get ones actually made in Nepal!

@John5.56

Ай бұрын

Budget is completely subjective. With that said just because a certain designer/country/factory makes something cheaper doesn’t mean that sets the market. Also just because it’s “official” doesn’t mean it’s best.

@nosrin1988

Ай бұрын

@@John5.56 in theory. yes. however i Know just how amazing an official kukri is soooo. ya. i stand by my point in this situation.

@chrisrey9644

Ай бұрын

I agree with @nosrin1988. I have a 10" kukri and an 11" Bowie from EGKH. Both pieces are outstanding in every way. Hecking bombproof .The Bowie lives on my nightstand and the kukri is in my emergency bag because they're that good!

@nosrin1988

Ай бұрын

@@chrisrey9644 i dont know if it's them or someone else but my brother has one from an official website from over there. He's been obsessed with the kukri since like highschool. it's really awesome. the closest thing I have is a Kerhshaw Camp 10, an absolute beast of a budget blade. EVENTUALLY I'll get a real kukri. One day.

@airsoftarmy77

Ай бұрын

99% of the sellers out of Nepal are not what the military uses, despite whatever advertising they try to use. They ate mostly all wall hangers as plenty of videos on KZread show with improper grinds and terrible QC.

At my age 67 I don’t backpack any longer. My back won’t put up with it. I do have a R-tac 2. Ontario Cuttery nowadays our camping is in a camper so there’s all the tools I need for the job so this would not fit in for me always good content keep up the good work.

When I was in Costa Rica I bought myself a El Salvadore made Machete for 8$. The edge was crap from the store but after sharpening it this thing is a monster. Definately helps me in the garden all the time and probably for a long time

Thanks for the review. I bought an Ontario once I heard they were going out of business. It should finally get some use in a month or so but since it was such an affordable kukri I am definitely interested so see how much of an upgrade the others may or may not be.

I believe you are spot on in your review. It's a shame Esee didn't design this with screw on handles while offering upgraded versions? Actually, I would offer an alternate, sheath upgrade as well. 🤷 [Esee...if you need a good product manager feel free to reach out!]

Great review, I have owned this for a couple of months and use it on my property to trim palm and banana leaves and cut up the odd coconut or branches. Does a great job for those tasks. I have a similar issue with the grind being thick near the base which is where I would do the finer tasks if it were necessary so I have sharpened it up but still too thick to be effective for delicate tasks like notching. It is possible but not preferred and doesn't give clean cuts to the small notches. The sheath sucks, mine is now a dirty brown colour which sucks up moisture and dirt which is a magnet for rust as I live in a tropical area. I have to keep the blade well oiled to prevent rust. The coating chipped off in areas of high use immediately so if someone is thinking of getting this, you might want to strip the coating and do a patina. It is my go to blade for the palm fronds and banana leaves like I said and I recommend it as a yard workhorse but most certainly not as a one tool option or anything like that.

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Than you for the feed back!!

Can't say I'd trade my Condor K-Tact for it. I'm one of those people who don't care about slicing cordage or making feather sticks with a kukri. If I'm going anywhere with a kukri, it means I also have a pocket and fixed blade knife on me as well. Right tool for the job. Great chopper, comfortable handle, great sheath.

Comprehensive review as usual, thanks for doing that!! As soon as u showed a close up of the handle, it looked like it would be super uncomfortable. The grooves didn't look chamfored (probably spelled wrong) and i instantly though..."BLISTERS"!!

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching

Thank you for the honest review, Aaron. I was considering this kukri, but not now. I expected better from esee

And while I’m at it, when you cut Wood, the off cut hangs over the lever point thereby opening the kerf while you’re cutting, not closing it.

The sheath is cheap. The handle is crude for a bit more money I would go with a condor.

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Totally agree!

@kejadventures241

Ай бұрын

then again, most people who buy these tools now, have to make excuses as to why they bought something they didnt need, "its for survival". He says wile sitting in his room.

@kejadventures241

Ай бұрын

dont worry, you can just eat tree bark and drink deer blood. LOL

@spamfriedmice4800

Ай бұрын

I heard these were made for Esee by Condor.

It's a Condor with Esee's name. Probably designed by Joe Flowers. If I had to guess, it is probably the Condor King Kukri Machete.

@winstonbush7121

Ай бұрын

Old Ontario design, created by one of the OG ESEE guys

@bobinmontana777

Ай бұрын

Well, it is as stated “Harsey” designed kukri as in Spartan Blades. Made in El Salvador, possibly (suspect it is) in the Condor factory.

Great review. I have a couple esse knives and this might be a good compliment to the collection

Great review, definitely been pleased with my Junglass for a few years now and the kydex sheath for it has held up well

@matthewshannon6946

Ай бұрын

Same here. Great tool!!!

I upgraded my OKC version of this with a leather sheath that fits perfect. I cant remember which one it was that it was but they are probably still available somewhere. The kydex options avail were all akwardly oversized

this is interesting to see because i personally EDC a condor K-tac kukri, i may have to pick one of these up and see if it performs as well as my condor

And while I’m at it, when you cut wood, the offcut hangs over the lever point, thereby opening the kerf while you’re cutting instead of closing it

As much as I like 1075 steel, I'm sticking with my Ontario Kukri. As for nylon sheaths, my OKC Kukri sliced its sheath wide open on the first draw. I had to get a Kydex sheath for it. I paid around $50 for the Kukri and around $75 for the Kydex sheath.

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Differently the better option!

Ontario had a decent 1095 kukri, fair thickness and good rubberized kabar style handle similar to the essee, think I paid 50something bucks for mine a few years ago

Woohoo! It’s about time someone did a review on the esee kukri.

Thanks Aaron! I would def buy the Condor for a few bucks more

My favorite chopper is still the Silky Nata 240. If you haven't tried it yet you should.

Thakns for the review, Aaron. If you haven't already, I think you might want to check out Kailash blades.

I was curious; which do you prefer, the Condor model or the ESEE? If you reviewed the Condor, I missed it.

Love my tops nata. One of my favorites

I'm very surprised at it's handle construction. The sheath also leaves a lot to be desired. I have Condor's heavy duty and K-Tac Kukri's and are both superb in doing what they're supposed to do. 100 bucks on the Heavy duty kukri by Condor would be your best bet if looking for a quality "budget" chopper in my humble opinion... GREAT VIDEO Aaron❤!!!

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Thanks!!

Thorough testing 👍

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

Thank for mentioning the sheath! Plenty of knives I haven't bought because of a crappy nylon sheath.

Good grief! I picked up the larger Cold Steel Kukri Machete 4 or 5 years ago for $38. It chops really well, makes fire sticks just fine, batons okay, doesn't hurt my hand to hit hard with it, holds an edge reasonably well for what it is, and the sheath, while cheap, doesn't suck. These things will sell just because Essee put their name on them. Chock this up to "what were they thinking" to put out a badly made piece of junk. The prototype must have been significantly better than this one.

@kaizen5023

Ай бұрын

Cold steel kukri lost a quarter sized chip outta the steel when chopping a small branch in snowy alpine conditions. It later broke at the tang and handle join. Piece of shite.

Appreciate your honest opinions. That's why you're credible.

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Really appreciate that!

G'day Aaron, whilst kooks appear to be well designed for chopping, i.e. accentuated forward weight, in practice it means the edge comes through well in advance of the hand and on a flat plane the handle points up on impact, like you dont get a full swing, (and not surprising if one gets more jarring through the wrist either). For the handle to end up parallel with the ground you've gotta be almost chopping behind you, or at the very least back towards you. Can you imagine a hammer or hatchet head with a boomerang for a handle, lol. .... Me thinks if you're gonna have one at all, ..... better for vines, (or bodies), at "close quarters", since the length is somewhat limited for a slashing tool. Anyway, like other machete type jobs they are quite "agricultural" and the fit and finish is often low on the priority list, however that is extremely poor for 100-ish USD. Sure one can easily mess about with handle ergos and finish, though I'd be far more willing to do so on a 20 odd dollar Tramo for example. Cheers Duke. P.S. my ol' man has a particular kook, I believe given to him by a Gurkha during his military service, very ornate and certainly no tourist job ; ) anyway, the main reason I mention it, (and in fairness its many decades old at least), even the "very" robust leather sheath couldn't stand up to an insanely sharp edge. On that basis, I reckon a fully "lift out" sheath design is about the only way to get more longevity out of it for the blade shape; mind you, with fasteners, at the expense of a "quicker draw". Incidentally it would be good to hear more about other unusual and truly vintage jobs, rather than an old Buck 119 for example, (I do have a more contemporary one and love it, but they aint exactly rare/unusual), either from yourself or other commenters.

i remember some gi joes having these so i need one - im broke however, went overbudget on a pc build :(

I agree with paying a little more for a better sheath I’m getting a steel eagle 107d but I comes with a nylon sheath but you can get them for $25 more with a kydex sheath I’m going with the second option love the videos keep up the great work

Do you still have the Pathfinder knife?

For what it's worth, I love my Cold Steel Royal Kukri.. It has a Kraton handle that's very comfortable and I have to believe it's easier on the user than the wood....

A little sanding and some hockey stick tape on the handle would help some !

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

For sure!

Another reviewer managed to roll the blade edge over in about 5 minutes. Almost bought one before I saw that. Got the Becker/Reinhardt and couldn't be happier.

Absolutely love your review. One suggestion in a big chopper review like this one could you add in a hatchet say a Fiskars X7 as it might be helpful.

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Cool idea!

Cudeman SVK II = best chopper /mini machete I've owned. Holds an edge, chops great, killer leather sheath, and is stainless to boot.

If you keep putting your hand on the blade side of khukri sheaths when you draw the blade, you’re gonna get a shock one day.

Great video

I have the Brush Demon by Wicked Edge and it is fantastic.

Budget? Esee? Cool blade, I like kukris. What is your opinion of the Cold Steel Spartan? I got one and love it.

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Never had one but looks cool!

I agree with you

Looks like a great tool... BUT (I like big buts and I cannot lie...) when I can buy 3 or 4 Cold Steels for the same price, it makes it hard to justify the purchase.

Seems like this thing is on par with my 15 year old $30 Coldsteel Kukri machete, even down to the sheath quality.

The guy who designed the ontario kukri brought the design to ESEE because ontario whent out of business. I belive these are made in the condor factory.

Kukri blades are best suited for hacking a path through a jungle.

Is this the best budget chopper? How does this make you feel?

@kejadventures241

Ай бұрын

his feelings determine your choices? Thats beta as f.

Have you tried the Crkt Kuk? It's low cost and worth a try. I like mine.

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

I will check it out

Looks a lot like the Ontario Kukri

Looks identical to the Ontario kukri.

My KaBar kukri was cheap and it has a decent sheath. It's not the same one you showed in the video, forgot my model

Wow

Flattish primary grind like that with a secondary grind at the end will be inferior in a chopper to the traditional convex grind on a khukuri with shallow fullers/chirra to reduce weight. Not only will this stick more and jam but it won't chop at deeply in comparison to a more convex grind, nor will it split well, which means people will end up batoning instead, which it'll also take more effort to do. I'd rather pay slightly more say 120-140 USD and get a traditional khukuri made out of spring steel with a leather sheathe. Not worth it in my opinion, handle is also not set up for good snap cutting. Frankly it's more like a khukuri shaped machete than a khukuri.

I'll take my condor eco parang with nylon sheath over this any day.

Its made by IMACASA which means same manufacturer as condor. Which i think is really good, i never had better Machete than condor do. They are soft, but thats what you need on Machete. Condor leather is top notch and is a shame this dont have one. I dont even like kukry, so i will pass on this one. Its better to buy condor directly in my eyes

i love my ontario kukri, this one needes those upgrades to meet the price difference, the only point this has is the esee warranty

That thing looks like a custom ontario spec plus kukri, makes me wonder if they bought up a large stock from ontario after it closed and just tweaked them, as a fan of all things ontario spec plus ill have to get one of these

@andr14317

Ай бұрын

Expat line was around before okc went down. I was looking at one of these a few years ago.

@powers1776reset

Ай бұрын

Probably originally designed by the ESEE guys, when they were with Ontario. Otherwise this would be a complete rip off of the design and worthy of being sued

My guess would be that the Handles are to be finished at home. The Tramontina machetes are said to have big bulky handles, to finish and fit at home as well. 🤔

@kejadventures241

Ай бұрын

shoes are said to have laces.

@kejadventures241

Ай бұрын

It is also said that when a light turns on, one can see.

@bobinmontana777

Ай бұрын

Ahhh, they’re riveted. The gaps are on the blade tang side, not much you can finish if afraid. Unless you fill in with epoxy. Or, you could pay the $79.00 extra and get the original Spartan Harsey kukri with great handle and Kayden sheath.

@amayapahernandez5532

Ай бұрын

Saw dust and epoxy mix.

@bobinmontana777

Ай бұрын

@@amayapahernandez5532 That works! But found JB Weld makes a “Wood weld” that is very good for repairing knife scales, etc.

Looks pretty average for an Essee. Would leave a lot of modifying.

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

100 %

I was hoping to see this compared to a condor in the chopping test since you kept mentioning them being of similar price point and made in the same country

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Don’t currently own any condors

@kydd666

Ай бұрын

@@gideonstactical that's fair, after seeing this video though i think i'll still stixk with buying one of the condor kukri's. If it's good enough to win a season of Alone, it's good enough for me to thump on in the Canadian wilderness

How thick is the blade in front of the handle? 1/8", 3/16", or 1/4"?

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

0.25inch

@sylviacandler5541

Ай бұрын

@@gideonstactical I have got to have one! Thank You!

Aaron, any chance you’ll pick up a Kabar Combat Kukri for review? Always been intrigued by that one.

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

I’ll take a look into that one. Not sure since I’m not really a Kukri guy and the handle doesn’t make a lot of sense to me on that model.

@LuisGonzalez-gl4wc

Ай бұрын

@@gideonstactical that’s understandable. The handle does seem rather odd. Just wondering if it works with a blade shape like that, and you give your honest insights.

For the money I would just get the Cold Steel version and be done with it.

There is no better and cheaper machete than the Corneta. I've had mine since I was 14. 30 years later its still as good as new.

But can it stand up to the JOEX tests

@spamfriedmice4800

Ай бұрын

I mentioned this knife to JOEX a couple of weeks ago and he was surprised that he hadn't heard of it. I suspect they'll be a video soon. Poor Esee 😂.

Out of the 3 I’d go with the jungulas than the esee kukri my last pick would be that harsey kukri not a fan but opinions are like bum holes 😉 😉 🤪. I have the Ontario kukri to bad they went out of buisness as their kukri was fantastic for the price basically the exact same as the esee but it’s 1095 steel rather than 1075 plus it was $40 cheaper probably why they went out of buisness though 🤷‍♂️.

You remind me of the count from sesame street when chopping

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

One hahah two haha 😂

I mean like literally the real ones are budget and are already proven

Good review as allways 👍 The ESEE Kukri doesn't impress one bit, performance, workmanship and sheath are below average. The only Kukri I own is the Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri Plus 3V and that's really good, but not my best chopper e.g. my Bark River Ja-Nap or my TOPS El Chete are real chopping monsters. Also good choppers are Bark River Bravo 3, Fallkniven Moderne Bowie, Fallkniven Thor, Cold Steel Trail Master 3V. Greetings from germany.

@powers1776reset

Ай бұрын

I imagine if ESEE made another big chopper that they valued at 300+ dollars, it would be better than their $200 Junglas.

Becker BK21 🤙🏼

@spamfriedmice4800

Ай бұрын

I saw another review of this Kuk and decided the same thing. Then I ran across an Original 90s Becker/Reinhardt Kukri with blade made by Blackjack at an estate auction and couldn't be happier.

I have a condor khukuri , it looks remarkably similar to that Esee, wouldn't surprise me if it came out of the same El Salvador factory. It's OK a decent tool, but the khukuri originated in Nepal, I am fortunate enough to own a genuine khukuri which was given to me by a retired Gurkha regiment Captain one of his service weapons. It is very different in design to the Condor and far better in my opinion, these Esee and condor designs are quite different to genuine khukuris. 1

What a major fail for Esee that is terrible, I saw that kukri the other day and as soon as I saw that ontario handle I said nope no way. At $100 for that it is nowhere near budget minded and that sheath is terrible too, I figured it would have a wide secondary edge to help with less warranty claims not the best edge for the tool. I like Esee and all but they really need to catch up to the times and they had better watch out cuz the stuff coming over from China is getting better and better, sadly many companies produce a much better blade for less money for example kershaw camp 10. Let's see those two go at a chopping test lol but thanks for showing me why I knew I shouldn't get it 🤣.

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Great idea 💡!

@alphaomegasurvivalsupply6548

Ай бұрын

@gideonstactical that Esee might have a 1/16th of an inch or so of thickness on the camp 10 so it might beat it, I dunno though lol, that camp 10 does do a really good job and it would be a good face off I think.

Cant believe Esee would even put their name on something like that. Definitely won't be buying it. Thanks sir

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

It is surprising

ESEE = "we heard you needed more jung on your junglas..."

Nothing beats my BK2 for chopping or batoning. Also Ford is better than Chevy, and Football is better than Soccer.

At that price point the sheath makes sense but the fit and finish on the scales is disappointing but I’m not surprised. Condor doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to QC . I have a CRKT Mah-chete made by Condor and it has the worst handle design and fit and finish I’ve seen .

@DamionJR4923

Ай бұрын

Condor makes good leather sheaths.

I have the condor ktac kukri and it’s much better then this for only $130, I get liking Esee but this is a dud they lost me at the flat grind, the ktac is convex and has kydex that is actually pretty excellent. Both are 1075 and both are made in El Salvador I think

I like kukris, but I hate sharpening kukris. lol

Ummm…no. Spend the 90 bucks more and get the Junglas with a kydex sheath. Was never much of a kukri fan. I did have a Kbar Cutlas years ago that was okay, but didn’t hold an edge well. I will take a Junglas and some variation of a camp axe all day long. Great video Aaron.

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Ya sad it’s not better

Looks like an mtech rebranded.

Why use one that's went out of business????

I saw “ESEE” and “kukri” and was intrigued. But after this, I’ll look elsewhere.

After seeing this review and the price point I think I will pass. I have a CRKT Kuk and it’s great plus cheaper than the Expat Kukri. ESEE dropped the ball on this one.

Kukris are for hand to hand combat, not chopping wood.

@powers1776reset

Ай бұрын

Oh ok bud👌🏼

@neemancallender9092

Ай бұрын

They are primarily Nepalese village work knives that are also used as fighting knives

This one appears to be poorly thought out in terms of value per cost, poor sheath, bad handle, less than optimal blade geometry, and lacking good finish workmanship. Solid review exhibiting things to keep in mind if ever considering this knife. This would be a hard pass and no-go for me.

Yeah handle looks cheaply made !

That's a poorly designed handle... this whole package is no improvement over a properly made traditional kukri at all. Heck if it weren't for the shipping cost you could get a proper traditional kukri from a great maker like Kailash blade for cheaper! Their differentially tempered 5160 full tang Panawal with rosewood handles and a hand made leather sheath is $10 cheaper, save for the shipping

A kukri is a silly looking knife, any way you “slice” it lol

@gideonstactical

Ай бұрын

Haha!!😆

@cognomenunknown2144

Ай бұрын

@@gideonstactical That’s about the extent of my wit, sir!

damn ESEE, disappointment