ESEE 6 vs TOPS Silent Hero Knife! Combat Kitchen: Episode 2 (Plus all 1095 Knives Overview Review)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ส.ค. 2024
- Buckle up for large fixed blade knife testing like you've never seen it before - in the kitchen!!!
After over 3.5 hours of intensive chopping, the ESEE 6 Survival Knife is back - And after 7 hours of the same the TOPS Silent Hero Tactical fixed blade enters Combat Kitchen. No resharpening, no waiting, just an edge-to-edge battle to the bitterly dull end...
Pumpkins will crack, carrots will peel, apples will be chopped to bits - but which knife edge will endure to the tomato-slicing finish line?
Also, this episode includes a total overview of all variants of 1095 Carbon Steel that I have tested so far, as well as design comparisons between these 2 and the Kabar Becker BK7 Combat Utility knife I tested last episode!
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#thehomeslicesharpening #dualgritedge #dualgrittest
Great review, thank you for posting.
No problem! Thanks for checking it out!
Would trust my Esee 6 over a Tops blade any day in my lifetime
That’s fair bro, I really enjoyed using the ESEE, and I thought it was a great design. Do they make a 7 or 8 inch blade?
To be honest, I would trust any of the 3 knives in a survival situation. I own the Becker BK7, the others belong to viewers - but that’s not because BK7 is better, it’s just I didn’t have money for an ESEE or a TOPS 😂
I really need to test a Junglas in my current chopping tournament video. I bet that would really be a sweet spot for ESEE.
Cheers bro - take care.
Generally that would be true but the Silent Hero is on par with any ESEE blade. JoeX approved.
Very good test, i say thanks.
Well i have got the tops knife.
It's a fantastic knife.
Best regards from Germany
Thanks for the comment, and have a wonderful day my friend.
So the coating was a disadvantage for the ESEE by making behind the edge thicker. The TOPS is just thinner, better retention and good heat treat. Okay i wasn't expecting that there would be that much difference between them. Now and then you really get surprised with results that where different with what you thought would be. Thank you Gabe for the video and have a good weekend buddy.
Yeah, the results genuinely surprised me as well.
I guess it should be noted though that this is a very demanding test, and the ESEE likely outperforms MOST of what's on the market in its own right. I was actually VERY surprised when the TOPS lazered through the tomato skin so easily after Day 1 of chopping.
It's hard to show in the video, but you could feel a marked difference. I'm glad I did it on the same tomato or I might not have believed it myself. It definitely held an edge slightly better than the KaBar too, despite the extra alloys in CroVan.
Very surprising overall.
@@homeslicesharpening I wouldn't state that ESEE is the lesser one in general, but in this test TOPS did better. Ofcourse it is a test that you did between those two examples and maybe if you got another batch of the same knives, the conclusion would be slightly different. But for this test the conclusion was evident. Was the thickness behind the edge about equal or was there some difference what could explain the outcome? In short; i love to see another test between some other knives of the same steel. Thanks Buddy, have a nice weekend.
@@jeroenvoss6231 Yes, I would love to test more TOPS & ESEE - most certainly this is only one test, I agree that different models or knives could display slight variations (and a slight variation is all the difference in this test).
It was very apparent when I sharpened the knives that the coating on the ESEE added about half a mm to the the BTE thickness, so yes, it was much thicker behind the edge, and that was what caused most of the difficulty in the kitchen test, not sharpness.
The edge on the TOPS seemed to resist bending a little bit better, and as my test revolved chopping and batoning that also caused a variation. I would assume some of that is TOPS differential heat treat paying off a bit - but as you said it could be largely down to the luck-of-the-draw (IE which 2 you grabbed from the thousands made at the factories).
I definitely am not anti-ESEE (I think their designs tend to be brilliant, I want to try out a new one with a 3D machined handle) nor is TOPS the only fixed blade company I love. Just an interesting test comparison between 3 designs in a similar steel.
Cheers bro, enjoy your family today!
@@jeroenvoss6231 I should say, between 3 excellent knives. Cheers bro.
@@homeslicesharpening Exactly,it was an interesting comparison test in the 1095 range. You too have a great day together Gabe.
The REASON the Jabar batons better is because it's a sabre grind. Esee 6 is a full flat grind. My two hangups with the esee is that it's a full flat grind and second there's no clip point for tactical. The silent hero touches both of those points. I gotta get one. Love the look of the esee. Like the molle backs too. Silent hero is a sabre grind and tactical too. Really cool looking. Just nog a fan of the sheath though
Yeah, the sheath was a little harder to use while working out in the bush. Love the look of leather, but Kydex is pretty convenient. Cheers!
Thanks for your time this has been enjoyable content keep it up 👍🏽
Thanks Bobbie! Welcome to the Channel! Glad you enjoyed the quirky kitchen test - It's quite telling.
Have a great day.
You need my esee 6… it’s so sharp I accidentally cut chit all the time
You know what, I have learned so much about sharpening since this video, I had the viewer send me back this ESEE 6. I am afraid I may have given it an unfair test, and want to try again with the knowledge and gear I have now.
Cheers.
There's a reason the BK7 has the thinner spine at the tip (clip).
It's for stabbing , and both the BK7 and also the ESEE-6 will do better at that than the thick sloping down spine of the Tops.
Absolutely - the BK7's tip has a function! I just never stab anyone, so in this test the TOPS design was a little more practical.
That's not to say I don't like a good swedge/false edge tapering in at the tip. I find that a thinner tip can be super useful especially in an EDC you use for random daily tasks!
Thanks for the feedback, have an awesome day.
@@homeslicesharpening
Most people don't stab other people on a regular basis.
But many have a knife for self defense , especially in countries where gun possession is restricted.
And thick wide spine that are like that up to the tip prevent efficient stabbing.
Most people don't even need a large knife when camping in the wild.
Or hatchet. Unless you want to live there. Better take an axe and machete with you , and saw.
The Silent Hero is a very tough knife though. Did you see the Joe X destruction test of that knife? It took all the pounding..
Your vids persuaded me to get a Silent Hero. Been looking for a good deal for yonks. Not easy to find in Aus unfortunately. Finally found one…literally one…on Amazon yesterday. Seems like every knife I want is either way overpriced or out of stock here. Thanks for taking the time to make and share your vids and knowledge.🙏🏻👊🏼❤️☺️
Wow, thanks for the comment. It's awesome to know that my videos are proving helpful to guys who want to go in-depth!
Bro, I have the same problem here in NZ - so hard to track down the specific blades I want without paying uber-diculous shipping and GST to ship it in from who knows where?!
Please please, return to this comment with your thoughts on the Silent Hero. The amount of love I have for it now was a surprise to me, I hope it brings lots of knife-using joy to your life haha.
Cheers mate. Thanks for letting me know!
It’s the same in the UK.
I own alot of knives from many different companies made from all kinds of different blade steels. I also sharpen ALOT of knives for alot of people so that's given me the opportunity to work with other knives I don't own. Tops has become my favorite hands down. I love esee's quality as well as their warranty. But they just don't have a design that just grabs me. Tops knives are always innovative and always perform incredibly well when used for their intended purposes. And because they have so many different designs it doesn't matter what your shopping for a knife for they're probably going to have one that'll be excellent at what you need it for.
That’s so true! I love the diversity of purpose in the TOPS lineup. They have something in every geometry, thickness etc…
I recently batch sharpened a lot of chopping knives for an upcoming chop tournament video series, and the TOPS 1095 sharpens like (you’d expect it to be) harder or higher carbon steel than other 1095 Variants. I have had moderately good luck with KaBar’s steel, especially when you’ve sharpened away the overheated steel at the edge. Buck’s 5160 is a really nice product as well, you can tell it’s hard for a spring steel.
But I think presently TOPS makes my favorite 1095 to date. Thanks for your input! What’s your favorite way to sharpen your TOPS knives?
@@homeslicesharpening I use diamond stones, a ceramic and sometimes a leather strop. I have the anaconda 9, operator 7 blackout, M1 midget and a couple days ago I picked up the team jackal survivor. The midget and the jackal are 2 of my many EDC's that don't really get any "hard" use. Just normal daily tasks for a knife. So I use a 17° bevel on those with a slightly convex edge. They slice like razors and still hold their edges surprisingly well. The anaconda and the operator 7 are for hard use so I use a 20° bevel on those. Me and a friend of mine did a test with both of em awhile back chopping through 2"x2" pieces of seasoned oak. We were both absolutely shocked that neither of em showed any signs of damage at all. I agree. Tops 1095 as well as their 1075 (operator 7) is second to none.
Thats all in the thickness behind the edge. The hard veggies break before they cut. I had such experience with thick butcher chopping knives with scandy like grinds and big thick butcher knives.
The tops knife is just a beast!
It IS!!! Yeah, I have to say, this test performed way different than my expectation! BTE thickness is definitely just as important as grind slope. Maybe more important. It warrants more testing for sure.
I hope you meet your goal, but I think you'll have to go to cpm-3v or something comparable to achieve those results. Either way thanks for the info, testing, and video 👍
No problem, thanks for the input! I'd love to try out some 3V, CruWear, MagnaCut, etc...
I haven't had anyone volunteer to send them yet and it's not in the budget at this moment!
I do have some Paul Bos heat treated 5160, and I have some hope that that might do better - but we'll see.
Glad you enjoyed the test, take care!
Bonjour, so which one is the best ?
If I was to recommend something now (with all the testing I have done) I'd say KaBar Becker BK7 in 1095 CroVan for all-purpose outdoors knife (it even won the chop tournament I did later - by having the best edge retention for wood-chopping). For more chopping-heavy applications I am currently loving the Terava Skrama 200 and 240 from Varusteleka.com in 80CrV2 Steel.
ok merci
Check out the Architect knives from The Knife Connection. I have the 6.5 in cpm 3V, and it was 170 (if you make your own sheath.) If you want that little bit of extra edge retention, the 3V might be worth it. Otherwise you can pick TOPS 1095.
Great tip! Will check it out for sure. I have some 3V coming up from Survive knives in an upcoming video.
Cheers!
@@homeslicesharpening I look forward to that, Survive uses the same heat treat as the Architect series. They're definitely a little better, but a lot more expensive.
@@griff7749 Sure, the Survive! is not mine - if I was paying my own money, you know I'd be looking at an Architect blank and making the handle myself!
Good wrap up Gabe....Tops for me I think....but that handle....hmm....way too aggressive for day to day use....anyway thanks for your work!
, I don’t like the handle any better than the price
Probably true. It depends on what kind of work and what kind of gloves. Kitchen test was not comfy. Chopping was great. Agreed that the price is a bit steep on both.
That's why I have a Kabar with a homemade handle 😉
@@homeslicesharpening will you show us "the making of the handle" video please? :)
@@homeslicesharpening steel will roamer in D2 = $70
“Roamer R300 Fixed Blade. 11. 88" overall. 6. 25" black finish D2 tool steel drop point blade. Black TPE handle. Full tang. Black nylon belt sheath. “
Yo soy el chefe del el cheapo , y te gusto 2 : 1 knives
Bueno hermano
@@Owieczkin Yeah, it's coming up! I think it releases in about a week and a half! Do be warned, I ruin the handle once and have to start over, but we get there in the end! I have used it and I nailed the ergonomics which is the biggest part. Doesn't look bad either!
1:15 that's how majority of kitchen knives in the world are working xD. My wife keeps giggling at those found in YT videos... and then takes a sharp knife and cuts bones when processing chicken :s
Edit: btw, DBK used TOPS Storm Vector recently and were impressed with their heat treatment too :)
I'd love to get my hands on a Storm Vector - that thing is SICK!
True, most people would be blessed if their kitchen knives cut like that. Dani admits that I have ruined her for dull kitchen knives. (She packs our Bark River Petty Z - in CPM154 - when we go to an AirBnB cause she can't stand the silly knives you inevitably find in the drawer!)
Hey home slice have y played with switching grit sides??? Which works better for right vs leftys?? And which 1 is best for certain tasks?
Hey dom, good to see you again.
I tried switching sides for the last couple I sent to Pete... Either it did not make much difference, or the edges underperformed due to other miscalculations of mine.
So far my best results are the setup in the original tests, 18-20 dps 250 grit coarse side and 6k grit King on the other with light stropping.
Have you checked out the scienceofsharp article on dual grit yet? This would also be valuable as you visualize what's going on at the apex:
scienceofsharp.com/2021/06/15/dual-grit-sharpening/
Tops knives rust and Pitt easily maybe because of the coating bought one at a high price and had to strip the coating off and do a lot of work to the blade not a big fan of tops
Interesting! I have not had any problems, but I don't own one, I only get them from viewers. The edge performance seems pretty good!
The TOPS Silent Hero 4 is now using a Cerakote finish.
@@MrWinger1951 Nice! I did find that out recently, but did not know it at the time! Thanks!
I love the silent hero. I have an esee 5 and bk2 but the silent hero is by far more functional and practical. Very well rounded.
I just got the Silent Hero back, to do another battery of tests on it, because my sharpening regime has sort of shifted and I’m getting better performance out of blades now.
I got it back and I was like “Oh yeah, now I remember how much I love this knife!”
It’s just so lightweight without sacrificing power or slicing utility. To be honest, the first time I saw it it wasn’t my favorite look of all the TOPS line but the design has fully won me over at this point! Love it!
Japanese karadesu, silent hero is nice, I'll buy it too!
I enjoyed it very much - a good balance of power and utility in a relatively small package. Packs a punch for the weight.
I hope you like it if you get one! Thanks for stopping by!
Tops is my #1 pick! You just can't beat the Silent Hero! Great review!
They make great knives man! Cheers.
Your esee needed a better edge..
You know, after all I have learned in the last year, and the other testing I’ve done… I think you’re probably right!
I have found since this video that my dual grit sharpening method works best for EDC, not for impact - and that methods that clean more damaged metal from the edge create a much more stable edge apex - which is what you need for this test.
I should probably re-test at some point. Now I am chopping trees in the Chop Tournament videos that are so big I’d need a Junglas! If you have one you want to send me for testing, let me know!
The Silent Hero is just a much more aesthetically pleasing design, IMO.
I like the Silent Hero a lot. I usually prefer clip points (just preference) but the drop point is super well executed on the Silent Hero and it is beautiful.
Your recommandation for what ?? A combat knife to cut tomatos ???????????????
Exactly!
A knife that is capable to fill almost any role from extreme to tactical to practical 😆
Cheers Nicolas, thanks for the comment.
But I would grind the handles nice and comfortable on that tops knife!
I'd reshape the handles to my specific grip pattern on both if they were mine 😁but especially the ESEE, it's like a blank canvas (pun intended) you could really improve the ergonomics with a bit of DIY "3D Machining" hehehe...
@@homeslicesharpening 3d hand on milling 😂
@@sandorandras4148 Bro, I'm literally all about it!!! Every knife I buy that has a wood handle - I strip the coating, go use it, identify the hot-spots, and then custom shape it until there are NO hot spots. Then comes the re-stain.
So much more satisfying after that. Can be done with micarta and G10 as well as long as you refinish the whole thing uniformly.
I've even done it with folders - shaved the back corner off my Benchmade 531 and essentially made it into a 154CM BugOut with G10 - because the BugOut hadn't been invented yet, and I couldn't wait for a real slicey Benchmade hahahahhaaa.
@@homeslicesharpening thats madness!!! You have to design a knife or just draw one. I’d like to see whats in your creative head! I’ll post a picture that i “designed” and would make some time.
I have a cold steel hold out 3 in cts xhp and the blade tipp was uncomfortably close to the outside of the handle. So i disassembled the knife and modified it so that it closes perfectly. Plus in Germany we can’t have locking one hand opening PKs, so i had to grind a notch in the handle so its easier to open it with two hands. And took the thumbs stud off.
And all my opilnel’s are and will be reshaped to a spear point because I found it’s more practical than the clip-point in my use of-course.
Have a good one mate!
Haha, I have built a few folders from scraps of metal, pins, and sheets of Micarta or aluminum. There’s one featured in this video at 11:32 if you’ve not seen that.
m.th-cam.com/video/VGIyanSpfmQ/w-d-xo.html
I always value things I’ve customized more than the rest, and I hope to get into knife design more!
That’s cool how you legalized the Cold Steel, very clever! You should make a knife yourself!
lol that is not a finesse knife. Make a mess, be a man. :D
Haha, the drill Sargent of Combat Kitchen has arrived! 😂
You - “Make a mess… 🤬”
Me - “YES SIR 🫡 right away sir!“
You’ll like the Fallkniven A1 Combat Kitchen episode - the thick convex absolutely explodes the pumpkin, haha!