New Scale Day

My new Esee Izula scales arrived! Ordered on Amazon on December 23, 2020 and delivered on my Philippine doorstep on January 6, 2021 by Aramex. It would probably arrive sooner if not for the year-end holidays. 

Let's get down to opening it.

This is what's inside the Amazon pouch. The 3-piece scales, 2 sets of screws, a RAT card.

There's a bunch of stickers on the outside of the seal bag. At the front are the Esee name and contact information. Just above the barcode, it says "Izula Handle Rust." Maybe they call this rust, but the Amazon Product title "Crimson Red" fits it better. 

At the back, there is a chemical warning sticker. If you are reading this blog entry, you've probably seen this countless of times.

The scales came in screwed together.

There is a black plastic piece that goes inside the skeleton tang of the Izula knife. I can't tell at the moment if it is G-10 or just regular plastic.

The whole Scale package.

The boring for the screw holes are kind of rough. The screw head goes deeper than the tapered hole so you see a slight bit of light red when it is screwed down. This is a minor aesthetic comment and does not affect the function of the knife.

It would look cool if they made the lanyard hole slightly bigger.

Here is the Crimson Red scales, mounten on a black Esee Izula. 

I like this Deadpool vibes of the knife. Feels like a #NKD New Knife Day.

Under artificial lighting, the color of the scale looks deeply saturated.

The scales align perfectly along the tang. Having the scales slightly smaller than the tang feels like the entire handle is rounded, giving a much comfortable grip.

The scales comes into contact with the stock plastic sheath.

I love the new scales. It made the knife a totally different tool, both in function and aesthetics. The knife is more comfortable to hold now, and the grip is amazing. I am more confident in handling this now. Good job to Esee knives.

A minor issue I had with this is that it didn't come with a Hex key. It was no big deal at first but the ones I have are Metric and the sockets are in English. I can fit one but it managed to slightly strip the screws while installing.

If you are contemplating on getting the Esee G-10 scales for your Izula, go for it. This is not a regrettable purchase.

Leatherman Squirt PS4

Leatherman Squirt PS4 in red and blue. I'm loving the colors. 

Enjoy the photos!

 

With a bit of rust from the display case.

The size of it on my hands.

Php 2,919.00 roughly converts to US$60.

The "H" engraving is Hahn's way of determining if the item came from them. You don't need to show receipt for warranty work to be done.

Esee Izula vs OKC R2D2 Size

 Size comparison of the Esee Izula and the Ontario Knife Company Rat Model 2 in D2 Steel.

Thanks to Enough Said Manila for the opportunity to check out these guys in person. Because of this, I am now inclined to get the R2D2 in the near future. 

Esee Izula vs Spyderco Para 3 Size Comparison

 Size comparison for the Spyderco Para 3 in G10 and the Esee Izula. 

On paper the blade size of the Spyderco is 75mm (2.95") with edge length at 67mm (2.62") and the Izula comes in at 66.80mm (2.63").

Edge length is almost the same. 

NKD Esee Izula Black

 New Knife Day

Picked up the last stock of the black variant at Enough Said in Biak na Bato, Quezon City, Philippines. Awesome knife shop. They are good guys. Hopefully they bring in more Esee stuff.

I picked up the Esee Izula in black color with the intention of getting the original Esee Crimson Red scales for it. Going for that Deadpool look. Not a bad color choice for your first Izula.

Pretty big box for a small knife. I have no freaking clue if this is the original box that the Izula comes with but this is my first Esee product and I have nothing to compare it with and more importantly, I don't care as boxes can't even cut things.

I can't wait to get home and open this up.

The outer box has awesome graphics and there the Izula is the small knife pictured in the corner. Now I want whatever knife is pictured in the middle.

The other side of the box. Nothing special. Same photo.

This is what is printed at the bottom of the box. I would have to know these stuff but I guess you learn about these things when you join the RAT Survival Seminar thing.

Once you slip off the outer box, there is the actual box. I've seen some boxes online with Esee logo label stamps, but this one, does not have. I wish it did but who cares.

Opened the box. So much goodies inside.

Let's see some papers first.

Back side of the brochure.

This is it. Freaking awesome. We have the knife, sheath, clip and screws, some pvc cards and two stickers.

I have the serial number 104310. So many Izulas out there.

You'll see "Rowan" marked at the other side. Good job guys from Rowan.

Let's check out the clip

Looks symmetrical.

But if you plan to belt mount this knife horizontally, you can only screw on the three holes. The last clip hole is totally off the remaining sheath hole. Who really cares. Custom Kydex sheath will definitely in the future for this knife.

Mounting time.

For reference, the clip mounting screw and barrel nut.

The engraving is so deep that it creates long shadow depending on the lighting.

This is a pretty cool knife. I've compared it against the Kabar Wrench Knife (my first choice), and ended up going home with the Izula. The Kabar is a likeable knife, but I see the Izula having slight advantage for me as it can be installed with scales.

Factory sharpness is so-so, but I've suspected that the minor dullness came from the knife being a display item. I passed a couple of time on the whetstone, and now it cuts clean.

The black coating is so thick that it gets sharpened with the edge as well. There might be some minor issues with the cutting smoothness because of the textured coating, only if you compare it to kitchen knives when you are preparing food.

As a fixed blade knife, I see this as having active use. The size is just enough for practical use. If I get something longer, I will probably be only displayed at home. The black coating might be a boring choice given the vast colors available, but this is something I feel that will match any type and color of scales available out there.

Check out this link for size comparison to a Spyderco Para 3.

Check out this link for size comparison to an Ontario Rat Model 2 in D2.