ESEE 4 Vs 4 Max Scout - A Wood Processing Tool Test

/ spartanjohns
Link above is where you can donate to support the channel. If you want to, of course.
As for this video:
I was curious if the ESEE 4 would chop as well as the 4 Max Scout....
Since I was going to do this anyway I decided to start the camera and do a few more tests.

[@DanielVBlades]

43 chops for the Esee, 22 chops for the 4-Max 🔪🔪

[@SpartanJohns]

Thanks for counting!

[@goran2608]

This is my first Cold Steel. The brand always seemed too 'tactical' for me and there were always some other brands/knives to check out. First time I held it in my hands I fell in love with it and with the brand. This thing is one of, if not the best bang for your buck hard use folding knife on the market-period. I had a lot of Lionsteel, Chris Reeve and ZT 'hard use' knives and, while they were tough, they are just laughable compared to this thing.CS also seems to do a better heat treat on AUS10 then a lot of other brands do on much more expensive steel. It performs great in all kinds of tasks, it is not just a sharpened prybar. If you are on a fence of getting one just pull the trigger, you won't be dissapointed.

[@SpartanJohns]

the 4maxscout is definitely a tank. i like mine and still find use for it

[@DanielVBlades]

Well said. Best folder in the planet to my knowledge.

[@DanielVBlades]

The four Max is the first folder I've ever had that truly feels as it can function like a fixed blade, and not just any fixed blade but a full tang fixed blade. It is that strong. Great video, great review, thank you! ~dan

[@SpartanJohns]

I agree! The Voyager XL can do a lot of things but does not feel as stable and sturdy as the 4MaxScout does!

[@brawndothethirstmutilator9848]

The chopping comparison at the beginning of this video makes a great case for Rowen to redesign the handle shape of the Esee 4.

[@SpartanJohns]

There are handle scales you can put on the tang to make it better. As is...the esee 4 is a good design...it does everything it should and, imo, it is impossible to break, if you strictly use it for wood processing, shelter building, hunting.... I have seen they got new 3d scales...but i don't think they would do much to improve how it chops

[@BabakPA]

Interesting comparison! Thanks for the video Denis

[@SpartanJohns]

Glad you liked it! I was curious about it and thought you guys might enjoy it as well.

[@jgz6989]

4 Max Scout for the win.......although the fixed blade will obviously outlive it (with proper care).

[@SpartanJohns]

the 4 max scout could have a long happy life if not subjected to hard abuse every day. Of course the esee4 will be able to take far more and severe abuse. however...for this test...the 4 max scout did do a really good job

[@jgz6989]

@@SpartanJohns Agree...take care of your blades and they will take care of you. I think I gonna get me 4max soon......😀.

[@BladeWalker77]

Very interesting and original comparison .

[@SpartanJohns]

thanks! I was curious and thought other might like it as well

[@Kris_Stiletto]

The 4-Max "ROCKS!!!" :-) Peace, Stiletto :-)

[@SpartanJohns]

It does! So much! I still carry it with me just to mess around with it! Superb tool!

[@riqboze3695]

Proof-of-concept that the triad lock can perform heavy-duty bushcraft tasks

[@SpartanJohns]

The 4 Max Scout, is, so far, the folder that took the most abuse by my hands and has not even a shred of damage

[@Gman1024]

Love the 4max Scout. You can get awesome deals on 4m4zon, I bought mine for 63.99 in February 2022. I had wanted one for so long and couldn't pass it up at that price. I saw ultimate ultimate knife search hammer it into a stump and stand on it full weight a couple times and he's a huge guy. Thanks for showing the comparison, the esee is on my long list to get some day as well. Be safe.

[@SpartanJohns]

The ESEE 4 is a nice stout fixed blade. Has it's limitations due to size but is very capable I saw his videos as well.. he is a big enough guy so he can even edc the 4maxscout

[@Gman1024]

@@SpartanJohns, sh!tchea he can. I was thinking the esee 4 would be a good edc sized fixed blade, that'd be a bit more capable than the 3, were I really needing to use it on the fly. They all look great, and just more evidence you can't have just one. 😁

[@SpartanJohns]

@@Gman1024 The ESEE 3 has a slightly smaller blade but it is also much thinner. A better cutter all around. The ESEE4 is beefier....you would need to reduce the edge angle, like I did, if you would want to use it for normal task, other than splitting wood. As it came...mine had a 35 dp edge angle...really huge. now it stands at 17 dps..and is still thick behind the edge...1.2 mm...still a great beater but now it can do finer tasks as well.

[@Gman1024]

@@SpartanJohns, good info, thanks buddy.

[@doejon9424]

I would say get an ESEE. They have the absolute best warranty in the knife industry, which people don't highlight. They will literally replace any knife, no matter what. Doesn't matter if you were misusing it as a hammer or pry bar. Doesn't matter if you are the first of filth owner. Proof of purchase isn't required. They just need the knife parts & a story of how it broke (which doesn't at all void the warranty at all). There's only a couple of things that are not covered like that. Like the Honduras machete doesn't apply. But all there "normal knives" are covered for life. If they don't have a specific color, they will ask if you want to wait or want a different available color. It's nice knowing the a $50-130 ESEE is covered for life once you purchase it. If you chip thr blade or break it.. just send it in. If they can't re-profile or fix the damage .. it's a new ESEE for you. And I'm not exaggerating it at all. You can buy an ESEE 3-5, Izula or whatever.. run it over, snap it, send it in with warranty papeerwork filled out and you'll get a new one. Now obviously that's a scumbag thing to do & I wouldn't recommend it.. however it just shows how they don't want people to be scared of using their knives. Cold Steel, on the other hand has a nightmare warranty & you can expect for it to be a weeks long ordeal. In my opinion of a company is willing to replace a product with no questions asked has earned my dollars. They have some great 1095 heat-treated blades too. Excellent camp/edc knives.

[@T37912]

We are curious 😉

[@joshuabriggs7114]

Very interesting test thanks! A nice comparison would be the 4Max Scout vs the original hollow ground AD10. It's really a shame Cold Steel changed it to flat ground. The AD10 is just enough smaller and yet still beefy enough. It's weight is more manageable too. I appreciate the observation of discreet carry of the folder vs fixed blade.

[@SpartanJohns]

Thanks! CS had a lot of models which had a nice hollow grind. for cutting ability i would prefer those. Yes...i have looked a lot at the AD10 and have considered trying it out....just waiting on "the right price" :)

[@demo2952]

Bush ranger is better

[@SpartanJohns]

@@demo2952 bush ranger is much smaller....i'd compare that with other knives...the 4 max scout is...in it's own league

[@Kris_Stiletto]

You should try the AD10 Tanto; it has a Hollow Ground Blade. :-) Peace, Stiletto :-)

[@cassanoa]

excellent - great video - the reduced edge angle sounds like it would work better - what about a very small convex - to maintain edge strength - stropped to a very gradual convex

[@SpartanJohns]

Thank you! a convex bevel would definitely help as it is easier for a convex edge to roll out of a cut rather than break. for that a lot of stropping would be required or some sandpaper, or free hand on stones.

[@Traderjoe]

I suppose if you had the 4 Max as an EDC and suddenly found yourself thrust into a survival setting unexpectedly, it would be a great asset in lieu of a fixed blade like the ESEE 4. I think you’d get along just fine with it. Will it last as long functioning in a battonning role? Probably not. But it would certainly get you by for quite a while, and long enough to survive the situation until you could acquire different gear. I’d rather EDC a folder than a fixed blade if I was planning my EDC load out with that remote possibility in mind.

[@SpartanJohns]

My thoughts exactly. I was surprised by the 4max scout in a lot of ways. Very resistant, big, heavy but still ok for normal jobs. not as good as a smaller folder but not as "uncanny" as I would have thought it to be initially.

[@monkoko6441]

You should test the tbs grizzly bushcraft survival knife, I have it and I think its very good

[@SpartanJohns]

thanks for the recmmendation. I have looked into it and find some features nice.

[@randomescu]

Purchasing the 4MaxScout was a mistake for me.why? Because now any other folder and even fix seems to be weak. The feeling of holding a small axe is incredible! Its not only the weight, but the lock too.

[@SpartanJohns]

I like to use this one for gardening work. Whenever I get a chance to clean up a patch of brush and roots even..it does a great job. for a second i was tempted to get the elite...but i realized that the price for that one is way too high and this one does everything I need/want it to do

[@alinnimeni3789]

Imi plac ambele, dar prefer Esee oricand.....atat de mult mi-a placut esee incat mi-am facut o copie a lui esee 4 adaptat cerintelor mele si din alt otel (AEB-L sau cum ii zice, de fapt a fost lucrat de un mester)... La batoning cu briceagul, am vazut ca unii il lasa semideschis, ca sa protejeze mecanismul zic ei, crezi ca are vreun efect?

[@SpartanJohns]

daca faci batoning cu un briceag normal, da...lasa-l deschis. mai ales daca e liner sau frame lock. tensiunile/socurile vor fi preluate de "pivot". Dar e mai greu. si acolo se pot rupe cand e vorba de tri-ad lock sau axis...eu le testez sa vad iar in cazul lui 4 Max Scout...e atat de gros si pivotul si stop pin-ul incat chiar nu imi fac griji

[@Kyle-bb9zp]

Hey now this is a show down i am a cold steel fan. But i am thinking i would like to buy the esse 4 because warranty is way better. I broke a lot if cokd steel blades.

[@SpartanJohns]

esee's warranty is superb. When it comes to fixed blades i have to admit that with the ESEE3, 4, 5, 6 and the Junglas I am 100% ok. But CS folders do a great job as brute wood processing tools.

[@raymondabella4684]

You asked why would someone carry a 4 Max over a fixed blade. My reason is fir the stupid knife laws where I live. If you carry a fixed blade, its got to be on your belt in plain sight. This means you can get busted if its in plain sight strapped to your pack and not to your waist. On the other hand, tou can carry a folder of any size as long as it is not a butter fly knife, switch blade, knuckle knife, double edged, or a gravity knife. Since I don't always like wearing a belt or having things hang off my waist, a folder is the way to go. Th above being said, I would love to carry my fixed blade Kukri in the event that circumstances from an emergency situation when exploring or hiking but the laws don't give me the luxury of keeping it concealed in or strapped to my pack. A folding knife built like a tank but can do what a fix blade can do in a pinch makes the 4 Max my just in case I need it on an excursion knife. I carry a 4 Max Scout or a Rajah 2 in a situation where Im not going to hang things of my waist and my fixed blade where the situation is needed for it. Even with these knives, an overzealous cop could bust you being that these knives have such smooth actions that you can use gravity to flick them open but I'm less likely to get heat for it on a hiking trail as opposed to carrying it in Time Square when a riot breaks out! 😀

[@SpartanJohns]

Knife laws, in my opinion, never had a lot of thought go into them. Where i live now it is also pretty ambiguous. But i see old timers carry a pocket knife or a multitool all the time and use it in public. I really like that. People understanding that knives are tools! The 4 max scout is pretty awesome. Tbh i hope CS will make a g10 voyager xl. I know the Espada is a good alternative but not there yet. Would be fun to test and play around with. A friend got the 5 max…what a beast!

[@uzo992]

How good is the 4max at making small incisions?

[@SpartanJohns]

small as in: would i use it for trimming fingernails? or tracheostomy? I wouldn't attempt either.... But if you put a shallower edge angle on it...15-17 dps...it should do fine

[@dau1enti]

Great video - I’m curious to know if you used the factory angle during this video or if you had modified the angle grind?

[@SpartanJohns]

@@dau1enti I dropped the edge angle. In this video i think it was about 20 dps...not sure but i think i mentioned it. the initial edge angle was about 25 or so....

[@Kyle-bb9zp]

Any cold steel folding knifes can baton chop do it all you are not breaking the tri ad lock.i never did so far at all

[@SpartanJohns]

You can break any locking mechanism. Even the 4Max Scout. If you hit it hard enough and it does not break, at some point it will take some damage. The point is: how hard can you abuse(because batoning a folder id definitely abuse) a folder and not have any damage. I also batoned a lot of axis lock knives. Most took some small damage. That is to say the knives still locked and worked ok but there was some forward/backward play in the blade. The 4MaxScout is simply overbuild to take such abuse without damage. What is interesting is how well it still cuts, it being so overbuild.

[@taymerelane]

$50 at Midway rn, free shipping

[@hanniballecter4004]

Someone needs to invent a proper tool for splitting logs. These knives seem to be intended for something else. I'm off to GoFundMe, I have an idea for a really thick blade, with a cutting edge on one side and a flat rectangular end on the other, that can be used as both a hammer and to chop wood. I am thinking of a 18 inch handle on it the overall shape will be one similar to a hammer. I am thinking of calling it The Beaver. On account that it chews its way through wood.

[@SpartanJohns]

the idea of overbuild folders and fixed blades is so that you can do more with them than a standard cutting tool. If all you need to do is cut thru something you can use an Opinel and it will be enough. but if you want to be able to cut, pry, split, chop with one tool and be able to carry it comfortably at the same time, in your pocket or on your belt, a hatchet or axe will get in the way. I see nothing wrong in using and testing overbuild tools for jobs they were maybe not meant to do. I think that if you have an idea you should try to put develop it. even if it was done before. your version might turn out better than others or it might speak to a different group of people

[@Hi-wy7qo]

It's called a axe

[@brunovrancic8330]

Regarding bushcraft use of a knife, Mors Kochanski said sharpened pry bar, but he thought of 2,5 mm Mora. Folder is practical, but you wouldn't to want carve a spoon with it. Flat handle (there are round handled folders), and especially hole or channel for the blade will always make hot spots. Otherwise this folder could easily replace this Esse

[@aleksandersever3039]

So how is a 2,5 mm thick mora blade a sharpened pry bar...i just wonder...pry bar is something like typical american blade which is 5+ mm thick

[@brunovrancic8330]

@@aleksandersever3039 That is by today standards, but aside from choping or batoning, blade that thick is not so useful for bushcraft.

[@aleksandersever3039]

@@brunovrancic8330 What is by todays standards? I bought Randall model 14 (almost 6 mm thick blade) almost 30 years ago and they have been making that way since the begining I suppose. Americans have been making thick bladed knives for at least last 70 years if not more...I agree that such thick blades are not particularly practical unless you want them as a stabbing implement...in my opinion I have found ordinary kitchen knife to be more practical blade thickness wise

[@SpartanJohns]

Mors talked about "the perfect survival knife". For survival...yes...you might want a "scandi" ground knife, a softer steel which is easy to sharpen and of course a full exposed tang. Even so...the thick grind of a scandi ground blade...can make it very difficult to use for carving. The 4MaxScout is a folder...but it is build like a tank. and considering its size and weight...it is quite useful for even smaller jobs. that was how it surprised me

[@SpartanJohns]

Mors meant that you should be able to baton with it. it should be resistant to abuse...anything over 2 mm, if the HT is ok...will take some degree of abuse and be ok with it

[@rietzhu]

Too bad the lock is a pain to disengage on the scout, no one talks about that..

[@SpartanJohns]

mine never had that issue! If it did I would have mentioned it

[@ultimaetsolder]

Did you also test an axe? You know for chopping wood.

[@SpartanJohns]

the point of having a knife like this...is when you don't want to have an axe with you. but yes...i have tested axes...you know...for chopping wood. hard to fold them and put them in your pocket

[@carsongrable107]

The max did wayyy better

[@SpartanJohns]

It is heavier and has more handle. But yeah! The 4 Max Scout did better.