ESEE Xancudo S35V, Orange/Black G-10 3D Handle, Black Sheath (Orange/Black G-10, No Hole)

Ive been extremely pleased to see ESEE expand beyond their usual hard-use / bushcraft category that theyve historically been known for... and excel at... with new explorations into different knife categories and different steels... as well as their incredible new G-10 3D handles (try them!)... including this fantastic new 3 XANCUDO S35V FIXED BLADE that Im reviewing now... which Id say is probably more of an all around EDC knife. So where to start? First off... if youre not already an ESSE Knives fan, you really need to check out their entire line... they are quality through and through. As a company, ESEE are among the best knife makers today, because they deliver quality in every single item they make... as soon as you place one in your hand and use it, you can tell the materials are top quality and their attention to detail is exemplary. They are practically peerless imo. Pics attached... from smaller to bigger... include the ESEE Izula II, ESEE Xancudo in S35VN stainless steel, ESEE 3 w/ super comfortable G-10 3D Handles (my personal favorite)... and the ESEE 4 in 440C stainless steel. I was already a huge fan of the ESEE 3s with the new G-10 handles... it is an uncompromising knife that is perfectly balanced and feels SO GOOD in the hand.... like an extension of your hand.... and even though I read hundreds of reviews saying how great the ESEE 3 was... I didnt believe any of them until I got one.... and they were all right. Its the perfect knife. Shape, balance, slicey .125 1095 steel.... its the perfect combination of awesome. And I will carry it everywhere I can. BUT Los Angeles.... and other cities around the country... have numerous knife blade length laws... and here in LA, they require that if a fixed blade knife is attached to your belt, that it needs to be 3 or smaller. Enter the ESEE Xancudo. But before I start.... I should say that I did try numerous other knives in this size range from other knife makers... including Benchmade, KA-BAR, and others... but they just didnt fit me for my personal use.... they were either too heavy for their size.... too cramped in use... meaning they felt too tiny in-hand... or they felt overly unbalanced... or the materials just didnt feel good in the hand... or I was fighting with removing / replacing the knives into their sheaths... and so on. I really just wanted a knife that slides into my hand and feels second nature to use. I dont want to get used to a knife I want it to perform instantly. Which comes to why I waited to get the Xancudo.... since Im such an ESEE fan... Ill be honest, I looked at this knife online.... I saw a few videos.... read the glowing reviews... and even so, I just didnt know if it was for me... not sure why.... so I didnt expect to like this knife... so I tested those other knives in between. I guess I felt that I had already found the perfect knife in the ESEE 3... which it is.... BUT in needing a 3 blade for LA, I had to give the Xancudo a try... and after receiving it and putting it in my hand, I was surprised to discover that I like it nearly as much as the ESSE 3. It really is a BIG knife in a small package. Its also stainless so I dont have to worry about blade maintenance like on ESEEs other 1095 Steel blades.... which isnt really an issue for me, but I can see it could be for some. And I can do food prep if I want to... which is great. So here are my impressions of the Xancudo: 5 STARS - SHARPNESS - straight out of the box 5 STARS - SLICEY BLADE - love that .125 stock 5 STARS - WEIGHT - super light 3.8 ounces 5 STARS - HANDLE SIZE - Provides a good amount more purchase on the handle than the Izualas... which I love... but the Izulas always felt mini to me... and because the 3D handles are rounded on the Xancudo, the pommel tucks nicely into the palm of your hand, so you dont pay much attention to how long or short the handle is. 4 STARS - 3D HANDLES - This should really be 5 stars... because the contoured 3D handles MAKE this knife... but I knocked off 1 star because the pommel area had sharp ridges on the back top and bottom that didnt feel perfect in my hand, but I filed them down during an evening TV session and now theyre perfect. Ill note that the filing doesnt show, so dont be afraid to have at it. Other people might not notice. I might take a rounded file to the inside index finger area behind the choil bump, because that area has a square flatness that I think I can improve for my use too. That flatness doesnt register on the other ESEE 3d Handle knives because theyre bigger, but because this area is smaller on this knife it feels more pronounced.... like holding a square instead of an oval. 1 STAR - HANDLE COLOR - ANY color combination wouldve been better than this orange/black.... its not even an ATTRACTIVE orange/black... its dull and brings down the prestige of this knife A LOT... and I imagine ESSE has seen dramatically stalled sales on this knife... possibly as much as 80%... purely because of the color they chose. I mean, I checked EVERYWHERE online and could barely find around 20 reviews in total for this knife after it has been available for roughly 6 months... that should tell you something. I know Id have bought this knife instantly if it had been any other color. However... for my use need, itll be good enough. 5 STARS - BLADE STEEL - So far so good! 5 STARS - BLADE LENGTH - Id of course like more, but because my need is for a 3 knife for LA laws, its perfect. And feels completely useful. All in... I LOVE IT... GIVE IT A TRY!

I was hoping for it to be a neck knife, and its just a bit too big -- and the handle a bit too thick -- to make a good neck knife. Otherwise, it feels very nice indeed in the hand, and I much appreciate it for that. I might try to make a set of scales for it which might bring it down to a more usual size to hang from the neck.

Its the perfect edc knife. Typical ESEE quality, great edge retention and it feels great in the hand.

Razor sharp, compact enough to ride your belt all day but just big enough to fit the hand right. Wish more grip offerings were available besides orange.

Excellent ergonomics. Feels really great in my largish hands. Ive gotten a lot of comments at different camps and events. Its definitely an eye-catcher. Edge holds up well. The perfect edc fixed blade for me!

Nice knife

This knife rocks! Just wish after market scales were available for this knife. The stock scales that are black and orange are good but wish there were other colors available. This came razor sharp out of the box. Wish the plastic sheath was able to change to scout carry but the holes dont line up.

Great. For a smaller knife great. Great steel with the S35VN

09/12/20 I own other Esse knifes, but when I read about the fixed blade Xancudo I was intrigued. After reading all the technical specifications I was sold. I consider the Xancudo to be a “Big” small fixed blade knife, which means a small/medium fixed blade capable of work above its weight “class”. I expected a well balanced, quality built knife with an excellent quality stainless steel Blade (S35VN) capable of holding an edge and capable of hard work and abuse if necessary. It feels better in the hand and is better at slicing than expected. Earned a permanent spot in my truck emergency kit. Orange and black handles grow on you like an ugly puppy that gets cuter because you love it! Just sayin’

Fits great in large hands, not that small of an imprint, yet small enough for easy carry.