I've been extremely pleased to see ESEE expand beyond their usual hard-use / bushcraft category that they've 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 I'm reviewing now... which I'd say is probably more of an all around EDC knife.So where to start?First off... if you're 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 3's 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 didn't believe any of them until I got one.... and they were all right. It's the perfect knife. Shape, balance, slicey .125 1095 steel.... it's 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 didn't 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 didn't 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 don't want to "get used to a knife" I want it to perform instantly.Which comes to why I waited to get the Xancudo.... since I'm such an ESEE fan... I'll be honest, I looked at this knife online.... I saw a few videos.... read the glowing reviews... and even so, I just didn't know if it was for me... not sure why.... so I didn't 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.It's also stainless so I don't have to worry about blade maintenance like on ESEE's other 1095 Steel blades.... which isn't 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 box5 STARS - SLICEY BLADE - love that .125" stock5 STARS - WEIGHT - super light 3.8 ounces5 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 don't 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 didn't feel perfect in my hand, but I filed them down during an evening TV session and now they're perfect. I'll note that the filing doesn't show, so don't 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 doesn't register on the other ESEE 3d Handle knives because they're 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 would've been better than this orange/black.... it's not even an ATTRACTIVE orange/black... it's 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 I'd have bought this knife instantly if it had been any other color. However... for my use need, it'll be good enough.5 STARS - BLADE STEEL - So far so good!5 STARS - BLADE LENGTH - I'd of course like more, but because my need is for a 3" knife for LA laws, it's perfect. And feels completely useful.All in... I LOVE IT... GIVE IT A TRY!

This is a small knife. A little less than 3 inches in length. It's not so impressive in the written details yet esee still decided to produce it. When I first looked it over, I just skipped to the next item I was browsing. But the more I looked at the shape of this little knife the more intrigued I became. I finally bought it, and once I handled it, I understood the efforts behind it's production. I'm totally in love with this knife. The ergonomics is something else. The way that it fits in the hand... it is really special. I wear large size gloves, and this knife fits like an extension of myself. The blade length is perfect for casual cutting. Which is what it was designed for. It's not a huge, in-your-face type of knife either. Sometimes when you're out in the woods and pull out a larger knife with people around, you will realize that people like to comment about such things (to make themselves feel more comfortable). It's fine. They do it with small knives too. But with small knives, they express more curiousity about it (because they feel more comfortable around it). Which can be a warm up for them to get interested in the hobby. The Xancudo is like a gentleman's knife. Elegant, proportionate and graceful. It's also tough enough to take on whatever tasks you require it to in the wilderness. Having this on you will make it easier for you to get through certain obstacles more so than if you didn't. I like the ergonomics of it so much, I've bought both versions. The way I see it, can't really ever go wrong with esee because of their hardcore warranty. The knife will eventually end up saving you from something or another so long as you don't lose it, and the sooner you get it, the sooner you'll start your adventures with it. Why not start your story today? The Xancudo is a great knife, made with a great steel, at great ergonomics, by a great company with a great warranty... it's a great knife to get started with. Worthy!

Picked up this knife for backpacking and camping and have been using for years now. It has been pretty amazing. Stays very sharp. The size and grip is perfect. Ergonomic enough to do work, but doesn't try to lock your hand in a single position. Blade shape is top notch. You can tell the steel is very hard. Tapping it sounds more "glasslike" than other steels I have used. Sheath is solid and retains the blade very well. I baby this thing and don't intentionally beat it up. It has performed better than I had hoped.I keep it mounted on my chest rig or belt, horizontally, and added a velcro loop for stability. You can change the orientation of the clip on the sheath by only using 3 of the 4 screws. I was really happy I was able to do this. Coupled with the warranty, this knife is easily 5 stars.