Overview of the ESEE Izula II Knife.

The ESEE Izula II is one of the best fixed blades you can buy right now for under $100, in my opinion at the very least. It is a lightweight, smaller sized knife weighing in at 3.3 ounces that packs quite the punch in performance. The brand (ESEE) that makes this knife is owned by a company named Randall's Adventure and Training (Aka, RAT). They make other knife designs that they have mass produced by the Ontario Knife Company, but with this design they wanted a higher quality that just wasn't possible with their manufacturing capabilities. There are two models of the Izula available, the Izula II is the newer model and is mostly the same as the original Izula. The only differences between the two are that the Izula II's handle is half an inch longer than the original, and it comes with a full set of micarta handles straight from the factory. The original Izula came with paracord wrap instead which I personally haven't ever been much of a fan of on knives.

I purchased this knife from Amazon for the price of $71 at the time. Mine came with the sand colored micarta scales like it normally does, but I swapped them out shortly after receiving it. I personally was just not a huge fan of them and the way they felt in my hand. I decided to get some G10 scales that were pre-made for this knife instead from knifeconnections website for around $45 shipped. I went with the blue and black G10 scales, mostly because I was not a fan of the other models they had in stock at the time. They installed quite easily with the hex head screws and fit perfectly and felt/looked much better to me. They do come in a variety of colors for anyone interested, they have orange, green, blue, red, camo, lavender, earth and a few others. The knife is extremely ergonomic in my opinion. I can get a full four finger grip even with it being a shorter blade, and no part of the steel or knife feels aggressive or unpolished. 

The knife comes with 1095 carbon steel drop point styled blade, though it is very reminiscent of a clip point in my opinion. The blade out of the box was quite sharp, I would say shaving sharp at the very least. I was pretty surprised considering the price point. The entire thing besides the scales comes powder coated from the factory. They sell a semi large variety of different powder coated finishes for the knife, I just chose to go with the classic black since that's what I find attractive. The blade is 0.16" thick and the blade is 2.875" long, although the sharpened edge is only 2.625". The overall length of the knife is 6.75" long. The jimping on the spine of the knife is quite even and comfortable to hold against your hand, and I haven't found any faults with it on mine. With it being such a lightweight and shorter knife, most people suggest using them for a back up knife for camping/survival. I've carried mine for EDC and really enjoyed it though so I can say it's much more useful than just a back up knife. It seems to be able to handle just about any task you can throw at it, honestly. I've used mine for food prep in the kitchen, some mild wood working, and to shred some cardboard boxes with ease. 

I purchased a Tek-lok for the sheathe I got for the knife as well so I can carry it on my belt. It carries very well on the belt and is much more comfortable than trying to slide it in your pocket with the sheathe. I am carrying horizontally with the clip plate installed which is what I found works best for me overall, YMMV. I do think if you're planning on carrying this knife intensively or in a survival/outdoor situation for a long time that you'd be better off getting a custom sheathe made for the knife, since the basic kydex one you get isn't terrible but isn't that great at the same time. It's really just acceptable at best in my opinion. 

Overall, I am happy with this knife. It has performed extremely well for me and seems to be up to the task to handle any and all abuse. This is more of an outdoorsman style knife, but will do anything and everything a typical EDC knife will do as well. It's great for whittling wood and I had an easy time chopping up food with it in the kitchen. I would highly recommend this for anyone needing a camping knife, though if you're going to be chopping up some large pieces of wood or something more demanding then perhaps a larger knife would suit your needs better. I personally feel this would make for a great skinner/gut knife and is a great addition to any survival/camping gear. The coating on the knife will probably wear away after awhile, but that's to be expected. Should anything happen to the knife however, they offer a lifetime warranty which from what I hear is excellent ;) 

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