Review of the WE Knife Co. Eschaton

The WE Knife Co. is a Chinese knife manuafaturer that made a huge splash in the American knife market during the later part of 2016 and throughout 2017.  For years, most high-end knife enthusiasts have shyed away from anything made in China.  But the quality of product at the price point offered won fans over.  During 2017, WE announced a partnership with Elijah Isham – a relatively unknown but promising knife designer.  The partnership would yield two back-to-back releases:  The Zeta, and the Eschaton. 

Given everything I’d seen and heard about WE, I was genuinely interested in getting my hands on an example of their products.  But WE isn’t mainstream enough to be found in (many if any) brick and mortar stores.  It wasn’t until I went to SHOT SHOW 2018 that I got to meet the folks from WE and get hands on with most of their entire product line:

At this point, the Eschaton had just been released to the market and had only been available for about 2 weeks.  It’s a fairly radical design, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure it was for me.  But getting to see it and handle it at SHOT made me want to order it for myself.

The Eschaton features an extremely radical design with some impressive specifications.  It’s certainly controversial, but one thing that the knife community seems to be in agreement on with regard to the Eschaton – it had to be extremely challenging to manufacture.  Doing a “one off” is one thing, but being able to produce a knife of this complexity in volume and at a reasonable price is something else entrirely – it’s an extrordinary accomplishment for such a young company.  The street price on the Eschaton is about $350.00 – certainly not innexpensive, and approaching the top of my self-imposed price limit on a knife, but it’s an amazing price for what they’ve accomplished.  The Eschaton comes in two different versions – one (which I purchased) with carbon fiber and an uncoated blade, and one that’s entirely titanum (blue annodized) with a DLC coated blade.  The light weight of the knife is what primarily appeals to me, so I went for the carbon fiber version.

So what exactly is the purpose of the WE Eschaton, beyond just showcasing WE’s manufacturing capabilities?  Some argue that this is simply an “art knife” – limited to just 700 examples in each version, many feel it’s a “safe queen” that isn’t really meant to be used in any meaningful way.  However, When I handled the knife at SHOT Show, I realized that it could function perfectly as a “dressy tactical” blade – a knife that I could wear with dress clothing where I would want the lightest, most capable knife possible.  With a 3.85 in. blade (made from Bohler M390 steel), it actually exceeds the usual 3.5 in. blade length found in the knives I typically carry for defensive purposes.  The handle thickness is just a bit over .5 in. in width (.56 to be exact) so it’s none too think for inside the pocket carry, despite the integral design of the lower titanium handle.  I also find you can get an excellent grip on the knife, with both forward and reverse grip.

The flipper tab was initially a source of concern – it seemed quite small which translates to a foiled blade deployment in a stressful defensive situation.  However, once I handled the knife I discovered not only that the flpper tab was more than adequate, but that the blade could be deployed via hole in the middle of the blade (acting similarly in function to the Spyerco thumb hole) or gravity deployment.  WE uses ceramic bearings in their pivots for extemely smooth deployment, and the detent on the knife is nearly perfect.

Another feature on WE knives that has help catupult them to success is their pocket clips – equisitely designed and well executed.  The pocket clip on the Eschaton is no exception – it’s an extemely well done “deep carry” pocket clip that allows just the very tip of the bottom of the knife to peak above the pocket line.  It seemless integrates into the knife frame as opposed to the usual “stuck on” look of most knife pocket clips.

There a few things I don’t like about the Eschaton.  One of the things I really admired about WE knives is that previously, WE always shipped their knives in a soft carry case.  I’ve purchased a few such cases for my knives and really appreciate them for storage in my drawer (so my knives don’t get mared by keys, change, or other items in my dresser drawer) and for protection for my knives when I travel.  Included these cases with their knives was absolutely brilliant – a true value add.  So imagine my disappointment when my WE Eschaton arrived in a “deluxe” cardboard box, with a certificate of authenticity:

The other minor nitpick with the knife is the flip side of the exotic design coin – it’s pretty, but it’s also more complicated.  The grind is…odd, and doesn’t appear to be all that friendly for sharpening.  The knife can be disassemble for cleaning and lubrication, but it has more components than do most knives, which adds both complexity and time.  The classic battle for form vs. function.  Kudos however to WE for abandoning their “star screws” in favor of standard torx screws.  Custom take down tools are a pain.

Before I close out the review, below you’ll find my video supplement to this written photo review with some added high-resolution footage and some additional thoughts:

 

The WE Eschaton is a triumph on many levels, and yet another shot across the American knife making bow.  It’s almost alien appearance is undeniably cool.  Will this knife be a long-term keeper for me?  That’s hard to say at this point, but I am quite impressed with the WE Eschaton and look forward to seeing what else this upstart Chinese company has in store for the market…and how American knife companies will respond.