The ESEE Sencillo is a fixed-blade knife designed by Jeff Randall. Sencillo translates to ‘simple’, and focuses on functionality, ensuring that it excels at its primary task of cutting. It has a minimalist design and hence, stands out amongst its competitors. It offers a comfortable grip with its 3D handle and is versatile enough for various tasks from cutting hay strings to slicing sandwiches.

It is crafted by White River Knife and Tool Company that combines strength, precision, and durability. So whether you are a seasoned outdoor enthusiast or need reliable daily work tool, ESEE Sencillo Magnacut is worth considering. Plus, it comes with a lifetime warranty, which shows ESEE’s commitment to quality customer satisfaction.

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ESEE Sencillo Magnacut
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The ESEE Sencillo is a 7.25” long fixed-blade knife that comes with a black Kydex sheath. Its blade length is 3.25” with a thickness of 0.125” with a drop point blade style and plain edge. Its handle material is brown burlap Micarta with CPM MagnaCut blade material. It weighs only 5.4 ounces.

The ESEE Sencillo came in a branded cover box followed by a plain white box that contained the knife locked inside the sheath and wrapped in aplastic sleeve. The box also contained the manual, the specs of the knife and detailed instructions on how to operate it.

The knife was perfectly locked in the sheath when it arrived. The sheath had a solid lockup inside and a firm lock clip outside to hang it from the pocket. It can also fit into a ¾ inch of the belt with ease.

The knife is full flat grind with full tang and a 3D handle, which is pretty easy to hold. The stonewash finish is finely done and very thin on the stock, which seems 1/8^th of an inch. The burlap Micarta handle is nicely contoured and rounded out, which makes it easier to slip your fingers on. That also makes the finger choil appear in the perfect place providing the right balance and edge retention. You can also really choke up the knife and use the spine to hold it in different positions. The spine is soft enough with enough tumbling, but not on the sides of the flat blade.

The Magnacut blade does show its superiority by providing extra edge retention and strength. It should be able to perform EDC tasks with ease.

The CPM-MagnaCut was introduced in 2021 designed by Larrin Thomas and produced by Crucible specifically for knives. It is powder metallurgy steel whose alloy composition is not complex but exhibits unique properties. It provides a balanced mix of toughness and wear resistance with high levels of corrosion resistance. Even though it only contains 11% chromium, it eliminates the chromium carbides and maximizes free chromium through an optimal chromium-carbon balance. Accordingly, CPM-MagnaCut is a high-level steel with limited availability and high price.

The MagnaCut does not necessarily make the ESEE Sencillo innovative or hyped, it just makes it better at your everyday cutting tasks like cutting a sandwich in half without having to press too much, cutting hay string, and whittle a stick. The flat grind makes it easy for all-purpose usage and to clean and maintain.

The 3.3” blade length is ideal for comfortable use. Ideally, 3” and above works well for an everyday carry knife, and with the grind lines running along the length of the blade, it is easily to use. It also offers excellent edge retention. The drop point is a good choice and works well on ESEE Sencillo. The blade geometry combined with the MagnaCut blade material works great.

You can also see the wide branding on the blade with all the details mentioned. On the front side, it says ‘Randall’s Adventure’. ‘ESEE’, and ‘First Production Run’. Near the curved spine is the knife’s model, Sencillo imprinted. You will also notice a pretty exaggerated yet subtle finger choil and a stop pin. It prevents your hand from sliding underneath the blade by enabling the fingers to maintain hold. It also holds up pretty well in a choked up position and you can use it to cut ropes by holding it in different directions.

The belly of the blade is also quite wide, which enables the user to make precise and thin cuts. That combined with the blade thickness of 0.125” makes it an excellent slicer. The steel near the spine is thicker until from where the blade starts, ultimately thinning towards the tip. That makes for an excellent blade profile. Overall, the blade is easy to use and comfortable to slice and chop off and hold in different directions, which is a pretty good combination.

The handle of ESEE Sencillo is a 3D brown burlap Micarta attached together by three vertical screws and a small lanyard hole. It is full tan since it is a fixed-blade knife. The handle feels fatter and smaller, and the blade a bit longer and taller. Although the handle is 4” long, the 3D design of it enables you to hold it in a full-fist format. That is what makes the blade feel thinner in comparison. But it does make the handle feel incredibly comfortable to longer use. The jimping along the spice, including the poked out finger choil enables you to chop on a cutting board without compromising your knuckles.

The Micarta handle of the ESEE Sencillo comes wrapped in layers of natural brown Burlap impregnated with resin to provide a rich, rough-looking texture with a smooth and polished look and feel. This means that it will feel smooth and comfortable in the hand, while providing slip-free qualities. A little buffing can smooth out its texture, or it can be left for a rough and textured look. It is an excellent material for custom knives. The brown color itself provides a more earthly and rustic tone.

It is also easy to maintain by washing it with soap and water. Otherwise, you can spray WD-40 on it and let it soak for a couple of hours to prevent it from rust.

The sheath of ESEE Sencillo is black Kydex, and only covers the blade part of the knife so it is easier to carry with the handle. The sheath comes with an automatic lock inside that locks the blade in without the chance of it falling out. When pulling out the knife, you have to use the other hand to unlock the blade and slide the knife out.

It also comes with drain holes with added extension that makes it easy to wash and maintain, and also to spread out the surface area for weight reduction. You can easily slide the knife inside the pocket sheath down and slide right out using the knife’s handle. It makes the knife easier to carry, but does add weight with the knife and sheath’s weight combined.

The sheath is built to size, which means it completely covers the blade without it sticking out with its sharp edges. The blade also does not rattle or slide when in locked position. No matter how much you shake it, the knife would not slide out unintentionally. It also has a lock clip outside that you can use to hang on to your pocket. It is pretty tight with spring action, so it would not sway when carrying.

The sheath also would not lose its texture easily, and is easy to maintain.

The first thing to notice when taking this knife in the field is how easily it can carry. It can latch on to an ordinary 2” belt, and you can easily slide the knife out when needed. However, it is not ambidextrous, so you can only carry it on your right side if you want to slide out the knife in the right position. It can however, work with both left and right hand. This way of carrying the knife is also preferable by most fixed-blade users, since it shows and you are able to show it off. But when we slide the knife out, the end of the blade points out into the hand if you are not careful. As comfortable and easy as it is to carry, it can show its pointy edge when sliding it in and out of the sheath. So if you have larger hands, it is better to keep your hand away from the edge when taking it out.

On the plus side, if you intend to use it for self-defense, the blade rightfully points out. The only problem is that it latches on quite close to the shirt you wear. So you would have to be extra careful not to accidently rip off your shirt when sliding the knife back in the sheath.

When it comes to cutting performance, the Sencillo definitely lives up to its Magnacut pride. You can feel how superior the blade feels in the hand when cutting paper, rope, cardboard or slicing open envelopes.

ESEE Pinhoti and Sencillo are alike when it comes to the handle design and handling of the knives. They both also feature brown Micarta handle material with a thicker 3D blade, especially from between for better balance. However, Pinhoti weighs less and thus, costs less. It also comes without a sheath and is configured for both left and right hand use.

Pinhoti is a friction folder and best used for camping, hiking, fishing, etc. You can also use Sencillo for similar tasks, except with a premium Magnacut blade. It will show a superior performance.

ESEE Sencillo Magnacut is a fixed-blade EDC knife with 3D burlap brown Micarta handle and Magnacut drop point plain flat grind blade. It offers superior cutting performance because of its blade, and a firm and comfortable grip. It is a full tang knife that comes with a black kydex sheath with internal bade lock and clip to hold it on to your belt or pocket.

The knife carries well and had fine finish and edge retention upon first impression. It costs $156, and is made in the US. You can easily expect a balanced performance with this knife.