With the ESEE Zancudo, we have a compact folding knife with impressive functionality and design for people looking for an EDC knife. At a modest price, it features a well-crafted D2 steel blade, edge retention, and durability, complemented by a sleek stonewash finish.The knife’s slim profile and lightweight build make it a good EDC, while its handle offers a comfortable grip.
However, the Zancudo fell short for me with its overly stiff lock mechanism and detent, which spoiled my experience somewhat.
This review looks at the ESEE Zancudo, exploring its strengths and addressing the issues that impact its full potential as a reliable EDC tool.
Key Specs: ESEE Zancudo
- Blade Length: 2.9 in
- Overall Length: 7.0 in
- Weight: 3.1 oz
- Blade Material: D2
- Handle Material: FRN/Stainless
- Locking Mechanism: Frame Lock
- Deployment Mechanism: Flipper
- Country of Origin: Taiwan
- Price Range: About $35
Esee Zancudo Review: The Blade
The Zancudo comes in 2 different blade steels, separated by a mere $6. Both feature the same dimensions, measuring slightly under 3 inches in length with a 2.75-inch cutting edge. The Zancudo comes in AUS-8 steel and D2 steel. The differences are significant, so you may want to consider your intended use before choosing. D2 has quite a bit more carbon content than AUS-8, offering significantly better edge retention and hardness. Still, it has less Chromium at 11.5%, below the threshold of what is usually considered stainless steel, so it’ll patina more easily and discolors if used to cut acidic foods or scrape battery acid.
Neither is overly hard to sharpen, and the Zancudo comes with a decent edge from the factory. The blade shape is simple, anyone who’s used a Swiss Army Knife will know what I’m talking about. It’s a nearly symmetrical drop point, so the tip is just slightly above the blade’s centerline, with a full flat grind for good slicing potential.
ESEE paid attention to the details when it came to the blade, and it shows: the edge was perfectly symmetrical, has a stonewash finish which hides scratches and helps reduce corrosion, and there’s a tiny sharpening choil, allowing you to sharpen the whole edge. The thumb stud is mounted up against the bolster on the ricasso, meaning it should not get caught on stuff you’re cutting through, a common downside to thumb stud knives. Factory sharpness was admirable, with a nice edge bevel, even if a bit grainy.
There’s also plenty of branding on the blade, the most amusing of which is the “Zancudo” figure etched on the lock side—an anthropomorphized mosquito with the body of the knife itself, a neat piece of art. The ESEE symbol and a BRK part number are etched on the opposite side.
Esee Zancudo Review: Deployment
This is where the Zancudo falls down a bit. Its use of a stainless steel frame lock suffers from several problems: an overly stiff detent, minor lock stick, very high lock bar tension coupled with difficult access to release the lock bar, and noticeable vertical blade play that can develop even with relatively mild use.
The detent on the Zancudo is overly stiff and almost unpleasant to open. It requires you to dig into the thumb stud at an angle and exert a lot of force to open it. I do not think the thumb stud is to blame for this issue, given its standard “terraced” design (ambidextrous for southpaws) and not a thumb destroyer like the Kershaw Blur.
Unusually for a stainless framework, the Zancudo can exhibit notable lock sticks and difficulty disengaging the lock when flicked open, especially during the initial break-in period. This is compounded by the difficult-to-access lock bar, which is basically parallel with the show side scale and similar to the controversial Spyderco Gayle Bradley folder.
The lockup was initially fine but soon developed vertical blade play, strangely, without any horizontal play, suggesting some flex in the lock bar at the far end or perhaps an issue with the shape where the lock bar contacts the blade tang. Regardless, it makes you less comfortable using the knife daily.
Deployment is pretty good once it breaks in, though. The knife uses four washers: two phosphor-bronze washers plus a pair of paper-thin Teflon washers between the washers and the liners. This gives the Zancudo a smooth feel when you’re rerolling it open and fast deployment when you flip it open with your thumb. Positioning the thumb stud relative to the handle in the closed position can make it difficult for people with fat thumbs to get the proper angle on the stud, making opening difficult at times.
Esee Zancudo Review: Features
Considering the materials, the build on the Zancudo emphasizes a slim profile, resulting in an exceptionally light knife. The liner on the show side is solid and fits entirely within the scale made from molded composite. The scale itself is cool: it has a radiused outer edge for a comfortable grip and small texturing for better traction, managing not to feel “cheap”
The pivot is a Chicago screw, meaning which you adjust from one side, which is D-shaped on the barrel side and secured by the lock side scale, which helps to prevent the pivot from moving when you adjust the tension. The body screws are painted black on one side to match the handle colors, which is nice.
The knife’s pocket clip looks familiar; it has the same mounting plate used on the Kershaw Bl, but after a closer look, it’s not the same part. It has a more pronounced dip at the end and a slightly different overall shape.
. The clip is configured for tip-up or tip-down right-hand carry, as no holes are tapped on the FRN scale.
The fit and finish on the Zancudo (outside of the lock and detent issues) aren’t bad, considering the price. The molded scale is well made, all screws are level with the handles when tightened, and the ambidextrous thumb studs are of two different sizes to match the separate depths of the handles on each side. The stonewash on the blade is nice and useful, especially compared with the finish most knives in this price range have.
Esee Zancudo Review: Performance
The Zancudo has a clip for tip-down carry, which is odd as most people prefer tip-up carry. It seems like the clip was designed primarily for tip-down carry. However, in addition to tip-up, the clip also creates a less comfortable grip.
The knife cuts very well though. It’s a nice feeling to cut stuff with the Zancudo, which is 0.09 inches thin, has a full flat grind, a stonewashed blade that offers hardly any friction, no thumb stud in the cutting path, and a drop-point shape that pierces and slices well. The Zancudo is like a cut-rate Chaparral, focusing on the blade working as knives should.
It carries well too. When closed, the super-thin profile and short spine-to-handle depth make this one disappear in the pocket, and the long clip-to-handle ratio means it stays put very well. You forget it’s there. They could mount the clip a little closer to the end of the handle in a tip-up configuration.
D2 is an ok steel despite its age. The Zancudo came ready to use out of the box, but with a little time on the Spyderco Sharpmaker, it got a nice edge. D2 seems much less likely to chip than more brittle steels like S30V. Due to its chemical composition, it is prone to discoloration from cutting acidic foods, but not to the degree of high-carbon steels like M4 or 1095.
Of course, the combination of issues with the detent, lock bar, lock rock, and thumb stud sort of ruin the user experience of what would otherwise be an excellent knife.
Esee Zancudo Review: Final Thoughts
To summarize this ESEE Zancudo review, the Zancudo was a product I really wanted to like. It looks like it’s made of good materials and is affordable. It’s remarkably thin in the pocket yet still has solid ergonomics when in use. It’s light, and it even has a cool back story.
There are aspects to recommend the Zancudo, primarily the fantastic blade shape, which focuses on functionality. This knife cuts surprisingly well, given its low price point.
However, the issues with blade play arising from the lock and the overly stiff lock bar and detent make this a no-go for m