As will become obvious as time goes on, I’m something of a knife guy. In fact, I’m working on making my own knives, but that’s a topic for later.
Bearing this in mind, there are really only two knives that I carry on a regular basis – this knife is my usual companion when I’m not working, and sometimes when I am (though that duty usually falls to another knife, which I will discuss in the next post).
This is the HEST/F by DPX Gear (Robert Young Pelton), and you can find plenty of well-written copy explaining why you should buy it.
This is… not that. This is a more… realistic review. Think along the lines of “reviews for the rest of us” – the “us” who aren’t reporters in conflict zones or the like.
I’ve become more a fan of this knife the more I carry it – it’s got a few features I really like in particular:
First, the pocket clip; scroll back up and look at it – this knife carries supremely low in the pocket [just like the new CRKT M40 profiled here], and presents a minimal profile when carried, which I like very much, #grayman and all that (yes I know it says H.E.S.T. on the clip, shut up).
[Update on the clip failure I experienced here]
Additionally, it has that neat Emerson Wave-esque notch in the spine that doubles as a bottle opener. I’d be lying if I said this didn’t come in handy pretty frequently.
The tungsten carbide glass breaker is brilliant – it’s stoutly made and does in fact break glass quite handily (at least tempered glass – you’ll be disappointed if you try this on a car windshield’s laminated glass, or heaven forbid on some plate glass without proper safety equipment. Maybe your plastic surgeon will offer me a referral bonus).
One note on that glass breaker by the way – it’s pointed enough that it serves a second purpose for my daily use: it cuts through packaging tape and other nuisance items without dulling or gumming up the knife’s primary edge, which I quite appreciate.
On this particular specimen, you’ll note an extra-wide and shiny bevel on the edge – that’s due to some modification a knifemaker friend performed for me. Otherwise, despite heavy use (and some abuse) this knife has held up extremely well.
The last feature that you may notice is the small wheel along the frame, which allows the user to lock the frame lock in place, making this knife a pseudo-fixed-blade. I don’t personally use this feature at all, and I don’t know of a use case for it, but I suppose if you need it, it’s there!
Finally, I want to thank the folks at DPX gear – they haven’t paid me anything for this review or this shout-out, but I firmly believe good customer service is worth drawing attention to, and I have had nothing but good experiences with them.
Until next time.
-T