So, I spent a few days upstate with the DEK1. I haven't really had a chance to do much with it at all until now. It's a bigger knife than I expected but it is a broadly useful size. It lived in my pocket for a few days and I passed it around the family for food prep since we have no other decent knife. It's a very interesting design. I can't really test the defensive properties but besides those it was overall pretty good at everything. I made a few feathersticks and lit them with a ferro+striker just to see if I could. That went well. I made a few meals with it, as did my wife and my father in law (he adored it). That went well, too. I used it multiple times to open beer cans. It's just good at everything. Not the best, but it was good at everything.
Some general thoughts: I really love how easy it is to switch grips on it. At the same time, the nimbleness of it makes it not really ideal for use as a "big knife" because the handle is on the smaller side, and has a downwardly-angled rear almost reminiscent of a visconti pistol-grip. This is not a knock on the design, it's not a big knife. But more woodsy, off-design sort of use had me squeezing the handle pretty tightly' particularly on the pinkie and ring fingers. It absolutely excels at reverse chest-lever cuts. Just by far the best knife I've ever held for this. I did sometimes find myself wondering what a "thinner, harder" version of it would be like. It's actually quite a thick knife! I would be more inclined to take this out than my fk2. And also... it cuts so, soooooo well. The tip pierces easily and the edge is just absolutely sharp as a motherfucker. I just have never had a "factory" edge as sharp as this. First thing I did after I put it in my pocket was to open a sack of avocados. I, no shit, took the DEK out and sort of waved it at the bag on the table. It passed through so effortlessly I actually said aloud "holy fucking shit." It's like an entirely new level of sharp. I would never, ever want a penetrator or whatever tip on this. First of all, the tip pierces perfectly the way it is--you don't need anything else going on at the tip. Second of all, you would literally play with this thing, drop it on your foot, and die from blood loss. I had to watch it with the DEK1. My wife, god rest her thumb AND palm, learned this the hard way and she's still working through the tube of neosporin I gave her.
Conclusion-ish: I think this is one of those knives that is the best at what it says it's the best at: a defensive every day carry knife. You keep it on you and, hey, you have a somewhat innocuous un-fucking-believably sharp knife on you for use wherever you happen to need it. Also, the handle really is great. It locks your hand in very well but at the same time a bit of easing releases the grip almost immediately. It's hard to describe but it's a very lively knife. It feels like a fighting knife. It's intriguing. The boot dagger feels like a murder weapon. I hold the boot dagger in my hand and I just have no use for this knife except to stab something with repeatedly and angrily until it stops moving. It is basically a medieval weapon. The DEK has a bit of that, too, but it's submlimated into the single edge and slightly-swept handle. It's futuristic. It’s functional but at the same time it's not dumbly all purpose like an ESEE and never claimed to be. I don't know what else to say. It's a very intriguing knife and I like it. Also, absolutely no one is allowed to borrow it at parties--I don't need that on my conscience any more.