H.E.S.T Passaround Review Thread
- Thread starter Jetblack
- Start date
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- Apr 7, 2006
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- 185
Got in the mail. Giving it a try this weekend.
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- Jun 6, 2009
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Thanks,:thumbup:
I have been wearing Oakley's since high school, and when I had the opportunity to buy the display case I jumped on it.
You and me both. I have some of the original Pro M Frames(non folding) now. I want some new ones for Christmas.
So as not to hijack this thread any.. would you mind shooting me an email through BF, Would love to know where you were able to get that cabinet.
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- Jun 6, 2009
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e-mail sent.
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- Dec 17, 2005
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Just sent Mr. Bailey an e-mail with the name and addy of the next person on the list.
He'll be mailing it out at his next earliest convenience.
He'll be mailing it out at his next earliest convenience.
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2006
- Messages
- 185
Its in the mail
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- Dec 17, 2005
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- 7,809
The knife is currently in the mail on it's way to Jetblack. We had a little shipping misunderstanding. He's going to be shipping it out to the next person on the list when he recieves it.
I showed up at my door this morning.
Pics and thought to follow once i've played with it for a while.
btw, it came with a pack of RAT Cutlery stickers. I counted. 12...one for each passaround participant? You goobers haven't been taking yours
If everyone plays nice nice, there may still be one in there for me when it gets here.
cant wait to hear about your opinions!
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- May 22, 2009
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It's a rainy dark day here, bad for photos, so I'm pushing those back to tommorow. I'll do some comparison shots with my Izula and Mora clipper as common reference. I wish I had an RC3 to compare it too, obviously I don't have my forum knife yet.
Here is my review, it turned out long'ish so I put keywords in bold for the aid of any attention span deficient among you.
This knife has several gee-whiz nifty features which distinguish it from similar knives. Lets get them out of the way first, starting with the bad news. I really don't like the bottle opener. It is exactly where I want to put my thumb for several cutting tasks. [pics to follow] It's not a horrible flaw, but I don't think such a minor function is worth the cost to ergonomics. On the other hand, I think if you took the coating off there to expose a square steel edge it might make a nice notch to strike a firesteel with. If it had two functions I'd give it a thumbs up. The wire breaker notch works and has no drawbacks. It's so simple! More knives should have this! I was worried about the pry bar pommel being uncomfortable, but it really isn't a problem. I can imagine using it to pull nails or staples, or as a scraping tool. Also, having that definite hook at the pommel aids in drawing the blade. I like the handle compartment. It measures approx 0.4" by 2". I found with some disappointment that a Spark-lite would not quite fit. If this HEST were mine I would probably put in a plastic bag, a couple chlorine dioxide tablets and some emergency money.
Now on to the main features.
The overall size, feel and balance of the knife is very very good.
The size is nice, exactly 3" of cutting edge and about 8" overall. A versatile size, big enough for most tasks, but small enough to be conveniently carried. The balance point is just ahead of the first handle screw, in the exact middle of the knife.
The blade is hefty for a knife this size, about 0.18" thick at the spine, significantly thicker than the only slightly shorter bladed Izula. It is also wide about 1.25" from spine to edge at it's widest. This knife is built VERY strong. That thick wedge batons kindling size wood very efficiently. But, there is no free lunch, making a small'ish knife that chunky has some drawbacks. It makes some minor cutting tasks a little less convenient. For example, quartering an apple; even with a razor sharp blade the cuts took some pressure. Obviously this is not intended as a kitchen knife, so judge that observation's relevance for yourself.
The handle seems just a little small to me in a saber grip with my thumb on the ramp; it leaves my pinky hanging a bit (My hands are almost exactly statistical average for a man). This is not a major complaint, I'm grading on a curve here; I only mention it because I think the Izula has amazing ergonomics for it's size. The HEST's ergonomics I would describe as 'good.' For precision cutting you can choke up on the blade a LOT very comfortably, in fact that seems to be the most intuitive grip for me with my thumb far up on the spine past the jimping and bottle opener. [pics for this coming too] Reverse grip is very comfortable.
The knife makes a fine fire prep tool. I used it to carve fatwood curls, scrape dust and spark a fire with a minch metal ferro rod. It worked quite well for scraping the dust with my thumb on the wide flat of the blade, and it made nice thin curls.
It's nice to see a kydex sheath. I note with interest that this one is screwed together, most I've seen are riveted. It's got a drain hole, which is good. It's a bit of a paddle though, almost 3" wide and 4.5" long. I could see some folks wanted a smaller one, particularly if they want to EDC their HEST...and aren't strapping on web gear every morning.
Overall, the HEST is a very good knife with some interesting and unique features. I think I'm going to miss it when I have to send this one off to the next guy in a day or two.
p.s. ouch, it just bit me. Missed the sheath opening and stabbed my palm slightly.
Here is my review, it turned out long'ish so I put keywords in bold for the aid of any attention span deficient among you.
This knife has several gee-whiz nifty features which distinguish it from similar knives. Lets get them out of the way first, starting with the bad news. I really don't like the bottle opener. It is exactly where I want to put my thumb for several cutting tasks. [pics to follow] It's not a horrible flaw, but I don't think such a minor function is worth the cost to ergonomics. On the other hand, I think if you took the coating off there to expose a square steel edge it might make a nice notch to strike a firesteel with. If it had two functions I'd give it a thumbs up.
The wire breaker notch works and has no drawbacks. It's so simple! More knives should have this! I was worried about the pry bar pommel being uncomfortable, but it really isn't a problem. I can imagine using it to pull nails or staples, or as a scraping tool. Also, having that definite hook at the pommel aids in drawing the blade. I like the handle compartment. It measures approx 0.4" by 2". I found with some disappointment that a Spark-lite would not quite fit. If this HEST were mine I would probably put in a plastic bag, a couple chlorine dioxide tablets and some emergency money. Now on to the main features.
The overall size, feel and balance of the knife is very very good.
The size is nice, exactly 3" of cutting edge and about 8" overall. A versatile size, big enough for most tasks, but small enough to be conveniently carried. The balance point is just ahead of the first handle screw, in the exact middle of the knife.
The blade is hefty for a knife this size, about 0.18" thick at the spine, significantly thicker than the only slightly shorter bladed Izula. It is also wide about 1.25" from spine to edge at it's widest. This knife is built VERY strong. That thick wedge batons kindling size wood very efficiently. But, there is no free lunch, making a small'ish knife that chunky has some drawbacks. It makes some minor cutting tasks a little less convenient. For example, quartering an apple; even with a razor sharp blade the cuts took some pressure. Obviously this is not intended as a kitchen knife, so judge that observation's relevance for yourself.
The handle seems just a little small to me in a saber grip with my thumb on the ramp; it leaves my pinky hanging a bit (My hands are almost exactly statistical average for a man). This is not a major complaint, I'm grading on a curve here; I only mention it because I think the Izula has amazing ergonomics for it's size. The HEST's ergonomics I would describe as 'good.' For precision cutting you can choke up on the blade a LOT very comfortably, in fact that seems to be the most intuitive grip for me with my thumb far up on the spine past the jimping and bottle opener. [pics for this coming too] Reverse grip is very comfortable.
The knife makes a fine fire prep tool. I used it to carve fatwood curls, scrape dust and spark a fire with a minch metal ferro rod. It worked quite well for scraping the dust with my thumb on the wide flat of the blade, and it made nice thin curls.
It's nice to see a kydex sheath. I note with interest that this one is screwed together, most I've seen are riveted. It's got a drain hole, which is good. It's a bit of a paddle though, almost 3" wide and 4.5" long. I could see some folks wanted a smaller one, particularly if they want to EDC their HEST...and aren't strapping on web gear every morning.
Overall, the HEST is a very good knife with some interesting and unique features. I think I'm going to miss it when I have to send this one off to the next guy in a day or two.
p.s. ouch, it just bit me. Missed the sheath opening and stabbed my palm slightly.
Last edited:
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- Jul 11, 2009
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Great review Joben. I am curious about your comment about the handle being small. I designed it for my hands (4" at base of fingers) and if anything I was worried that it might be TOO long for most folks. I have large square hands and I really have a problem with knives that leave my pinky hanging ) I naturally hold the knife with my thumb in the bottle opener/pry gap which gives me great blade control. I use the prybar at the other end to pop bottle caps by the way.
The RAT DPx HEST was made to be a tough knife and I am glad you got that. You are right it is not a fish filleter but you won't see that blade snapping anytime soon)
) I naturally hold the knife with my thumb in the bottle opener/pry gap which gives me great blade control. I use the prybar at the other end to pop bottle caps by the way.The RAT DPx HEST was made to be a tough knife and I am glad you got that. You are right it is not a fish filleter but you won't see that blade snapping anytime soon
)
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