A question about toughness

I've used my prybar from a back scratcher to scraping old caulking out from tile to scraping fat wood to useing it as a screwdriver, useing it to help untie knots.......and just about everything in between. it is very useful, even more than I thought when I got it. it may seem like a gimmick but ITS NOT;)
 
The extra thickness, perfectly tapered point, recessed grips (note the micarta is slightly in from the frame) and flat end of the DPx HEST make it a perfect chisel, improvised weapon, camp tool, chopper, chipper, lever and whatever.

Now I am going to go out a copyright the "RC3 vs DPx HEST" thread title because its like constantly dragging the newbie out of the rain when he asks "should he buy an umbrella or a tarp." Its Ok you can have both. But obviously I am biased the DPx HEST is all I ever need in an EDC. Under a 100 bucks on the street, hard to abuse, multi talented and of course good looking.

The DPx HEST is unlike any other knife, so it confuses some people who look at blade length rather that the personality and ergonomics. The HEST is not a version of anything it's the unique product of my sick perverted mind that speaks to me in tongues and says "Design a tough, multi use concealable edged tool with the quality of a custom, the strength of an anvil and make it cheap enough so you won't break down sobbing when someone runs away with it stuck in his ribcage"

Mike and Jeff all made it happen so you get the added bonus of all their knife smarts, Shon Rowen's manufacturing quality and my real world survival smarts. And did I mention for the same price as some of those namby-pamby mass production mall ninja tactisexual folders?

The ESEE 3" is a traditional knife with an industrial feel to it. Some people don't like the no nonsense look of the DPx HEST cuz they want coco bolo or sperm whale penis inserts. Some people want to pay $500 bucks for a piece of steel that has an edge on it. But you don't need to get that crazy to buy a cool knife that has a real world pedigree. Why should you?

I would not recommend abusing a knife for fun but the difference between a "survival" knife vs a "knife" is an adrenaline surged abuse of a tool at hand to smash glass, cut metal, hammer through granite, stick an abuser or watch the red liquid squirt. Like most heavy-duty survival things you are only going to use 10% of its actual capability and then be impressed as hell when you need 110%. Kinda like Russian helicopters, Zippos, steam locomotives and many other over-engineered, brutal products. Its an added bonus that the DPx HEST is designed to be light enough and nimble as street legal EDC. But if you go places they don't have streets you can tuck that baby up your sleeve or waist and not totally rely on your grade 5 tai kwondo lessons to get you out a jam.

But as folks keep saying, it comes down to apples and oranges. The two knives are so different as to merit buying both. One as an everyday happy slicer and the other for those "oh shit" moments. The trade off is when you pimp the HEST you have to keep constantly opening beers to explain it's true "survival" function :)
 
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RYP said:
The extra thickness, perfectly tapered point, recessed grips (note the micarta is slightly in from the frame) and flat end of the DPx HEST make it a perfect chisel, improvised weapon, camp tool, chopper, chipper, lever and whatever.

Now I am going to go out a copyright the "RC3 vs DPx HEST" thread title because its like constantly dragging the newbie out of the rain when he asks "should he buy an umbrella or a tarp." Its Ok you can have both. But obviously I am biased the DPx HEST is all I ever need in an EDC. Under a 100 bucks on the street, hard to abuse, multi talented and of course good looking.

The DPx HEST is unlike any other knife, so it confuses some people who look at blade length rather that the personality and ergonomics. The HEST is not a version of anything it's the unique product of my sick perverted mind that speaks to me in tongues and says "Design a tough, multi use concealable edged tool with the quality of a custom, the strength of an anvil and make it cheap enough so you won't break down sobbing when someone runs away with it stuck in his ribcage"

Mike and Jeff all made it happen so you get the added bonus of all their knife smarts, Shon Rowen's manufacturing quality and my real world survival smarts. And did I mention for the same price as some of those namby-pamby mass production mall ninja tactisexual folders?

The ESEE 3" is a traditional knife with an industrial feel to it. Some people don't like the no nonsense look of the DPx HEST cuz they want coco bolo or sperm whale penis inserts. Some people want to pay $500 bucks for a piece of steel that has an edge on it. But you don't need to get that crazy to buy a cool knife that has a real world pedigree. Why should you?

I would not recommend abusing a knife for fun but the difference between a "survival" knife vs a "knife" is an adrenaline surged abuse of a tool at hand to smash glass, cut metal, hammer through granite, stick an abuser or watch the red liquid squirt. Like most heavy-duty survival things you are only going to use 10% of its actual capability and then be impressed as hell when you need 110%. Kinda like Russian helicopters, Zippos, steam locomotives and many other over-engineered, brutal products. Its an added bonus that the DPx HEST is designed to be light enough and nimble as street legal EDC. But if you go places they don't have streets you can tuck that baby up your sleeve or waist and not totally rely on your grade 5 tai kwondo lessons to get you out a jam.

But as folks keep saying, it comes down to apples and oranges. The two knives are so different as to merit buying both. One as an everyday happy slicer and the other for those "oh shit" moments. The trade off is when you pimp the HEST you have to keep constantly opening beers to explain it's true "survival" function :)
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Amen to all of that:thumbup:
 
Well, about an hour ago I unwrapped my nice shiny new HEST and immediately did a shave-test. Those doctors who do skin graft surgery can use this knife to harvest skin - it's that friggin sharp. Anyway, I love this knife, and bear in mind that it's now 2 hours old. This knife is destined for serious battle and abuse. Something tells me that it will laugh at whatever it is subjected to.
 
I guess there is no information on the difference.
We can guess based upon the difference in thickness between the two knives, but that does not take into account the difference in blade shape.
I do wonder if the solid handle on the RC 3 is as strong (or stronger) then the "loop" handle on the HEST.
Not knocking either knife, I was just wondering if the information was available, if RYP knows the answer he did not let on in his post.

I have not done a google search on broken ESEE knives, but I doubt that there are many and/or they would answer this question.

I am not interested enough in the question to do any destructive testing myself.
I will just have to be content with the answer that the HEST is the tougher of the two
 
coyotebc said:
I do wonder if the solid handle on the RC 3 is as strong (or stronger) then the "loop" handle on the HEST.
Not knocking either knife, I was just wondering if the information was available, if RYP knows the answer he did not let on in his post.
Click to expand...

Both knives have the same heat treat so you're going to get a considerable flex before either snaps in two. Now, given that the HEST is 3/16" thick and the ESEE-3 is 1/8" thick I'm not sure how much of a strength trade-off that will be considering the 3 has a complete tang and the HEST has a cutout tang. We could do a destructive test between the two handles but it's not going to be scientific and probably not give you the exact answer you're looking for. Both knives would need to be sent to a lab for all their yield and tensile tests to really get the answer.
 
RYP said:
The extra thickness, perfectly tapered point, recessed grips (note the micarta is slightly in from the frame) and flat end of the DPx HEST make it a perfect chisel, improvised weapon, camp tool, chopper, chipper, lever and whatever.

Now I am going to go out a copyright the "RC3 vs DPx HEST" thread title because its like constantly dragging the newbie out of the rain when he asks "should he buy an umbrella or a tarp." Its Ok you can have both. But obviously I am biased the DPx HEST is all I ever need in an EDC. Under a 100 bucks on the street, hard to abuse, multi talented and of course good looking.

The DPx HEST is unlike any other knife, so it confuses some people who look at blade length rather that the personality and ergonomics. The HEST is not a version of anything it's the unique product of my sick perverted mind that speaks to me in tongues and says "Design a tough, multi use concealable edged tool with the quality of a custom, the strength of an anvil and make it cheap enough so you won't break down sobbing when someone runs away with it stuck in his ribcage"

Mike and Jeff all made it happen so you get the added bonus of all their knife smarts, Shon Rowen's manufacturing quality and my real world survival smarts. And did I mention for the same price as some of those namby-pamby mass production mall ninja tactisexual folders?

The ESEE 3" is a traditional knife with an industrial feel to it. Some people don't like the no nonsense look of the DPx HEST cuz they want coco bolo or sperm whale penis inserts. Some people want to pay $500 bucks for a piece of steel that has an edge on it. But you don't need to get that crazy to buy a cool knife that has a real world pedigree. Why should you?

I would not recommend abusing a knife for fun but the difference between a "survival" knife vs a "knife" is an adrenaline surged abuse of a tool at hand to smash glass, cut metal, hammer through granite, stick an abuser or watch the red liquid squirt. Like most heavy-duty survival things you are only going to use 10% of its actual capability and then be impressed as hell when you need 110%. Kinda like Russian helicopters, Zippos, steam locomotives and many other over-engineered, brutal products. Its an added bonus that the DPx HEST is designed to be light enough and nimble as street legal EDC. But if you go places they don't have streets you can tuck that baby up your sleeve or waist and not totally rely on your grade 5 tai kwondo lessons to get you out a jam.

But as folks keep saying, it comes down to apples and oranges. The two knives are so different as to merit buying both. One as an everyday happy slicer and the other for those "oh shit" moments. The trade off is when you pimp the HEST you have to keep constantly opening beers to explain it's true "survival" function :)
Click to expand...

I have both knives and I LOVE both knives. Personally I think the above statement basically sums up the differences between the two. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I carry both knives everyday in my "bag of tricks" that I carry with me everywhere I go. My RC3 comes out when I head into the woods or am preparing a meal or the like. The HEST comes out for those SHTF moments or when I go to work. At work I EDC a HEST, LM wave, and a 14" machete everyday. I find that that combo can cover anything I will ever need when I am out and about working. But the fact of the matter is that the two knives both excel at very different tasks, which is why they both live in my bag. I will wrap this up the way so many of these types of posts are, buy them both you won't be disappointed.
 
R.A.T. said:
Both knives have the same heat treat so you're going to get a considerable flex before either snaps in two. Now, given that the HEST is 3/16" thick and the ESEE-3 is 1/8" thick I'm not sure how much of a strength trade-off that will be considering the 3 has a complete tang and the HEST has a cutout tang. We could do a destructive test between the two handles but it's not going to be scientific and probably not give you the exact answer you're looking for. Both knives would need to be sent to a lab for all their yield and tensile tests to really get the answer.
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Thank you
It was more from idle curiosity then anything else, I just kept hearing the HEST was tougher.

I do want to thank both you and RYP for taking the time to post in this thread.
 
No differential heat treat.

Started out with a differential but saw no increase in toughness or performance.
 
R.A.T. said:
... We could do a destructive test between the two handles but it's not going to be scientific and probably not give you the exact answer you're looking for. ...
Click to expand...


I just tried to snap both handles and broke my hand. Scientific testing fail.

as for RYP's reply, LMFAO....that's flat out awesome. Now I need to go find some whale penis bone to make handles for my HEST...
 
"Some people don't like the no nonsense look of the DPx HEST cuz they want coco bolo or sperm whale penis inserts. "

oh yeah...this is just CLASSIC, RYP! :cool:

loving my HEST, but maybe even more after this post....
 
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