Are the ESSE3 & HEST blades the same? And some info on the 4

A

agoutihead

Joined
May 5, 2007
Messages
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I was wondering, other than the bottle opener & jimper on the HEST, is the blade the same exact shape & design of the 3?

It seems to look that way to me, but I cant tell.

Also, is the glassbreaker feature available on the 4 like it is on the 3?

And are there any other non-mikarta handle options available in black or OD green? (I'm just not a fan of mikarta because it soaks up water and dont want orange handles.)

This may soundd like a weird request, but is there any way to have the serrations ground on the top spine instead of the belly of the blade?

I love serrations and find them very useful, but I hate combo blades and want a full, smooth edge on the knife.

That should cover it :)

I look forward to picking up one of these high quality blades soon.
 
HEST has a wirecutter/fingerslicer notch at the base of the blade

You can grind your own serrations - just get a dremel - or take it to a machine shop if you don't care to do it yourself.

Some people are making their own handles - you can use your existing slabs as a template and go to town... :-)
 
hi,

the hest is much thicker than the 3 and it has a little more belly to it.
no option for a glass breaker on the 4 but you could always make your own.
micarta or g10 are the only grip scales. you could make your own there as well.
i guess you could grind serrations on the spine but it would be a pain especially on the thicker knives.

take it easy
cricket
 
cricketdave said:
hi,

the hest is much thicker than the 3 and it has a little more belly to it.
no option for a glass breaker on the 4 but you could always make your own.
micarta or g10 are the only grip scales. you could make your own there as well.
i guess you could grind serrations on the spine but it would be a pain especially on the thicker knives.

take it easy
cricket
Click to expand...

Yeah I'd be completely happy with G10 scales. What colors do they come in? Are they available on both the 3 & 4?

I wanted the 4 because it was larger & thicker, the only reason I would pick the 3 over it would be for the glass breaker... and well that was just a caveat, not a requirement.

I'm no good with my hands, so machining serrations on the top spine is not something I would try.

But I would perhaps send it out... is this something that I could easily find someone to machine into it for me?
 
orange is the only factory g10 available and only on the od blades. i dont know how hard it would be to get serrations put on the spine, personally i'd just carry a pocket knife with a serated edge if i wanted one.

take it easy
cricket
 
L.J.Tibbs said:
after market G10 scales for the 4:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=776052
ESEE 3 vs. HEST:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=759665

hope this helps!
Click to expand...

Thanks man that was awesome. I'll be picking up some after market G10 scales for sure.

I just dont know if I want a black blade with OD Green G10, or an OD Green blade with black G10

Decisions, decisions, lol

Anyone have an idea who could grind in serrations on the top spine with out charging an arm & a leg? :thumbup:

Too bad the glass breaker isnt available on the 4... they have it on every other model. (I'd go with the 5, but I think its heavier than I want @16oz...)

I'd go with the 4 over the 3 just because it's a thicker blade. Although I dont know how either feels in the hand and would probably really like the 3.

I'm on the pre-order list for a HEST folder, so I'm only interested in a fixed 4.
 
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Extras aside, the blades are a bit different. The 3 is slightly larger, with a choil, and the HEST is 3/16ths thick whereas the 3 is 1/8th thick. They are of similar design with a big belly and a drop point, though I'd say the HEST's point is a wee bit more pronounced, and durable. The 3 is also flat ground whereas the HEST is saber ground. Both are very functional, though the HEST is definitely more comfortable.
 
Serrations on the spine aren't really practical and so we avoid doing that. They would interfere with batoning or doing close, small work where you might choke up on the handle with your grip and place a finger on the spine for control. The other problem with putting serrations on the spine would be that you would then have to have a special round diamond tool to file them sharp when they dulled. With the serrations we have on our knives they are actually milled in with a milling machine so that no special tool is required to sharpen them. You can simply keep sharpening on back with the same tool you are using for the plain egde and it will do the serrations as well. Think long and hard before you start grindining like that on the spine of your knife. There is a reason you don't see a lot of knives out there made like that:) Mike
 
MikePerrin said:
Serrations on the spine aren't really practical and so we avoid doing that. They would interfere with batoning or doing close, small work where you might choke up on the handle with your grip and place a finger on the spine for control. The other problem with putting serrations on the spine would be that you would then have to have a special round diamond tool to file them sharp when they dulled. With the serrations we have on our knives they are actually milled in with a milling machine so that no special tool is required to sharpen them. You can simply keep sharpening on back with the same tool you are using for the plain egde and it will do the serrations as well. Think long and hard before you start grindining like that on the spine of your knife. There is a reason you don't see a lot of knives out there made like that:) Mike
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Yeah you bring up some good points. Batoning is one of them.

I just love serrations because I think they are useful, but I'm just starting to hate combo blades as I feel they get in the way.
 
MikePerrin said:
With the serrations we have on our knives they are actually milled in with a milling machine so that no special tool is required to sharpen them. You can simply keep sharpening on back with the same tool you are using for the plain egde and it will do the serrations as well. Mike
Click to expand...

Mike - that's about the coolest arguement FOR serrations I've ever read.
I don't have any serrated blades (usual reasons always stated on here),
but if was to try one...this would be a huge plus! :thumbup:
 
solocanoe said:
Mike - that's about the coolest arguement FOR serrations I've ever read.
I don't have any serrated blades (usual reasons always stated on here),
but if was to try one...this would be a huge plus! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

ESEE serrations are the best design I've ever seen, for sure.
 
Serrations do have their purpose but I don't see much use for them in general outdoor use. I think they are great for zapping through webbing, rope and such but they shouldn't be a pain in the ass to sharpen. That is why I like ours because of the ease in sharpening. If they are on the back portion of the blade edge where most folks put them then they don't get in the way much. I think Bear-the-Dog had a thread somehwere where he showed they work well for stuff like fuzz sticks. LEO and Military like the serrations but then they really have more call to use them than we do.

My take on anything on the spine is I generally don't like it. The spine of any knife is where a lot of the strength of the blade integrity is. If you weaken the spine by cutting into it with any utility tool enhancement then I think it weakens the knife for the most part. There are some exceptions but I hold that as a general premise. One of the reasons we dropped the grind line down on the Junglas (from the older RTAK) was it left more metal at the spine and thus a stronger knife. If you are batoning then you will want all the meat at the spine you can get to absorb the punishment.
 
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