DPx H.E.S.T. 2.0 Questions

B

Baine

Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
244
After reading and watching a bunch of reviews I decided to give this knife a shot. Fast forward a week and I got it this morning. I have been playing with it all day but I have 2 concerns that may be a deal breaker for me. I've been trying to get ahold of DPx about these issues all day but no one will answer the phone, so hopefully you guys who own the knife can chime in to let me know if what I'm experiencing is normal.

1. The detent that holds the blade in on this knife is SERIOUS. So serious that it almost hurts your thumb to open it one handed. I've loosened the pivot and open/closed it several hundred times with no improvement. I've also lubed it three times. So essentially it is a two handed opener at this point.

2. Secondly, and more of a problem to me is the frame lock. It engages really late already (I've attached pictures), is this normal?

Also, if I flick it open, and we're not talking about a shoulder to waist flick action, just barely enough to get it to lock up (I can barely do it with this knife) the lock sticks so hard that I have to use something like an allen key to pry it unlocked. Again, it isn't like I'm really flinging the thing open for it to get stuck as it's even done it to me a few times opening it with my thumb.

I'd like to note that I have a ton of other frame lock knives to compare to and none of them have either engaged this far straight from the factory and nothing I've had has ever had to be forcefully unlocked. The detent is also easily 4/5 times harder to get past than anything else I own. All I'd like to know is if this is normal with these or not? If so then I'll send it back to the seller and get me money back and if not, I'll send it to DPx and give it another try; but I can't do both. Thanks in advance for the help.


photo by Baine19, on Flickr


photo-1 by Baine19, on Flickr
 
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I don't own this knife, but I got to handle one a couple months back. Here is my take on it:
1- You might be inadvertantly increasing the detent by the way you hold the knife. If you are pressing the lockbar in while you are pressing the thumbstud, that is a problem with your technique, not the knife. This is a common thing with some knives, people just don't hold them properly and complain that the knife is defective or similar, or try loosening the pivot about 1/8th of a turn.

2- It appears that the lock interface is galling. That isn't a good thing, as it means that the lockbar is deforming. You also said you use another tool to disengage the lock? Ouch! That might contribute to more problems down the line. Use a sharpie marker and paint the part of the blade where the lock engages and allow to dry. You can also use a pencil. This will act as a dry lubricant to ease unlocking. Hope this helps.
 
Mines a few weeks old now and it was a little tough at first but backing off the pivot helped. I've noticed it being hard to close at times only to find ( held in my right hand) my ring finger and pinky resting against the bar, so ya that can be a problem there :) now I place my ringfinger in the pocket clip "notch" and that pretty much puts the middle finger on the roto lock and push the lock bar with my thumb all is getting very smooth. Send it to me if you need further evaluation. Sorry if my answer is a bit confusing, wish I could make a video and post. Good luck.
 
Hi guys,

I really do appreciate all of your input, especially the video. However, none of the things suggested really helped so I called DPx and and they seemed to think it was enough to warrant a probable replacement. I'll keep you updated once I hear something back.
 
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