DPX HEST Folder

Status
Not open for further replies.
horndog, try using the bottle opener to open it a few times that seemed to help mine. i also battoned it through some wood and that helped too. at this point mine is slick and fairly easy to open one handed. but i've probably opened and closed it a thousand times.

and if u decide u dont want it and want to sell. let me know.

take it easy
cricket
 
i dont know if it took that to break it in but it sure locked up better after i did.

take it easy
cricket
 
It's a hard use folder. Thats why we don't recommend putting oil on it or treating it like a safe queen. the HEST/F is designed to used and abused. The actual moving parts seat very nicely after some initial use. It will feel a little stiff when you first open it up and we suggest that people adjust the tension to what they like. I like the pivot thumb tight.
 
cricketdave said:
horndog, try using the bottle opener to open it a few times that seemed to help mine. i also battoned it through some wood and that helped too. at this point mine is slick and fairly easy to open one handed. but i've probably opened and closed it a thousand times.

and if u decide u dont want it and want to sell. let me know.

take it easy
cricket
Click to expand...

For real? If I open too many bottles of beer and drink it then I will end up posting some crazy rant against Lion Steel in the middle of the night or worse! But thanks for the advice cricket dave. That bottle opener is kind of tough on the thumb, don't you think? You must have tough hands. I'll just keep on working it and see how it goes. You know, the guys who said to keep the index finger off the handle when opening are right. That does make a difference. I am going to give this folder a chance to be as great as I hoped it would be. With my improved technique and the parts wearing in, maybe that will happen.
 
HD, I said it before on this thread, sorry, maybe you seen it maybe not, anyway please try to keep the index finger on the top of the handle, and then push the thumb stud, and remove the finger when is half opened
hope this helps
 
jacktrades_nbk said:
HD, I said it before on this thread, sorry, maybe you seen it maybe not, anyway please try to keep the index finger on the top of the handle, and then push the thumb stud, and remove the finger when is half opened
hope this helps
Click to expand...

I paid attention the first time, jack. Thanks.
 
jacktrades_nbk said:
Then I apologize , sorry for implying you maybe didn't see it, I just wanted to help
Cheers
Click to expand...

And I appreciate all the help I can get. Gianni pointed it out that my finger was applying pressure to the lock, too. The knife is still very hard to open, but keeping my index finger clear does help. New techniques can always be learned, even by old farts like me. :thumbup:
 
I'm not going to get in the fray on the production folders because I don't have one....yet (I am buying one though and will post my opinion when I get it), but I will say this: The HEST prototype I have here is a great knife. I used this thing for a couple of months and literally tried to make it fail. Is it harder to open than most folders? Yes. That doesn't bother me though. Again, the only thing I can judge any of this on is a protoype HEST folder so take it for what it's worth.
 
Well I will do a proper review once mine breaks in. I can't undo all the unkind things and outrageous adjectives I used in this rant of a review, but I was ticked off and drunk. After all that waiting for the HEST folder, then I couldn't even open it. Bad time to do a review. :o

Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám:

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
 
We still love you, HD. Again, the folder may not be worth a damn for what you want and you have every right to your opinion, drunk or sober ;)
 
Horndog,

I respect your opinion. If your issues are not due to handholding (as several suggest), then you have an unlucky bad specimen which I am sure the company will fix for you.

In any case, based on this sample you really can't say that Lion Steel makes bad knives. I have several ones and they are all as well made as anything by anyone;
- the mighty SR-1 (I saw a few others and there were as perfect as mine)
- the daghetta
- a "german style" backlock folder
- the lovely Opera
In addition, I've never read any bad comment on these above knives.
Wich leads me to think that you are simply very unlucky with yours.
 
I'd like to point out that I had the exact same issue with my ZT 0551 where it would literally hurt my thumb to open the knife. Some knives seem to have your forefinger rest on the lockbar as a consequence of design. But after moving the clip to tip down carry, the clip blocked my finger from touching the lockbar and now the blade can be flicked open consistently. Even then it took about a week of opening and closing to break it in.

And I think that's the thing with some knives, and framelocks in particular. They need to be "broken in". The framelocks will stick, or the detent needs time to wear a small groove into the blade, making it smoother to open.

Flippers of course, are more comfortable to use with a stronger detent than a manual open thumbstud knife.

I have an SR-1 as well and my only complaint about the knife is that the steel isn't stainless, but that's really my personal issue rather than a fault with Lionsteel. Other than that, fit and finish is perfect and the knife looks solid enough to chop down a tree.
 
"but I was ticked off and drunk."

then just edit it. I sure as hell wouldn't want everything said or did while drunk immortalized on the internets! :))) I know that comments like that are very hurtful to Gianni who is not only a very nice gentle craftsman but stands behind his products and family business. Me? I am used to drunk #$&&holes :)) Unless you are stoned child soldier holding a loaded AK to my balls I really dont' pay close attention to insults. I will tell you that we will take care of any concerns with our product. No questions asked (OK we may ask you where to send the money)

In any case the web is a dangerous place when you drink and post! :))
 
Last edited:
RYP said:
"but I was ticked off and drunk."

then just edit it. I sure as hell wouldn't want everything said or did while drunk immortalized on the internets! :))) I know that comments like that are very hurtful to Gianni who is not only a very nice gentle craftsman but stands behind his products and family business. Me? I am used to drunk #$&&holes :)) Unless you are stoned child soldier holding a loaded AK to my balls I really dont' pay close attention to insults. I will tell you that we will take care of any concerns with our product. No questions asked (OK we may ask you where to send the money)

In any case the web is a dangerous place when you drink and post! :))
Click to expand...

Really? Well even sober, this is still the hardest to open knife I have ever owned. I did no personal insults, but to judge all Lion Steel knives by one example is not fair, and I apologized to Gianni for that and edited out my sweeping generalizations. But unless you have actually tried to open THIS ONE, you don't really know how rough it is. While my thumb heals, I will continue to work the action with both hands and see if it smooths out.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top