HEST/F by Lionsteel

My LE came yesterday after the return trip to Italy. My production model is coming on Tuesday. I can see where they ground the blade to make it close properly. They did touch-up the finish. I like this knife, it's almost like having the fixed blade model in your hand. This is one of my EDC's now. I'm going to give my production folder to my son, he's going back overseas again soon.
 

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I played around with my HEST/F some more yesterday. Tried to open/close a bunch of times to get her broken in. I'm still digging the design; very functional and compact. It feels so much smaller than the ZT 0551 after EDCing that one for the last couple of months. Love the thick blade and the jimping. I was concerned that it might be a little sharp on the thumb, but it's not. The spacing is just right so it doesn't "bite" too much into the skin.
 
Man, I still cant believe mine is still in Italy? :( I wonder why they only sent a few back and not all of them? I was under the impression they sent them all back?
 
2 questions why not a better steel for that price like s30v and id love to see a stonewash finish any coating or color on a blade (especially hard use like this is meant for ) will lose the finish and make the blade look like crap..If i was going to buy one i would want a better bladesteel and at least an option for stonewash on my $200 knife i mean if i want D2 i can get a comparable knife for half the price.. not trying to bash i actually want answers.. i would buy the knife if these changes were available/made
 
furfmonkey said:
2 questions why not a better steel for that price like s30v and id love to see a stonewash finish any coating or color on a blade (especially hard use like this is meant for ) will lose the finish and make the blade look like crap..If i was going to buy one i would want a better bladesteel and at least an option for stonewash on my $200 knife i mean if i want D2 i can get a comparable knife for half the price.. not trying to bash i actually want answers.. i would buy the knife if these changes were available/made
Click to expand...

IIRC from some of his posts RYP kind of suggested that a different blade might be in the works. Can't recall if it was stonewashed or not. I'm still not sure what this steel is? It's marked at D2 or German D2 but I've seen it called Sleipner Steel

http://www.bucanada.ca/files/UDDEHOLM_SLEIPNER.pdf


If I'm undestanding it correctly Sleipner is an 8% Cr steel where as D2 is a 13% Cr.
 
It is not our goal to charge a premium for anything but rather to deliver solid value. I just noticed someone put a HEST/F production up for sale and it was sold minutes later for $210. The street price on this should be $175.

One fellow asked if the blade is short for the handle. That's a good question. The knife (like the fixed version) was designed to a) be strong AND light b) Fit in your hand without compromise and c) provide no sacrifice in cutting edge, balance and durability. the folder also very closely follows the exact profile, edge and thickness of the fixed blade. Something you don't see very often in the knife business. Function over style.

So ALL HEST products will look a little odd because they are designed for work efficiency not looks.

Yes we are going to make lower price point knives but never cheaper knives. Once again I won't skimp on quality of construction or materials but I want knives to respect the working man's salary. That's why the HEST fixed can be bought for under 100 bucks (although I see them climbing well over that on the internet) and still have a lifetime warranty.
 
Robert, did you ever find out what happened to the rest of the LE's why they only shipped back some of them?
Thanks,
Chad
 
i don't mind the smaller blade bigger handle thats a + in my book my EDC is a Ritter mini grip with wilkins grips ... im not a knifemaker but id love to see your knife with a stonewashed s30v blade .. i think you would win over many ritter fans. Your knife is very nice im just not a fan of painted/colorized coated blades where the finish comes off.. In my opinon a hard use knife should always be stonewash because lets face it.... you're gonne beat on it and kill the finish just an idea hope maybe to see it in the future.. i can guarantee at least 1 customer :)
 
Is there still going to be a left hand version available or was that idea scrapped?
 
Thank you, Cricket. I just found them on knifecenter. I've been away from BF for a little while and recently came back... information on the HEST folder is a bit hard to come by; is there any place with the lefty version in stock? Were there any of the sterilized lefty versions produced? What about the LE?

I'm extremely excited about a lefty frame lock under the $200 price point and want to get my hands on one of these ASAP... I'd just like to know my options
 
the le models are long sold out but they were available in your choice of right or left, sterile or mr dp version. i dont know if anyone has the lefty's in stock. my production version came today and i've been using it all day.

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take it easy
cricket
 
You asked "Why not a better steel for that price?"

When it comes to cutting and keeping an edge in the field, D2 is the ideal steel for long term edge retention, the only downside is corrosion tradeoff for hardness. Much like the choice of spring steel for the fixed HEST.

A stonewash finish is fine when you have a chromium heavy blade and don't worry about visual print during use. The HEST/F is specifically kept low profile, the coating adds to the cutting ability and I personally like a knife that looks like it has been there, done that.

This has been debated on this forum before. Ultimately I chose D2 because of the way it cuts, sharpens and quickly strops up in the field.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=222840
 
Heres some pics for size comparison if anyone is on the fence. I ordered two but sold them both two days ago, something about them just didnt do it for me. Anyway, It was a great knife and mine did not have any of the problems. Just a little tough to close but that will go away with use. Hope you enjoy the pics.

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LionSteel sure knows its heat treating, love that D2, still scary sharp after using the knife for all kinds of work in and outside the home, well, not much, but just food, packages, strings, plastic, some plastic bottles, some wood, but still, it cuts like the first day I got it, and it hasn't left my side since.
 
Man you guys are killing me! Im patient but you guys are way ahead of me on testing! ;)
I love D2. One of my favorite steels and this bad boy is thick! Gianni hook me up with a good deal on an SR1-Al so I can play with something before I get my LE! :)
 
Soulrack223 said:
I got my normal production run HEST/F made by Lionsteel today. All the issues people were having with the LE versions had me a little nervous but those fears were unfounded once I examined my knife. It looks like Lionsteel got the problems figured out and corrected them which is too bad for the purchasers of the LE but good for those of us that waited.

The knife is a member of the Four F Club. Fit, Finish, Function and Form are all above average. The tip is not exposed when closed. The detent keeps it closed and the knife is not difficult to open. The bottle opener works as good as an Emerson Wave too. The lock keeps it open and we have the added security of Lionsteel's rotating lock. The other features (hex drive, tool) both seem to work without a hitch but I doubt I'll be using the glass breaker anytime soon--which can be changed out with a smooth topped replacement bolt that's included in the package. :)
Click to expand...
What's wrong with the glass breaker (other than that it's rude to break other people's windows)?
 
love my hest! took the glass breaker of though as i kept poking myself with it. :rolleyes:
also love the D2, lion steel do a great job with it, and i actually prefer it over S30V. but that's just me. :)


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