ZT300 or ESEE HEST/F ?

L.J.Tibbs said:
I'm with you there. Looks to me like it could wave with no mods.
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What exactly are you guys talking about? What is this "wave" mod?

Since the bottle opener can be multi purpose for holding pots and possibly a couple of other ideas, I guess I dont mind it.

The wire stripper is a bit weird, but it would be an EDC knife. Although I they still designed it as a survival knife with all of that... which is kinda weird.
 
agoutihead said:
The bottle opener & wire stripper are not features I look for in a knife, the HEST/F is just really an amazing looking knife to me. Love the look of the blade, handles etc. The HEST/F is actaully way more appealing than the 550.

Whats the difference between the 550 & 551?

I wish they could do a true to spec mini 300/301... I love the recurve.
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The 550 is the regular production model, the 551 is the limited production. They are ZT/Hinderer collaborations.

551 is expected to ship in the next few weeks, but the interest seems very high and it will probably be not easy to find. It features stonewashed Elmax steel blade, brick pattern black G10 over liners, and a Ti framelock with the Hinderer lock-stop.

Here are couple pictures of the 551 mid-production, generously provided by Thomas W:

IMG_0297.jpg


IMG_0299.jpg



the regular 550 is expected to have the same design, but uses Vanax35 steel blade. I don't think any other details have been narrowed down yet. It's expected sometime next year.

A lot of people are equating this to a production XM-18, hence the big expectations.
 
No experience with the ZT (I did own the shroud cutter before I donated it to the gods of the Salmon River) but I have the fixed blade HEST. The blade shape and ergos are perfect. If I had to choose I'd go with the HEST to be safe.
 
Damn_Animal said:
G10 Pattern and Steel from what I can tell but the bad news is all the pre-order lists have filled up on the 551 and the back up list are looking pretty full as well from what I can see. The 550 also wont be out till 2011 is what the word on the street is
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Which one has which materials? The thread on it is so long I cant pin point details...

As mentioned I want G10, ti frame lock & high end SS.
 
agoutihead said:
Which one has which materials? The thread on it is so long I cant pin point details...

As mentioned I want G10, ti frame lock & high end SS.
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Ahh ok you already replied to this basically.

I dont know, the 551 doesnt pop to me (I know its only mid production in that pic) I mean its sweet, but I think I like the HEST/F the best right now.

And it seems to be a comfortable size.

How is this D2 steel... I mean if ESEE is using it, I'm assuming its really good compared to S30V...?
 
agoutihead said:
What exactly are you guys talking about? What is this "wave" mod?

Since the bottle opener can be multi purpose for holding pots and possibly a couple of other ideas, I guess I dont mind it.

The wire stripper is a bit weird, but it would be an EDC knife. Although I they still designed it as a survival knife with all of that... which is kinda weird.
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The 'Wave' they mention is the Emerson Wave feature that opens the blade as it comes out of your pocket via little hook on the spine of the blade that catches the pocket corner. Very self defense purposed. I believe RYP has said the bottle opener does work as a wave.

I believe RYP intended the HEST folder(and HEST fixed) as almost a last ditch tool than just a knife. If lucky maybe he'll see this and chime in with his philosophy behind the design. Else, you can likely find him and more info over on ESEE section.

The D2 steel is very good, not considered a true stainless, but still resistant to corrosion. It's about the same level as S30V and 154CM.
 
Have you handled a ZT 0300 yet? It's pretty damn awesome. It's one of the coolest folders ... especially given the price! It is definitely a heavy blade [1/2 pound]. The HEST/F will be great too, but it's still a ways off and getting your hands on one may prove difficult and there may be issues/defects to be resolved [who knows]. The 0300 has been around for awhile and has proven itself. If you're cool with the weight and size of the 0300 for EDC, I'd go for it. I'm hoping to grab a 0300, a HEST/F, and a 0550 ... all awesome folders, but only one exists currently.
 
100eyes said:
The 'Wave' they mention is the Emerson Wave feature that opens the blade as it comes out of your pocket via little hook on the spine of the blade that catches the pocket corner. Very self defense purposed. I believe RYP has said the bottle opener does work as a wave.

I believe RYP intended the HEST folder(and HEST fixed) as almost a last ditch tool than just a knife. If lucky maybe he'll see this and chime in with his philosophy behind the design. Else, you can likely find him and more info over on ESEE section.

The D2 steel is very good, not considered a true stainless, but still resistant to corrosion. It's about the same level as S30V and 154CM.
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Hmm this wave idea can be handy... but then again if you do it when you dont want to actually make it wave, then it becomes a hindrance.

Either way I'm looking it up & down now on the site & really love this knife. I even like it with the green g10.

Plus I suppose it seems "reasonable" for $175.

I've never handled a ZT300 and I'd like to get one as I'm a huge Strider fan, but I just think its going to be too big & heavy for what i'm looking for in an EDC. I'm looking for an "indestructible" knife too, I believe the materials are super important and HEST/F seems like it could be put in the "indestructible" category.

I'd get a Strider folder if they werent so expensive & big. I'm only 5'6, 200 lbs, so I dont want too big of a knife.

I think the HEST/F is the winner. Has everything I want, the design is awesome, price I could live with & should be available for me to purchase when it comes out & when I'm ready.
 
agoutihead said:
Which one has which materials? The thread on it is so long I cant pin point details...

As mentioned I want G10, ti frame lock & high end SS.
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ummm both should have that, I personaly dont consider D2 a SS, but both 551 and 550 will be g10 ti frame lock and good blade steel read 100eyes post he gives good details
 
agoutihead said:
Hmm this wave idea can be handy... but then again if you do it when you dont want to actually make it wave, then it becomes a hindrance.

Either way I'm looking it up & down now on the site & really love this knife. I even like it with the green g10.

Plus I suppose it seems "reasonable" for $175.

I've never handled a ZT300 and I'd like to get one as I'm a huge Strider fan, but I just think its going to be too big & heavy for what i'm looking for in an EDC. I'm looking for an "indestructible" knife too, I believe the materials are super important and HEST/F seems like it could be put in the "indestructible" category.

I'd get a Strider folder if they werent so expensive & big. I'm only 5'6, 200 lbs, so I dont want too big of a knife.

I think the HEST/F is the winner. Has everything I want, the design is awesome, price I could live with & should be available for me to purchase when it comes out & when I'm ready.
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I dont know weight for me has never been an issue when considering knives but size has been, I tend to lean towards bigger knives then smaller knives because i have big hands XL gloves my manix 2 i could almost palm. One of the best things I have heard when it comes to knfie size is that you can do everything a little knife can do with a big knife but you cant do everything a big knife can do with a little knife.

I also looked at the Hest but I personaly feel that the 0550 is more bang for the buck
 
And I say buy both, that's what I'm doing.
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The ZT 0551 and HEST/F pre-order lists look like they are filled up right now. Looks like they are going to be very hard to come by too. There might be a back up pre-order list just in case someone backs out when they do come in.

Glad I got both on pre-order when I did back in July and August.
 
^
I know they're filled up. I can't afford either currently, I've got more important expenses right now. And besides, I'm not too fond of the aesthetics of the 055X. I'm much more interested in the 030X line. And the moment I can snag a HEST folder I'm gonna do so.
 
banana-clip said:
The ZT 0551 and HEST/F pre-order lists look like they are filled up right now. Looks like they are going to be very hard to come by too. There might be a back up pre-order list just in case someone backs out when they do come in.

Glad I got both on pre-order when I did back in July and August.
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Are the regular production models all pre-orderd out also? (On top of the 250 1st run limited edition, not really interested in the limited edition)

I dont have the cash right now, but I'm sure by the time the regular productions are out, there will have been enough people who backed out or ended up not liking the knife that I should be able to get my hands on one.

Anyone know how many production models they are rolling out?
 
agoutihead said:
Are the regular production models all pre-orderd out also? (On top of the 250 1st run limited edition, not really interested in the limited edition)

I dont have the cash right now, but I'm sure by the time the regular productions are out, there will have been enough people who backed out or ended up not liking the knife that I should be able to get my hands on one.

Anyone know how many production models they are rolling out?
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Go check out the threads in the ESEE sub-forum. Yes the vast majority of the first run PRODUCTION version are spoken for. There may be the rare spot here or there on dealer pre-order lists but for the most part the first run is done. There will be a second run after the first of the year and some are starting to take pre-orders for those as I understand.

I just traded off my 0300. It's a great knife but I'm just not using it and it is a bit heavy for me. I have a LE HEST/F on order so I'm excited about that and I'm very interested in the 0551. I think the 0551 may be the best ZT knife to date. It is way more interesting to me than the 0300 that I had.
 
I have a ZT0300, the black version. I think it's one of only a handful of truly heavy-duty production folders available.

It is big, but I don't find it to be gigantic as some do. My Benchmade Rukus is considerably bigger.

It's surprisingly flat for what it is and out of all of my knives it's one of the most comfortable in the hand.

It's heavier than some, but any knife worthy of being called "indestructible" or "heavy-duty" is almost always going to weigh six ounces or more. I don't think the extra two ounces make a whit of difference. I certainly don't notice.

I also own an SMF and I think the ZT is the superior knife--when you consider just how close you get to all the things that make a Strider a Strider--for one half/one third the price. I also think the large pivot, thicker Ti liner and steel insert on the G10 side combine to make the ZT even stronger than the Strider, and that's saying a lot because the Strider is about as tough as they come.

Out of all my knives, if I could only grab one before heading out the door to who-knows-what, the ZT would be the one I grabbed.

The Hest will have to be a HELLUVA lot of knife just to equal the ZT, let alone be better.

Best,

Heekma
 
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TLR said:
Go check out the threads in the ESEE sub-forum. Yes the vast majority of the first run PRODUCTION version are spoken for. There may be the rare spot here or there on dealer pre-order lists but for the most part the first run is done. There will be a second run after the first of the year and some are starting to take pre-orders for those as I understand.
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Hi all, I'm new.

Just thought I'd mention that you can still sign up for pre-orders for the production HEST folder. I just signed up at one of the more mentioned online shops. Got the link from the hest thread in the esee forum.
 
Howdy and welcome gogiants. I sure like the looks of the HEST folder, just can't go for the green G10. Anyone know if it will come out later with black scales?
 
The Hest will have to be a HELLUVA lot of knife just to equal the ZT, let alone be better.
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THe Hest will be made by Lion Steel, whose SR-1 all titanium framelock folder has impressed anyone that tried it. I rarely say that A is better B, but I cannot imagine the HEST to disappoint anyone.

The only thing I hate on the Hest is the skull logo on the handle. Makes it look like something for impressionable 13 year olds. I know it's the logo of the designer who's a highly experienced survival expert, but it's still fugly!
 
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