Did you ever read the old Choose Your Own Adventure books that let the reader choose the outcome of the story? Readers would face decisions at various points in the text, and then flip to the page that corresponded with their choice. If you were lucky, you reached a happily-ever-after ending. Other times you’d be eaten by a monster — I was once turned into an ape!

The point is, the outcome was entirely up to you. DPx Gear makes knives for people who purposely take the worst path possible. In 2008, the brand released its Hostile Environment Survival Tool (HEST). It was a robust fixed-blade knife that had additional features like a pry bar and wire cutter built into it. In 2010, DPx released the HEST/F 1.0, a folding version of the original, with some modifications.

The HEST/F quickly proved to be the kind of knife that made a great EDC blade, but also had the chops to get you out of a variety of bad situations. Here we are, 14 years later, and DPx just released the HEST/F 4.0, the fourth evolution of this iconic knife. MagnaCut steel, Micarta handle scale, and a flipper-style action show DPx is paying attention to the needs and trends right now.

In short: The DPx HEST/F 4.0 is designed to adapt to the world you live, work, play, and survive in. This makes it the ideal EDC folding knife, but don’t try to categorize it otherwise.

DPx Gear HEST/F 4.0 Knife Review

Design & Features

Unlike the three versions that preceded it, the HEST/F 4.0 is a flipper-style folding knife. Previously, the HEST relied on a thumb-stud opening. This changes the overall function of the knife, allowing it to deploy faster than its predecessors.

Additionally, DPx added bearings to the pivot to make the opening action clean and smooth. The brand also updated the HEST/F 4.0 drop-point blade to MagnaCut, reflecting current demands in knife steel. But the knife still has a cap lifter/pot holder and functional jimping in the spine.

Iconic to the HEST line, the 4.0 is built off of a 6AI4V Grade 5 titanium alloy frame and carries a frame lock. The opposing side is OD green canvas Micarta. And the deep-carry pocket clip sits alongside a low-profile tungsten carbide glass breaker.

The glass breaker can be replaced with a standard flat screw if you’re looking to tone down the overall aggressiveness of the knife. There’s also a ¼-inch bit driver that doubles as a lanyard hole.

In the past, DPx offered left- and right-hand versions of the HEST/F. Though the 4.0 is still set up for right-hand opening, the knife performs just as well for lefties. However, if you flip the pocket clip to carry in your left-rear pocket, the Micarta will cling to the fabric of your pants or shorts more than the titanium would.

As a lefty, I always carry my knives in my rear-right pocket. I would recommend to my fellow southpaws to do the same for the most optimized unfurling experience. 

lionSTEEL

The knives are designed in San Diego, where DPx Gear is based, but they are actually produced by lionSTEEL in Maniago, Italy. Though lionSTEEL has an incredible lineup of its own brand of knives, other brands work with the Italian brand because it has the machinery and capacity to do so. 

Speaking from experience, lionSTEEL’s attention to detail in its finish work and overall manufacturing quality is fantastic. Aside from DPx Gear, brands like CRKT, Spyderco, and others use lionSTEEL to make certain models in their lineups. 

First Impressions

The HEST/F knives come with a whole vibe. They’re built strong and thick, and have features like wire strippers and a bit driver built into their foundation.

The HEST/F 1.0 and 2.0 sported a dial on the lock side called the “RotoBlock.” This essentially turned the knife into a fixed blade. DPx has since removed that feature, but the 4.0 doesn’t seem any less capable. In fact, adding in ball bearings and a flipper opening made the efficacy of this knife even more potent.

The man behind DPx, Robert Young Pelton, is a journalist and documentary filmmaker who’s been present for more than 40 military conflicts, all over the world. He designed the HEST knives out of necessity to get through some sketchy situations.

So, in approaching the HEST/F, there’s a little bit of awareness behind it. You understand that this knife could be anything from an EDC to the one tool that keeps you alive. It is a workhorse that, being built from titanium, MagnaCut steel, and Micarta, can be used and abused in any environment.

Multitool by Design

Based on its expanded feature set, the HEST/F 4.0 is technically a multitool. Considering what’s included, the 4.0 could be your 9-to-5 utility tool, as well as your late-night and weekend survival tool. 

1. Tungsten Carbide Glass Breaker

Excellent in a jam, a tool like this can come in handy anywhere an unsuspecting piece of glass needs to be broken. However, it’s also great for marking a point when you’re measuring or drilling. Think about all those random times when you need to hang a picture and you want it to be just about perfect.

2. Bottle Opener/Pot Holder/Open Assist

Everyone needs a bottle opener, whether they know it or not, as they can be used for a variety of things. It’s great for lifting a pot off of a camp stove, which I have enjoyed. It also acts as an open assist, allowing you to draw your knife out of your pocket and open it at the same time.

3. Wirestripper Jimping

Jimping is generally added to knives to increase your grip and give you more control. However, the jimping on the 4.0 is also for stripping three different-size gauges of “common” wire: 14, 16, and 18 AWG.

If you’ve ever seen MacGyver, you’d know how many episodes would have gone a lot smoother with something like this. Note: On some wire, you may score the protective coating with the blade before stripping it.

4. ¼-Bit Driver Lanyard Hole

I love a good lanyard, and I love the opportunity to use a bit driver. In fact, there are more instances where I need a second driver to tighten something down than you might think. A majority of larger knives, and almost every Kydex knife sheath, uses sex bolts that require tension on both sides to be loosened or tightened.

In the Field

I really hit the ground running once the 4.0 landed. It was the beginning of August, and the home stretch of summer before my girls went back to school. We were packing our days, nights, and weekends with all sorts of things to do. All the while, I had this incredible knife in my back pocket.

In a very short amount of time, the 4.0 was out camping, spent a day digging up sea glass in the sand, joined numerous hikes, freed countless tomatoes from their vines, and was just generally there when I needed it.

I also encountered one specific incident that revealed a whole new function for the multipurpose HEST/F 4.0. While driving home with a fresh pizza for the kids and me with the windows down, the rush of wind lifted the pizza box open and began lifting up the ‘za. I had to think fast. So I pulled out the 4.0 and stabbed it into the box lid and one of the sides, essentially creating the first-ever pizza box lid lock.

What the HEST/F 4.0 didn’t have to do in my testing was save my life or get me through combat situations. But it had me thinking. I’m no Doomsday Prepper, but I keep my head on a swivel. If things went sideways, this knife is well adapted for keeping you alive in a nasty situation; or for some, a war-torn one. That reality may seem far off for the majority of us, but it’s just outside the door for a lot of our friends and family.

Conclusion: Should You Buy?

Starting in August 2014, I carried and tested the HEST/F 2.0. It was my EDC well into 2015. Through the course of this August, I did the same with the 4.0 and had the opportunity to compare both models. This was unplanned, but pretty cool.

Both versions of the knife look the same, and both have that great hand feel that gives you an uncanny amount of control over the 3/16-inch-thick blade. But, the upgrade from D2 to MagnaCut steel allows the 4.0 to be used in more wet and wild environments. Additionally, the change from G10 to Micarta gives you a better grip in those places.

And one of the real shining stars with the 4.0 was the flipper-style opening mechanism (and the addition of ball bearings in the pivot). Not only does this speed up the deployment of the blade, but it also makes it smoother as well — not to mention satisfying to hear and feel when the blade snaps into place.

Where these changes may have triggered any other brand to release a completely new knife model, I’m happy DPx decided to continue its own adventure with the HEST/F.