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Ostap Hel Back with New Fixed Blade for Bestech

May 26, 2020

Ostap Hel has returned to his ongoing production collaboration with Bestech for the Hedron, a flexible, EDC-sized fixed blade design. Hel took advantage of the mechanical freedom afforded by fixed blades to emphasize the benefits of clean, bold shapes.

The Hedron’s blade is a dead simple drop point that runs to 3.78 inches in length. It provides a strong but acute tip, some belly, and a run of straight edge. EDC chores will be the core of the Hedron’s skill set, but the broad profile and .12″ blade stock give it the hardiness needed to transition into some outdoor tasks as well. D2 semi stainless is, of course, the blade steel here, and Bestech are offering the Hedron with either a satin finish or a blackwash blade, the latter of which may help fight off some corrosion.

Hel is a knife designer fascinated with the interplay between form and function. “Knives are like cars,” he tells us. “Most of them are comfortable enough for every day tasks, but not so many can provide to a customer both good looks and utility.” For the Hedron, he wanted to leverage the visual and utilitarian benefits of simple polyhedral shapes. Hel posits that with enough practice these shapes can improve a knife’s handle design. “If you have enough experience in knives design, those shapes and lines might have a huge positive impact on overall ergonomics.”

So the Hedron has a handle that’s linear and rectangular in shape, but with triangular points at the front and back end. These two shapes combine to create a neutral, accommodating handle. The scales – available in brown Micarta, black G-10, or orange G-10 – have been given a gentle chamfer, and the full tang stands proud and has been itself crowned all around the perimeter. The Hedron comes with a Kydex sheath and weighs 4.67 oz.

According to Hel, creating fixed blades is a different, much more freeing experience compared to sketching out folders – particularly if you’re interested in aesthetics. “There are no hardware / tolerances which you have to fit in, and you don’t have to match contours in the open and closed positions,” he says. “You can also keep shapes and blade – handle length ratio in a way you want, without any limits.”

It has been a bit of a fixed blade-focused year so far for Hel. In March he debuted a collection of kitchen knife designs with Real Steel. The Hedron is only the second fixed blade from Bestech, following more than a year after the Markus Heidgen-designed Heidi.

Knife in Featured Image: Bestech Hedron

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