Clue me in on the Hinderer XM-18...

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Biginboca

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Mar 17, 1999
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I love the looks and have one inbound. But I am wondering about the background info on the evolutions of this knife.

What are the differences and dates of productions for the generations?

What blade steels were used for each generation?

What else is there to know about this elusive knife in regards to it's evolution through "generations"?

Thanks!
 
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Thanks, but I have been to his site a few times already doing research before I purchased my XM-18.

After looking the site over I haven't found the info I'm looking for above. Unless I missed it somewhere?

Or do you know anything about the questions I asked?
 
Some of the features of the different generations. I don't know the time scales:

1st Generation:
-CPM S30V steel
-Different thumbs stud than 2nd & 3rd Gens. 1st gen thumbstud doesn't taper like the other gens
-Grind: Saber/hollow with spanto tip. Ground by Rick.
-Blade has "R. Hinderer" etched on
-G-10 side of frame has partial titanium liner
-Slightly different looking back spacers than the 2nd and 3rd gens

2nd Gen:
-Duratech 20CV steel
-New tapered thumbstud
-Grind: Saber/ hollow with Spanto tip, ground by Rick
-Blade has "R. Hinderer" inscribed deeper than gen 1 on blade
-G-10 side of frame has full titanium liner
-Same backspacer as 3rd gen

3rd Gen. Same as 2nd Gen except:
-Grind: Saber/flat with Spanto tip. Grind outsourced to 3rd party. Sharpened by Rick. Rick has 3rd gens that were ground by him and they come in many different grinds (spanto, spear point, wharncliffe, more). You can tell the difference between a gen 2 and a gen 3 that have the same grind by Rick because the gen 3s have blank blades. There is no "R. Hinderer" on the blade.
-"Hinderer" stamped on the frame around the pivot on the full ti side.

2nd & 3rd gen scales with full ti liners can fit onto the 1st gen XM-18s, allowing you to convert the gen 1s to have full ti liners. The 2nd & 3rd gens with outsourced grinds cost $385 from Rick. The 3rd gens ground by Rick cost more from his factory than the outsourced grinded blades. XM-18s are in high demand and will generally go for higher amounts than straight-from-the-factory cost.

The 1st and 2nd gens come in the following variations:
3" or 3.5" blades
Flipper or non-flipper

The 3rd gens currently only have:
3.5" blades
Flipper or non-flipper
My understanding is that Rick is planning on having 3rd gens with 3" blades made.
 
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Since the third generations were being outsourced to a third party to do the grinds, why didn't Rick lower the price?
 
Radioactive said:
Since the third generations were being outsourced to a third party to do the grinds, why didn't Rick lower the price?
Click to expand...

I haven't seen Rick post anything specific on why he didn't lower the price, but I can speculate. Rick was relatively unknown for some time prior to his presence on the internet and in a very short period, the demand for his knives skyrocketed. I read posts of people on his waiting list for 3 years. So his schedule is packed and his prices stay the same and all the while, the prices on his knives on the secondary marketed are shooting up at insanely fast rates.

I think once you reach a certain amount of demand for your knives, it's reasonable to start asking for more. Custom Emersons and Striders can easily exceed the $1000 mark and I'm sure they didn't start by selling their knives at those prices. The demand for "standard" XM-18s in the secondary market isn't as insane as it was 6+ months ago, but there are still many people who can't wait for the next batch of 3rd gens to come out.

I currently own a 2nd gen, but I started with a 3rd gen with the outsourced grind and I was happy to pay the $385. Hell, I was just happy that there was one available for me. So to sum it up, he was just taking more of the money that he earned that was occurring on the secondary market anyway. Imagine making a knife only to see your customer immediately sell it for twice what he bought it for. Now imagine a line of customers over the next 3 years waiting to do the same while you charge the same price. Again, this is all speculation on my part.
 
imho they are a helluva lot like a strider SnG FWIW.

a well finished SnG w/a flipper. well most have a flipper anyway.

i like 'em a lot myself, have handled one or 2 of them, dont have one right now but plan to get one soon.
 
I love my XM-18. It is one of the toughest knives on the planet, as far as I am concerned. I have had many an XM-18 go through my hands, but I have kept the 3 inch XM-18 that Rick made for me. It is the perfect EDC.
 
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