does a xm-18 compare to a strider?

have you even had a hinderer XM-18? I don't treat basic folders the same way as forged blades or art folders.

and it's way totally different from STriders or Sebenzas. They are companies and a few persons work on the knives. Rick builds his knives himself.
 
xm-18 might be more difficult to get than a Strider. I did a quick check and no dealer I know has them in stock. Hinderer takes no new orders on xm-18s at this time I believe.
 
Hello Everone...I finally got a break from the shop to check out this thread that Oilman told me about...to answer your question concerning my warrenty, yes, my warrenty is the no BS warrenty...you break it I fix it or replace it...peroid...now as i told Greg..you put the blade in a vice and break it to check out the grain structure of the steel..well of course I wont cover that :)...

what surprises me about this thread however is that a gentleman asks a honest question about the difference's between my XM-18 and a Strider knife and it degrades to the same old "custom verses handmade verses cnc verses filed by the light of the full moon" crap...this question has been debated for years...I wont go into it again, I will only say that for someone to say that it does not take any skill to run a cnc machine obviously knows nothing at all about a machine tool with cnc capability..

I have been making knives for almost 20 years...15 of those forging knives and making art knives one at a time...so i know what goes into those types of knives and what goes into knives made with the help of a cnc controled milling machine...

One other thing that kinda struck me as amusing is Engineer has only posted 6 times but he knows that 70% of this board would rather buy a "handmade" knife...haha

Basically, buy the knife....if you dont like the method in which I and many other makers like me make them..dont buy it!...move down the isle and buy the "handmade" knife you do like...it wont hurt my feelings one bit...

Rick Hinderer

Oh and one other thing...if I make "production" knives why cant you find the XM-18 with any dealers?why did I have to suspend taking orders..because I cant MAKE them fast enough........(watch some dealers tho as I do have some more coming out soon!) :)
 
Amen Rick!!!

Rick's knives are some of the best out there!! I LOVE my XM-18, and Rick's work in general. Hey, if you don't like his stuff, fine that means that there are more out there for the rest of us Hinderer fans!
 
Rhind64 said:
Rick Hinderer

Oh and one other thing...if I make "production" knives why cant you find the XM-18 with any dealers?why did I have to suspend taking orders..because I cant MAKE them fast enough........(watch some dealers tho as I do have some more coming out soon!) :)
Click to expand...

Aha! There is hope!! I'm on their lists...and hope to hear about an XM-18 soon.

It's a great knife, Mr. Hinderer. :thumbup:
 
Rhind64 said:
Hello Everone...I finally got a break from the shop to check out this thread that Oilman told me about...to answer your question concerning my warranty, yes, my warranty is the no BS warranty...you break it I fix it or replace it...period...now as i told Greg..you put the blade in a vice and break it to check out the grain structure of the steel..well of course I wont cover that :)...
Click to expand...

After some thought rick you must know better than I so I respect your opinion. Now Id like to ask you a question.

I buy strider knives primarily for work as I need to sometimes manipulate racks and computer cases and things like that, that tend to just be stubborn. I could carry a crow bar or other proper tools, but for the jobs I have those proper tools are just to thick and can actually damage the rest of the unit. So after one day trying out a Spyderco knife, I found out that for my needs a knife is actually a lot more functional than any other tool. It provided the strength and utility that I need. So if the knife underwent a work related injury would tis be covered? I really enjoy your work, so I would like to know. As one of the reasons I went for strider is the warranty and how well it would just fearlessly allow me to use the knife and not really have to worry. Anyway after weeks and weeks of hard use, it hasnt failed me yet.
 
Hello Engineer, Yes, work like that would most definitly be covered in my warrenty...in fact I'm sure that the ones that own my XM-18 with the Spanto blade will concur that prying open computer cases would be no problem! Thanks!

Rick
 
If copying an existing design means custom, well, that' not what I meant. I see Steve's point that it was a custom knife in that it was hand made, not production. I was trying to add the dimension of being uniquely different and to the customers order, at which it fails (to me) because it is a copy - not new.

That certainly has nothing to do with the quality of work or use of materials. The problem of defining custom is an old argument, as Rick rightfully pointed out. Is his work custom? In my opinion it would not be unless specially commissioned to follow the customer's design, as I pointed out using the Randall first hollow handle design. Had a CNC been used on that, it would still be custom, and as a machine probably did form the hollow handle, the focus of my example is design, not method of tool used.

I certainly don't want to suggest that using a CNC doesn't make it a custom - but it certainly adds to the repeatability in making production knives more quickly, even if that production only amounts to the hundreds per year.

I work in a CNC shop, making parts for truck cabs, which are optioned enough as a finished unit to be condsidered custom in some instances - but there are also stock production units made to simply supply the market as described in the catalog. I also owned a '66 Mustang for 18 years, and when I sold it, it was custom - major parts installed never offered by the factory for the model year, body work done to be different, paint color applied never offered on any Mustang. That may not be the way the knife industry defines custom - and as Rick accurately pointed out, that discussion is still going on.

Doesn't mean I wouldn't own one of his knives; I bought a Strider because I saw features that suited me, and I just might customize it, too. Custom just means uniquely different from the rest of the herd, like Sebenza graphics. But again, whether CNC or not, if it's a catalogue item and one of hundreds that year, year after year, it's not custom.

And it really doesn't matter, as everybody is still happy with the knife and the check.

Imagine hand sawing, cutting, filing and finishing a Titanium framelock -they'd be the price of an engraved Belgium Browning . . . .
 
OK, I would say that the XM is not a "custom", because as Mr.Hinderer said, he no longer takes custom orders. It appears that He only makes for retail dealers lately, and you can only get whatever is available, not one thats been customized. But that doesn't stop it from being a great knife to those who love it, and it is the hottest tactical out there right now, so thats saying something. As for the question, The XM is just as tough or tougher than a Strider, and has better fit and finish. IMHO.
 
The XM-18 IS a custom. He is not taking orders period. Rick is a custom knife maker,period!! How can the simple statement that Rick isn't taking any more orders get so convoluted?!! Sheesh!!
 
Being one of the fortunate ones to order an XM-18 before they got insanely popular, I can attest to the fit, finish, and extreme performance of this incredible knife. Having met Rick and spoken with him, as well as e-mailing back and forth (before he got too busy!), I can also confidently state that he is honorable, creative, passionate, and a perfectionist in the best sense of the word. Does he use CNC equipment? Yes. Where do we draw the line at what is "custom", "handmade", "production"... who knows? Time and technology affect these definitions and the only constant is change. I'm sure at one time if you used an electric grinder to sharpen knives instead of "by hand", it was considered "not truly handmade". Rick's point is valid - buy the knife you like for YOUR OWN personal reasons, whether it's because you like the design, need the specs it has, or that no machines have touched it - WHATEVER. There's plenty of room in the knife industry to satisfy ALL tastes. As to which knife is better, that's easy - the one you like the best!
 
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