- Joined
- Feb 9, 2012
- Messages
- 902
So yesterday I had to cut through a bunch of the HEAVY black zip ties. I didn't have any side cutter pliers or dikes, so out came the XM18. The one I had on me was my 3.5 inch slicer in 20CV. I keep it very sharp on my Wicked Edge. Because of the nature of the knife and the anticipation of using it hard, I choose to keep my Hinderers at 20* per side. Sharpened to a 600 grit at that angle makes for a very sharp, durable edge. I know the 20CV could probably take 17* but I feel 20 is safer and stronger.
Now on to the cutting. I needed to cut about 30-40 heavy black zip ties. They were holding our sponsor banners on a metal fence. I know these zip ties can be hard on edges and can cause chips in edges. Well I can tell you that Hinderer must have got their heat treating spot on. I cut all the zip ties by sliding my edge in sideway and twisting outward. This cut the zip ties cut the first time every time. This is NOT a test I would do with a thinner blade, or a fine tipped knife. I'm convinced that a person would at best chip am edge, or even potentially snap a tip off a thin knife. I am a huge fan of Spyderco Militaries, but I would not use the Millie on this task. I love Millies, but it's all about the right tool, or right knife for the task.
At the end of the session, the knife was not only not chipped, but it was still razor sharp, and there was NO visible wear on the blade at all. The edge was completely undamaged. I was very pleasantly surprised. I figured I would have to hone out some minor chips in my edge. Alas, nothing.
Just wanted to give a heads up to everyone that uses these knives. They are super strong. Any concerns about Slicers not being as durable, or up to hard use tasks, you can put that to bed. I probably would have rather had my Spanto, but the Slicer was more than enough.
Now on to the cutting. I needed to cut about 30-40 heavy black zip ties. They were holding our sponsor banners on a metal fence. I know these zip ties can be hard on edges and can cause chips in edges. Well I can tell you that Hinderer must have got their heat treating spot on. I cut all the zip ties by sliding my edge in sideway and twisting outward. This cut the zip ties cut the first time every time. This is NOT a test I would do with a thinner blade, or a fine tipped knife. I'm convinced that a person would at best chip am edge, or even potentially snap a tip off a thin knife. I am a huge fan of Spyderco Militaries, but I would not use the Millie on this task. I love Millies, but it's all about the right tool, or right knife for the task.
At the end of the session, the knife was not only not chipped, but it was still razor sharp, and there was NO visible wear on the blade at all. The edge was completely undamaged. I was very pleasantly surprised. I figured I would have to hone out some minor chips in my edge. Alas, nothing.
Just wanted to give a heads up to everyone that uses these knives. They are super strong. Any concerns about Slicers not being as durable, or up to hard use tasks, you can put that to bed. I probably would have rather had my Spanto, but the Slicer was more than enough.
Couldn't imagine cutting that many with a knife, but glad to know the Hinderer was up to the task.