Hinderer, Benchmade, and Spyderco

[Luis G.]

First update in a while.

What is the apex (thickness behind the edge) on each knife? Also how were they sharpened, and at what degree.

Just trying to ask what the controls are, to see if there are any variables which may indicate your results.

So far I am hearing a lot but not seeing much, sorry to be skeptic but this thread has had questionable calls.

 

[me2]

The XM-18 was sharpened at roughly 20 degrees on a Norton 220 grit water stone to raise a small burr. The burr was then removed with Spyderco triangles in medium and fine grit, about 3 degrees higher with the micro bevel just visible under strong light. The Delica was done at 17 dps and deburred on the 20 degree Sharpmaker slots. Angles were chosen to match the minimum angles recommended on the Hinderer forum and from Spyderco's intended factory angle to make using the Sharpmaker easy. The edge thickness is close. I'll measure them this evening. Estimating in the 0.025" range. The Scalper was just handy for rough comparison, and is at 12°/side with final honing at 15 off a 4000 grit waterstone. It is 0.015" behind the edge. It was just close by when the fun started, and I wanted something besides a tactical folder to compare.

 

[Jaytaylor]

I tested my XM and the edge of my hand, the XM is def' better at cutting but slower to deploy.

 

[me2]

I tested my XM and the edge of my hand, the XM is def' better at cutting but slower to deploy.

Thats not surprising. The build quality of your hand is probably better. Less wobble at the pivot when deployed.

Got the edge measurements. The Hinderer is slightly thinner at the top of the edge bevel, 0.02" vs. the Delica at 0.025".

 

[Lo/Rez]

Thanks for the chuckles Jay.

 

[me2]

Here is the last installment in the XM-18 testing vs. a Delica. I dropped the Griptillian, as I was never able to get a satisfactory edge on it.

I did some edge holding tests cutting cardboard and found that in the Delica vs. XM-18 contest, the Delica won every time, but only by a slight margin. In 3 out of 3 tests, cutting cardboard and push cutting string to test sharpness, the Delica came out with a slight lead each time. The Delica was consistently sharper than the XM-18 using the same sharpening procedure, 220 Norton water stone, followed by Sharpmaker medium triangles, in the Sharpmaker for the Delica (20 degrees/side) and held freehand for the XM-18 (23 dps). The Delica's advantage may lie mostly in this little head start, though as cutting continued, the margin seemed to increase.

I also did some chopping and batoning with each knife. I chopped or batoned through some bamboo skewers with each knife. The batoning was done with a piece of wood. Surprisingly, the Delica was behind the XM-18 on this test. The edge reflected light after just a few hits on the Delica, while the XM-18 emerged unscatheds. The chopping tests revealed some handle issues with the XM-18. Every hot spot on the handle, from the spine jimping to the clip, could be felt when cutting through the bamboo. Again here the XM-18 has an advantage, as the Delica's edge took damage before the XM-18. I suspect the slight difference in edge angle had something to do with the differences are the cause, but more testing is in order, and I have to send it along.

Overall impressions of the XM are that it's a very nice knife. All the surfaces are finished appropriate to their use, ie lock bar and tang faces, etc. The opening is very smooth. The detent is right on. It carries easily, and is not intrusive. I really like the blade profile/silhouette. The shape is handy for many things, with enough belly and tip for general use.

However, I had some issues with it in use. Given the blade play, clip wiggle, difficulty sharpening, and lack of a larger handle, I have to say I'd stick with the Delica before I'd buy an xm-18.