- Joined
- May 4, 2015
- Messages
- 947
I want to start off by saying that Rick Hinderer makes some AMAZING high quality knives. I don't want to give off the impression that his knives are anything less than superb in construction. I just wanted to share this with everyone, and see if I can find some common ground with a few of you. Like many, after collecting mid - high end production knives for years, I set my sights on a Hinderer XM - 18 3.5, but was heavily discouraged by the price. I ended up buying a ZT 0562 in an attempt to satisfy my urge to own the real deal, but I still found myself watching countless review and testing videos. I read everything online I could find. I was looking for a reason to buy one. Finally, the price came down a little, and I was able to justify the $425 for a brand new XM 18 spanto. That was the longest 3 days of my life. The anticipation was killing me. I was FINALLY going to own an XM 18. When it arrived, I let it sit in the box for a minute, trying to soak in all the excitement. When I finally opened the box, and removed the knife from the plastic bag, I looked at it euphorically in it's closed position. I was in complete awe. I finally had it. I looked it over for about 5 minutes, making sure it was centered and that there were no flaws. It wasn't until I opened it that I felt like something was missing. To this day, I cannot figure out what the heck happened in my mind when I opened that knife. It was perfect in every way, but it just felt.... lacking. I ended up ordering some custom parts for it, including a dark green scale, some bronze hardware, a sterling bushido tab, and a crusader clip that I somehow managed to dig up from these forums. (Funny side comment, the bushido code and crusader cross technically represent conflicting ideologies. HA! It's all about aesthetics 
). I was hoping that this was what the knife needed for me to "love" it. When it was all put together, it was undeniably cool, but something was still missing. It just didn't seem to "fit" I guess. So I thought, "maybe it's just not big enough. Maybe I need an XM 24, and maybe with a different blade shape". So I ended up selling the knife with more than enough money left over to buy a brand new XM 24 skinner. And to make a long story short... The exact same thing happened. I know full well that these knives are constructed with extreme standards of quality. But for some reason, the XM knives just weren't for me. So with a heavy heart, I sold it. I did not want to let that thing go, but I had to. A long time passed, and I came across a thread about the ZT 0560 and how it was very similar to the XM 24, etc etc. We have all seen the comparison videos. I thought, what the heck. Everyone seems to own this knife and they all seem to like it. Maybe I'll give it a shot. It's far less expensive than a real Hinderer, and ZT makes great stuff. So I ordered it and hardly paid attention during the time it took to arrive at my house. I opened the box and sort of unenthusiastically removed the plastic from the knife, and BAM! There it was. The feeling I had been chasing. Man, oh man, did that knife feel good. THIS was what I had been looking for. But why? What the heck was so different? The titanium was textured and the handles were contoured, but that couldn't be the only thing. I looked it over, trying to find the thing that really set the knife apart for me. No explanation. I have had the knife for two weeks now, and I still love it. I am unable to figure out how this knife grabs me better than the XM knives. I don't know if I ever will. I got most of my money back for the XM knives, but I still took a little hit. Even considering that, I'm happy that the road ended here... for now. I'm already planning on really making this 0560 my own by getting some custom work done on it. I've added a .45 lockbar stabilizer, and I've also ordered some raw titanium hardware to give it a more "Hinderery" look. I also thought about adding a choil for the same reason. Guess I'm chasing the original Hinderer all over again! What do you guys think? Anyone have a similar experience with the XM knives or with any other knifes? Again, not bashing Hinderer knives, just looking for similar stories. Strange thing is... I still want a real XM!
After reading a few of your comments, I have come to a very foggy but possible conclusion. In my mind, the Hinderer XM 18/24 was the "God" of folding knives. I held it in such high regard, that after finally getting my hands on it, I felt kind of empty. It may have triggered a sort of hobby ending feeling. The kind of feeling you get when you finish a great book series or TV show that you just didn't want to end. I had what I wanted, but I wanted more. Even with the ZT 0560, I'm still adding things to it that remind me of the real thing. This is one possible explanation, but if it's true, it creates a paradox for me. The fun might just be in collecting and progressing towards what I want. Not actually getting exactly what I want. Just a thought. Could be something that applies to anyone. Be careful lusting after the "perfect" knife, or the "perfect" anything
. This all sounds familiar... I still miss my first Hinderer. To quote JRR Tolkien, "I should like to have held it one last time".
). I was hoping that this was what the knife needed for me to "love" it. When it was all put together, it was undeniably cool, but something was still missing. It just didn't seem to "fit" I guess. So I thought, "maybe it's just not big enough. Maybe I need an XM 24, and maybe with a different blade shape". So I ended up selling the knife with more than enough money left over to buy a brand new XM 24 skinner. And to make a long story short... The exact same thing happened. I know full well that these knives are constructed with extreme standards of quality. But for some reason, the XM knives just weren't for me. So with a heavy heart, I sold it. I did not want to let that thing go, but I had to. A long time passed, and I came across a thread about the ZT 0560 and how it was very similar to the XM 24, etc etc. We have all seen the comparison videos. I thought, what the heck. Everyone seems to own this knife and they all seem to like it. Maybe I'll give it a shot. It's far less expensive than a real Hinderer, and ZT makes great stuff. So I ordered it and hardly paid attention during the time it took to arrive at my house. I opened the box and sort of unenthusiastically removed the plastic from the knife, and BAM! There it was. The feeling I had been chasing. Man, oh man, did that knife feel good. THIS was what I had been looking for. But why? What the heck was so different? The titanium was textured and the handles were contoured, but that couldn't be the only thing. I looked it over, trying to find the thing that really set the knife apart for me. No explanation. I have had the knife for two weeks now, and I still love it. I am unable to figure out how this knife grabs me better than the XM knives. I don't know if I ever will. I got most of my money back for the XM knives, but I still took a little hit. Even considering that, I'm happy that the road ended here... for now. I'm already planning on really making this 0560 my own by getting some custom work done on it. I've added a .45 lockbar stabilizer, and I've also ordered some raw titanium hardware to give it a more "Hinderery" look. I also thought about adding a choil for the same reason. Guess I'm chasing the original Hinderer all over again! What do you guys think? Anyone have a similar experience with the XM knives or with any other knifes? Again, not bashing Hinderer knives, just looking for similar stories. Strange thing is... I still want a real XM!After reading a few of your comments, I have come to a very foggy but possible conclusion. In my mind, the Hinderer XM 18/24 was the "God" of folding knives. I held it in such high regard, that after finally getting my hands on it, I felt kind of empty. It may have triggered a sort of hobby ending feeling. The kind of feeling you get when you finish a great book series or TV show that you just didn't want to end. I had what I wanted, but I wanted more. Even with the ZT 0560, I'm still adding things to it that remind me of the real thing. This is one possible explanation, but if it's true, it creates a paradox for me. The fun might just be in collecting and progressing towards what I want. Not actually getting exactly what I want. Just a thought. Could be something that applies to anyone. Be careful lusting after the "perfect" knife, or the "perfect" anything
. This all sounds familiar... I still miss my first Hinderer. To quote JRR Tolkien, "I should like to have held it one last time".
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