Hinderer XM 18 worth markup / wait???

Toyz

Toyz

Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
1,838
Sweet knives, but it seems like the markup due to short supply is
crazy! With it being in the $500+ for the 3.5" model - it would have to be great!

Are these worth the dinkets? Seems like a lot of alternative hard use knives for $100+ less.

Am I missing something or are they that great??
 
500+? Not to me, they are great knives but Im on the waiting list at a dealer for retail price, which I actually think is under what I would ultimately pay for a new one (~450).

"Is it worth it?" is an immensely personal decision. I know a lot of guys who say yes, and I dont doubt that it is to them. Maybe if I was employed I would get one anyway, until then there are too many screaming deals on other similarly built (to me) folders like Striders, Burke prodos and CRKs
 
i would spend the extra $$ for a '18 vs a SnG, not that the SnG isnt a good one but imho the '18 is just a bit cooler and offers a bit better F&F, i like being able to swap out the hnadles for a different look, i have had a few SnGs but my next knife of that type will be a '18.
 
I'd love to find one at 500, but its more like 600, 700!!!

The way I look at it, if you spend that on knives over a month or two, then just spend it, you would of spent it anyway.

And believe me, you could get most, if not all, of what you paid for it right back if you felt it wasn't worth it.

Another way to look at it, say you can wait three years and pay 480 for one-are you really going to say you couldn't come up with that extra 120+ anytime before then?

I hate the scalping going on, I so wish rick would team up with zero tolerance and have a full production XM18.
 
Toyz, take a look at the new, flagship model from Combative Edge--the M1. It reminds me of the Hinderer but at $170. It has a different method of stopping frame lock over travel. I just ordered one so if you wait I'll let you know how I feel about the M1.
 
Unless I am mistaken I don't think you can place an order for an XM-18 directly from Rick's website. He is not taking any orders so if you want one you have no choice but to buy from a dealer or the secondary market and pay the mark up.
 
I thinks it worth it to pay $500-$600 for a XM18. Strider's poor QC and CS makes $500 or more for one of their knives kind of crazy to me. The CRKs are great for the money though.
 
I had one... got it from Rick himself... awesome blade... for the 395 or so I paid - it is one beastly knife. Awesome ergo's, awesome blade-shape (love the idea that it does nothing Great, but everything good... can't slice like an FFG, or stab like a tanto, but is one knife that can do both ALMOST as well as having 2 diff. blades), and the knife feels like a steal, especially if you happened to own an SNG before getting the XM (sold my SNG for the funds actually, NEVER regretted it). I would never have sold it had it not been for financial issues.

Is it worth the ~600 dollar secondary prices? no, probably not... at that price point you can afford some really wicked customs, or several high end production blades... I wouldn't pay it... but a knife is only worth what people are willing to pay, and since people pay that much for it, obviously someone out there thinks it is worth that much.

I am on the waiting list for another now that things have gotten back on track for me...
 
If you want and need a knife that's as well made as a CRK, but much tougher and overbuilt, then the XM-18 is about the only game in town.

If you just want a good knife for EDC, there are lots of other choices out there.

I rarely EDC my XM-18. I have smaller, lighter, and/or thinner knives for that. I carry my Hinderer during the times when I need the damn thing, (work, outdoor activities, etc). It truly is my hard use folder.

I got mine at cost, but I might pay as much as $550 for one simply because I need that type of knife and nothing else compares overall. I wouldn't pay over $600 for one though because they aren't THAT nice.

If you really don't need a folder this overbuilt, you might consider something else. A higher end Spyderco will offer similar ergonomics and will slice better. It also is readily available and costs less. They have a couple Ti-frame models out now.
 
bearcut said:
If you want and need a knife that's as well made as a CRK, but much tougher and overbuilt, then the XM-18 is about the only game in town.

If you just want a good knife for EDC, there are lots of other choices out there.

I rarely EDC my XM-18. I have smaller, lighter, and/or thinner knives for that. I carry my Hinderer during the times when I need the damn thing, (work, outdoor activities, etc). It truly is my hard use folder.

I got mine at cost, but I might pay as much as $550 for one simply because I need that type of knife and nothing else compares overall. I wouldn't pay over $600 for one though because they aren't THAT nice.

If you really don't need a folder this overbuilt, you might consider something else. A higher end Spyderco will offer similar ergonomics and will slice better. It also is readily available and costs less. They have a couple Ti-frame models out now.
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Bearcut, just wondering what makes the XM-18 any tougher than a CRK (i assume you mean Sebenza)?

I've never handled an XM-18 so would be interested to know.

Thanks
 
giant1 said:
Bearcut, just wondering what makes the XM-18 any tougher than a CRK (i assume you mean Sebenza)?

I've never handled an XM-18 so would be interested to know.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Go to Hinderers website to see Rick’s explanation on the strength of the thumbstud/pivot interface. Strider uses the same system on the Smf/Sng series, for the same reason. In fact, CRK incorporated this design into the Umnumzaan. It is a stronger design and CRK realized that.

It has three massive backspacers.
The pivot is larger than the Seb.
The blade, especially the tip, is thicker.
The whole design is beefier and is much more resistant to torque than a Sebenza.
 
I'd like to have one, but not at the heavily marked up price. I'm into large and hard use folders and this one looks like is up my alley. I am not going to pay the scalping prices, and it looks like the availability over the next few years will be slim and none, so I'm scratching it off the list for the time being.

If I was a knife maker and saw the scalping going on I do think I would figure out a way to try to increase production w/o compromising quality.

What also amazes me is the number of gen 2 and 3 that come up for sale as "new in box". Doesn't anyone use these knives? Are they just being bought as safe queens or as investments so they can be resold at a higher price?

Kinda takes the fun out of the hobby for me.
 
Toyz said:
If I was a knife maker and saw the scalping going on I do think I would figure out a way to try to increase production w/o compromising quality.

What also amazes me is the number of gen 2 and 3 that come up for sale as "new in box". Doesn't anyone use these knives? Are they just being bought as safe queens or as investments so they can be resold at a higher price?

Kinda takes the fun out of the hobby for me.
Click to expand...

+1 on this it def takes the fun out of it to know people here are collecting and selling knives for their own personal monitary gains when there are people out there who would truly enjoy and use those knives!
 
Rick wants people to use them.. I know it probably bothers him to see people making them safe queens for profit... on the other hand, he already has taken measures to increase production (the gen2 to gen 3 primary difference... blades are pre-CNC'd and shipped to him) - My guess is he doesn't feel there is much more he can do without jeopardizing quality and strength...
 
bearcut said:
Go to Hinderers website to see Rick’s explanation on the strength of the thumbstud/pivot interface. Strider uses the same system on the Smf/Sng series, for the same reason. In fact, CRK incorporated this design into the Umnumzaan. It is a stronger design and CRK realized that.

It has three massive backspacers.
The pivot is larger than the Seb.
The blade, especially the tip, is thicker.
The whole design is beefier and is much more resistant to torque than a Sebenza.
Click to expand...

No offense, but I have yet to see an xm18 be used so hard that these differences would actually mean anything. Ive been on these forums a long time and have never seen a pic of a hard used xm18. Maybe they exist, but they are few and far between. The irony of hard use knives is that they cot so much that people are afraid to use them hard :P

Back on topic, I think the xm18 is a very cool knife, and I have wanted one for a long time, but it is not worth the markup to me.
 
Good news/bad news: The worse the economy gets, and it will,, the more available these knives will become.

It is a drag seeing people scalp, but if we quit buying at the inflated prices they would deflate.

The supposed sob stories suck. "I bought two, but just decided that I really only needed to carry one at a time, so I'm letting this one go" Or; " I really hate let this go, for $--- you can pry it from my cold dead fingers". "Boy, I REALLY don't want to sell this....." Ka-Ching!

Losers.

I could have bought two or three when I got mine. I only needed one.

Mine is not for sale.
 
Thalestin said:
No offense, but I have yet to see an xm18 be used so hard that these differences would actually mean anything. Ive been on these forums a long time and have never seen a pic of a hard used xm18. Maybe they exist, but they are few and far between. The irony of hard use knives is that they cot so much that people are afraid to use them hard :P
Click to expand...

Consider that people carry guns, not because they think they will need, but because there is a possibility that they could need it. That being said, I dont carry personally.
 
I would love to have a flipper model , will I pay a inflated markup though ? No.

Not to worry though , it isnt going to take long for another knife to come along that is not overpriced because of demand, that I will like even better. :)

Tostig
 
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