Received my XM-18 today-initial impressions

T

tanrichguy

Joined
May 26, 2010
Messages
34
Hello Gents and Ladies,

What a lovely thing to come home to! A package from Hinderer knives waiting for me.

I received a 3.5" flipper with OD green scale direct from Rick's shop.

a few initial impressions: This is a heavy knife! I have watched the videos and read all the specs but it did not really prepare me for how hefty this knife is. Not a bad thing since it is obvious it is overbuilt and looks like it can take very heavy use (which is why i got it).

The overall fit and finish is superb. Both blade and handle are stonewashed and it is executed beautifully. Interestingly, there is no marking on the blade to indicate the type of steel used.

The pivot is quite loose (to me) but it does take some wrist action to flip the knife open-the blade is heavy. Opening is super smooth.

One thing that caught my attention right away was the in-handle retention (or lack thereof). the ball detent is quite weak and a very light flick will allow the blade to drop free of the handle. not a negative-just an observation.

I also noticed that the blade is not centered and is rubbing on the liner, on the G-10 side. I found a procedure here to "reset" the blade and will be trying that tonight.

Also of note, the screws for the pocket clip and blanking plate are phillips head. the rest of them are the traditional hex head.

Lock up is super early. I would estimate it at being maybe 10 or 15 percent of the lock bar touching the blade. lock up is vault-like so no problem there.

Very sharp; grinds are excellent. Really the best attention to detail I have ever seen on a blade before. These are real works of art IMO.

I will be using this knife daily while I am overseas. I can't wait to see how it performs.

Thanks to Rick and Rob for making this happen before I leave in a week.

Cheers!
 
Those things are something else, aren't they? It really is built like a tank and will serve you very well.

Good luck and stay safe.
 
Thanks a bunch for your review!! and you are most welcome! definitly take that XM-18 out and work it hard!! Which I'm sure you will do!

It sounds like yours got out of the shop without the pivot being snugged down..just snug it up and that blade will go right to center...

If you ever need anything dont hesitate to hollor!!

Thanks again and stay safe!!

Rick Hinderer
 
Rhind64 said:
Thanks a bunch for your review!! and you are most welcome! definitly take that XM-18 out and work it hard!! Which I'm sure you will do!

It sounds like yours got out of the shop without the pivot being snugged down..just snug it up and that blade will go right to center...

If you ever need anything dont hesitate to hollor!!

Thanks again and stay safe!!

Rick Hinderer
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Hello Rick,

Thank you for responding! You are absolutely correct. The pivot was indeed very loose. I followed the "blade reset" procedure found in another post here and adjusted the pivot screw to get the desired tension. The blade is now perfectly centered too.

This is the first really expensive knife I have ever purchased and even though I am on a tight budget I can feel that it was money well spent. I'm sure that I'll be putting it good use in the months to come. When I get back to the States I'll be sure to follow up with everyone and share my usage experience.

Thanks again for fitting me into your production schedule.

One more thing: any idea which blade steel was used on this one? There is no stamp on blade.

Cheers,

Aaron
 
Congrats on a most excellent knife. It will not let you down. Hasn't let me down yet!!
 
Great Review. I got my first xm about 2 months ago. Now I have several and find that I share many of your observations. They are heavy and built like a tank, especially the 3.5". My 3" is built like a tank also, but is very lightweight. I have an xm-24 on the way and from what I hear, it is a real beast. So I am imagining it being even more tank like and heavier.....The detents on the XM's seem to be different on them all. I have had them that will open as you said, while others had a stronger detent and would not open like that if you tried....To re-center the blade, there is a post on here from Rob and his instructions work perfectly. You have to do this almost every time you change a scale, so it has become a common procedure to me.... The blades that are not marked are I believe all the Duratech blade steel. All mine are this steel and works well. I do not abuse them, so I dont know how it would hold up under extreme use, but for my cutting chores, I like it. It seems to perform similiar to s30v........The flipper works okay, but I like that the flipper acts as a guard also. This is where I think it shines. During heavy use, it keeps your hand in place with no worry of it slipping. I have a 3.5" non-flipper and as nice as it is, I think I like the flipper better for this reason......When adjusting the pivot, even turning it 1/32" makes a world of difference. Once you find that sweet spot, your good to go.......Fit and finish is very close to Chris Reeve Knives ( I feel they are the industry standard ), but I would certainly rate the xm's right behind them and they are a world ahead of striders.........The only gripe I would have to say with it is the detent strength as you stated as well. This is why mine are carried in the tip down position as I do not trust them 100%. I am close to it, but not 100%.........If one can be found for the list price of aprox. $400, its easily the best knife for the money, but when you see them going for $600+, then there may be better options as this is getting into the custom range.........Congrats on your purchase and Please Be Careful Overseas and Come Back Home SAFE !!!
 
Thanks for the well wishes guys.

Today I adjusted the pivot screw to get just the right amount of tension on the blade and put some blue locktite on there.

I also cut some thick manilla rope and tons of cardboard...

And then myself. I failed to get my ring finger out of the way of the blade closing and took a piece of flesh clean off!

If anyone was wondering, these knives come from Rick VERY SHARP!
 
Pieter.45 said:
That's the xm just showing it's love for you!
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Indeed! Once you cut yourself with a knife it is truly yours.

Nyefmaker: I am very glad I opted fir the flipper. I find it much easier to deploy the blade this way and it does make a very nice finger guard as well.

I received an email from Rob confirming that the blade steel is 20CV. I've no experience with it but have heard and read many positive reviews.

Even though it has only been a few days my appreciation for the design and toughness continues to grow.

Today I cut some Kevlar reinforced hydraulic hose with no problem. Sweet!
 
jazzandmetal said:
How is the closed blade retention after tightening the pivot, was there any change?
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I have tightened the pivot so that there is the slightest drag on the blade when opening. The effect on in-handle retention is minimal. I can still deploy the blade with a wrist flick down, then up (if that makes sense). I'm not particularly worried about it opening in my pocket and usually it will reside in a MOLLE sheath.

In my layman opinion it would seem that the weight of the blade is such that it overcomes the relatively small ball detent.

This could be a pro or con depending on your POV. if super fast deployment is your concern then it's perfect. If gravity knife laws are a consideration I would be careful.
 
tanrichguy said:
I have tightened the pivot so that there is the slightest drag on the blade when opening. The effect on in-handle retention is minimal. I can still deploy the blade with a wrist flick down, then up (if that makes sense).

In my layman opinion it would seem that the weight of the blade is such that it overcomes the relatively small ball detent.

This could be a pro or con depending on your POV. if super fast deployment is your concern then it's perfect. If gravity knife laws are a consideration I would be careful.
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good analysis, that's exactly my view on it too. I stated the same thing in part 2 of my 4 part youtube review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzt98dvSKMc&feature=related

I had some guys pm me on the blade retention thing stating they were kind of worried about it. I feel there is no need to worry, but it would be nice if rob or rick would chime in.

The fact is that it won't open by itself. opening in the pocket? Nah, dont think so. just imagine how hard your body would have to shake to get the same effect as a wrist snap in you pocket.
 
zyhano said:
good analysis, that's exactly my view on it too. I stated the same thing in part 2 of my 4 part youtube review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzt98dvSKMc&feature=related

I had some guys pm me on the blade retention thing stating they were kind of worried about it. I feel there is no need to worry, but it would be nice if rob or rick would chime in.

The fact is that it won't open by itself. opening in the pocket? Nah, dont think so. just imagine how hard your body would have to shake to get the same effect as a wrist snap in you pocket.
Click to expand...

Running around and jumping and that sort of thing could have an impact if you prefer tip up carry. I guess it depends on the users activities and where you carry it. I could see the one I handled easily opening in my cargo pant pocket.
 
jazzandmetal said:
Running around and jumping and that sort of thing could have an impact if you prefer tip up carry. I guess it depends on the users activities and where you carry it. I could see the one I handled easily opening in my cargo pant pocket.
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Pivot tension does play a role-albeit a small one.
Only one way to find out...
Tomorrow I will be wearing 5.11 tactical pants. I will carry the knife in my cargo pockets as I go about my business and see if I get stabbed.
 
tanrichguy said:
Pivot tension does play a role-albeit a small one.
Only one way to find out...
Tomorrow I will be wearing 5.11 tactical pants. I will carry the knife in my cargo pockets as I go about my business and see if I get stabbed.
Click to expand...
be careful!
 
Update: ok so I carried the XM in the cargo pocket of my pants all day at work. Standing, sitting, kneeling, on my back, etc. No problems there-knife stayed closed.

Then I got home and decided to really test this so I changed to cargo shorts, put the knife in cargo pocket and ran 5k.

It was banging around in there pretty good but I did not experience any stabbing or sharp pricks.

Conclusion: it stayed closed.

I would say that if you are running an obstacle course or wrestling on the ground or something you might want to think about a sheath. Other than that, I think you're good to go.

Cheers,

Aaron
 
tanrichguy said:
It was banging around in there pretty good but I did not experience any stabbing or sharp pricks.

Conclusion: it stayed closed.

I would say that if you are running an obstacle course or wrestling on the ground or something you might want to think about a sheath. Other than that, I think you're good to go.
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Thanks for the update Aaron :thumbup: I suspected as much. the mass of your body just can't 'snap' the way a wrist can and if it does, the damage will not be from the knife opening, but from your body slamming into something hard.

You could open the knife while running I guess. But you'd have to sprint into a solid wall for it to happen
 
I have an XM-18 flipper that lives in my turnouts. It currently has channel locks and cable cutters in with it. Has never come open on its own. I dont know how it would. Before I entered the Hinderer world I did have my SNG open a few times and the blade tip snag because of the design and open itself. You couldn't pay me to carry one of those again.
 
My XM18 is a few months old now and has not opened in my pocket. I do have a slight rubbing on the liner which may be just to blade tension. Big problem is finding a way to adjust it without having to pay the money for a specialized tool. Of anything my only gripe about this knife is the requirement of the tool to make simple, and required, adjustments.
 
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