Received my XM-18 today-initial impressions

Did a quick search and it looks like a #10 spanner tool will work on the pivot. Has anyone confirmed that?
 
The other thing you can do is modify a small stubby standard screw driver.
Here is mine in my guns and knives pic. I do want to get the Hinderer tool just for the beauty of his perfect machining.

img8855j.jpg
 
Congrats on getting a Great knife :thumbup:
Stay safe & well in your travels !!
 
tundratrader said:
The other thing you can do is modify a small stubby standard screw driver.
Click to expand...

This is what I did. Took a wide, thin flat bladed screwdriver and with some needle files cut a channel in the middle of the point effectively turning it into a spanner.

Rick's tool is really cool and in hindsight I should have ordered it at the same time but it's a budget issue too.
 
tomsch said:
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.
Click to expand...

Hey Tomsch, try the procedure below. It worked for me.

Credit to Grimspoon who credited another forum I think.

Originally Posted by Rico801
Okay, I finally took my 3" XM-18 apart and cleaned it up. This knife has always been perfectly centered and the blade was really smooth and opened like lightning.

Usually when I put my XMs together and get the blade centered they are a little tight making it hard to flip open. When I got this one together, the blade was past center towards the lock face and still looser than I like.

I called Rob on the phone and he taught me a little trick that fixed the problem. I felt bad because while I was talking with Rob, my kids were going crazy in the back ground. He didn't seem to mind though.

Here we go:

1. Open blade to 90 degrees and tighten pivot so that it is really tight.

2. Close the blade and loosen frame screws so they aren’t tight, but still holding the frame together.

3. While the blade is still in the closed position, pull blade towards the side you want the blade to move. In my case, I pulled the blade toward the liner/scale.

4. While pulling blade, tighten the frame screws.

5. Loosen the pivot and adjust it to the desired tension.

These instructions helped to "reset" my blade. Now while in the centered position, my blade has a little more resistance. This is the way I like mine to be.
 
The tool does make life easier.It's a perfect fit for the knife.
But you can improvise and file a tool out of a coin,washer,...

I chose to support Rick though,and bought the tool.
 
Pieter.45 said:
The tool does make life easier.It's a perfect fit for the knife.
But you can improvise and file a tool out of a coin,washer,...

I chose to support Rick though,and bought the tool.
Click to expand...

Congrats on having the disposable income to make that choice. Some of us are not that lucky.

I think we all support Rick. That's why we're here and why we bought his knives.
 
Yes, the tool is definitely a luxury but the XM-18 is a necessity. :D It's all about priorities.
 
Man I had to register just so I could tell you that a weak detent is a very serious thing. When you are closing your blade slowly the detent should start to pull the blade in the handle the last 1/16 of an inch at least. Now this post is by no means intended to make an XM-18 seem undesierable. I think they are probly making so many that the quality may have slipped on your knife. But I'm sorry to all you die hard XM-18 lovers who will surely crucify me for saying this. Remember just because the knife has ledgendary status it is still suseptable to defects of witch I believe you have. If you want a good solid knife that will help you for years I would get that fixed. I'm sure there are hundreds of perfectly built XM-18 and this is not intended to take away from those but for those of you trying to tell this kid his knife is fine that is downright misleading. The replys should have been short and sweet instead of letting him run around in his fatigues all day taking the chance of the blade opening. It's happened to me and the result was cut tendens in case your wondering why this is important to me. Never underestimate the importance of
good detent espesially in the battlefield
 
Knife Viking said:
The replys should have been short and sweet instead of letting him run around in his fatigues all day taking the chance of the blade opening. It's happened to me and the result was cut tendens in case your wondering why this is important to me. Never underestimate the importance of
good detent espesially in the battlefield
Click to expand...
thanks dude, I think your prly right. I stated as much in my video review on the xm that it should keep the knife closed. I did not perceive it as a problem, especially tip up. But your story is one where it ended up badly.
 
Hi Guys! Thanks again for all your comments! Yea, I think some of you found out that the majority of the time the blade will not over ride the detent and come open in your pocket...I carry mine in my 5.11's all day and never had a problem (if I did, believe me I would fix it fast!) haha Of course its not 100% (nothings 100%)...and if you make it too deep, then you cant open the blade...

As far as the knife having a defect...we and only we will determine if there is a problem with the construction of the knife....no one can make that determination just from a forum thread and not seeing or handling the knife. Hell I cant even make that determination without actually seeing the knife. There is alot of factors that can go into a percieved weak detent..including a loose pivot (which he stated he had)..you put a linerlock or framelock folder in 10 different peoples hands and you'll have probably 8 different perceptions.haha..

And as far as the tools to adjust the folder...as some guys stated you can make the spanner to hold the pivot out of just about anything! I've heard of people making them out of coins!

Thanks again!

Rick Hinderer
 
Knife Viking: I certainly appreciate your concern and hear what you are saying. I am also sorry to hear that you were hurt by your knife. I want to reassure you that: (A) I am not a kid and so have acquired a certain amount of wisdom in my 35 years (B) if you read my earlier posts I said that the detent is not the strongest I have ever seen but it is by no means unacceptable (C) I am not a Hinderer "fanboy".

As stated earlier, I believe that the detent is sufficient to keep the knife closed while in pocket and my run test certainly confirmed that. This knife has an extremely heavy , thick blade and so it is easier for it to overcome the force of the ball holding it closed than other, lighter blades. Rick makes a good point: too heavy a detent and it would be difficult to open the blade quickly.

I feel like this thread is going in a negative direction that I did not intend for it to go. For the record Rick, I am 100% pleased with this knife and once again thank you for enabling me to aquire one before my "trip". It has so far performed admirably.

Oh, and I don't wear fatigues-I wear a flight suit. ;)

Thank you to Rick and to the Viking for your concern-I mean that.
 
Rhind64 said:
Hi Guys! Thanks again for all your comments! Yea, I think some of you found out that the majority of the time the blade will not over ride the detent and come open in your pocket...I carry mine in my 5.11's all day and never had a problem (if I did, believe me I would fix it fast!)....
Rick Hinderer
Click to expand...

By disassembling the knife and bending the framelock a bit more towards the blade, correct? Seems like an easy fix for those concerned with the blade gravity opening.
 
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