The new XM-18 non flipper slicers are SICK!!

Heartland_edc

Heartland_edc

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May 4, 2015
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Picked this up from USA made blade last week (Thanks Whitty!) It arrived around noon today and I CANNOT put this thing down. Been wanting a slicer for a while, but what really intrigued me was the fact that it was a non flipper. I love my XM flippers, but I had to try one without it. I had heard the choil area was a lot more comfortable. As soon as I had it in hand, I was in complete agreement. VERY comfortable. Super easy deployment too! The detent is different on these. Lighter than the flippers. Im guessing its to make it easier to deploy since the only method is with the thumbstud. Still strong enough to suck the blade back into place. The whole knife has a sort of luxurious feel to it, while maintaining its rugged "please beat the crap out of me" appearance. Its like the Cadillac "V" series. Elegant on the outside, but it's rocking a Corvette engine under the hood. For anyone who hasnt handled a non flipper yet, I would absolutely reccomend picking one up! All pics below were taken right out of the box. (The centering on the knife IS dead center, but I think I took the pic slightly off to one side.)








 
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Maybe it's just your particular pics, but this looks more thinly ground behind the edge than other Hinderer Slicers I've owned before. Interesting.
 
I'm glad you posted this. I've been looking for a variation of a slicer for a while (battle blue frame) and doing my rounds I noticed a lot of the non-flipper slicers hitting retailers. I was wondering if the detent was different on these because my current XM-18s are not deployable via the thumb stud. I'm very intrigued now...
 
halden.doerge said:
Maybe it's just your particular pics, but this looks more thinly ground behind the edge than other Hinderer Slicers I've owned before. Interesting.
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I have never owned a slicer before. I was expecting it to do well in this category given the name of the grind, but I was still surprised at exactly how well it performed (on regular paper). Now, I don't own a wicked edge or anything like that, nor have I ever owned a knife that had a master edge on it. So I cant honestly say that this knife performs particularly better than any other blade designed or sharpened for this type of task. It absolutely performs better than my other XM 18s though!
 
akrapacs said:
I'm glad you posted this. I've been looking for a variation of a slicer for a while (battle blue frame) and doing my rounds I noticed a lot of the non-flipper slicers hitting retailers. I was wondering if the detent was different on these because my current XM-18s are not deployable via the thumb stud. I'm very intrigued now...
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Yes! The detent makes it infinitely easier to deploy with the thumb studs. It isnt just mine either. Whitty from usa made blade told me the detents on this current batch of non flippers are noticeably different. You'll be pleased if you pick one up!
 
So is the detent weak enough for the blade to fall out if you shake the handle? I got rid of my xm-18 flipper because of that. This was 3 years ago. Did they beef up the detent on the flippers?
 
The detent will allow the blade to fly out if you shake it hard enough. But honestly, every folder ive ever owned will allow the blade to fly out with enough force. Its a trade off for functionality. Even my medfords will do it. The heaviest detent I've ever felt was on my old ZT 0909. Anyone who has owned that knife can attest to that. Even then, if I shook it hard enough, it would fly out. I suppose it all depends on what all you'll be doing while the knife is in your pocket. If you do a lot of jumping or running during the day, you might end up with a hole in your leg. But anything else, I think the detent is strong enough to keep it in place. Not trying to be sarcastic or anything. Thats my honest opinion. And yes, most of the flippers ive handled recently have noticeably heavier detent than in recent years.
 
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Heartland_edc said:
I have never owned a slicer before. I was expecting it to do well in this category given the name of the grind, but I was still surprised at exactly how well it performed (on regular paper). Now, I don't own a wicked edge or anything like that, nor have I ever owned a knife that had a master edge on it. So I cant honestly say that this knife performs particularly better than any other blade designed or sharpened for this type of task. It absolutely performs better than my other XM 18s though!
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Yes, historically most Hinderer Slicers, at least the 6 that I have owned were super chunky behind the edge, despite their name. If Hinderer has finally addressed that, that's very cool indeed. I love a knife that really slices!
 
Here's a few more pictures of the edge up close from different angles. Those of you with older slicers can compare and see if you notice any changes.




 
Heartland_edc said:
The detent will allow the blade to fly out if you shake it hard enough. But honestly, every folder ive ever owned will allow the blade to fly out with enough force. Its a trade off for functionality. Even my medfords will do it. The heaviest detent I've ever felt was on my old ZT 0909. Anyone who has owned that knife can attest to that. Even then, if I shook it hard enough, it would fly out. I suppose it all depends on what all you'll be doing while the knife is in your pocket. If you do a lot of jumping or running during the day, you might end up with a hole in your leg. But anything else, I think the detent is strong enough to keep it in place. Not trying to be sarcastic or anything. Thats my honest opinion. And yes, most of the flippers ive handled recently have noticeably heavier detent than in recent years.
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I'm not talking about violently shaking it open. I just need a good detent. Examples of good detents for me is the ZT 0620, all Benchmade axis locks, and the Spyderco Military or PM2. The ones I dislike are Emersons and the Xm-18 I used to have.
 
Id say its definitely on the lighter side. Not as light as an asisted kershaw, but still light. About 60% the strength of some of the heavier ZTs
 
mongomondo said:
I'm not talking about violently shaking it open. I just need a good detent. Examples of good detents for me is the ZT 0620, all Benchmade axis locks, and the Spyderco Military or PM2. The ones I dislike are Emersons and the Xm-18 I used to have.
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I feel the same way. I actually prefer a strong detent. I , too , like the detent of the ZT 0620 , Military and PM2. Actually , every Spyderco and ZT I've ever owned has had great detent for me. The best detent (imo) is my Umnumzaan. Strong detent with smooth action. It's magical.

I've read a few times of Hinderers having very weak detent. I like that they have some non-flippers showing up. But I can't stand weak detent. So I avoid Hinderer.
 
I have a 3.5 Non Flipper Slicer coming in from a dealer today or tomorrow. I like my detent as stiff as humanly possible with frame/liner locks. I will report my findings in this thread when it arrives!


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I just got one of these the other day and the detent is pretty light on mine. Makes opening a dream but not so light that I'm worried it will come open when I don't want it to.
 
lucasw45 said:
I just got one of these the other day and the detent is pretty light on mine. Makes opening a dream but not so light that I'm worried it will come open when I don't want it to.
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Well mine has not shown up yet. Hopefully tomorrow! Closed retention is of the upmost importance to me. The past two Gen 4 XMs I've had have been stellar and I could open them with any method including middle finger flick. I have high hopes for this one. Again, I'll report my findings!


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Well I got mine in the mail on Thursday after it got semi lost in the mail and took a long weekend at Arches National Park. First things first. It's SWEET! I would prefer a slightly stiffer closed detent, but all else is sooooo nice I can certainly accept it.
 
Picked one up from the exchange, should be here Wednesday. This thread is getting me pumped to check it out!
 
I just picked one up down in AZ last week. Full working finish non flipper slicer, nicest Hinderer I've had to date. Super smooth action, strong detent and the blade fires out hard. Solid lockup yada yada. I definitely prefer it to the flippers I've had in the past. A keeper for sure!
 
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