Umnumzaan or XM-18?

Umnumzaan or XM-18?

  • Chris Reevw Umnumzaan

    Votes: 57 66.3%

  • Hinderer XM-18

    Votes: 29 33.7%
  • Total voters
    86
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Damn Bro that's a tough decision. I have both and love them both differently. Umnumzaan (Startac) for evening/hanging out with friends bbqing etc. XM-18 3.5 for working in the yard and camping. Not sure if that helps. Oh and a Medford Praetorian T for both situations!!!! By far my favorite over both.
 
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I haven't handled an XM with the new pivot, but I doubt it would sway my vote. The Zaan is just more my style.
 
The new Gen 6 XM-18’s look SICK!! Now that they can run on bearings I might just pick one up. But I give the knod to the Zaan because I’m a huge CRK fan. And if you decide to go that route I’d highly recommend the TNK exclusive tanto version. I absolutely love mine! Just keep in mind that since the thumb stubs rest so close to the handle when closed it might take some time to get use to deploying the blade. If you’re familiar with the BM 710 it is very similar.
 
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AlphaDog86 said:
The new Gen 6 XM-18’s look SICK!! Now that they can run on bearings I might just pick one up. But I give the knod to the Zaan because I’m a huge CRK fan. And if you decide to go that route I’d highly recommend the TNK exclusive tanto version. I absolutely love mine! Just keep in mind that since the thumb stubs rest so close to the handle when closed it might take some time to get use to deploying the blade. If you’re familiar with the BM 710 it is very similar.
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The tanto is no longer a TNK exclusive
 
They are both great knives. My Startac is so easy on the eyes. Hand it to any non knife person and they know it’s a quality piece. It’s a near perfect blade.

I just received a Hinderer gen 6 3” slicer and I’m impressed. The overall package is tighter than my other 7 Hinderer blades. Flipping action is excellent with the bearings and you can’t go wrong with M390. They have picked up their game.
 
I was deadset on the umnumzaan until I started seeing xm18 pics in various threads and now I am swayed that way. Lets see if it stays like that
 
ty_higg said:
I'm looking at getting a nicer titanium frame lock in a couple months after some saving. I've got it narrowed down to 2 in no particular order the Umnumzaan and the Hinderer XM-18. I like both knives a lot and will possibly end up getting both eventually if I'm being completely honest, but I'm not for sure which one I want to get first. For people who own both or only one of these knives how do you feel about them? I wanna hear the positives and the negatives if you have any; this will be my first knife over $300 and I just want to get an idea from people who use them on a day to day basis.
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My vote is for the Zaan. Xm18 is a great knife to be sure but Chris Reeve’s build quality is on another level. Also the Hinderer is much bulkier in pocket which is where a folding knife spends most its life.

I also feel as though, with the hinderer I feel more like “I can’t believe they are really charging 425$ for this knife; whereas with the Zaan I feel like “I can’t believe they are ONLY charging 425 for this knife.”
 
back in the day, lol, you couldn't touch a hinderer for less than 500.
I think one of my first posts were which knife to choose that were between a sebenza and a hinderer.
 
AlphaDog86 said:
The new Gen 6 XM-18’s look SICK!! Now that they can run on bearings I might just pick one up. But I give the knod to the Zaan because I’m a huge CRK fan. And if you decide to go that route I’d highly recommend the TNK exclusive tanto version. I absolutely love mine! Just keep in mind that since the thumb stubs rest so close to the handle when closed it might take some time to get use to deploying the blade. If you’re familiar with the BM 710 it is very similar.
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The new Gen 6 XM's are sick. I love mine!

Lapedog said:
My vote is for the Zaan. Xm18 is a great knife to be sure but Chris Reeve’s build quality is on another level. Also the Hinderer is much bulkier in pocket which is where a folding knife spends most its life.

I also feel as though, with the hinderer I feel more like “I can’t believe they are really charging 425$ for this knife; whereas with the Zaan I feel like “I can’t believe they are ONLY charging 425 for this knife.”
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So, I've never owned a Zan but I have owned 21's and Inkosis. When I was looking at higher end folders again I felt like the XM was the better value. After taking apart the XM and putting it back together I have no issues with the tolerances or build quality. Perspective is interesting. :)
 
What about the fact that you need of an proprietary tool for the Xm18 pivot?
With the Umnumzaan it's a standard pivot and the tool is already in the box.
 
patrickguignot said:
What about the fact that you need of an proprietary tool for the Xm18 pivot?
With the Umnumzaan it's a standard pivot and the tool is already in the box.
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You really don't though. You just put a rubber band on the lock side of the pivot and unscrew it like any other knife pivot.
 
I've got both. My XM-18 is a Gen 2 thumb stud opener with the original Spanto blade.
The Umnumzaan is much more slicy, but needs to be touched up more often because it's the older softer S30-V.
 
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