What I LIKE about "My" RHK.... (......)

RubiconSS

RubiconSS

Joined
Jan 12, 2011
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Time for a new "Positive Energy" discussion thread.

I'll tell you why.

Too often in our lives we are moving thru are day and deep down we are moving with the hope that we will arrive at our destination having experienced NO disappointment, NO person messed with us and Nothing Bad happened.
Long gone are the days when we actually focus on the great stuff that is about to happen, to many times "let down" has cured us of the doe eyed optimistic naivete.
Huh! "Rubi, You said Positive Energy?"
I'm getting to that. Hold on.

All is not lost, If we are old enough and the Journey has gone this direction.... We have our Kids, Our Spouse, Career YaDa YaDa..... There are glimmers of Hope. Reasons to draw breath ..... Stuff to look forward to.
It has even been said, "Life is what happens while we are busy making plans". True, Nobody ever confused TGIF for TGIM.
We get focused on the wrong "Stuff" which is ONE of the reasons You, I, WE Love our RHK stuff (whether we know it or not.
Why?
Because - (drum roll) It Just Works. Never lets us down. Always does exactly what we need it to do. It "IS" our "Dog in Our Pocket". :)
I was driving in this morning, Coffee tasted good. Jeep was clean. Not too much pain - I was living the dream...... then I came around a blind corner.

Local area that has been being Logged by non-locals, Guy decides to stop and adjust his load of Logs at the worst possible place on Earth. I am thankful my Wife or Daughter wasn't driving - who knows what would have happened. I didn't hit him. The coffee I was enjoying and my clean jeep didn't fare so well but, who cares.
Driving away I looked up at my coffee dripping visor and there was my Investigator pen. My thoughts drifted back to a happy place, distracted once again by one of the things I enjoy, made by a group of people I admire.
It doesn't take a near death experience to remind me anymore about how precious life is or what I enjoy - I'm at an age or place in my life that I remind myself just fine, no need for anyone to help.
So,

Why Do You Love your Hinderer Stuff? You can post OR just tell yourself. Important thing is that you see things, people, Life for what it Really is.
Have a good (make it a Great) Day :)
 
Rubi.......glad to hear you are safe.......coffee can be refilled and spills can be wiped clean.........

I, for one, love my Hinderers for a variety of reasons......I have admired knives all my life......all the way back to Cub Scouts and Webelos (if anyone remembers those) but for a number of reasons finding a great knife was an unrealized desire until a few years ago.....and then, possibly like many, I decided to take that first scary plunge and buy a CRK.......which lead to a few other knives and finally, thankfully, to Hinderers.......
And while I love the 3.5's just because they are a little bigger........I never carry them.......but I found the 3"......which for me is the PERFECT knife......gorgeous, easy in the pocket, incredibly durable, totally comfortable and incredibly customizable and FUN.......
But for me.....Hinderers are a "package"......I have made some very good friends, lots of acquaintances and enjoyed the forum......which is great place to have some fun or spend a little time.......
Lots of good things have happened because of my Hinderers.......sounds dumb.......and yet it's true.......

That said.....it is just one aspects of my life that I take pleasure in and greatly appreciate......there are many.....from small things that I look forward to and enjoy daily.......to family and friends.........to books, music and movies.......to plodding forward to try and realize future goals.......but Hinderers have become one of the aspects of my life that I appreciate daily.......as I mentioned.....to me it's more than just a hobby.....more than just a knife........
 
hinderer products remind me of the time when i was trained in precision machining/tool making...

i always loved precision metal work -

its been years since i operated a machining centre myself - nowadays i am working cad/cam and enjoy designing all kinds of different products - thankfully most of the time there is no need to compromise because of cost... so i can realize the final workpieces exactly the way i would like to see them...


i sometimes pick up an xm18 and just think - yes - thats how things should be made - you can just feel it is right, spot on etc. i cant really describe it -

however it is cool that other people/companies share the same passion/philosophy for quality products


and it is always nice to get to know other people who enjoy these same products



oh and i forgot - glad you are ok Rubi!
 
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A quick semi-related story:
About a month ago I sold of a bunch of my knife collection (which included two hinderers) to fund other purchases... I've sold and traded knives before and didn't think anything of it, but as soon as I posted the knives, they sold and I was somewhat bothered by it. Yes, I wanted to consolidate my collection and build up some funds, but I really didn't want to see the skinner go, specifically. Anyways, I didn't even make it two weeks before I repurchased another skinner. I learned I'd rather it take me longer to save up money while having the skinner than less time without it.

I knew it was a great knife and my favorite RHK grind, but I never "missed" having a specific knife like that... No matter what I carried, it just didn't feel the same, and there was the missing aspect of total disassembly cleaning that I didn't consider which isn't all that common for folders. It seems to fit my hand perfectly, flips perfectly, & looks amazing (perfectly... yeah I threw that in). I didn't realize until I didn't have it, that the XM-18 skinner is on the top of a very short list of keepers for me.

Glad you're ok as well Rubi!
 
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How i got into knives...

Ive always been into knives ever since i was a kid. Watching my father use his swiss army knives made me want my first knife. My father used to bring me to a local flea market every sunday and would buy me a pocket knife. This started probably when i was 14. Just bought cheap chinese made knives i thought were cool. And when i started buying the smith and wesson knives then i really thought i was cool. So i went about 8 years of buying these cheap knives and everytime one would go dull id throw it out and buy another. Then i randomly came across some spyderco videos on youtube and found bladeforums. I started buying tons of spydercos trying to find the perfect knife but never found it. Tried a few benchmades also, but still never found the perfect knife. Then i finally gave in and bought my first xm and i have to say i finally found the perfect knife. 3 inch blade, framelock, flipper, black g10 handle, finger choil, jimping, perfect weight, durable. Everything ive been looking for is in this knife. The only thing that held me back for so long from buying this knife was the price, but i have to say its worth every fricken penny. I love everything about this knife. I honestly cant find anything i dont like about the knife. Im only 24 so i assume ill end up finding other perfect knives eventually but for now this is my favorite knife. Of course my 3 1/2 year old daughter&girlfriend&bills come first but im very thankful that i have a great job that allows me to buy these awsome knives. Would have never discovered this knife if it wasnt for this awsome forum&the people that are part of it. And of course rick and his crew for making them.
 
"Love" is a very powerful word. But I do like that my Hinderers are still going strong after years of use where other makers folding knives failed me over similar amounts of time / similar use.
 
Great stories ..... really enjoy reading Herd Perspectives (edited title for N2K:)) see how much I value each Member of the Herd.
Upon reflection I remember the first time I heard Rick express his feelings about what he does in a conversation we had one late evening in NYC.
I paraphrase, I'm sure Rick said it better, but we were talking and Rick said, " I am so lucky, I never thought I'd make it my Lifes work trying to perfect Man's Oldest tool, I'm honored to do it and Happy as Hell".
Again, maybe that is what Rick said or maybe its what I heard but it stayed with me none the less.
Man's Oldest Tool...... True. I would even advance adding an "s" to that - the Knife (sharp stone) and the Pen (stick from the fire). Rick and the crew at the Ranch make my Favorite of both. Use those Tools Everyday. Lost without them.

It was mentioned in prior stories within this thread, that the actual RHK crew and the folks Here....is what makes this part of the Hobby - Different.

I would say Meeting, spending time and in my case becoming very good Friends with the Guys as well as some Members Here has not only made my appreciation of this part of the hobby different/better but has left a mark on my life.
Meeting people, making friends, sharing things that matter to you - changes you.
How it happens is - "happenstance" I suppose. That it happens is pure luck of the Good kind.
So, anyway..... Food for thought (hopefully) appreciating someone or something is a good exercise - it builds our ability to appreciate overall. The ability grows and gets better, richer so do that...... appreciate freely and deeply like taking a really nice deep breath outside while it is snowing.
As I've done before, Thank you to the guys at the Ranch, to you guys Here. Nothing wrong with enjoying something and it seems as though many of us enjoy doing - this.
 
Rubi, you have captured my sentiment perfectly. In my quest for the ultimate folding knife the search spanned over 4 decades then one day I happened upon this knife called Hinderer XM 18. Hell they even had their own sub forum, so my curiosity grew as well as my research. Eventually I took the plunge and bought my first one on ebay, then a second, and well now I have a few.

Things came into focus for me when I started participating in this sub forum with the interaction between members, all good. Yes we had an occasional s..head taking a dump in our house but they were shown the door and people here had each other's backs, however the welcome mat was always there. I've met members at knife shows on both coasts and have the good fortune to speak with Rick and Rob along the way. Every time I have met Rick, it amazes me how humble and gracious he is, the success he has achieved in this highly competitive industry has not changed who he is and what he believes. The first time I met Rob and spoke to him I felt I knew him all my life, when you talk with him leave your BS at the door, he is a straight shooter which I also admire.

I only own one custom I won at Blade in 2012, I've been a tactical guy so the XM 18 and XM 24 did everything I ever asked of them, now in retirement on our family farm they have been put to harder use and continue to perform. Every time I open my knife I reminisce of past times when I was in the stack lined up outside a door waiting for the breach and what my assignment in the room would be, I was confident in my training, my team mates, and my equipment. Knowing everything was going to perform as expected and we were going to get this done. and get home safe to our families gives the racing heart re assurance.

So,as Rubi has so,eloquently described, in this stage of your life you understand who,you are and appreciate what you have. Carrying my XM 18 with pond scum handle everyday reminds me of the past and more importantly the moment in which we live, but maybe even more importantly of what RHK is about and what they stand for and the community in which we belong.
 
Sitting here thinking (I know Ut Oh) remembering back when I was a kid. Horse drawn carriages, air travel hadn't been invented yet.... No, but seriously.
Growing up way out in the country far away from anything and anyone you learned to entertain yourself and do with what you had. I remember enjoying my bike (that was Freedom and transportaion) my .22 which always shot straight, my fishing pole and my pocket knife.
That was all i had and all I needed. Summers seemed endless.... weather was Hot and the Susquehanna River was my World.
Those are the things of memories especially when surrounded (Now) by the frenetic world of today... constant stress, self absorbed rude people, electronic devices beeping and vibrating their demands for immediate attention all hours of the day and night.
No wonder Willoughby is both my computer password and my favorite Twilight Zone episode but it's also my daily day dream (sans the ending)
I used to live that life when I was in corporate america married to my first wife, Uggh sends a chill up my spine.
So, as I sit here at my desk surrounded by electronic devices and pressing demands for immediate solutions to problems not of my creation....
I take my knife out of my pocket and I hold it because "it" takes me back to a simpler time and a place where a Man truly could live his life full measure.
 
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Rubi.......a simpler life is still achievable......on a temporary basis, at least......
Outside of work hours......playing on a computer and carrying a phone is often a choice........

Emails do not always need immediate attention.......sometimes they can wait an hour or two and the cellphone has an off button.......which I frequently use.......

We have been conditioned to hear a beep, ring or tone and immediately check to see what new treat has arrived......I actually can't help myself.......it drives me nuts not to check.......

But if the computer is asleep and the cellphone is off........the peace and quiet of a simpler time can be achieved temporarily.......and it is a good thing to do once in a while.......
That quiet state can't last forever.......but it is a nice break.......
 
xxfalconxx said:
Rubi.......a simpler life is still achievable......on a temporary basis, at least......
Outside of work hours......playing on a computer and carrying a phone is often a choice........

Emails do not always need immediate attention.......sometimes they can wait an hour or two and the cellphone has an off button.......which I frequently use.......

We have been conditioned to hear a beep, ring or tone and immediately check to see what new treat has arrived......I actually can't help myself.......it drives me nuts not to check.......

But if the computer is asleep and the cellphone is off........the peace and quiet of a simpler time can be achieved temporarily.......and it is a good thing to do once in a while.......
That quiet state can't last forever.......but it is a nice break.......
Click to expand...

All true.... and for me there are certain "triggers" I use to initiate those respites. A Cigar, holding my Knife, a Walk with the dogs, .... important stuff to do for mental health and health in general.
I (personally) draw a strong connection between the times in my life and the symbol of my "pocket knife".
I never carried one (believe it or not) when I was on Active Duty nor when I was in Corporate.... but I did when I was a kid and I do now.
Happiest times of my life coincidentally have included certain common denominators (items) and a pocket knife is one of them.
This may or may not ring true with others.
One thing I will add, my pocket knives of yore broke frequently..... I'm happy to report that has Changed!
 
A quick note on pocket knives in general.

My grandfather always carried a small Slipjoint that he would peel fruit, open packages, clean fingernails etc. My Father always worried a Buck lockback in a belt sheath that never left his side. I always had an appreciation for a pocket knife as a necessary tool. Fact is that it wasn't so long ago that men just carried a pocket knife of some kind. Sit at a table of WW2 vets and I can almost guarantee that each of them has some sort of cutting tool in their pocket.

BTW, both my grandfathers knife and fathers knife was passed down to me when they passed away, both are treasures that will be handed down to my son someday.

Now onto RHK

For me a Hinderer started as a Grail that I would likely never own, but the design of the knife just seemed to suit me, strange but that's the way I felt. I was luck enough to meet some guys on this forum, and one of them allowed me to "save up over some time to buy one of his knives. Once I got the first one there was no turning back, I do enjoy owning a few different brands/Makers but as Hinderer has the fit, finish, and style that just suits me.

My Father and Grandfather weren't around to see or handle a Hinderer, but I often look at my XM18 and think about how much both of them would love it.

To wrap up, It's important to note that through my time with Hinderers I've also met some genuinely great people here in the forum, and it's also great to be in the company of so many that share my appreciation for RHK.

Cheers Guys!
 
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