Xm 18 or Darrel Ralph Gunhammer?

J

jcrain

Joined
Mar 11, 2012
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31
I'm going to purchase a new folder, and I'm trying to decide between a Hinderer Xm-18 and an M390 Gunhammer. I've handled an Xm, and liked it a lot. I am a first responder so I can get one from Hinderer, but they aren't making them until around late July-August so I will have a bit of a wait. The cheaper, and likely quicker alternative I've looked into is the Gunhammer. I've never held one, but they look nice and are available in M390. Need some help deciding. I'm leaning toward waiting on the XM-18.

Is there much difference between the steel used in the XM and M390? Anyone have experience with both knives that can chime in? Thanks for any and all recommendations!
 
The 20CV used in the XM is pretty much chemically equivalent to M390. :)

I say go for the Hinderer. Still my favorite knife of all time.
 
They are different animals. I won't speak for the steel since I have no experience with 20cv. I would say to pick the one that you find more aesthetically appealing. Both are great knives. Unless you're speaking of the custom Gunhammer, the XM will run you a bit more money. If you're talking about the HTM m390 knifecenter exclusive, those are only available for pre-order right now but should be delivered soon. They are limited to 30 per type.

You can't go wrong with either. Just factor in wait time and cost when you make your choice. I'm sure either will make ya happy.
 
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I own a gunhammer...and I would buy the Xm if I had it to do over again. I like the size and ergonomics of the XM better.
 
Personally, I've never been a huge fan of Hinderer designs. There's just something I don't like about them. I love my Gun Hammers though. For me, they're the perfect knife. When you get to that level, I think it's mostly just personal appeal. As always, I say get the knife that calls to you most. Both are fantastic knives. You'll be happy either way, I'm sure, but if there's a knife that makes you happiest, that's the one you'll want to get.
 
The gunhammer I was looking at is indeed the knifecenter exclusive. I believe you were actually the person who began the thread on them that piqued my interest. I don't know if I should thank you or be angry for making my decision more difficult! Just kidding, I'm always glad to see new and interesting designs.

A few worries I had with the Gunhammer was the liner lock and the flipper. How does the liner compare to the Hinderer frame lock, and is the action on the flipper relatively smooth?
 
jcrain said:
The gunhammer I was looking at is indeed the knifecenter exclusive. I believe you were actually the person who began the thread on them that piqued my interest. I don't know if I should thank you or be angry for making my decision more difficult! Just kidding, I'm always glad to see new and interesting designs.

A few worries I had with the Gunhammer was the liner lock and the flipper. How does the liner compare to the Hinderer frame lock, and is the action on the flipper relatively smooth?
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I've had assisted Gunnies and manual Gunnies. I still prefer the manual because it opens up fast enough without having to use a wrist flick. It's pretty smooth to me. I think a good flipper design makes an assisted mechanism redundant. As far as comparing the locks, they're both solid. You can squeeze down on the framelock to wedge the lock bar on the blade tang tighter and provide for more solid lock up, of course. You can't do that on a liner lock. I still prefer linerlocks though because I prefer the feel of a handle instead of a locking bar. If you pry with a framelock or linerlock, enough torque will eventually cause either lock to disengage. Your grip just won't be strong enough to overcome the torquing forces.

But then again, if you wanted to pry with a knife, I'd point you straight to a fixed blade or maybe triad lock.
 
I will agree at this point all personal opinion both are great knives. That said I own Acouple knives :) and since I got my xm18 the only other knife to bump it out of my pocket is the xm24 when I wanted a bigger woods knife. I had not carried the same knife 5-6 days a week every week in years, the addiction is amazing. Buy the xm18 and if you dont love it (I know you will though) sell it and double your money!
 
Thanks for the input guys, I'll take a few more days to mull things over since both knives seem like great options.
 
I've had two XM-18s and they just didn't do it for me. To me they weren't as tuff and rugged as the strider and not quite the fit and finish of a CRK. They are nice knives no doubt but the price people are paying for them is absolutely ridiculous. The gunhammers look badass. I'd love to handle one.
 
I have owned both and loved them both. I can't comment on the steels but I would say the xm would be a slightly tougher knife than the gunhammer, especially a spanto blade. Both are great designs. I'd say go for the xm if you can wait that long.
 
shooterpunk said:
I've had two XM-18s and they just didn't do it for me. To me they weren't as tuff and rugged as the strider and not quite the fit and finish of a CRK. They are nice knives no doubt but the price people are paying for them is absolutely ridiculous. The gunhammers look badass. I'd love to handle one.
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After owning a few XM's I kind of see what you are saying here, because I think you are factoring the cost in to the equation. I think the xm's are as tough as any folder needs to be and surely equal to strider, but for most of us they will cost double the price which makes them fade when compared to crk, strider, and the gunhammer.

For the OP, I would prefer to own the XM to the gunhammer. And when if you don't like the XM you can get all your money back and actually turn a tidy profit because you can buy your XM direct at the right price, not the inflated price which makes it a non attractive option.
 
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