XM-18 pivot loosens after numerous times of flipping open

5

5chund

Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
12
Hello forum,

since a few weeks I'm a proud owner of a brand new XM-18 3,5 flipper (CTS-XHP). It has not seen any hard use yet, just some edc'ing.
During some evenings I flipped it open quite a lot. I'd say 100-150 times.
I noticed after a certain number I reach a point where the pivot starts to loosen up a bit and you get some "play" for the pivot, meaning you could push it a little bit to the titanium side or the g10 side.

Please don't get me wrong: I am NOT complaining.
I'm rather interested in getting a few opinions on whether this is usual behaviour or how your xm-18's are holding up when it comes to flipping. :)

Looking forward to read your thoughts.

Greetings,

Matt
 
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I have a 3" custom XM-18 that loosens fairly quickly. When I unscrewed it all the way out, it looks like the custom escaped the Shop without any loctite on the screw. :) No biggie...at least on mine, but if it becomes a user then I'll want to get some and apply a little to keep it in place where I set it. The rest of mine have no issues in this regard.

Drop Rob Orlando a PM. I'm sure that he can give you more info. :thumbup:
 
Agreed - some of them get away from the ranch w/o locktite. I prefer mine that way. Every 50 or 60 flips, when the detent disappears I tighten it by placing a thumbnail in the pivot screw and a finger against the the spanner side and tighten her back up a little. It takes about 2 seconds.

I have lock-tite but have never bothered to use it. Put a drop in and adjust to your liking if you want to.

The blade should center I'd wager if you tighten it up a little btw. :)
 
Put a drop of blue loctite on the pivot screw, and when you have reached the proper tension the blade should fall back down the middle where it started. If you have further issues, write us directly so we can answer you promptly versus us sifting through forum posts to help out.
 
Okay, I'll try to get some original blue loctite here in Europe.

When I tighten it up properly the blade is perfectly centered and there's no blade play at all. So I guess only the loctite is missing.

Thanks to all of you guys for all the fast and informative answers.
Very warm welcome for a newbie like me. :)
 
I cant stop flipping mine either! Most fun I have ever had with a knife. The real question is: has anyone flipped their XM18 so much that it developed unfixable play? I guess with a lifetime warranty its no big deal but still, it is an addiction that I no longer have control over haha :)
 
pepemrtnz said:
I cant stop flipping mine either! Most fun I have ever had with a knife. The real question is: has anyone flipped their XM18 so much that it developed unfixable play? I guess with a lifetime warranty its no big deal but still, it is an addiction that I no longer have control over haha :)
Click to expand...

NO......H*LL NO! Rick said to flip away in a post I read on this. Never heard of the problem you describe. ;)
 
are your flippers flipping with zero wrist action? I had 2 flippers but they wouldn't flip open without a wrist flick, hence I settled for a non-flipper gen 3 which works very well for me, since it's easy for me to choke up on the knife. prefer not to have to wrist flick if the knife is a flipper :p
 
spyken said:
are your flippers flipping with zero wrist action? I had 2 flippers but they wouldn't flip open without a wrist flick, hence I settled for a non-flipper gen 3 which works very well for me, since it's easy for me to choke up on the knife. prefer not to have to wrist flick if the knife is a flipper :p
Click to expand...

My XM-18 flipper is set as others (I've had the chance to handle 3 of them) I suppose. Most of the time I can flip it with no wrist action but I have to "think about it." Finger flexed and in the exact position to deliver max power to the deployment action.

I prefer an imperceptible wrist movement, it doesn't take much, to flip it open with authority. Just the motion of drawing the knife upward from the pocket and using the flipper will pop it open, as will a slight outward roll of the wrist. These are very small movements and probably wouldn't be noticed without watching carefully on video.

Rick has a nice video showing some really smooth flipping although methinks his customs might be a bit smoother and his young fingers might be a stronger than mine. :)

I posted about this in a thread somewhere & sometime about flipping and was told by Rob or maybe it was Rick, that the XM-18 or XM-24 isn't built as a dedicated flipper. Rather, it's offering you more than one way to open your knife. That sounds about right.

So, the answer to your question is yes (sometimes) and no, most of the time.

Maybe you've seen these?

[YouTube]UFU7MyuouHI[/YouTube]

This is a 2 parter below and at about 5 1/2 minutes in, you'll see some unreal deployment of the production XM-18. In part 2 about 1 min 50 seconds he begins flipping it again. This is a good review and the fastest I've ever seen a production XM-18 opened without wrist action.

[YouTube]cHKS5ZhYltw[/YouTube]
 
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Mine deploys with the flipper and no wrist action 100% of the time when gravity is helping, i.e. ends tip down, it just needs a slight push. Think Glock with a 3.5 lb trigger. If I go against gravity, (o.k. in this case just don't make it a habit) then as CZIV said, I have to "think about it." Kina like jerking the trigger on a double action Sig. BTW - haven't seen the video.
 
A xm18 is definitely unlike say a kershaw flipper. I'm not sure why, my guess would be less detent, among other things, but yea, it's definitely not a push button automatic. You definitely need either gravity, wrist action, or super strength at work to flip it out. Still super fun though, no doubt about that!
 
Just a little update. I put some loc tite on the pivot screw a few weeks ago and since then it's perfectly fine.
However I forgot to apply loc tite to the clip screws when I changed it from tip-down to tip-up carry and now lost one screw already. I'm really angry with myself.
 
5chund said:
Just a little update. I put some loc tite on the pivot screw a few weeks ago and since then it's perfectly fine.
However I forgot to apply loc tite to the clip screws when I changed it from tip-down to tip-up carry and now lost one screw already. I'm really angry with myself.
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Shame on you! Send that neglected knife to me immediately! Give Rob a shout, I'm certain that arrangements can be made for a screw or set of screws. :p
 
No your not MOST "everyone else", and maybe I am "WRONG" as you previously stated before the edit.
I was just agreeing with the above post, that holding it upside down to allow gravity to help is the easiest way to use the flipper, and if holding it straight up you do have to "think about it" before you can flip it open, or apply a very very small amount of wrist action.
I'm in no way whatsoever saying that there is anything wrong with the flipping ability of an XM-18, but after owning a total of eight all together I (down to one now), I believe I am qualified enough to say that it is nothing like say a kershaw flipper, where you just apply a small amount of pressure and the blade flies out on it's own. It's not a push button auto, and I'm glad it's not. OR maybe I've just got eight 'bad' ones :jerkit:

But back the the moral of the topic, yea loctite is a great thing, and Rob will definitely hook you up with whatever you need. Great Folks over there at the Hinderer Ranch!
 
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