"You're correct. An XM-18 is what it is because it has to be that way. And because an XM-18 has to have a weak detent in order to operate the way it was intended, it can't be flipped open reliably with the casual disregard for technique one can employ with most other high-end flippers. A quick review of YouTube videos covering the methods required to flip XM-18s will demonstrate what I'm talking about. I, for one, have flipped lots of XMs and invariably come away from the experience saying "Dang I wish this thing flipped like a [fill in the blank]". Most dedicated flippers in my collection can flip circles around XMs unless the pivot on the XM is loosened to the point that the knife becomes dangerous to carry.
As I said before (and so has Rob Orlando, for that matter), XMs are purpose-built knives designed for Mil/LEO/EMT use. If you're not one of those, you're probably better off buying a ZT . . . especially when price is taken into consideration.
PS: Here's a little test I devised for anyone who wants to try it. Take a brand new XM-18 flipper and a CRKT Walmart Ripple (with a light blade, I might add), hand them both to a novice, provide no instructions for opening them other than to use the flipper with no wrist action, and have the novice attempt to flip each of them open 10 times. Then come back and tell me which one the novice was able to fully deploy more reliably."
Last edited by bld522; 09-03-2014 at 11:46 AM.
Response to bld522:
I understand how the strength of detente affects the action of flippers. I also agree that the XM-18 has one of the weakest detente. What I don't agree with is saying that something is wrong since it cannot be flipped carefree. Yes, there are knives that are made like that, and you named one of them (CRKT Ripple), but the XM-18 is not one of them. I own a few decent flippers including a ZT0560, a Spydie Southard, and a Boker Kwaiken, and for the most part, they can be flipped open reliably without technique because it is built into the detente. A few knives I have that do require technique to open reliably are the Kershaw Skyline, Junkyard Dog, XM-18, and ZT0777 (surprised?). However, I can open all of my knives reliably because, like all knife lovers, I play with them long enough to understand them. Honestly, I wouldn't trust a novice to handle my knifes without cutting himself/herself let alone expect an extended testing.
