Hinderer XM-18 Review: Reputation Deserved -- Outstanding!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ต.ค. 2024
- Here's my Guest Blade review of the outstanding Hinderer XM-8 3.5" Spanto. This knife is on loan from my buddy Jon at "1all's Pub." As the title states, this knife comes with a bit of a reputation, most of it very positive, although there is some varying opinion as to the effectiveness of the flipper option present in this knife. On the whole, the XM-18 deserves all the accolades the knife world has given it, and depending on the individual, the shortcomings of the flipper are valid as well. But I like it... a lot!
Here's the link to 1all's Pub:
/ @1allspub
Please go over and subscribe if you haven't already!
![โรงเรียนห้ามรัก โดนจับได้ตาย...!! [เอิร์นไดเม่]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4u02Sbr556Q/mqdefault.jpg)
How times have changed. An updated video of the Strider SnG, Hinderer XM-18 3.5" and the Sebenza 31 would be interesting
My XM-18 took some getting used to. At first, I couldn't flip it for beans and it tore up my finger when flipping. The detent was so strong I couldn't open it one-handed with the thumb studs either. After some time and break-in, and getting used to the knife in general, I love it. It's a knife that I had to get to know over time that has its own personality. When I hand it to somebody that's never held one, they usually can't get it to flip and have trouble with the thumb studs also. Then when I hold it, it flips beautifully and I have no issues. It really feels like "My Knife" at this point, and I love it.
Great job TheApostleP, I have been looking at the Hinderers more & more since watching 1allsPubs videos. I personally am not a flipper fan, but I do like the looks of the XM-18 3.5 Non flipper. 1allspub also had a video about some anodized hardware upgrades, loved his choices.
Me too! Jon is THE Hinderer man!
TheApostleP :-p
I did it... dropped the cash on a spear point xm18.... god I hope I love it.
Great review Rob... even if you're wrong about the flipper!!! (J/K... as you said variety is the spice of life). Seriously, you make valid points (as always). Glad you are enjoying the XM and have found it your liking. It's an awesome knife no doubt... as your title says... it deserves its rep.
BTW, the pocket clip is Ti... and I am NOT a Hinderer expert! Enthusiast, yes. Expert, no. :)
Thanks for showcasing my beloved XM on the TAP channel... it's now a celebrity! :)
This was a fun video to make, and what an unbelievable knife! Personal preferences aside, there's a reason XM-18's bring the money they do... bona fide "Bank Vault." I don't know if my review makes your knife a celebrity, but sorry buddy... you are a Hinderer expert :)
TheApostleP There are many others who know way more than me about these knives, so we'll just have to agree to disagree! LOL! Regardless I sure enjoyed seeing my particular Spanto on TAP channel and hearing your knowledgeable take on it. :) Now... how about that Strider???
I still love his lock bar geometry. No one ever talks about the softness of unlocking it has. Ease of use is great. Locks up solid. I feel the 3.5" slicer for my use is the best of both worlds. I had a 3.5" spanto and a 3" slicer flipper. The 3.5" just feels perfect in hand. Weight, size and balance. The 3" is a lot more thin and light. Doesn't feel substantial enough in hand. Ironically I prefer the small Sebenza over the large.
I know it's been a while since you made this video but did you ever get the Non-flipper? I just got mine a week ago.
I just got one and am wondering if you reprofiled the factory edge and if so to what angle? I put it on my Edgepro and it seems that it's a little steeper that 24degrees. 21degrees seems a little more attractive to be, but am nervous to reprofile such a high end blade.
I just got my first Hinderer, the mp1. It has a super strong detent and is a great knife. Beefy but carries small for its weight. I want a xm non flipper, slicer grind as well.Btw, I always look forward to your reviews, you’re the best👍!
The question is whether it can justify the price of $ 620 ... That's right, since I do not live in the US so it's the price I must pay for XM-18 including, shipping, customs, etc. ($50-60 shipping and 25% tax...) Is it any wonder I cry ??
Just dropped the $$ for the ZM18 3.5 M390 slicer.My most expensive blade to date.Wow thats a lot of money for a knife but it should last a lifetime plus.Great video Rob.
I just bought a Gen 6!
Now is a good time to buy a Hinderer. You can find 0plenty of the new gen 6 and you can also get the older gens for cheap. I jut got a gen 4 3.5 for under 300.
Hey Rob, you are a scholar my friend!!! watching your vids is always entertaining and highly instructive!!! thanks to you i rediscovered my XM 24.... with 0,5 inch blade more than the 18 and an even worst flipping action... ;)
I think that my blade steel is Duratech 20cv... nothing is written on it, and that would be my only knife with that steel... let me tell you that this blade holds an edge like no other knife that i have and it's still razor sharp when other dulled long before!!!
Do you have any similar experience with that steel?
I love my xm18. The jimping looks good and good grip. To each their own, take a look at the Jurassic. You might like it better.
I'm naturally a lefty as well, but have trained myself to carry knives right handed out of necessity... mostly because my phone etc fills up the left pocket and the right is largely empty other than my keys.
cts xhp isn't carpenters s30v. They do have a version of s30v which is called cts bd30p, spydefco did a sprint run manix 2 in it, good steel imo. cts xhp is kinda like a powder metallurgy version of d2 with more Carbon and chromium and less vanadium. Really nice steel.
is it time to buy one?
I have a current gen XM18 3.5 waiting for me on layaway at ACK... :) going to pay my balance and get that puppy in my hands next week...your friends knife is a beautiful example..the green scales natural titanium / steel ..and the copper standoffs really compliment each other...Spantos are going up in price these days...i was thrilled to score my spearpoint beige g10 and cpm20cv XM ....throughout the entire vid, you didn't stop flicking that knife for a second.....i think you liked it...ALOT
Michael Bonade Busted! ;)
Was just fondling one of these today, and I have to admit that I like it. Aside from bringing myself to spend $500 for a EDC knife, I'm leaning toward moving away from liner/frame lock knives in favor of knives I can manipulate more easily with either hand. Right now I am working with my PM2 and 550, and I have a ZT0350ST that I'm carrying. I like the ZT, but it isn't as left hand friendly as the other two. No question this XM18 is a fine offering, but I'm afraid it is out of my price range, and it isn't as left hand friendly.
I couldn't agree more. I've come to a point in my life where I've stopped buying right hand only knives. I used to, because I could figure it out well enough to make it work. However! As a lefty, if you can't afford, or your design doesn't allow you to, drill and tap a few extra holes on the other side, I don't want it.
curlytinks yeah, I've since come to rest solely on the Spiderco PM2 simply bc it can be configured for both right and left hand use, and it is extremely easy to use in either hand. By switching the clip to the left side of the grip, I can carry LH tip up, blade back, and I can open and close the knife quickly and safely. Quality is second to none, and it's a practical EDC knife, where as the $500-$800 folders are not, IMHO.
do you still have the same opinion about the current generation xm 18s?
Another out of the park knife micro dissection from RB. Well done and what a great knife.. If you bought that knife would it be just for your collection or would you sdc (sometimes daily carry) it? Pocket or edc bag? It looks huge on video. I'm hoping that sdc isn't an oxymoron, lol!
LOL! "SDC" I love it! To answer your question, I absolutely would carry the XM-18. I wouldn't buy it not to carry it. It's actually not that large -- just 1/4 longer than a Strider SNG and a blade length slightly shorter than a large Sebenza. It's actually quite carryable. Thanks for the kind words, my friend!
I didn't follow you this far back, im a newbie, but from the Chris Reeze in your collection currently, im guessing you went for the CRK? :)
I got the XM18 slicer grind, non flipper. The non flipper is much better IMO. The forward choil is useable without that annoying flipper tab. I think Hinderer makes an excellent product. I do find it humorous that a lot of people/reviewers think ZT’s versions are better. The ZT’s are a little fancier,but not better IMO. I owned a strider and I hated that knife. It was a pos. I actually owned the buck Version and it was much better than the real one. Maybe I got a bad knife, but it is overrated imo.
Which one did you end up buying with the funds from the 2 you sold Rob?
I actually already had my Sebenza 21 awhile before making this video, but I actually bought my Mnandi with the proceeds of that sale. I also have a Small Sebenza 21 Lefty Insingo on order from CRK.
You should get a bodega Rob. That is a super sweet knife. And maybe if you contact todd begg maybe he could make you a left handed one?
Maybe so, Josh :)
I've got a 3inch wharnie, I gotta say the detent sucks. It's not a good flipper, so I'm deleting the useless flipper and using the stud instead, which is funny his zt collabs flip like crazy
jeffcon123
I find with hinderer knives you have to catch the end of the flipper tab and charge your finger. Once you get use to flipping that way they fly open every time. I think it's natural with most flippers to want use the whole tab. Not with a hinderer lol.
You’re right about the “ZT Collabs” ~ My 0561 Hinderer Design flips like ‘liquid’ (can’t think of a better Descriptor!) ..or SMOOOOOOTHLY. Saving-up now for his 7” FieldTac Fixed...🇺🇸
shit idk... crk or this. I cant decide. The problem is I ONLY want the spanto, I can't seem to find one for a reasonable price. Spear point seems alright too.
+Max Savino I just got mine in the mail, same exact knife just in spearpoint from knifeart.com It has slight side to side play, however the knife free falls closed right out of the box. If the knife is meant to break in, its going to be at the level of too smooth soon. Mine has some awful buff marks just behind the edge... how dumb... Not as impressed as I thought I would be.
Nice vid as always. This is the closest I will come to a XM-18.
Never say never! ;-)
1all's Pub Lol, Most likely never. A lot of money and high demand dont always work well for me. Its a beaut though.
Hinderer XM18 is a great knife for $385 for the $600 second hand market prices...no way. My brother is in the military, I had him order me my XM24...now for $550 THAT's a good knife! The XM18 is just too small for my gorilla paws!
Price has really come down on these though, I' was just looking at some on Ebay brand new in box XM18 Spanto Flippers $615 free shipping, theres a couple even cheaper closer to $550, but they are slightly used...reasonable i guess.
the blade shape reminds me of the 4max blade shape
Does anyone know if hinderer offers a blade replacement service?
Justin Roy they don't
Do you like these more than Sebenzas?
No. There are a couple of things that bug me about the XM after a few years' experience with them. First, and most bothersome to me, is that the blades are ground far too thick behind the edge, and they aren't particularly good cutters. Second, the flipping action, and ironically so for a knife that sort of started the flipper craze, is poor. The early ones required a fair amount of wrist action to flip reliably, and newer ones have gone to a detent that's so strong and abrupt, you can't open the knife if you have any fingers on the lockbar. Still a great and well built knife, but not better than a Sebenza in my book.
hey speaking if amazing flipping action you should check out the ZT 0456 and 0220 if you haven't. they've really impressed me. love the 0456 and flips with unreal authority.
Burkinater 48 My 0561 also flips smooooothly!!
I think the term "spanto" is a combination of 'spear' and 'tanto.'
Thanks Lou. I knew that, but was experiencing a huge gas bubble in my brain at that point in the video, thus causing me difficulty in accessing that information. Thanks for noticing... LOL!
XM-18 vs SNG.. that's no contest bro, i've owned an sng once, traded it agains a large regular sebenza a week later.
an XM is in a whole other league.
and a custom XM is again an other step above the production version aswell, might not seem like it for the guys that arn't at that stage but after your first custom, those productions that you hold dear, those seem like regular oll'spyderco's in comparrison for some strange reason.. those grind lines make all the difference
the XM comes in 3 sizes btw ( 3" _ 3.5" _ 4" ) the 4"is called the 24 ( because Rick loved the tv series 24 )
BTW: the XM in this video is a GEN3 ( the last generation with the stoppin in that position, the GEN2 have beautifful etchings on the blade, instead of the ti lockside) the Generation 4 have the pin moved up. they flip more smoothly aswell than previous generations, with out any extra movement, just a push of the flipper is all it needs)
I dunno. I love my SnG and will never part with it. I don't know that I would collect a few more of the knife, but it feels great in my hand and is super light. It also slices a little better than an XM-18 in any grind in my experience. Right now I don't own an XM but I own a production Eklipse and it's definitely a great knife but it's just different. I like them both a LOT. I think CRK makes a finer knife than either, however.
the xm18-xm-24 are numbers they use in the firefighters as a code for something nothing to do with the show 24 if u were serious
I was understood that he designed his knife to be used by EMTs.
you always criticize strider for that finger choil how come you praise it on the hinderer :)?
TheMaunzi It's not the presence of a forward choil I criticize on the Strider. In fact, I actually add such a feature to many knives that benefit from it. What gripes me about the Striders is that they don't just bring the edge back to the choil, and instead add another ricasso in front of the choil for sharpening. They could gain almost another 1/2" of cutting edge if they did theirs like the Hinderer.
Did you happen to watch Jim Skelton's video before making this? I noticed you countered some of the things he addressed; intended or unintended. I agree with your musings, though I tend not to trust Jim since he admitted to not handling his knives much before making a video review. (Seems counter-intuitive if you ask me.)
Sometimes I feel like you're his antithesis, standing up and fighting against him and everything else that's wrong with the modern folder industry ;).
messmeister92 Is it that obvious? LOL!
rough use not hard use ! if you baton that knife you will break it .batoning is hard use .
Yeah, Rick says they are not meant to be flippers. Well....hmm. They are not meant to go back into my pocket until detent in strengthened for safety reasons. As a healthcare worker I should not accidentally cut myself trying to help another. We are not all firefighters. If I were deployed or back in the Army this would not go with. CRK is still the way I measure my fit and finish/comparison to my customs.
The spanto is probably one of the worst cutters.
You contradicted you video about the strider man. What's the deal. Do you just not like striders for some reason.
I've heard more negative things about hinderers in general than strider.
Hinderers have plastic Teflon washers and very light lock bar and the "flipper" doesn't flip it's just a mess. Rick hinderer even said his knives can't with stand pressure on there lock bar that's why the come un sprung.
I found that the Teflon washers have a lot less friction than bronze ones
+Kirin Chan good for you. It's all about personal opinion and I would rather trust a strider than a hinderer.