Convince me to cheat on my beloved XM-18 with another, Hinderer babe

Puppy'sPal

Puppy'sPal

Joined
Jan 13, 2023
Messages
49
Howdy forumites,


Need your wise counsel and astute wisdom in all things Hinderer. Been a fan and collector for years now and though have enjoyed the budget collabs on occasion and the righteous Maximus, the xm-18 has been my go to and a stronghold in the collection. I've owned both 3" and 3.5" sizes and love them equally. Considered the xm-24 but weight and overall width + pocket size has left me on the more cautious side of the fence. Nonetheless the other models have always intrigued but never took the plunge. This is in part due to pricing and also the resound contentment with the xm-18's.

Thus if you're an owner of both, preferably, please share your opinions and thoughts on how other models compare to Hinderer's flagship. Models like the MP-1, the full size Full-track, the Jurassic, the Eclipse, and the Firetac. Do you prefer any of these over the xm-18? If so why? What kind of use have you put them through and how did they fare?

The xm-18 is still one of the greatest knives ever created and have used some of mine for pretty much everything including wire-stripping, prying, chopping wood, light-batoning, carving, food-prep, scrapping, and general cutting in all manners and they have never let me down, not once. They've continually impressed in fact and surprised against tons of other knife designs out there. The kicker for me has always been that balance of near perfect ergonomics while still boasting good looks. Thus, very curious what the other models could possibly have over this one and though skeptical, don't want to have tunnel vision when it comes to such a great company. Can one re-invent the wheel? If it an't broke, could it be fixed?
 
Despite being essentially identical on paper, the Eklipse feels more nimble in-hand than the XM-18 3.5. It sits straighter in the pocket, too, so it feels more svelte there as well.

On the other hand, despite loving the Eklipse I sold mine because I just prefer my XM-18 3.5...so that's maybe not much help. ;)

Edited to add: If you've never owned a Skinny 3.5, that's a joy and is surprisingly different in the right ways from the regular 3.5. That one I still have, and it has fired several other knives because it strikes such a perfect balance.
 
My photo in the middle:

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My favorite is the Fulltrack. Perfect size (like, say, a Buck 110), great cutter.
 
I prefer both my Project X and my Firetac over my 3.5 XM18. Both are better cutters for the most part, and the Firetac is a MUCH more EDC friendly size in the pocket, whereas the Project X is just such a clean design, both just have a lot going for them. The XM18 feels incredibly dated compared to both of them, which is why I never carry it.
 
While I put the ass in astute, I'm not well versed in in Hinderers. However, I really want to check out a Firetac. I've never owned a knife with a thumbdisc. I think it's a sleek looking knife. I owned a ZT 0561 which I did like, but was too big. Let us know what you decide.
 
OP: if the XM24 feels too unwieldy, search for the XM-24 Skinny Slicer that was once built.
 
The Full Track is my favorite. right in between the xm-18 and xm-24.

rumour is there will be a new drop sometime this year...
 
I don't have one (yet) but I'm set on getting a Jurassic. It just looks really comfy in hand. I'd love one in magnacut.
 
I have no XM-18 to compare it to, but I've been quite pleased with my Jurassic. Admittedly, some of my motivation in choosing it was that it was something different than an XM-18, and I've also heard it said that it is like a more ergonomic XM, therefore I just haven't felt the need to pick the other up.

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Thanks all for the contributions, opinions, and of course.....photos! 🤩

Gosh a lot to think about here. I'm really suprised so many ring praise for the Fulltrack. My initial thoughts on it were I loved the blade shape, size, and tool-in-1 type thing however couldn't envision the handle any more ergonomic than the curvy xm-18. Definitely the FT has the steps in the right places but not organic looking compared to the xm-18 and the backside pivot reminds me of the old ZT's or hex nut which not a big fan of in a knife. The response to the Firetac also suprised me given it is a model almost pulled the trigger on several times in the past 2-3 years. The initial impressions here were that it reminds of an xm-18 with a less cool G10 pattern, and a less attractive (though albeit more organic looking griptilian-style) handle. Also I've never been a huge fan of thumb disks both in feel and in use given they can get in he way when cutting. The Jurassic is just plain intriguing.

Guess the only reasonable thing to do would be to pick up and try each one and see how they feel in hand and pocket. This however, would no doubt lead me to the unreasonable thing to do and that would be wanting to keep them all. 😬
 
I agree with the Full Track as well. But I love all of the others that I own, except for the slippy. It has a lot if resistance when trying to open.
 
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