Thinking of buying a Hinderer

After owning both ZT and Hinderer I'd say that ZT is 90% of what a Hinderer is at 50% of the price. It was worth it for me to try the Hinderer though and I'm glad I did. It was a nice knife. It truly is overbuilt. I just grew tired of the flipper/framelock.
 
They really do feel very different. There is some sort of refinement that doesn't carry over into the feel of the ZT. I've kept one XM18 3.5 and one Half Track (and love them), but one of my 12 or so Hinderer designed ZTs lands in my pocket over the actual Hinderer almost every time.

FWIW I was a little disappointed in my first Sebenza, but I knew the XM18 3.5 was a keeper right away.
 
You will hear repeats of what has been posted time and time again no matter how often this type of post comes up. The detent issue with Hinderer came about because they truly had inconsistency in the detents for several years. If buying a model made in 2018 the chance of it having a weak detent are very slim. Regardless if you are buying from the secondary market or from a dealer, have them check the detent for you. It takes 2 seconds and I know we would rather check it than go through the hassle of a return. I would say that out of all the models we have in stock currently only about 5% of the models have a detent that is less than what I prefer. All of them work though and I can flip them no problem. I would not send them out if I could not.

As for your question of price and is it worth it? That really comes down to the person. To me the price has definitely been worth it. I can tell a difference but I also prefer a knife as overbuilt as possible. I still love my ZTs but my Hinderers definitely get more pocket time.
 
I have four Hinderers and like the designs a lot. However, the XM-18s leave A LOT to be desired in execution, especially at the price point. Both have pretty bad/sloppy machining marks. The detent on the 3.5” is much too stiff, on the 3” it is nonexistent and will not flip. The ergonomics on both are great though. I would not likely part with either but I got pretty good deals on both.

The MP-1 and Half-Track are on a whole different level, almost like they are made by a different manufacturer. The fit/finish on them are excellent. The Half-Track flips very well and the MP-1 does so adequately. The MP-1 opens great via thumb studs which is what I normally do. Both have great ergonomics.

I think the MP-1 is the best all-around of the bunch.

I’ve owned several Hinderer ZTs (0566, 0562, 0550) and had no complaints with any; they are excellent comparable values. I think the 0550s are some of the best all-around knives I’ve owned and still have them all.

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Are they worth the extra money? Only you can really decide. There is clearly a difference between the two, but it's a small difference. Personally, I prefer Hinderer but you really won't get any real world performance differences between the two. It really comes down to how you perceive the differences in fit and finish and ergos.
 
I've had no such issues as described above. I believe they are totally worth the money.
 
Zt/ Hinderer knives are not hinderer clones. There’s really no comparing them in my opinion.
Zt mass produces knives compared to Hinderer. That’s why you get the bang for the buck.
If you appreciate buying a well made knife produced by a hands on small company then you will appreciate a hinderer knife. Keep in mind, thats where some of the extra cost comes from.
 
Interesting replies. I'm going to start saving some pennies and watching for a used 3.5" XM-18. That way, if I find that I don't care for it, I'm not going to lose a bunch of money.
 
115Italian said:
Zt/ Hinderer knives are not hinderer clones. There’s really no comparing them in my opinion.
Zt mass produces knives compared to Hinderer. That’s why you get the bang for the buck.
If you appreciate buying a well made knife produced by a hands on small company then you will appreciate a hinderer knife. Keep in mind, thats where some of the extra cost comes from.
Click to expand...
Nailed it.
 
115Italian said:
Zt/ Hinderer knives are not hinderer clones. There’s really no comparing them in my opinion.
Zt mass produces knives compared to Hinderer. That’s why you get the bang for the buck.
If you appreciate buying a well made knife produced by a hands on small company then you will appreciate a hinderer knife. Keep in mind, thats where some of the extra cost comes from.
Click to expand...
my thoughts as well. Well put
 
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