Rick Hinderer Knives XM-18 3.0" Spanto Knife OD Green G10, Stonewash Blue

When I sought out to get a Hinderer (like everyone else and his dog), I placed some restrictions on myself. I told myself, "Matt, I know you're an idiot, but if your you're going to get this caliber of a knife, it darn well better have EVERY thing you want in an EDC folder!" As such, though I saw opportunities to get other Hinderers come and go, I kept taking a pass because they didn't hit all my check-boxes. Then this beauty came along, and I hesitated for maybe 60 seconds, tops. You can see for yourself in the product description what all was on my checklist, which may or may not be on yours. Opinions vary. But having carried and used (yes, actually used!) this one, I can tell you a few things about it that may not be obvious. Such as... This knife seems to have a double detent. The first is where you'd expect it, keeping the blade closed when you'd prefer not to slice up your pockets. And it's strong, too! In fact I needed to give my XM-18 a good 100+ flicks before it loosed up to where I liked it. The second detent (I think) comes into play a little after you disengage the frame-lock and start to close her up; at about 30° from the open position, according to my cheap plastic office compass. This far from fully extended, it's definitely not any kind of lock stick. No, sir; this is a design feature. And a good one too, preventing you from closing the blade too haphazardly and ruining your date later with Rosy Palmer. Another point of interest is the thumb studs; that being that they aren't. Recall that strong detent opening the knife? Yeah, it's REALLY strong! Attempting to open flick out the blade with thumb studs alone will be a devastating blow to your manly ego. If you can do it, then you're a beast of freakish brawn and more Neanderthal than modern evolution ever intended. For us proper Homosapien Sapiens, attempting this will humble you. The XM-18 comes with a generous flipper tab, and it works extremely well. Use it, and spare yourself the shameful experience of confidence-shattering self-immolation. So if they aren't thumb studs, what are they (you may ask)? They're pivot-stops, coming to rest on the frame when you swing out that three-incher with a satisfying, but not obnoxious snap. Another unexpected curiosity with XM-18 (or at least mine) is the screws. Every modern knife I've bought in this century came with Torx head screws. It's the industry standard, typically in size 6 or 8. So when I went to switch the pocket clip to a tip-up carry configuration, imagine my surprise when I grabbed my set Torx bits and saw... Philips heads?? But only for the clip screws and pivot. I'm not sure if Hinderer was trying to be customer-friendly, or mess with our heads, but there it is just the same. As for handling and use, while I still contend that the Kershaw Blur has the best ergo's of any EDC folder out there (I know; "Heathen! Infidel!! Blasphemer!!!"), the XM-18 is *very* well designed! Starting with the blade choil, Hinderer carved out the perfect place for your index finger for superb control. And I don't know what kind of dark witchery they used to do it, but somehow the point of the blade immediately after choil is NOT sharp nor pointy, despite all appearances to the contrary. Unless you suffer some sort of palsy or spasm, you need not fear slicing your finger there with normal usage* (* I assume no legal liability from those of you determined to prove me wrong). The graceful finger grooves on the frame that follow, follow suit in the same tone of well-considered engineering. As such, despite being a wee bit short, full four-finger manipulations are quite doable with this blade. My only complaint is the horrendous shade of green on the G-10 scale. But then again, I intended to replace that with something more aesthetically pleasing the moment I put this knife in my cart.