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Hinderer XM-18 3.5"
The Hinderer XM-18 3.5 is the knife that made Rick Hinderer's name, a titanium frame lock built in Shreve, Ohio by a maker who spent years as a firefighter and EMT. The name tells the story: XM for experimental model, 18 for his fire department unit number. First released in February 2006 and refined through six generations, the 3.5 inch XM-18 remains the benchmark hard use folder among Rick Hinderer knives.
XM-18 3.5 Blade Shapes: Spanto, Spear, Recurve, and Bowie
The 3.5 inch XM-18 comes in more blade shapes than any other Hinderer. The Spanto, introduced with the Gen 3 in 2008, pairs a reinforced tanto style tip with drop point belly and is the shape most people picture. The current lineup adds the fullered spear, recurve, bowie, harpoon spanto, and aggressor. Flipper models open by tab or dual thumb studs, while non flipper versions run thumb studs alone for a cleaner profile. Standard blades run 0.165 inch stock at 8.25 inches open.
Hinderer XM-18 Blade Steels
Early XM-18s ran CPM S35VN, and through the 2010s CPM 20CV and Bohler M390 took over, two near twin steels built for long edge life. CPM MagnaCut now leads current production for its blend of toughness and stainless performance, 20CV still anchors the fullered spear builds, and S45VN appears on select spear points. Our comparison of every major knife steel shows how they stack up.
Gen 6 Tri-Way Pivot and Steel Lockbar Insert
Every XM-18 is a 6AL-4V titanium frame lock with a G-10 show side scale over a titanium liner, protected by Hinderer's Lockbar Stabilizer, which keeps the lock from being pushed past its limit. The Gen 5 in 2017 added a replaceable steel lockbar insert, so lock face wear gets fixed without replacing the lock side. The Gen 6, unveiled at Blade Show 2018, added the Tri-Way Pivot: run ball bearings for a fast drop, or swap in the included spacers with phosphor bronze or Teflon washers for a slower, classic feel.
Customizing Your Hinderer XM-18 3.5
Nearly every part swaps, from scales, liners, and screws to the pivot, clip, filler tab, and stabilizer. As Hinderer's most popular model, the 3.5 has the deepest parts catalog, so start with our 3.5 inch XM-18 hardware or match upgrades with the Hinderer Hardware Finder. Want the same build in a smaller package? The XM-18 3.25 trims it down for lighter carry.
