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Long Term Report on
XIKAR 138 Excel knife
Name: Robert W. Wilborn, D.C.
Email:
drbobwilborn@aol.com
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Height: 6'3" (190.5 cm)
Weight: 240 lbs (109 kg)
Location: North Texas
Date: April 19, 2004
Backpacking Background:
I have been backpacking and hiking for the past 20 years. I try and get out at
least twice a month, with the exception of the hot months here in Texas, when
it’s just too uncomfortable to get out and do much of anything. I hike and
backpack with my two teenage sons, and I have been trying to introduce my wife
into some small backpacking trips. I am very active with my son's Scout troop
and I am currently one of the advisors for the high adventure patrol, made up of
high school aged boys. Currently I do not consider my pack as lightweight, but I
have been attempting to cut the pack to a more manageable weight. I use a
hammock as my main shelter and I am replacing some of my gear with lighter
weight items, as my budget will allow.
Product Information:
Manufacturer: XIKAR Inc.
Year of manufacture: 2003
URL: www.Xikar.com
Company phone number: 888-266-1193
Listed Weight: 1.3 oz. (36 gm)
Weight delivered: 1.3 oz. (36 gm)
Length of knife closed: 3 ¼” (8 cm)
Length of blade: 2 ¼ (5.5 cm)
Color: Brushed aluminium with a black textured handle
Field Information:
I have carried this knife with me everyday since it arrived. I usually carry the
knife loose inside my front left pants pocket, without the use of the attached
clip. However, I have used the clip to attach the knife to the webbing on my day
pack, backpack and PFD while kayaking.
Field Testing:
I have always carried a pocket knife with me at all times, ever since I was a
kid. I have used this knife while at the office, opening mail, packages and
cutting cardboard. Around the house my knife is used for cutting rope, nylon
strap, paper, small diameter wire and cardboard boxes. In the field, I expanded
the use of my knife to include cutting vegetables and meat while cooking and
eating. The knife has performed well with the above mentioned objects. I have
noticed that I have to use a little more pressure on cutting large objects, such
as small diameter rope and nylon strap with the continued use of the knife.
Using the knife to cut meats and veggies is very easy with no problems
encountered. I have sharpened the knife several times, using a whetstone,
ceramic rods and a little steel, that I use when hunting and cleaning game. All
of the above methods quickly put an edge back on the blade, with the whetstone
doing the best job, but I have never achieved the factory sharpness that was on
the blade when it arrived in the mail. Compared to other knifes I have owned,
the blade does not specifically stand out as superior in material or edge
holding ability, but it is a very good quality.
The Temperature has ranged from 20 to 80 degrees F (-6.7 to 26.7 C). The weather
for the most part has been hot and dry; however, I have had a few days of rain
and cooler temperatures. The performance of the knife in cool rainy weather is a
little awkward, due to its small handle, but with a little skill and care no
problems have been encountered.
Blade:
When this knife first arrived, I tested the sharpness of the blade by holding
the blade at 45 degrees and slicing a piece of paper. The instructions stated
that if the paper tears then it is time to sharpen the blade. I have used this
knife almost everyday since this test began. I repeated the paper test. My knife
did not pass the sharpness test. It began to tear the paper, or would not cut
through at all. As mentioned above, I have encountered a problem with the blade
not keeping its edge. I continued to find small flattened spots on the blade
about 1/3 the distance from the tip. In these spots, I can slide my fingernail
down from the top of the blade towards the sharp edge and I can detect where the
edge has flattened and rolled to the side. I finally figured out how this kept
occurring on the blade. Several times when I removed the knife from my pocket I
found change, pennies nickels and dimes wedged between the blade and the inside
of the knife, from the open back of the knife. I have also found my keys stuck
through the same opening on the back. I am sure that the change and keys were
causing the damage to the edge of the blade.
Other than the above mentioned rolled edge, the blade looks brand new. There are
no discolorations or scratch marks on the face of the blade at this time. The
open slit in the top of the blade becomes filled with residue when cutting and
spreading soft items, such as cheese and peanut butter, but it is very easy to
clean out.
Handle:
The handle of the knife has a few scratches, but for the most part still looks
extremely good after six months of testing. The knife continues to open very
easily, with the use of the pegs located on both sides of the blade. I have
become accustomed to opening the knife with one hand, with either my right or
left hand. I have attempted to open the knife with a pair of leather gloves on,
without much success. I always take my gloves off to open the blade. The linear
lock in the handle continues to function very well and shows no sign of wear.
The blade still fits inside the handle with no lateral movement detected and the
locking mechanism keeps the blade locked open until it is released.
Clip:
The clip is still quite strong. When I received this knife, I attached the clip
to a piece of paper. The clip held the knife on the paper and did not allow the
knife to slide. I repeated the paper test at the end of my six month testing
period and the clip again held the knife without it sliding. I am very impressed
with the strength and quality of this clip. Although I have not used the clip on
a daily basis, I have attached the knife to the webbing of my day pack, backpack
and PFD several times, and the knife stays where I attached it without any
movement.
Likes:
1: Small size and light weight
2: Quality of workmanship
3: Hollow opening across the top of the blade makes it very easy to open
Dislikes:
1: Locking mechanism makes it very easy to cut your thumb when closing the
blade, due to the fact that the blade is moving towards your thumb after
activating the release. Luckily no blood has been shed nor stitches needed
during this test period, yet.
2: The blade becoming dull so quickly
3: The open back of the handle allows change, keys and other objects to come
in contact with the sharp edge of the blade, causing damage to the blade.
I would like to thank BackPackGearTest.org and XIKAR for the opportunity to test
this product.
Robert W. Wilborn, D.C.
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