Reviews > Knives > Folding > Xikar 138 Excel Knife > Dennis Shubitowski > Field Report

Field Report - Xikar Xi 138 Excel

Report Outline

Tester Information <back to top>

Product Information <back to top>

The following table is information provided by the manufacturer. From my measurements, all dimensions are exactly as stated by Xikar. I do not own a micrometer for any further verification.

Weather and Testing Locations <back to top>

The Xikar Xi 138 Excel knife has not been on any overnight backpacking trips so far in this accident-free test period but has been on all my daily dayhikes in the woodlots of Michigan State University and on hunting trips in northern Michigan. Weather during this time has been mostly fall-like with cool weather, rain and wind. It is now quite close to winter and there is the first hint of snow on the ground - this last week has been really windy and pretty darn bitter cold out. Temperatures have been around 15º F to 65º F (-10º C to 18º C) since the start of the test period. There are no mountains in mid-Michigan - the elevation is about 900 ft (275 m) in my neck of the woods. Trails in the area are mostly rolling terrain with some moderate hills and low wet areas.

Carrying and General Use <back to top>

I have carried the Xikar Excel 138 knife everyday since receiving it for testing. The knife has resided in the right front pocket of my blue jeans, work pants, dress pants or hiking pants. I have used the stainless steel clip to hold the knife in my pocket but have also placed the knife loose in my pocket (closed, of course) if I was frequently accessing it. The clip continues to stay quite tight even after two months of continuous use. It holds very securely and now all my blue jeans have wear marks at the corner of the pocket fabric from sliding the clip over it. I have taken care not to carry my car keys or loose change in the same pocket so as not to accidently scratch the knife. I have loved carrying this knife everyday and having it very close for access as needed. I have used the knife daily for a variety of tasks including opening shipped packages at home and work, cutting twine and rope at the horse barn, opening envelopes, installing a screen door (cutting open the box and trimming the door sweep), trimming loose threads and trimming hangnails or chewed on fingernails. I have also used the knife to cut up a variety of food items including sausages, cheeses and vegetables and also opening food packaging. I have generally used the knife for common kitchen tasks in place of my normal kitchen cutlery. I have used the knife mostly indoors, but the knife has also seen use outside in the cold weather while hunting (but, alas, not for game cleaning - Michigan whitetail bucks have nothing to fear from me so far) as well as around the horse barn. I have mostly used the knife with my bare hands but have also used it while wearing thin liner-like gloves. I have not yet used the knife with mittens or thick gloves but anticipate I will not want to due to safety reasons in handling.

Sharpening and Cleaning <back to top>

I have sharpened the knife with numerous methods including with my Lansky sharpening kit, freehand on a diamond whetstone, by a commercial knife sharpener (Chef's Choice EdgeSelect 120) and with a Wusthof Trident sharpening steel. I like to keep my pocket knives very sharp and will frequently hone the blade. I find that the knife does not need sharpening very often if the blade is frequently "steeled." I have mostly used the commercial sharpener but have only used the final stage which is equivalent to using a steel and only hones a blade without removing any steel. I keep the diamond whetstone at work and use that to touch up the blade freehand as needed. I would most often hone/resteel the knife blade roughly every 3 days when used on a daily basis. I used the Lansky kit after about one month to set a 20 degree angle to the blade that I continue to work with. With the Lansky kit, I worked with stones from medium grit to extra fine grit. When freshly sharpened or re-steeled, this blade is exceedingly sharp and will easily slice through paper at a 45º angle like going through air. For the next phase of testing, I will send the knife off to be professionally sharpened (sharpener undetermined yet) to see if it makes any difference in my daily use.

I have generally kept the knife clean by running it under hot water, shaking and wiping it dry. The body is a bit too narrow to fit a standard bathroom swab in between the frame. I have threaded paper towel through the frame to clean out any dirt or lint. I have used spray silicone lubricant at the pivot point to keep the blade moving freely, but have only needed to do this once during the two months of use so far. The knife tends to accumulate dirt and gunk close to the pivot point and near the thumb post, but this makes sense as this is where the lubricant is applied. I have not had to make any adjustments to any of the screws on the knife so far in the field testing period. The knife has not rusted in any spot (and should not due to its construction materials) and has not tarnished. The blade looks like it has been used with its unique wear marks and finger prints, but nothing unexpected considering its daily use.

The Knife <back to top>

Blade:

I have gotten very used to the motion used to open the knife with one hand. The thumb post is easy to catch with my thumb and it provides enough height to get the leverage needed to open the knife. I sometimes find I have to reposition the knife in my hand further away from my palm and out toward my fingers to get enough leverage at the angle needed to get the blade to start to open. Once the blade gets moving, it is easy to open and lock into place. I have easily opened the knife with both my right and my left hand, but the stainless clip is toward my fingers when used in my left hand. The clip can feel "in the way" when used in my left hand, but when in my right hand, the clip is toward my palm and seems to fit quite naturally.

I really like the shape of this blade. I have found it to be a useful design for the variety of tasks that are common in daily use for both at home and for hiking. The blade shape slices and chops very well - it reminds me of the feel of a chef's knife in miniature. The spine of the blade is thick enough to be quite comfortable to place my index finger on for extra control depending on how I am using the blade. Sticky food items like cheese do tend to accumulate in the hole in the knife blade. It is a small blade so some compensations have to be made when slicing large objects like an onion. I have found the equivalent to be like trying to do most common kitchen tasks with a paring knife. It can be done, but that is the reason why they make long chef's knives! The point of the blade has been a little tough to keep sharp, but it is very useful for making punctures to get cuts started regardless. I have never used the knife blade to pry at anything and never would as that is not a use for any knife blade.

Liner-lock:

The liner-lock has held rock solid and had not accidently unlocked at all during use. This is a good thing. For most general use where minimal pressure is put on the blade, the liner-lock thumbs back quite easily to close the knife blade. If quite a bit of pressure is used (for instance, making a long cut in a cardboard box), the liner-lock can require quite a bit of pressure to unlock to close the blade. It feels like the liner-lock is wedged into place and needs quite a bit of force to get "unwedged." I have found this annoying and wonder if the liner-lock can be adjusted or if it is just a feature of the knife? I will likely contact Xikar if this continues to bother me to ask what they would recommend, if anything. I can most easily close the knife when I use it with my right hand as the liner-lock is thumbed to the left or away from my right thumb when held in the right hand. This motion feels very safe as I feel I have control on the blade and can remove my thumb before I close the blade with my index finger to prevent my thumb from accidently getting in the way. When the knife is held in my left hand, I have to thumb the liner lock toward my left thumb and this is an awkward motion. Also, the clip is facing up, or toward my fingers, when held in my left hand as mentioned above. This motion does not feel as safe as more of my thumb is in the path of the knife blade due to the awkward angle needed to close the lock.

Handle:

After having used it, I can say that the frame of the knife is cleverly designed. Upon my initial examination, the reasons for the design and placement of the G10 handle material or the anodized, flat aluminum were not readily apparent to me. The G10 material provides traction for my finger tips in the action used to thumb open the knife with one hand. After the knife is open, the G10 material continues to provide traction to the finger tips for grip (usually my middle and ring fingers) while the smooth aluminum allows my index finger and thumb to slide around on the frame to easily position them where needed as the knife is used and moved around while cutting. A lot of thought went into the design of this frame - it is both a practical and pleasant design. The knife fits well in my hand and handles easily. The G10 material is quite tough and still looks very new. The texture provides a nice amount of grip while not feeling like I am holding onto a wood rasp. The anodizing on the handle has fared less well than I anticipated. Although I have taken great care to make sure loose metal objects do not scratch the knife while being carried, the anodizing suffers numerous surface scratches all over it. These scratches do not seem to be completely through the anodized coating but instead are showing a brownish-gold color. These scratches were actually apparent even during the first few days of carrying in my pants pocket. I took the photographs in my Initial Report after just a few days and some scratches are already apparent on pictures of the handle at that time. I have included an updated photograph of wear on the handle after two months. This wear has not affected the usability of the knife in the slightest but does affect the aesthetics of looking at the knife or showing it to others.

Clip:

As mentioned above, I use the clip to carry the knife. The clip is still very tight and does not seem to have really loosened at all during the last two months of use. I have found it most easy to carry the knife on my right front pocket where the knife body is inside the pocket and the clip is showing on the outside. The knife seems to carry best for me this way and is not sticking out to catch on passing objects, clothing or furniture as it may if I attached it to my belt or carried the knife on the outside of my pocket. The knife has spent most of its life in the pocket of my blue jeans (my normal work attire), and all of my blue jeans are developing a wear spot at the corner of the pocket from sliding the clip over the fabric. This is not a big deal to me; if it really bothered me, I would just stick the knife in my pocket as I would with all my previous knives I carried without a clip.

Impressions to Date <back to top>

This is a quality knife with excellent design and thoughtful craftsmanship. The knife has one job and that is to cut things well which it certainly does. I have found myself missing the functionality of a multi-tool when I have needed to adjust a screw or pry something and will probably start to carry both, especially when backpacking. I did notice that Xikar makes a multi-tool also.... ;) This blade, however, outshines any knife blade on the micro-sized multitools I have used when backpacking, and I will be able to get by with a minimal weight penalty to carry both instruments for around 3 oz (85 g) - not too bad! I am a little disappointed with the anodizing and scratches on the knife body and would probably purchase this knife with the silver base (or un-anodized) to potentially avoid these issues and keep the knife looking new. Otherwise, the knife holds an edge very well, sharpens and hones easily, and handles very well - it is everything that could be asked for in a gentleman's folder. For future testing, I will continue to monitor wear to the handle surface. The knife will be sent off for sharpening and I can evaluate if it makes a difference in the "edge quality" or length of time between re-steeling or re-honing. The upcoming weather is going to full of snow, sleet and cold weather, so I will evaluate the knife for winter camping use as well as its continued daily tasks around home and work.

Biography <back to top>

I was born, raised, and currently live in Michigan. I have been camping with family since I was a young tot. I have been backpacking since the early 1990s and have gotten out much more over the last several years as life has settled down. I also hunt, geocache, horseback ride, ski, orienteer, and canoe. I backpack in every season - rain, snow, or shine. My hiking philosophy is definitely moved toward lightweight to ultra-lightweight backpacking over the past couple years from my "backbreaker" days. I now sleep under a homemade tarptent shelter or in a hammock, I usually wear a frameless backpack, and I cook on a homemade alcohol or Esbit stove with a titanium pot. My average three season load for a multi-day trip, including food and water, is less than 25 lbs (11.3 kg).

Reviews > Knives > Folding > Xikar 138 Excel Knife > Dennis Shubitowski > Field Report