Hogue X-5

100 Knives in 100 Days: Day 50 coming up, Hogue Anniversary Edition X-5 Giveaway

The drawing for this knife has ended, however we still have more than 40 more knives to go in our 100 Knives in 100 Days giveawaySome of these include Customs by David Kurt and SR Johnson. A Wilmont, a Ruana,  a ZT0350, WE, Kizer, TOPS, and more than I can list right now.

Visit our official 100 Days entry page :

Introducing the 100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway

Onto our original post…

It is a year of anniversaries for Hogue. We gave away an X-1 Microflip on Day 10 of our 100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of Hogue Knives. Of course, Hogue Knives is just a division of a much larger company. Those reading this are probably familiar with Hogue’s firearm grip division as well, but they are even more than that. Hogue Inc. maintains a list of SKUs (individual end products) that numbers into the hundreds of thousands. Allen Elishewitz once told me that among the myriad items they produce are heated toilet seat covers as well. Laugh if you will, but their mastery of advanced manufacturing processes allows them to produce some of the most precision made and technologically advanced items in the outdoor industry. The  EX-T01 Tomahawk comes to mind. Hogue’s expertise with molded plastics let them produce a unique and effective carry system, which I do not believe another knife company could match.

Hogue Inc. was technically founded in 1968, and is now in 3rd Generation family hands. This would technically make 2019 their 51st Anniversary, but Neil Hogue specifically requested Day 50 to celebrate 50 years of company operations. Close enough for us, especially because they sent us a pretty great knife to give away this coming Saturday 7/20.

Unlike our typical drawings, which occur on our Official Contest Thread, Saturday’s drawing will be from comments on this post you are reading now. So even if you have already entered the primary giveaway, you need to leave a comment here to enter to win this Hogue X-5.

Hogue describes the X-5 thusly:

Built with Hogue’s new, revolutionary deployment technology, this knife provides class leading smoothness and an exceptionally effortless action. Although completely manual and containing no springs, the innovative internal system allows the blade to open with a motion as instinctive as your own reflexes.

What they are getting at is that Hogue factory tunes the detent, so that the force required to overcome it is sufficient to flip the blade open rapidly and with a crisp “snick”. It is easy to mistake for a spring assist, as the normally reliable Nick Shabazz does in the video review I include below. In a sense it is quite the compliment that the manual action is smooth enough to be mistaken for an assist.

Hogue sent us a special Anniversary Edition of the X-5. It is marked as #6 of 50. Instead of the textured inserts on the handle sides, there is a 10th anniversary motif providing textured grip and stylish aesthetics.

Specs (as reported by Hogue):

• Blade Length: 3.5″
• Overall Length: 8.15”
• Closed Length: 4.75”
• Weight: 4.66 oz

BLADE
• Style: Spear Point with Ambidextrous Flipper
• Thickness: 0.150”
• Material: CPM154 Stainless Steel
• Hardness: 57-59 HRC
• Treatment: Cryogenically Heat Treated
• High Flat Grind – Hand Honed Edge

FEATURES
• Mechanism: Push Button Lock with Manual Safety
• Frame: Flat Dark Earth Green 6061-T6 Hard Anodized Aluminum Scales
• Pocket Clip: Stainless Steel Ambidextrous – Right or Left Handed, Tip Down Deep Pocket Carry with Filler Plate
• Lanyard Hole

 

Personal Observation and Reviews:

Unlike most of the knives in our giveaway, where I have to rely on outside reviews, I have written one on the Hogue X-5. Allen Elishewitz gave me one as a tip after I took him (and his wife) fishing in the Smoky Mountains. It originally appeared at The Truth About Knives.

Knife Review: Hogue X5 (3.5″ Spear Point)

For those who still would like an outside review, here is one from Nick Shabazz. It is a bit of a mixed review, with a major error:

Nick keeps calling it assisted open. It is not. As I mentioned above, the detent is tuned so that when when enough force is applied to overcome it, the knife opens so crisply that it is easy to mistake.

In my review, I mention the ergonomics not being a perfect match for my hand as well, but I have carried this knife for a couple of years now and for the duration of the EDC tasks I perform with it, I have never had a problem.

Nick is notoriously picky when it comes to ergonomics. To the point where it is an internet meme.

 

I definitely agree with him with regards to the stock clip. It is pretty bad. Swapping out the clip improved the pocket carry-ability of the knife. I went with a Pop’s Custom Clip. I do like the fact that Hogue includes the filler plate for the side without the pocket clip.

So with those caveats in place, here is Nick’s review. In typical Shabbaz form, he has some great one-liners, like “vast expanse of blackness” and “Tactical stealth harmonica”. So while it is not a glowing review, it is fair, and understanding Nick’s hangup on Cinderella Slipper ergonomics, he has a lot of good things to say about the knife as well. He is extremely positive about the fit and finish, the quality of the factory edge, and the $200 price point for the quality and materials.

Imperfect ergonomics aside, I really like mine. Both because of how I received it, but also because it was the first true Premium pocketknife I owned. The same way Shabazz complains about how it feels in the pocket, knowing it is there gives me a positive feeling – one that comes when you are carrying a knife that is beyond just a functional item. Some of you will understand.

To win this knife… comment on the post you are currently reading.

To enter for the remaining 50 knives in our 100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway, click here:

Introducing the 100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway

 


I would like to thank Neil Hogue, Jim Bruhns, Allen Elishewitz, and everyone at Hogue for always being available to answer questions and always supporting my efforts both at TTAK and now Knife Magazine. We appreciate their participation in our 100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway as well.