100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway Day 10 : Hogue X-1 Microflip (It’s Hogue Knives’ 10th Birthday!)

Welcome to Day 10 of our 100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway. It also happens to be Hogue Knives’ 10th Anniversary. In honor of this, we are going to give away an X-1 Microflip folder courtesy of the folks at Hogue.

If you want to win this knife, you must Register for a free account, and leave a comment on our official contest thread (here)

The X-1 Microflip is designed by Allen Elishewitz. Allen restores (and uses) manual milling machines for fun, and Hogue Managing Owner Jim Bruhns has an engineering background and is a holder of several patents himself. There is quite a bit of engineering in this diminutive package.

According to Hogue, some of the highlights “under the hood” are:

  • The mechanism is uniquely factory tuned to have optimal pop (inertia build-up to release the knife fully). It should not be adjusted by the end user. The action is so crisp and consistent that it is nearly impossible for the blade not to be fully deployed – all without springs!

  • The mechanism is completely captured (protected) inside the frame. The ball, made from E52100 hardened alloy steel is captured inside a 416 stainless steel internal detent board.

  • The blade operates between 2 precision machined surfaces so no bearings are necessary. This also means there is no wiggle in the blade when the knife is in closed position.

  • No springs means there is no fear of an accidental deployment.

The screws are not stripped or damaged, it is an artifact of the lighting. There is a slight unevenness to the “H” in Hogue however.

Specs (as reported by Hogue):

  • SPECS
    • Blade Length: 2.75″
    • Overall Length: 6.6”
    • Closed Length: 3.85”
    • Weight: 2.9 ozBLADE
    • Style: Wharncliffe with Ambidextrous Flipper
    • Thickness: 0.120”
    • Material: CPM154 Stainless Steel
    • Hardness: 57-59 HRC
    • Treatment: Cryogenically Heat Treated
    • Finish: Stone Tumbled
    • Hollow Grind – Hand Honed EdgeFEATURES
    • Locking Mechanism: Push Button Lock with Manual Safety
    • Frame: Matte Black 6061-T6 Hard Anodized Aluminum Scales
    • Pocket Clip: Stainless Steel Ambidextrous – Right or Left Handed, Tip Up Deep Carry with Filler Plate
    • Impact Pommel

Personal observations:

The Hogue X-1 Microflip is a fun little knife. I can see what they are talking about with regards to the detent being optimized. I held the Microflip vertically so the blade had to fight gravity to open. I had a 100% lock-up rate.

 

During this rapid-fire test, I appreciated the the fact that with a button lock, your fingers never cross in front of the frame, and are thus safely out of the way. It is not an uncommon occurrence for me the to nick myself when using a knife like a fidget-toy, a niche the Microflip can fill for those so inclined.

The flipper platform is nicely textured and large enough to be operated accurately.

The locking safety (for the open position only) is a valuable safety feature as well, lest one’s finger accidentally presses the button while the knife is in use.

The ergonomics are solid if not spectacular for a 3-finger grip. Elishewitz’s style is fairly angular on this and most of his knives, and while the contours of the index finger position hit me nicely, the angular facets are not as smooth in the hand as a more rounded knife might be.

 

Outside Reviews:

As is always the case with giveaway knives, I can’t put them through their paces myself, so I will rely on trusted reviews from outside sources.

KnifeInformer:

Hogue X-1 Microflip Review

 

This video review by Gideon’s Tactical is really well done.

 

Remember, if you want to win this knife, you must Register for a free account, and leave a comment on the Official Giveaway Thread (Introducing the 100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway).

Introducing the 100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway