My Transient 3.2 has been a wonderful experience. Jim continues to deliver with high quality, both on my personal piece and on his more newer builds (and I've handled several). My personal Transient made my Top knives list of 2024 last year. If you are interested in high-quality USA made builds, Jim and the team at HMC Knives are a must for your collection. The Old Man approves!
★★★★★★★★★★March 14, 2025
I have purchased two HMC transients, one of which I was able to buy directly and love them both. Instant permanent places in my collection. Jim is a pleasure to work with and is both kind and professional. You will not regret an HMC as your next knife purchase!
★★★★★★★★★★March 14, 2025
The transient is an amazing knife. I have a 3.2 and it is super light, carries well, perfect size, and is just a quintessential knife. Cuts so well. So useful and functional that there really is very little to say about any negative aspects other than it is very difficult trying to get another one.
★★★★★★★★★★March 16, 2025
Hello all. My most recent purchase from Jim was a transient 3.2. This blade sports a g-10 scale with thumb studs and I must say it is absolutely perfect in every way from the feel to the balance to the comfort in hand it is an absolute pleasure to carry. Thanks Jim for your dedication to excellence!!
★★★★★★★★★★March 27, 2025
Purchased some hardware, and like the big dumb-dumb I am- I ordered the wrong set. Jim was quick to make it right even though it was my fault. His customer service is truly best of the best, I know of no one better. Thanks Jim!
★★★★★★★★★★March 27, 2025
Not only is the Transient the best knife ever made, Jim Vandeveld is the best (and coolest) maker in the business. As someone who tends to be unkind to my knives, I value a good warranty sloghtly more than the average person, and there is no better warranty than HMC's warranty. After losing my fixed blade on a hunt this last season and killing a deer on that same hunt, I was left with my Transient for cleaning my deer. After using it to punch through the sternum and pelvic bones, it developed a bit of lock rock. I reached out to Jim and explained what had happened and he happily fixed it and gave it a full spa for the low price of absolutely nothing. If you're on the fence about getting one, just do it and thank me later.
★★★★★★★★★★March 27, 2025
My daily carry, love it.
★★★★★★★★★★April 11, 2025
It’s been quite a while since I had a new knife day of my own. I’ve been carrying an OZ Rosie for a little more than a year, simply because I haven’t found anything I liked better. I’ve picked a couple up here and there, but I always knew immediately that they’d soon be back out the door. I’m basically a “one knife” guy. I don’t collect, and as such I’m very specific in the kinds of knives I go after. A couple buddies of mine, Marlon Aguilar and Brandon White had nothing but good things to say about HMC Transients and Jim Vandeveld, so I started lurking. Another friend of mine, Ian Craven, also spoke highly of HMC and helped me hone in on the specific model I’d want to find to meet my needs. A 2.9 Square Body radial. Back to Marlon I went, and he took the time to put tons of pictures and comparisons together to give me an idea of how everything would work for me. I decided to put out an ISO, and within no time at all Phi Huynh had reached out about one he owned. Two hurdles, though. He didn’t have it in his possession, as it was with Jim for warranty work. The other was that it had thumb studs. I like to reverse flick my blades, and due to a childhood hand injury I struggle with flicking anything with studs. So I reached out to Jim, just to see if we could find a solution that worked. I won’t get into the details of the transaction, but I will say you can approach Jim with the absolute highest of expectations, and Jim will smile and say “hold my beer”. This dude didn’t just exceed my expectations, he fucking obliterated them. This is the first knife I’ve put my hands on that I can honestly say beats my much loved Rosie. In fact, my Rosie was boxed back up and put in the safe within 10 minutes of sliding this Transient out of the pouch. I’m extremely grateful to all those I mentioned above for pointing me towards this thing, but mostly to Jim for being the most awesome knife maker I’ve ever run across. This man finds pure enjoyment in helping others find pure enjoyment. He definitely succeeded on this one, because this 2.9 Radial is going to be in my pocket for a long time. I love it already.
★★★★★★★★★★April 25, 2025
Transient .. the knife stands out as a remarkable blend of craftsmanship and performance. With its razor-sharp edge, balanced feel, and refined design, it delivers both functionality and aesthetic appeal. Every detail reflects thoughtful engineering, making it a top-tier choice for enthusiasts and professionals alike. It's a knife that consistently exceeds expectations in both quality and reliability.
★★★★★★★★★★April 25, 2025
I've got a bunch of top-of-the-line folders, but that Transient is the best of the bunch!
★★★★★★★★★★April 30, 2025
Jim is easily my favorite maker, as a person. Own three 3.2s at the moment and have three sets of custom fancy hardware coming. Done one spa service, totally worth it. Everythings been tip top in terms of quality/speed/whatever else matters lol. Buy HMC you fool, stop reading reviews!
★★★★★★★★★★September 12, 2025
All good, I like knives and the way you drop them that i could buy. I like support and spa options! Also the same faces from the OZ group ).
★★★★★★★★★★October 17, 2025
Pleasantly shocked by the tight tolerances and excellent mill work. Quality is superb. I’ve been flicking it nonstop ever since I got it. Worth every penny.
★★★★★★★★★★October 20, 2025
My experience with Jim was absolutely outstanding from start to finish. From the very first interaction to the prompt and safe return of my freshly spa’d and upgraded knife, everything was seamless.
I had picked up a 3.2 Transient on the secondary market in flawless condition, but I wanted to add radial milling on the scales and dark Ti accents. Jim brought that vision to life quickly.
When the knife came back, the action was next level. What was once just a beautiful piece to admire has now become a daily carry, and I can’t put it down. The action, the feel, the attention to detail, every bit of it is flawless.
Massive thanks and appreciation to Jim for his incredible craftsmanship!
★★★★★★★★★★November 6, 2025
Absolutely love everything you have to offer from your products to your top notch customer service. Thanks HMC crew!!!
★★★★★★★★★★November 15, 2025
Was lucky enough to land the Red 3.2 V3 with G10 Transient when Jim had the drop on Halloween. Not my first V3 or G10 and absolutely love it. Found the quality, workmanship & care that went in to it is what makes HMC one of my favorite makers. Not my first Transient have several others and found same care & quality goes in to everyone HMC puts out. Always look forward to NKD when i get a new or aftermarket Transient The other part of HMC found if you get an aftermarket & want a change on a Transient can send in on one of the different levels of spas and comes back light brand new. Jim and Mike are just quality people & just all around good guys. So if you want a quality knife with first rate workmanship HMC Transient is it.
★★★★★★★★★★February 6, 2026
Top of the line products. From swag to customs!!
#1 customer service in the game!
★★★★★★★★★★February 27, 2026
Second knife I’ve purchased and I will continue to purchase more from HMC … great product and you can tell that attention to detail matters … highly recommend buying one and I’m sure you will be a second
★★★★★★★★★★August 15, 2026
This knife has blown me away with the quality, fit, and finish. I'm no stranger to higher end American knives! Hypercut, Oz Machine, Brown Knives, Machinewise, and Prince Customs are some of the usual suspects I have in my collection. Beyond a shadow of a doubt I can say HMC has the crown in my collection.
★★★★★★★★★★September 4, 2026
Well, it will be a few weeks before I can fidget around with it, but I like it so far.
★★★★★★★★★★September 26, 2026
I was so lucky to get one of these a few weeks back. I was not sure what to do with it when it arrived. I have not taken it out of my pocket since. Its a great looking knife with a unique milling pattern. The action is second to none. It has a thin blade that sharpens very well and holds a great edge. I cannot put this knife down. Great job on a well built knife Jim. It has become a standard in my pocket and will be carried and used every day.
★★★★★★★★★★August 15, 2026
This knife has blown me away with the quality, fit, and finish. I am no stranger to higher end American knives!
★★★★★★★★★★August 14, 2026
I bought my first HMC knife from a friend. Was so impressed, I now own 3!! Actions are smooth and aesthetically appealing.
★★★★★★★★★★August 14, 2026
Excellent knife and Excellent customer service.
★★★★★★★★★★July 13, 2026
Been trying to pick one up for sometime, and boy was it worth the wait! Absolutely love this Transient! Haven't been able to put anything else in my pocket since it arrived!
★★★★★★★★★★June 26, 2026
Jim / HMC never disappoints. Highest quality with attention to detail. great action and really great acoustics. finally I will say the customer service is over the top.
★★★★★★★★★★May 8, 2026
Impeccable build quality and great design.
★★★★★★★★★★March 9, 2026
Jim is the guy! Great customer service.
★★★★★★★★★★February 27, 2026
Second knife I have purchased and I will continue to purchase more from HMC. Great product and you can tell that attention to detail is a priority.
★★★★★★★★★★February 27, 2026
This is my very first HMC knife. I absolutely love it. The craftsmanship is over the top. The knife just works perfectly.
★★★★★★★★★★February 13, 2026
Jim has proven to be both a talented machinist and an exceptional person to work with. I recently purchased a Transient and it exceeded every expectation.
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