The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Operation, not aesthetics
One of the 4 brothers is also named Arno. The old man Arno and wife travel around the country sourcing materials, so he's still involved.
That's good to hear man. Yea I've seen some of old man Arno's custom knives. I've only seen a couple people online have Arno Bernard custom Orcas, which the imamba was sourced from. I saw one for sale a while back, I believe on here, for a good price that seemed to stick around for a while. I probably should have mustered up the funds to get that one. Although I'm pretty content with where I'm sitting knife wise. Good talking with ya my friend!
What?! I didn't know you could switch between washers or bearings on the old ones! That's awesome.The Arno Bernard iMamba has to be one of my dream knives.
I am grateful to have the old variants with the crazy nice washers and the ability to swap between them and the bearing system.
My user non-flipper (German variant) has been hand rubbed to remove blade scratches and glass blasted all over the scales.
Original duo, flipper and non!
The insides of the original non-flipper variant.
I'm buying one this week and can't decide flipper or non-flipper. I normally don't like flippers (they hurt my finger tip, and seem to get in the way of my index finger knuckle when open - I have XL hands. I hated the XM-18 S and L sizes) and am quite happy opening a Spyderco with thumb roll. BTW, AB can send you Ph-bronze washers. They apparently fit the bearing knives just fine.
I'm almost ashamed to say that I actually have both a flipper on bearings model, and a non-flipper on washers model (just because I have too many knives
). Yea, I honestly don't know which one to recommend to you, they are both really good. I bought the inlay model from a dealer, and I won the plain jane one in a raffle. The bearing model is super smooth and can be opened with the thumb, with the flipper, or spydie-flicked. The washer model is pretty stiff and can only be opened with the thumb. I think this particular iMamba is extra stiff compared to other washer models, I think that's why someone raffled it. It's still a fantastic knife and I love it, however you're definitely not going to be spydie-flicking this one. It's also a little off center, however it's #33 of 2023 which is my favorite number. Like you, I also don't like flippers as much because they get in the way of my pointer flinger (like you), however the iMamba doesn't seem to do that like most others. My hand size is about large.
Oh ok, that makes sense, thanks. I didn't know that that was the reason why they started making non-flippers. You can spydie-flick your washer model huh? Mines really pretty stiff. I'll have to open her up, clean everything real nicely, and give it some fresh lube to see if I can loosen it up a bit. The way it is now there's no way I can spydie-flick mine and I'm pretty decent at spydie-flicking. If I lived in Africa I'd probably see if the Bernard brothers could do anything to loosen it up for me because I'd really like if it were a little bit more free.
Get the flipper with the bearings. You can always open it up other ways. The flipper tab doesn’t allow the hand to accidentally slip forward. You won’t be disappointed. I too was at that crossroads, went with the flipper. It is my first flipper and first bearing knife. I made the right choice
Thanks for the information. I can alleviate your shame and take one off your hands ;-). I'm South African so I really really should have one. Nay, deserve one. I've met both Arno and Chris Reeve in the 80s at the local knife shows in South Africa – truly SA knife makers are among the best in the world. The genetics makes for incredible engineers (e.g. we invented heart transplants, the biggest canon in the world, the biggest hospital in the world, the world's first ever 1 oz gold bullion coin, the deepest mines in the world, the world's first oil-from-gas company, the CAT scan, the world's first computerized ticketing system, the first military attack helicopter capable of making a 360 degree loop, and on and on it goes ). I wish I could have bought their knives then, but I was a kid and even then it was very expensive.I'm almost ashamed to say that I actually have both a flipper on bearings model, and a non-flipper on washers model (just because I have too many knives
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This may be correct about the collaboration, but it’s not where the washer/bearings tandem idea/proto came from.
Messer Depot is also not the one to suggest non-flipper.
Ask me how I know.
The swapping washer/bearings thing was just taking an opportunity in the design I was guessing, since many others went down that path before however I had not seen it done like this in hand before. Only methods like Hinderer's tri-way, or makers like Skiff providing drop in washer alternatives.
I only found out I could swap them around because I had both their flipper and non flipper and wanted to see if I could get the washers in the flipper variant
When it comes to the collaboration side, I wasn't making the claim, Messer Depot were, as below from their website. Me personally, not at all worried how it happened, just super glad it did
Translation / local interpretation of the flipper tab name was interesting as being 'pinball'. Turns out even with this change, they say it isn't carry compliant which makes sense given how easily I can spydie flick mine
