Arno Bernard iMamba praise

SharpBits said:
Thank you. So new Orcas are being made by Sr. or by the sons?
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I believe his sons are handling it…I will find out for sure and report back.

There is a chance that Sr. is making them…he’s still in pretty good shape! :)
 
LimpCroissant said:
I have 2 iMambas, a plain jane on washers, and a bearing flipper with warthog inlays. The PJ has a stronger lockbar pressure than the bearing model, and the way it is, it's definitely not a folder that can be flicked open, only slow rolled (it's de-flippered though). I kind of think that the lockbar pressure is a little too strong too, as the blade is a slight bit un-centered, yet doesn't rub or anything. Now that I think about it, I've never taken it apart and cleaned/oiled it, maybe if I did it would be a lot smoother. I'm not sure if you can switch out the washers for bearings, I know a guy on here got bearings from AB for his washer iMamba, however I also know that they've done a few modifications over time on the machining under the scales and don't know if they all are able to be switched to bearings.
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I think i read that the iMambas are tuned differently for washers vs bearings or maybe it was non-flippers vs flippers although my PJ flipper is actually on caged bearings already but I did also order a set of the washers that were offered in the listing as an add on from the dealer here in the states. They were supposed to come with the iMamba but ended up getting shipped separately so I haven’t had a chance to try them out yet but plan on swapping them at some point to see the difference and which I’d prefer.
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I was just wondering if the lockbar gets easier to depress/unlock after some break in time and if you experienced that with you inlaid bearing flipper or does that stay the same? (The inlays are beautiful btw kinda wish I got some now). Mine is not difficult to unlock just a lot stiffer than what I prefer to the point where my thumb has a dent after a few flips lol but maybe I just need more calluses. I'm hesitant to bend the lockbar back a little as I don't want to soften the detent and want to allow time for everything to break in as I've only had it a couple days. It is centered as well as flips, flicks, and slow rolls good so my detent is fine but I wouldn’t want it any softer.
 
Edgeoflife said:
I think i read that the iMambas are tuned differently for washers vs bearings or maybe it was non-flippers vs flippers although my PJ flipper is actually on caged bearings already but I did also order a set of the washers that were offered in the listing as an add on from the dealer here in the states. They were supposed to come with the iMamba but ended up getting shipped separately so I haven’t had a chance to try them out yet but plan on swapping them at some point to see the difference and which I’d prefer.
View attachment 2690072
I was just wondering if the lockbar gets easier to depress/unlock after some break in time and if you experienced that with you inlaid bearing flipper or does that stay the same? (The inlays are beautiful btw kinda wish I got some now). Mine is not difficult to unlock just a lot stiffer than what I prefer to the point where my thumb has a dent after a few flips lol but maybe I just need more calluses. I'm hesitant to bend the lockbar back a little as I don't want to soften the detent and want to allow time for everything to break in as I've only had it a couple days. It is centered as well as flips, flicks, and slow rolls good so my detent is fine but I wouldn’t want it any softer.
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I'd give it some time and, like you said, get your finger used to it, plus you'll get the technique that works for you down better and better. No, the lockbar won't get easier to unlock unless it's lock-stick that is causing you issues, or if there were some type of small burr on the lockface that might get knocked/ground off. However no, generally speaking the lockbar won't get easier to unlock except by you just getting used to it. You can usually get a flipper (or any knife in general) to flip easier by taking it apart, cleaning and degreasing it real well, and then putting in some good lubrication on the bearings, and a tiny dot on the detent ball. But yeah, I'd avoid adjusting the lockbar, unless you've done it numerous times and are comfortable with it, yet I'd still really not recommend it, at least for now.

That's a good looker!
 
I realized that I do have a T25 Torx already and went ahead and took my plain jane apart today. I'd never taken it apart before, so I didn't know what to expect as far as what the milling situation would be in the pivot area. Mine is serialized as 23-033 and has the milling done to cut out pockets for bearings on both the scales and the blade. I'm going to see if I can get bearings for it. I cleaned and degreased everything real good, polished the washers on a leather strop with Flitz, and another type of metal finish to see if it worked better. The washers came semi-smooth on the blade side and left with the original washer finish, which had almost a blasted finish, on the handle side. I polished up both sides and now the blade side is super smooth and glossy, and the handle side is much smoother. I lubed it with a little bit of CRK grease on the washers, and a tiny bit of Hoppes #9 on the detent ball, and now I am able to flip it out for the first time (it's a de-flippered model). So yeah, Edgeoflife Edgeoflife , I would suggest doing the same with whatever lube you like because it made a big difference.
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I wanted to add also that now that the knife is clean, lubed up well, and after I polished the washers, my plain jane is now centered. It was only off a little bit, and never rubbed against the scales at all, but that kind of thing tends to bug me just a bit. So really it was only due to the washers being a little bit rough on the finish, if they were a bit more polished, the pivot can then be tightened a hair more which centers the blade while still making the blade free fall with the lockbar depressed. I still really am liking my 2 iMambas, they're fantastic knives on par with CRKs in my opinion.
 
Mine is on bearings.
I find it is a bit easier on the thumb if you push slightly down & to the left instead of only pushing left.
Give it a try.
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Edgeoflife said:
I think i read that the iMambas are tuned differently for washers vs bearings or maybe it was non-flippers vs flippers although my PJ flipper is actually on caged bearings already but I did also order a set of the washers that were offered in the listing as an add on from the dealer here in the states. They were supposed to come with the iMamba but ended up getting shipped separately so I haven’t had a chance to try them out yet but plan on swapping them at some point to see the difference and which I’d prefer.
View attachment 2690072
I was just wondering if the lockbar gets easier to depress/unlock after some break in time and if you experienced that with you inlaid bearing flipper or does that stay the same? (The inlays are beautiful btw kinda wish I got some now). Mine is not difficult to unlock just a lot stiffer than what I prefer to the point where my thumb has a dent after a few flips lol but maybe I just need more calluses. I'm hesitant to bend the lockbar back a little as I don't want to soften the detent and want to allow time for everything to break in as I've only had it a couple days. It is centered as well as flips, flicks, and slow rolls good so my detent is fine but I wouldn’t want it any softer.
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So I read through most of the 20 pages of responses and the only knives that I really saw this compared to was the Chris Reeve Sebenza and/or in Inkosi. For those of you that have and Imamba and some of the other current small batch/high-end knives, how would it compare to the likes of Craig Brown, Koenig, Holt, Grimsmo, etc? Thanks
 
boobar said:
So I read through most of the 20 pages of responses and the only knives that I really saw this compared to was the Chris Reeve Sebenza and/or in Inkosi. For those of you that have and Imamba and some of the other current small batch/high-end knives, how would it compare to the likes of Craig Brown, Koenig, Holt, Grimsmo, etc? Thanks
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I’ve owned all of the above. Would put that group a tier up from the AB (and Crk for that matter) just in terms of attention to detail (for example all those brands have internal milling for weight reduction, often with hidden details inside that can be just as beautiful as what’s on the outside). Those brands are also tuned just a little better in terms of action imo, if you’re after that guillotine smooth action and really complex milling it’s hard to beat the brands you listed. But if you’re after an elegant folder that is perfectly executed and with some really nice exotic inlay materials, it’s hard to beat AB.
 
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