Bearing flippers. Any reason cold steel doesnt make them?

PURPLEDC

PURPLEDC

Joined
Apr 4, 2007
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So, normally cold steel isnt my type of brand. But I am a huge fan of bearing flippers and It got me thinking cold steel would be one of the perfect brands to explore such a knife and I am really surprised that they havent explored this market especially with the popularity of them. Is it because of the difficulty incorporating the triad lock in such a design or is there some other reason?
 
Maybe we'll see one this year or the next. They're releasing a lot of stuff that's a bit out of their normal comfort zone. Personally, I'm a bit prejudiced against bearing flippers. They seem to require a fair degree of mechanical engineering to pull off really well and consistently and, to be completely honest, I don't think they add much to a knife beyond cool factor. I was really intrigued by them at first, but the more I thought about it the less I saw any need for them. Not that there's anything wrong with cool factor or want over need, but they aren't really my thing.
 
Fair enough but I think they have proved themselves as more than a passing trend. And I am seeing a lot of good ones coming out of asia with excellent fit and finish even in the $30 range. The factories making knives for cold steel have the capability to pull them off and IMHO do it well.
 
PURPLEDC said:
Fair enough but I think they have proved themselves as more than a passing trend. And I am seeing a lot of good ones coming out of asia with excellent fit and finish even in the $30 range. The factories making knives for cold steel have the capability to pull them off and IMHO do it well.
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I honestly agree with all of that, and I have to admit there's more than a passing satisfaction in owning something that just feels right, mechanically speaking, and I think bearing flippers speak to that. Honestly, one of the things that makes our hobby interesting is that, while knives are certainly tools, they're much more than that to those of us who frequent the forums.
 
Although Cold Steel could do it, flippers aren't really their thing as they don't really work with the Tri-Ad lock, and they don't seem to be making new models with the leaf spring lock (liner lock).
 
Flipper and a Tri-Ad lock wouldn't work. If you could make it work, it would require a great degree of precision and engineering which would jack up the price. And since the Tri-Ad lock is pretty much what defines Cold Steel I can't see them making a flipper.

Just my 0.02
 
oXObsidianXo said:
Flipper and a Tri-Ad lock wouldn't work. If you could make it work, it would require a great degree of precision and engineering which would jack up the price. And since the Tri-Ad lock is pretty much what defines Cold Steel I can't see them making a flipper.

Just my 0.02
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This.

SOG tried incorporating flippers into lockbacks with the Twitch series and their "pass through lockbar." Personally, I didn't care for a lockback whose lockbar wasn't solid, and many people agreed with me. Trying to put a flipper together with the Triad lock just doesn't seem feasible with out weakening the knife. And Cold Steel prides themselves on the strength of their knives.
 
I usually want both thumbstuds and a flipper on a knife, but the Tri-Ad compels me to waive that requirement for the Recon 1 & Code-4. :)
 
While I understand building a flipper with triad lock may prove difficult and that flippers arent really their "thing" I think they would have teh ability to offer something different than a liner lock or even the triad lock. Maybe if the lock putting pressure on the blade as it rotates had its own rotating bearing reducing friction i dont know. It seems cold steel is willing to break from its comfort zone these days. I mean a few short years ago Lynn was quoted as saying he would never produce a knife in the USA again and now they have the 4-max. And the use of higher end steels seems to show a willingness to try different things. And since cold steel prides themself on doing things differently i think a flipper would be a perfect platform to really try and improve on that type of knife as the downfall to them really are the locks.
 
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