Best flipper knife ($300-500)?

[wildolive]

I agree with this. The Arno Bernard iMamba is a fantastic flipper. I sold all my Shirogorov’s. I still have and use my two iMambas.

Oh wow ! This is a very cool knife...and in stock in the plain version. Thanks for that! Will check it out a bit more

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

Oh wow ! This is a very cool knife...and in stock in the plain version. Thanks for that! Will check it out a bit more

I must elaborate…my earlier response was written in haste.

I have nothing against Shiro’s. They are wonderful knives and well built. The reason I sold my smaller Shiro’s was purely based on the fact that they are too thin and the lockbar and flipping action was tough to get used to and not intuitive for me.

The iMamba is a more hand filling knife at 3.25” (roughly). If we were talking about 3.5”+ blades…I would recommend Shiro’s all day long.

 

[rlewpolar]

I only have a few flippers but the Spyderco Smock is pretty nice and well under your price range. I really like the flipper tab, which isn’t a tab at all but rather a squared off shape to the blade that works extremely well. The button compression lock is also really well done. Everyone keeps saying Spyderco should incorporate it into other well-known knife designs like the Paramilitary 2. Maybe one day….

 

[Thisisgettingexpensive]

Slightly under your price range is the MKM Timavo. Less than 3” blade. Has ball bearings in the pivot for nice action.

https://imgur.com/a/gF2uN6K

 

[Chowser]

Lots of great suggestions here.

I own a couple of Skahas and an iMamba. The iMamba is easily the 'nicest' knife I've ever owned but it is used often, and it uses very well. A Skaha costs less than half of the AB knife, and they work really well, too. They are different enough that it is nice to have both.