First flipper ~$200

tdkfm

tdkfm

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I have a lot of knives, everything from CRK, to GEC, spyderco, benchmade etc., but haven't yet ventured into flippers. I played with a buddy's Kershaw and like the idea. I have been looking at my first flipper for a bit now, but am open to suggestions. Top candidates now are:

Spyderco domino: I am a spyderco fan, so this seems the obvious choice.

ZT: haven't even ever handled s ZT, but I know they get a lot of love here. Have always seemed a bit bulky to me though. Have been eyeballing the 0560 and 0450.

I didn't see a recent thread on this, and there seem to be a lot of new flippers lately, so I am looking for other suggestions to look at or thoughts on these. I am not terrible picky on size. I carry a lot of different size knives. I am not a huge wharncliffe or tanto fan though. Main thing I would like is a knife that flips really smooth and easily. Not opposed to Chinese like kizer or something either. Would like to stay in the $200 ballpark or lower.

Thanks in advance.
 
Well as you can see in my post I just got a zt 0562 cf and it has kept me busy. They sell a non cf version for 200 that's worth checking out
 
ZT 0801, love mine, great flipper, Elmax is an excellent steel. I have a Domino as well, much better cutter than the 0801, but a somewhat weaker flipper, action wise, if you want a spyderco I would look in to the Southard( I don't have one, but I do have an AVO and it's great!). A more budget friendly option would be the Boker+ Kwaiken or Urban Tapper, both have svelt, very slim line designs, the newer ones are in VG-10, a nice step up from the older AUS-8 models. If you are willing to spend a little more the Spartan Blades Pallas is the flipper currently on my radar.
 
Keep an eye on the exchange. A spyderco southard is bound to pop up in your price range at some point. If you can't wait though, the ZT 0450 and ZT 0808 are both great options for a non-bulky ZT flipper.
 
KAEDC said:
ZT 0801, love mine, great flipper, Elmax is an excellent steel. I have a Domino as well, much better cutter than the 0801, but a somewhat weaker flipper, action wise, if you want a spyderco I would look in to the Southard( I don't have one, but I do have an AVO and it's great!). A more budget friendly option would be the Boker+ Kwaiken or Urban Tapper, both have svelt, very slim line designs, the newer ones are in VG-10, a nice step up from the older AUS-8 models. If you are willing to spend a little more the Spartan Blades Pallas is the flipper currently on my radar.
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I have one too...but talk about a bulky knife.

For a less bulky one I'd say check out the Zt0808 or the ZT 0454

If they're built anything like my 801 and flipper like that one then they're winners for sure.
 
I like the ZT 0450 (my only ZT). Just keep in mind that it's pretty small. About the same size as a small Sebenza but with a narrower handle. It was just the size I wanted, but I was still shocked at how small it was when I took it out of the box. A drawback could be that, since the blade is so narrow, it's relatively thick behind the edge for a knife that small. I'm very happy with the purchase. It feels like it should cost more than $160.
 
I just purchased my first knife, a benchmade 940, but it is a reverse tanto knife. i do love how smoothly it flips and closes!
 
Another ZT0801 vote here. Really a beautiful knife and a great representation of a flipper done right. I've bought other ZT flippers since getting my 0801 a couple years ago (0450, 0566, 0770) but none that I like more. I also have a Benchmade 300SN that I think is very cool, but nowhere near "favorite" status.

An original US-made Kershaw Groove would also be an excellent choice if you can track one down. They don't come up for sale that often, and prices are climbing, but you could probably still stay easily within your budget on a (L)NIB Groove, maybe with a good chunk of cash to spare.
 
For a ZT that isn't bulky I like the 0770cf and one of their newer designs, the 0808 like someone else already suggested.

For the more beefier models the 0560 is great. The 0452 is a beast as well, if I wanted that much blade length I wouldn't hesitate to carry it.
 
There's a Reate Hills on the exchange at a great price right now...that's an awesome flipper.

Another vote for the ZT 0562 in G10.

Check out the Kizer Dorado Flipper too.
 
I think you would like the ZT 770. It is about the right size to edc. Also ZT 350 is popular too. There are plenty of good ones out there. Good Luck. Kevin
 
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Not sure if this helps or just makes me want to buy way too many new knives. Definitely some good stuff I wasn't familiar with mentioned here though.
 
The 562 is probably my favorite flipper. I have an 801, a couple of 560s, a 566, a 770, and the 562. All of them are great knives but the 562 is the newest to me and has been carried used more than the others have.
 
Reate Hills is a great flipper for the money & the Spyderco Southard is definitely worth taking a look at, especially if you are already a Spyderco fan. These are hard to beat in this range.
 
Yo Mama said:
Jeff Freeman flipper is dead on at 200 dollars.
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I'd never heard of the Freeman Flipper so I went and took a look...now I have one on the way. It looks awesome and overbuilt. I'm not sure if I can post a link but it's Freeman Outdoor Gear and the knife is the Freeman 451 Folder. Check it out!
 
Hackenslash said:
I'd never heard of the Freeman Flipper so I went and took a look...now I have one on the way. It looks awesome and overbuilt.
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That's exactly why I got one on the way as well. When folks start seeing these, his price now will be gone, I have no doubt. Jeff was quick with responding to me, and taking the order.

Now, I have about 1-2 weeks left of the wait!!! I can't stand it!

What insert did you get?
 
I went with the olive micarta but he's also making a custom carbon fiber inlay. It's nice to email a knife company and have "the man" personally reply, lol.

I know the price will run up on these as soon as people start seeing them, he could easily get $300 or maybe even more for these. I'm not sure if they qualify as mid-tech or not...
 
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