Flicking, Flipping, Or Firing: Why do you love it?

Charr

Charr

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So I've just gotten a couple of amazing knives in, and I've been playing with them to no end over the last few weeks. I always sit in my chair and flip my Shirogorov until someone in the house is about to explode because it annoys them, then I switch to my Diskin Fire or something else that's a little quieter ;)

It got me thinking, why is it so much fun to open and close our knives, and what is your favorite style to play with. Do you prefer flippers, thumbstuds, autos, assists, balis, or something else, and why do you think you like it?

For me, its kind of a therapeutic thing. After a day at work, its always nice to sit and play with one of my knives, and it seems to just get rid of my stress and let me relax. That and we all know new knives have to be broken in, and its always fun to feel the knife get better and better as you open and close it.
 
I generally like assist-open Kershaws or flippers. I generally dislike manuals, because half the time when I need my knife, it's because my other hand is already holding something I need to cut, or otherwise use my knife on. So, I like to be able to have my knife inhand in the right orientation, and then just quickly tab a flipper, or touch a thumbstud and the knife flies open, ready to work.
 
I have never done that, even on my assisted openers when I owned a few. Guess it is not a universal habit.
 
I like knives that require minimal hand motion to open and close. I like flicking the thumb stud and having it fly open. It needs to close easily as well. When I watch movies, I'm usually flicking an axis lock, and I'll occasionally use knives with liner locks. I never play with my lockbacks, although I do carry them. Also, bigger blades are more fun, because they fly open with more authority.
 
With the 0801 and 0801cf that I recently got, I really like the smooth flipping action. I have another with speedsafe and its scary how much force it opens with.
 
jprime84 said:
With the 0801 and 0801cf that I recently got, I really like the smooth flipping action. I have another with speedsafe and its scary how much force it opens with.
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I found my Needs Work that had been lost for a couple of years. Two things immediately struck me: 1. those plastic handles felt like cheap garbage and 2. that thing fires so hard, it almost makes you lose your grip on that stubby little handle!
 
Charr said:
...why is it so much fun to open and close our knives, and what is your favorite style to play with. Do you prefer flippers, thumbstuds, autos, assists, balis, or something else, and why do you think you like it?
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I'm not sure why it's so fun, but it is. I constantly open/close knives when I'm on the computer, while watching TV, sitting in traffic. It's almost therapeutic.

As far as what style I prefer, I love them all. Thumb studs, Spydie holes, flippers, manual, assisted, Bali, you name it. Every type of opening and locking method has it's own nuances that make them great.

I recently got bit by one of my new Spydercos while breaking it in. Nearly took the entire pad of my index finger off. It's healing nicely but it could of been really bad. My wife asked me (in a tone you would talk to a little kid in) "Now what did you learn from this?" I learned that Spyderco's come pretty fricken sharp and that since this knife is ambidextrous I'll just use it left handed for a few days :)
 
SpydrMan said:
I recently got bit by one of my new Spydercos while breaking it in. Nearly took the entire pad of my index finger off. It's healing nicely but it could of been really bad. My wife asked me (in a tone you would talk to a little kid in) "Now what did you learn from this?" I learned that Spyderco's come pretty fricken sharp and that since this knife is ambidextrous I'll just use it left handed for a few days :)
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Once they bite you, they're yours forever :D

I've had a few pretty close calls with one or two of mine. One split my thumb through the nail and everything, but that was when I was younger. The most annoying was one that nipped me on my index finger and I couldn't play with my flippers for a while :grumpy: ;)

Another thing that always gets e is when you get a new knife that's a little stiff and has very grippy thumbstuds. After it's broken in, it is amazingly positive when deploying, and you never slip off, but until then...well, I've had some very concerned looks from my other half when it comes to my thumbs sometimes...
 
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I enjoy it as well. My favorites to flip/flick are the ZT0801, Brous Bionic, BM Mini-Barrage, PM2, Gayle Bradley BM530. Sometimes I flick my Manix2 and Dragonfly, but the generally take a bit too much effort for it to be fun. CS Recon 1 is no fun.
 
Charr said:
Once they bite you, they're yours forever :D

I've had a few pretty close calls with one or two of mine. One split my thumb through the nail and everything, but that was when I was younger. The most annoying was one that nipped me on my index finger and I couldn't play with my flippers for a while :grumpy: ;)

Another thing that always gets e is when you get a new knife that's a little stiff and has very grippy thumbstuds. After it's broken in, it is amazingly positive when deploying, and you never slip off, but until then...well, I've had some very concerned looks from my other half when it comes to my thumbs sometimes...
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I know what you mean. I still can't use a flipper. It should be better soon though.

I was recently given a knife by a customer, an assisted opener with thumb stud and a liner lock. The detent was pretty stiff and after a few days of relentlessly breaking it in my thumb had taken so much abuse I couldn't bare to open it anymore. Totally worth it because now it's smooth as silk.
 
SpydrMan said:
I know what you mean. I still can't use a flipper. It should be better soon though.

I was recently given a knife by a customer, an assisted opener with thumb stud and a liner lock. The detent was pretty stiff and after a few days of relentlessly breaking it in my thumb had taken so much abuse I couldn't bare to open it anymore. Totally worth it because now it's smooth as silk.
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Once you have to break in a bunch of them at once, your thumb kind of hates you, but always gets tougher until it doesn't hurt anymore at least. By now my right thumb is noticeably thicker and larger at the pad, but it'll handle almost anything I can find, though there's still that occasional knife that manages to chew it up and it sucks.

Hope you aren't away from your flippers too long, they get lonely I bet;)
 
Charr said:
Hope you aren't away from your flippers too long, they get lonely I bet;)
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It's ok, the only flipper I carry anymore is a Leek, and I usually deploy it with the thumb stud anyway. I'm carrying the one that bit me today, a Delica 4. I wasn't done breaking it in yet. It nipped the tip of my finger off clean while I was closing it. After I determined a trip to urgent care was necessary I grabbed the knife and opened it. There was the tip of my finger stuck to the blade, not a drop of blood on it. That was a week ago today. The bright side is I still have a new knife to break in for a couple days until my new Manix 2 arrives :)
 
SpydrMan said:
My wife asked me (in a tone you would talk to a little kid in) "Now what did you learn from this?"
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I get this from my wife as well. I'd love to tell her, I didn't learn a darn thing because I fully expect it to happen again soon. My knives are clean, my tetanus is up to date, and the enjoyment I get from handling the knife is greater than the discomfort of wearing a band-aid for a few days. I guess I might change my mind if I ever cut myself so badly it needs stitches... but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
 
Yalius said:
I get this from my wife as well. I'd love to tell her, I didn't learn a darn thing because I fully expect it to happen again soon. My knives are clean, my tetanus is up to date, and the enjoyment I get from handling the knife is greater than the discomfort of wearing a band-aid for a few days. I guess I might change my mind if I ever cut myself so badly it needs stitches... but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
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Mine woulda needed stitches but there was nothing to stitch. The just put some glue on it to stop the bleeding and even that didn't work. Sucker bled for 3 hours. Still not a deterrent.
 
Ive got a very nice scar from my CQC 8 learning to wave it. THAT SUCKER! it bled for three hours or so and i had to have gone through a bottle of liquid bandaid to close it up. It felt right though, am i sick? hahaha
 
I love to flip my xm 18. So smooth and the lock click is just music to me.
But my favorite is the zt 0560.
That monster blade rolls out on bearings. I can hold it straight up with no wrist, flick the flipper and Snap. Flies up like it's running from the scale.

Oh xm bit my left hand index yesterday installing a new scale. Buuttt, left hand.... Who cares.
 
I have OCD. I need a knife to flip or I'll flip things not meant to be flipped ... LOL. I can do so for hours no end. For me it truly is therapeutic. The motion ... the click ... the rhythm ... the feeling and sound works together to create harmony. It is not appreciated by those around me at home (cannot do the click-thing at work or in public) and I quickly get asked to stop doing "that click thing".

The knife in my collection that does it best is the ZT0600.

Yeah, I'm nuts.
 
0801 and 0551 for me! Can't stop flicking those damn things...if you come to my house you'll hear a constant thwack!
 
Nellem said:
I have OCD. I need a knife to flip or I'll flip things not meant to be flipped ... LOL. I can do so for hours no end. For me it truly is therapeutic. The motion ... the click ... the rhythm ... the feeling and sound works together to create harmony. It is not appreciated by those around me at home (cannot do the click-thing at work or in public) and I quickly get asked to stop doing "that click thing".

The knife in my collection that does it best is the ZT0600.

Yeah, I'm nuts.
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You're definitely not nuts. Work is difficult for me because even though I work with someone who allows me have my knives out and on my desk, they get annoyed by the clicking noises, and I can't just let them sit there all cold and unloved :D

I also have OCD, diagnosed when I was only 7, and managed since then (not sure if you're talking medical or common, but either way I feel you brother), though in my case I manage to control my habits very well without the need of medication or anything like that because my actual condition isn't very severe. Knives have honestly helped with my OCD by allowing me to fixate on something, and conform my habits to them. And hey, there's enough info and differentiation in knives that I'll likely never out of stuff to play with, learn, and obsess over.

And like I said before, it alleviates stress, and makes my day a bit easier.
 
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