Flipper on new ripples?

bpeezer

bpeezer

Joined
Jan 27, 2013
Messages
2,078
I have one of the older ripples, I love the IKBS and design but I absolutely hate the flipper. It really digs into my finger every time I use it. Does anyone have both the new and old ripple? And if so, does the new smooth flipper feel better on your finger?
 
I only have the older one and the flipper is fine for me. I like the blade shape better on the older ones because it comes to a better point.
 
Do you pull back or push down on the flipper? I push down, and I find that the tip of it consistently digs into the pad of my finger :(
 
I had one a while back that was very nice. My brother just got one and the flipper might as well be sharpened. It damn near breaks the skin to open the thing. And the detent on his is brutal, which makes the sharp flipper even worse.
 
On the old versions just sand it down a hair, enough to break the sharp points, that's what I've done on mine. I have four Ripples (different models) and an Eros. On the Ripples I sand down any sharp edges on the flipper and top of the frame, just enough that they don't bite any longer. After that I find they're much more comfortable to play with.
 
I have the new ripple and the detent is one of the strongest I have felt on a flipper. If you push down on the flipper, it is not going anywhere. It is definitely a pull back flipper. You can try to push down but you have to use a bone in your finger rather than the meat/pad of your finger if that makes any sense.
 
I usually push down because just getting past the detent won't propel a lot of blades all the way to the lock. I guess if the detent is super strong I could get used to pulling back, as long as it locks open consistently. I really want to love the ripple.

Evilgreg, I will probably give that a shot soon, thanks.
 
I think of a flipper the way I think of a light switch. I don't push directly onto the tip of a switch to turn it off, I reach above the tip and push down on it. Seems to me a flipper should work the same way. Granted a flipper may need a little more oomph to deploy the blade than a light switch does to turn it on and off. But if it doesn't work the same way, I usually get rid of the knife.
 
bld522 said:
I think of a flipper the way I think of a light switch. I don't push directly onto the tip of a switch to turn it off, I reach above the tip and push down on it. Seems to me a flipper should work the same way. Granted a flipper may need a little more oomph to deploy the blade than a light switch does to turn it on and off. But if it doesn't work the same way, I usually get rid of the knife.
Click to expand...

When I play with flippers I like them to flip out as fast as possible, just because that puts a big smile on my face. I push down because circular motion is described by an acceleration vector pointing directly inward towards toward the pivot point, so the best way to impart circular motion is to apply force along the line of acceleration (towards the pivot).

However, this vector describes circular motion with constant speed. Since the blade starts at rest, a tangential component (pulling back) is required to impart initial acceleration to the blade. Thus, the optimal application of force to impart the greatest acceleration to the blade will be at an angle that is not straight back, and not straight down, but somewhere in between.

I hope this helped with your understanding of my problem. I don't use the same motion as I do for light switches because I don't try to flip a light switch as fast as possible. My problem stems from my unnecessary need for faster deployment :o sorry for the long winded response
 
Right. I guess my point is that I don't want to have to think too much when I deploy my knife. I want to be able to employ a simple, repeatable motion using about the same amount of finger pressure every time with every flipper I own. I'm also not opposed to using a little wrist flick to make sure the knife opens reliably, so my flipper actuation requirements are pretty forgiving. :)
 
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I wish my brain would let me have it so easy! Hopefully one day I'll be able to take a similar, more laid back approach to playing with my toys :)
 
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