Flipper question.

[2006Vette]

So have any of you come across a knife where you could press on the flipper (hard enough to get it past the detent) and not be able to stop it short of full engagement?

Example - my xxxx flips all the way open regardless of how hard I try to get it not to.?

I just got a new ZT0777 today and it deploys fully with authority everytime. Just insane flipping action and comparable to my Chris Martin PF-1.

 

[Omega Leather Works]

I have two Kershaw Tilts, one opens very easy you can get it to not open fully if you pull the flipper easy enough. The other you have to pull the flipper very hard and the blade will always fly open fast and lock right up. Neither one feels like it has anymore pressure on the blade once it's open. (just working the blades with my hand) I can open either just fine because I know the knives, it doesn't bother me that they are different. I also have a mid tech that takes a lot of pressure to get it started and it opens fast, don't feel any undue pressure on the blade from the lock-bar on that one either. So, I don't think a strong detent puts more pressure on a blade once it's overcame.

Of course it does, you just can't feel it.

On a totally unrelated note (hey it's my thread ) I noticed a person (who will go unnamed) mention that bearing systems like the Southards add unnecessary cost to a knife. I would have bought that a couple of days ago, but as I was looking for supplies at a knife making supply website I noticed that they carry captive bearings just like the Southards for something like $6 for a set. Perhaps (?) there is some associated cost with the system (extra milling or what have you) but in quantity it makes me wonder why the big 3 aren't putting them in every model.

When you take the lockbar (detent) pressure off of the Southards blade it swings completely freely, and anyone who has one can tell you there is absolutely zero play in any direction.

I realize that manufacturing costs are figured down to the fraction of a penny in industry like the automotive world, but I'd be willing to pay an extra $10 for every knife I buy if it swings like the Spyderco.

Just a thought.

 

[bpeezer]

Of course it does, you just can't feel it.

On a totally unrelated note (hey it's my thread ) I noticed a person (who will go unnamed) mention that bearing systems like the Southards add unnecessary cost to a knife. I would have bought that a couple of days ago, but as I was looking for supplies at a knife making supply website I noticed that they carry captive bearings just like the Southards for something like $6 for a set. Perhaps (?) there is some associated cost with the system (extra milling or what have you) but in quantity it makes me wonder why the big 3 aren't putting them in every model.

When you take the lockbar (detent) pressure off of the Southards blade it swings completely freely, and anyone who has one can tell you there is absolutely zero play in any direction.

I realize that manufacturing costs are figured down to the fraction of a penny in industry like the automotive world, but I'd be willing to pay an extra $10 for every knife I buy if it swings like the Spyderco.

Just a thought.

You could do the milling yourself in half an hour with a bridgeport and a rotary table! I agree though, I love the CRKT Ripple because it's got bearings and you can get one for $30. First time I felt one, I honestly thought it was assisted open. If I made the knives (which I don't ) I would totally put bearings in every folder I made.

 

[RobCamlin]

Buying a custom flipper is not so much that it will function better as a flipper knife than a production flipper, but that it's a custom knife. As stated before, the functionality of a flipper in a folding knife is dependent upon many different variables. Some production flippers may even function better than some customs, but at the end of the day one is a production knife and the other is a hand made custom.

If you want a knife just for how well it flips or that you just want a flipper, then by all means save yourself some money and buy a production knife that has a flipper. But if you really want an RJ Martin Q-36 or Southard AWT for example, then nothing else will compare. Ya know?