Flipper Vs Thumb Studs

A

A_Blade_Afficionado

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Jan 20, 2009
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What is your opinions on the flipper vs thumbstuds debate? Personally, I find thumbstuds to be a lot faster and with a more satisfying pop. The flipper seems slow once you adapt to thumbstuds (that have the ball bearing, it helps build more speed). The flipper though is nice for the guard it gives between your finger and the blade. What is your favored design and what is found on your own EDC?
 
I like the Spyder hole first, well placed and designed thumb studs second then the (manual) flipper. What I miss on the flipper knives is something to grab on to when I'm trying to close it one handed. Opening is not an issue for me. I just feel like I'm missing a purchase to help close it one handed. It's not bad but it's not what I'm used to.
 
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I prefer thumb studs, but i have gotten used to flippers.
I think that if the action on the knife is smooth enough
a flipper makes for really fast deployment.
:)
 
i like them both it gave me something to play with and it depends on each desing.
 
You didn't mention this, but I prefer Spyderco holes (also found on some other knives) first and foremost...similar action to thumbstuds only a different piece to grab on to. I prefer thumbstuds over flippers quite a bit because you can open a blade with thumbstuds in one motion, whereas flippers 99% of the time in my experience require two motions.
 
Flippers are a superior design, objectively speaking. My preference also happens to be flipper.

Remember, there's a lot of different kinds of flippers, and some have more power than others. Try the RAM for instance.

But the objective superiority part comes in with lock safety. A well designed flipper will protect your hand in case of lock failure. Thumbstuds and spyder holes don't have this advantage.

Flippers will tend to be faster, but it doesn't really matter, since you can have both.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mduE9V78hXM


This is a good example. Watch how the user does NOT use inertia (wrist flick, etc) when using the flipper. This is not an assisted opener. And it's nothing fancy either. Just 50 dollars. No IKBS system here.

But I like all of them, and use all of them. It's more of a slight preference for flippers.
 
if i can i much prefer a Flipper, or even a well adjusted axis lock or something of that nature, but i am actually not a big thumbstd fan, the closest ill come is a spydie hole or somethign along those lines.
 
Flipper all the way. It is my preferred opening method by far and I also like the added safety of a finger guard.
 
Although this thread is still pretty young I have to confess I'm surprised at the high percentage of those preferring flippers so far . . . No big reason why. I just didn't expect it.
 
One additional problem with the flipper (especially assisted ones) is various peoples opinions that this makes them switchblades. If I remember right a recent Texas court recently officially declared them switchblades. Not trying to start a right/wrong arguement, but flippers seem to freak people out a bit more.
While they both work well enough once you get used to them, I do prefer thumbstuds to flippers just for the sheeple factor.
 
I find the Spyder Hole the most reliable. The flipper (M21, M16, etc from CRKT) is nice for a very fast deployment, but it's not as reliable. They also don't come on lock backs, compression locks, or other locks that remove the possibility of a back scale. Liner only.
 
corwise said:
One additional problem with the flipper (especially assisted ones) is various peoples opinions that this makes them switchblades. If I remember right a recent Texas court recently officially declared them switchblades. Not trying to start a right/wrong arguement, but flippers seem to freak people out a bit more.
Click to expand...
Let's keep on topic please.
 
corwise said:
One additional problem with the flipper (especially assisted ones) is various peoples opinions that this makes them switchblades. If I remember right a recent Texas court recently officially declared them switchblades. Not trying to start a right/wrong arguement, but flippers seem to freak people out a bit more.
While they both work well enough once you get used to them, I do prefer thumbstuds to flippers just for the sheeple factor.
Click to expand...

That's an unfortunate degradation of interpretation then because I always thought the reason AOs (and flippers too I would think) are not SB's because you are physically manipulating the blade to deploy it.
 
I prefer (well designed) flippers simply because they are more fun. Most of the knives I own are flippers.

I also love the thumb "studs" (for lack of a better word) on my MUDD. They are very easy to manipulate even with gloves. The opening on the MUDD is the easiest and most reliable of any of my knives. They also add grip when open, and offer "waved" opening.

The spyder hole is better than most thumb studs, but it can be hard to use with heavy gloves.

I have problems with most liner and frame lock thumb studs. The asymmetrical scales usually obscure the stud from the left thumb. I would have to buy a specific left-handed knife on those models.

Phillip
 
I prefer a flipper because I can open it just as easy left handed as right handed,you can't do that with a stud,never tried it with a Spyder hole.
 
Flippers rock. Then thumbstuds.

I havent ever liked the "hole in blade" design personally. I cant open them fast at all and I dont like missing vital steel near the root of the blade (from a durability standpoint).

However, the biggest objection to "hole" designs for me is that the profile of the closed knife is widened dramatically and that makes carrying one uncomfortable typically.
 
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