Flippers vs. Thumbstuds

i didn't notice till a little while ago, but all through life my favorite knives have always been flippers 17-18 i loved my crkt ripple now i love my zt 770 and 0566, i've had a lot of knives in my short life but it seems i've instinctively gone into flippers. i always feel im going to cut my thumb by flicking a thumbstud open quickly, irrational? maybe but i dont like having my fingers that close to a razor
 
Frankly i just started getting into flippers last year. went after 5, but only 3 came to stay at my place.
getting the action right on a flipper isn't as consistent across the board as one might think initially imho.

Yet, with that said i prefer a knife that has both real thumb studs and a flipper too.

I went after the tighe knife because it had both. via thumb studs that knife flew out unlike any i had ever handled before. The action was silky smooth too. I still couldn't get it to flip out properly/consistently.

I just went back to a thumb stud only knife. I bought the Greg Lightfoot Catch Dog Attack Folder yesterday! :D:thumbup:
first knife of the new year & i actually hope the last. Time to stop spending on knives i don't actually need & espcially the ones I rather not carry. if i wear a suit though that Lightfoot is going to be my EDC that day. :)

I like flippers because of how they deploy easily, with one hand as i don't have to think about it . but like the thumb studs added because i want to be able to deploy the knife even if the flipper action has gone awry for some reason.
 
Thimbstuds, when placed poorly in relation to the cutting edge of a knife, tend to impede cutting as they can and snag the material. They can also be intrusive if they are taller then the entire knife is wide.
This is not the case with all manufacturers though.
I like the secondary benefit of the flipper as a finger guard. It can come in quite handy. The Spyderhole is a great development for ease of use and not adding any secondary parts to a blade. Sometimes on a certain knife, the hole appears (to me atleast) too large and ruines the overall flow of the knife in general. Again, just my opinion.
 
Well, I like the flipper, and I like the thumb stud opening.
I got myself a Benchmade 300 Ball Axis flipper....there are actually 3 ways of opening the knife due to the Axis lock.
It's a sweet knife.
I also got myself a Kershaw Teal Leek. It's easier to open it using the flipper over the thumb studs due to the size of the knife...it's small.

Ron
 
I don't care how it opens as long as it is well designed and opens 100% of the time.. One handed opening and closing preferred but not a requirement.
 
count me in the flipper camp for knives I use regularly. I like and carry both but usually prefer to carry my custom flippers. I don't like grey tactical flippers but that is more personal preference about the look, I'm sure they function just fine. I've grown so comfortable using a flipper that it is almost second nature to deploy it, use it and replace it. Now when I do carry a thumb stud knife (Sebenza) I actually have to think about how to open the damned thing. Not a long thought but just a brief pause to think, "oh yeah I have to use my thumb."
 
I prefer holes to studs. (maybe its a guy thing).

I own all of ten folders. Four flippers (ZT 0801, 0770CF, 0561, Brous Bionic) four Spydies (GB, Manix 2, PM2, Dragonfly 2), one thumbstud (TSF Beast) and a traditional (LionSteel Opera).
 
I prefer both on a knife. The flipper for quick deployment, and the thumb stud or Spyder hole for discreet, quiet opening. I also like the finger choil most flippers provide.

My fascination with the assisted openers is long gone. I just de-assisted my ZT0770 and I like it much, much better.
 
mwschilling said:
count me in the flipper camp for knives I use regularly. I like and carry both but usually prefer to carry my custom flippers. I don't like grey tactical flippers but that is more personal preference about the look, I'm sure they function just fine. I've grown so comfortable using a flipper that it is almost second nature to deploy it, use it and replace it. Now when I do carry a thumb stud knife (Sebenza) I actually have to think about how to open the damned thing. Not a long thought but just a brief pause to think, "oh yeah I have to use my thumb."
Click to expand...

A flipper/bearing Sebenza would rule.
 
So would a flipper/bearing William Henry. :) On the other hand, William Henrys are already about the smoothest opening knives on the market, so throwing a flipper in the mix might be about as useful as bringing coal to Newcastle.
 
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I don't have a preference in use.

I have small hands, which seems to fit the geometry around a pivot quite well. The length of my thumb seems to be the same as a stud/hole's length of travel. Flippers also work quite well. Hell, I'm generally fine with a nail nick.

Aesthetically though, I generally prefer a flipper or a thumb hole to a stud.
 
As long as it is smooth and has the proper detent, I don't care very much. Probably a slight preference for flippers. My main concern is that I be able to deploy it quickly on account of the never ending knife fights in which I find myself.
 
I equally enjoy flippers and flickers. But if I'd had to choose it would be the thumb disk!
 
Flippers, I enjoy using them more than thumb studs. Actually both is what I prefer
 
Thumbstuds definitely. I also like thumbdiscs on some knives. (to bring in another alternative)
 
I hate flippers. It's the only thing preventing me from buying more ZT's (wish more were like the 0550).

Spyder holes and thumb studs are what I love.
 
When i first started buying knives it was always thumb studs, then i got into spyderco and hole and now flippers have won me over. Flippers all day!
 
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