Hard use folder: Flipper or no?

jdm61

jdm61

itinerant metal pounder
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
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Question for you lunatics. For a hard use folder, do you prefer a flipper with some kind of bearing setup or a more coventional thumb stud one hand opener with say bronze washers? Why? i ask because from my limited examination, it appears that the majority of the folders that are considered to be very tough seem to be convention one handers.
 
For hard use like building a fort in the jungle I would take a flipper design to act as a finger guard. Normal EDC cutting at home & work just a normal knife. Phosphor washers are stronger & will feel stronger. Teflon is a little soft but not really noticeable.
 
My two favorites in this category are the Hinderer XM-18 based Kershaws and the Cold Steel 2011 Voyagers. Both have a significant guard, one using a flipper and the other using just handle contours.

For a framelock, I definitely prefer a flipper if I'm going to be cutting any tough, gooey, adhesive, or high stiction materials.
 
If you were asking for an EDC I'd say to get a flipper-design, since it'll be in and out of your pocket a lot; I find flippers extremely easy to use. For a hard use knife, I don't think one really trumps the other. I do find that the flipper can get in the way however, especially when doing tasks which require less force, instead asking for more precise control.

Although, I do agree with you, non-flipper knives seem to be more tank-ish.

I say this looking at my Buck 110 and my Tenacious... They're both pretty damn tough though.
 
Flipper really doesn't matter in my opinion of a hard use folder. That being said I love the flippers, but it isn't what makes or breaks it for me. example would be, I love the zt 0200 flipper non assisted, but I also love the zt 0550 non flipper, non assisted. Haven't tried a zt 030x yet. Love my zt 0561 as well. If it is beefy, that is all that matters to this guy.
 
bad_juju said:
Flipper really doesn't matter in my opinion of a hard use folder. That being said I love the flippers, but it isn't what makes or breaks it for me. example would be, I love the zt 0200 flipper non assisted, but I also love the zt 0550 non flipper, non assisted. Haven't tried a zt 030x yet. Love my zt 0561 as well. If it is beefy, that is all that matters to this guy.
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try the 30x series boss..i fell in love with it..its in rotation with my 550 as well..what i want to try is the 561..lol..
back on topic flippers..it would act as a finger guard..like the other members said :)
 
azyrah said:
try the 30x series boss..i fell in love with it..its in rotation with my 550 as well..what i want to try is the 561..lol..
back on topic flippers..it would act as a finger guard..like the other members said :)
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One of these days! I understand the finger guard, but It hasn't been something that is super improtant to me. Pivot and lock size, along with no blade play are what I have determined as the main things I consider. Flipper really doesn't matter either way fo me. I have both but have no preference...For what it's worth! Sorry if this does not help:o
 
Flippers feel less secure to open with slippery, cold hands for me. I like thumbholes and thumbstuds letting you rotate the blade to full lock-up where a flipper is similar to a quick flick of the thumb. Also like being able to have my index finger right by the edge with a choked up grip...could do similar with a flipper with large choil but then have a pressure point device inbetween index and middle finger.
 
bad_juju said:
One of these days! I understand the finger guard, but It hasn't been something that is super improtant to me. Pivot and lock size, along with no blade play are what I have determined as the main things I consider. Flipper really doesn't matter either way fo me. I have both but have no preference...For what it's worth! Sorry if this does not help:o
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you nailed it sir.. :)
 
I love flippers. My 0200 is a tank, and I love the ease of deployment. That's why I love flippers. My Ontario hossom retribution 1 deploys fast as any and is a huge and thick knife. It has poly washers. Those are liner locks.
My Sog Vulcan is an arc lock flipper and is probably my favorite EDC till my Demko ad-10 comes. It is solid, fast, .16 thick vg-10 and I never have to put my fingers in the way of the blade to close it(I cut myself several times closing liner locks being careless). I rather flip than not!
 
I would cast my vote for flipper due to the finger guard the flipper creates. As far as action, I prefer cased bearings.
 
Flipper or not i don't mind, but having that flipper act as a choil is pretty nice for hard use. I personally like just straight bronze bushings.
 
i carry flippers, and only flippers (if i am carrying a folder)

Zt560, Hinderer, zermento Azrael. All of these are as "hard use" as anything you could want in a folder.
 
i worry about bearings under hard use unless they are in a sealed configuration. I would prefer some type of lockback for that purpose, so no flipper. Ideally a wave deployment.
 
I love flippers myself, but I am more of a fixed blade person, so I never use a hard use folder for.. hard use. The flipper acts as a guard, which is nice sometimes, but not necessary.
 
I have been on a flpper style knife since I started rebuilding my collection this past November. I prefer them because I have/had neuropathy in the finger tips of my right hand and found that I could not open a thumbstuded knife to save my life! The flippers were another story as I had no problem opening them with my index finger of my right hand. But most of the neuropathy has left my fingers and I can once again open knives that only have thumbstuds. I just picked up a Boker Plus Epicenter, 2nd generatiln
 
No flipper, because flippers are almost always titanium framelocks or liner locks and I'd prefer something else for really hard use. I also don't like flippers because flipper + gravity knife laws do not get along well.
 
It doesn't matter one bit to me really. I generally prefer the cheapo knives for hard use. My favorite so far is the CRKT M16 tanto. I've seen cheaper knives outlast the "high end" ones a few times now.
When its cold out I wear gloves a lot so that is a factor with opening ease and I tend to use a flipper or my PM2 with its extra large opening hole.
I've never used bearings and I don't care to, just seems like another problem waiting to happen. Bronze phosphor or nylon suits me more than enough. I have knives that don't even have those. Like my Ka-bar Dozier folder, it uses a raised portion on the frn handle as the washer.
 
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