I’m a flipper...

Are you a lover, hater or somewhere in between?

  • Lover

    Votes: 96 58.2%
  • Hater

    Votes: 21 12.7%
  • Flipper androgynous

    Votes: 48 29.1%

  • Total voters
    165
Like (not love) but I voted love.
If its manual and well done I like it.
I love the Spyderhole.
Waiting to try Mantra 3 - best of both worlds
 
Love them if the action is great, I only have two EDC knifes a Shiro Neon and a North Arm Skaha and both are great for fidget flipping and cutting. Now if the knife is a dog with a weak detent and halfway deploys when flipped no thanks I hate those "flippers"
 
Well I voted that I hate them and started reading the thread... this is about knives... Then I actually love them :D Leaves the blade completely clean and there's nothing to get in the way or collect dirt etc. That said I still prefer the spydie-hole.
 
I'm indifferent. In use, I don't really care either way. Other things are far more important. What I dislike about flippers is not intrinsic to the opening method itself, but rather that it seems many companies tend to only produce flippers and they tend to all look the same.
 
I like them, but don't necessarily love them. The only two flippers I own and carry are a 0450cf and a budget Kershaw Chill.
 
I like a nice smooth action in a knife ... opens and closes smoothly ... I prefer a non flipper not so much because of the flipping acpect but the flipper tabs on many knives bite into my index finger when gripped tightly ... I love Hinderer knives but it one example of the tab curving back to much for my hand ... ZT has a few models that leave me room to grip without biting into my index finger others do ... so I guess I fall in the middle ... not a dislike of flippers but how some are designed just don't fit a broader hand well.
 
I would say in general...i dont buy flipper knives, when i do, im super picky. That being said, i do own a few. If they are well done, like my Shiro...love em. I would much rather a nice blade cutout or a thumbstud over a flipper because i like to choke up my hold on my knives when using. Its hard to do that on a flipper without a choil specifically for that purpose. For instance, the day i bought my ZT 0566, i deassisted, installed PB washers and cut off the flipper tab. Deploys with the thumbstud as if it was a flipper knife. :) Just my 2 cents.
 
I'm a lover not a hater, but not to the exclusion of all my other knives. A quick count in my head has about 20% of my collection as flippers. Opening/closing efficiency along with cutting geometry are probably my two top criteria for knife selection and use. Thumb-studs and Spydie holes satisfy those requirements just as well and those knives that remain in my collection can be flicked out easily (mostly) and closed one-handed.

I prefer flippers that open without a big THWACK!, relying on well-engineered geometry rather than a super-strong detent. Consequently, Shiros are favorites, along with a few others, as they function thusly and can be more discretely opened with a pinch grip as appropriate.
 
We all know that everyone hates those dolphins especially the Miami ones!

I definitely enjoy them as long as it is well made and fits my preferences for the more variable aspects of one. I personally don't like very strong detent, I have weak hands it seems, but the detent can't be so weak/light that the knife can be "wrist flick" opened to me that is just wrong on any knife. The action I expect to be smooth and open with just the flipper and in a single action.

On a side note I have yet to find a thumb stub I didn't dislike I don't mind them as long as the knife has an alternative method.
 
an·drog·y·nous
anˈdräjənəs/
adjective
adjective: androgynous
partly male and partly female in appearance; of indeterminate sex.
  • dated
    having the physical characteristics of both sexes; hermaphrodite.
Being only one of the above genders (and non-hermaphrodite), and neither lover or hater, I am not qualified to vote. In deference to the OP, I am a lefty. That is, I am left handed; political discussions are not allowed in GKD.
 
No real emotional attachment to a knife opening method for me, but I sure do think they are nifty.
 
I have six Hinderers & three ZTs, and I like every one of them. Every time I put one of them in my pocket though, it's rarely there for more than a day before it's replaced by one of my two CRKs.

So.....I guess I could get along just fine without flippers. It's really nice to have choices though.
 
Eh. I have 3 at this point. Flipper or not has no real impact on my purchasing decision - it's all about aesthetics, blade and handle shape. I think I own so few flippers because part of the design aesthetic that seems to come hand in hand with the flipper is other things I don't like - all Ti handles, colors, wacky milling, etc. But my gold standard for aesthetics is an Emerson Custom, so to many people my tastes are likely boring...
 
I don't hate flippers but they're not for me. I've tried a few but found that I don't get any satisfaction from them. I much prefer spydie holes, thumb studs, or thumb discs which can be flicked or rolled out.
 
Depends on the shape of the flipper tab. I love front flippers.

Also I tend to like thumbstuds or even better a Spydie-like hole in addition to the flipper tab so I can slow open the knife.
 
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