LionSteel TRE flipper with 2.91" M390 blade CF/TI/G-10

bld522 said:
The design of the T.R.E. strikes me as being awfully busy. There are too many lumps, bumps, notches and angles to let the knife flow smoothly from back to front.
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Yes, I do prefer the smooth contours of my present EDC, but not everyone likes the same thing...thank goodness.

 
I look at the TRE as at least innovative and versatile. I like the looks. There are certain compromises in the design that detracts from aesthetics for versatility's sake. I prefer not to have a hole on the blade's spine if I'm using it as a flipper and want the full titanium. The extra clip holes for left-hand carry is also a blemish on the looks. Regardless, it should make for a real nice EDC folder.

I wouldn't be surprised if the TRE won at least one award at the 2015 Blade Show: Import Knife, Most Innovative Import Knife or Overall Knife.
 
RamZar said:
I look at the TRE as at least innovative and versatile. I like the looks. There are certain compromises in the design that detracts from aesthetics for versatility's sake. I prefer not to have a hole on the blade's spine if I'm using it as a flipper and want the full titanium. The extra clip holes for left-hand carry is also a blemish on the looks. Regardless, it should make for a real nice EDC folder.

I wouldn't be surprised if the TRE won at least one award at the 2015 Blade Show: Import Knife, Most Innovative Import Knife or Overall Knife.
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I agree. Where we differ is that you like the way the TRE looks and I don't. No matter how innovative or versatile the TRE may be and how many awards it may garner, that's a deal-breaker for me.
 
bld522 said:
"Interesting" is an interesting way to describe the knife. If you don't mind my asking, do you like the design or not?
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Yes I do,design looks,shall I say intriguing and will try getting one when they come out for sale.
 
bld522 said:
I agree. Where we differ is that you like the way the TRE looks and I don't. No matter how innovative or versatile the TRE may be and how many awards it may garner, that's a deal-breaker for me.
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Granted that looks can be quite subjective what exactly do you dislike about the looks of the TRE? Of course, it doesn't have the clean, sculpted and elegant lines of the TiSpine and the comparison is not fair due to design compromises.
 
RamZar said:
I look at the TRE as at least innovative and versatile. I like the looks. There are certain compromises in the design that detracts from aesthetics for versatility's sake. I prefer not to have a hole on the blade's spine if I'm using it as a flipper and want the full titanium. The extra clip holes for left-hand carry is also a blemish on the looks. Regardless, it should make for a real nice EDC folder.

I wouldn't be surprised if the TRE won at least one award at the 2015 Blade Show: Import Knife, Most Innovative Import Knife or Overall Knife.
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I completely agree with this here. But as a lefty, I'm pretty grateful its drill and tapped for lefty carry. I think this looks like a sweet knife.
 
I was so looking forward to the LionSteel flipper but when I saw this I was disappointed. I was hoping for something like the beautiful TM1 with a flipper action but this design is not for me. I like the blade but the handle is just too weird.

(BTW, I love the Decepticon so it's not that I don't appreciate complex and intricate designs).
 
RamZar said:
Granted that looks can be quite subjective what exactly do you dislike about the looks of the TRE? Of course, it doesn't have the clean, sculpted and elegant lines of the TiSpine and the comparison is not fair due to design compromises.
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I don't see where a cleaner, more symmetrical look would have compromised the TRE's design, but the lockbar alone is a turnoff for me. From the hint of a finger cutout that isn't deep enough to make it functional to the way the lockbar thins down before it suddenly widens to allow installation of the insert screws, it looks like a design in search of a reason. Then there's the indentation in the handle above the lockbar that appears to have been put there in an attempt to help the lockbar's pinched midsection blend in with the handle. But all the indentation does for me is disturb the sweep of the handle, a sweep that isn't helped much by an angular rise in the middle of the spine that's emphasized by a screw placed directly at its apex. Add to that a swedge that others have pointed out is in the wrong place and a clip that seems more fitted for a pen than a knife and the TRE ends up looking like a hodgepodge of design elements that don't work well together. Some folks may find its eccentricities charming, of course. It certainly is distinctive. And owning a LionSteel knife as I do, I have no doubt that it's beautifully crafted. But to my eye, the TRE's design is as odd as the TiSpine's design is elegant.

You asked! ;)
 
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Bld522, I share your sentiments here. When I look at the design I get the impression the CAD software used had a --random geometry-- menu button that you kept on clicking on until something resembling a knife came up.
 
This forum is so effing schyzo it isn't funny.

Countless threads on people copying designs, then a knife like this comes out, and people can't wait to p*ss all over it for being different.

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I appreciate that the knife is innovative, but innovation is most relevant when it serves a purpose. In this case... Flipper people like flippers, thumb stud people like thumb studs, I really don't believe that consumers are going to make practical use of the add/subtract features. I used to be in the gun business, and this smells a lot like the Sig P250 modularity gimmick. There will be people who play with it for the sake of playing with it, but the idea will garner more attention than use. In the real world, this 'innovation' is really only going to amount to a practical advantage for... Lionsteel. They've developed a knife they can sell to people with a variety of mechanism preferences.

This isn't a slam on Lionsteel. I am carrying a TiSpine as I type this, and am incredibly hypnotized by it. Gorgeous and very functional. I am also a fan of the TRE base model. I don't want the +/- features. Permanent flipper without a swedge? I'm indifferent with regard to the swedge, so that is fine for me.

I'll be watching for more photos and videos showing the lock side of the G-10 version. That may be my next Lionsteel blade.
 
Brigadier said:
Countless threads on people copying designs, then a knife like this comes out, and people can't wait to p*ss all over it for being different. :jerkit
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Different doesn't necessarily mean better. Sometimes it just means different. ;) And what's with all the jerkit emoticons in the General Knife Discussion recently. I thought that was a no-no except in W&C. :confused:
 
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bld522 said:
And what's with all the jerkit emoticons in the General Knife Discussion recently. I thought that was a no-no except in W&C. :confused:
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It must be buried in the rules somewhere, or else I forgot my Cap'N Crunch decoder ring......
 
RBid said:
In this case... Flipper people like flippers, thumb stud people like thumb studs, I really don't believe that consumers are going to make practical use of the add/subtract features.
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I actually like them both. I like the ability to open a knife slowly if the need/situation calls for it. I don't like to be shoe horned into just one method of opening a knife.
 
Brigadier said:
I actually like them both. I like the ability to open a knife slowly if the need/situation calls for it. I don't like to be shoe horned into just one method of opening a knife.
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The point was really that people like configs that they like, and aren't likely to rotate once they've set it up to taste. I'm expecting that some people who are currently fascinated with this gimmick will argue, but 6 months after buying these, it won't be happening.
 
Brigadier said:
This forum is so effing schyzo it isn't funny.

Countless threads on people copying designs, then a knife like this comes out, and people can't wait to p*ss all over it for being different.

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Haha, well said and amusing!
 
RBid said:
The point was really that people like configs that they like, and aren't likely to rotate once they've set it up to taste. I'm expecting that some people who are currently fascinated with this gimmick will argue, but 6 months after buying these, it won't be happening.
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I agree with that. But the ability to customize the TRE right out of the box to suit people's preferences is a good thing in my view . . . at least it is on paper. We'll see how folks react to it once they have the knife in hand.
 
Fair point, bld. I suppose it adds some measure of value for people who want flipper + disc out of the box.
 
This knife actually plays into my traditional view-point on opening mechanisms. I change preference often!

Well, maybe not too often, but over the years, I've definitely varied in what I consider ideal.

I was originally a stud guy, then I went through a hole phase, never warmed up to the wave feature, but I'm mainly in a flipper stage, at the moment. I go back and forth between the hole and flipper, for the most part. I recently discovered I like a disk, as well, and have been looking into other knives with this feature.

This knife, (which I think looks SEXY!) fits into my philosophy quite well, and I'm really looking forward to it. It can change with my whims.

I do have to take a bit of issue with the clip, though, which looks a bit strange, but I guess it would pass as a pen clip, and offer an added degree of discreetness. I can forgive that. I'm sure there will be aftermarket clips available.
 
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