Comeuppance
Fixed Blade EDC Emisssary
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2013
- Messages
- 4,765
I have a relatively long-standing appreciation of manual flippers, and am always looking for good new ones. My only requirements are that they have basically perfect lockup, no serrations, must have a pocket clip, have a cutting edge 3" or longer, and require no wrist action.
I've had:
Kershaw JYD, Skyline, RAM, Zing, Groove Edit: Lahar
ZT 0561, 0566, 0770 EDIT: 0801, 0777M390BLK
Spyderco Southard
Hinderer XM-18 Gen 3 (terribad detent)
Hogue EX-02
Buck Vantage
Meyerco Darrell Ralph DDR EDC
Enlan EL-01
Wilson Combat Rapid Response XL (brief review: meh.)
Edit:
Microtech DOC, Whaleshark
Brous Reloader
CRKT Swindle
What should I try?
By request, a brief review of each:
Kershaw:
JYD: I've had two, currently own one, both weren't particularly smooth flippers unless I loosened it to the point that it had side-to-side play. Still love the blade shape enough to keep a DLC composite blade version that I am in the process of customizing.
Skyline: Only owned the coyote brown G10 / DLC version. Crap flipper. Too small. Don't trust the one-sided-frame design.
RAM: Man, do I regret selling this one. Best flipper I've owned, bar none. Loved the integrated choil in the bolster (thus not sacrificing cutting edge), rock solid lockup, nice and fun closing mechanism.
Zing: I own, use, and love my Zing Tanto BLK. When I got it, the hex side of the pivot turned freely in the handle. I sent it off to Kershaw and all is well. Amazing, reliable, fast little flipper with perfect lockup.
Groove: I've owned four, and all have been fantastic flippers with solid lockup out of the box. Very well designed.
Lahar: There seems to be a lot of variance in the QC on these. Out of the three, only one flipped well without wrist action. I bought three at once at a crazy good price, and promptly sold them all (instead of keeping one or two) because the blade shape and pocket clip didn't do it for me. The screws didn't appear to be heat treated and I stripped three of them out despite being careful.
ZT:
0561: First $200+ knife, absolutely gorgeous, but had some very minor lock rock. The disengagement was painfully stiff at first, but that smoothed out just like the pivot did. Ended up trading it for a Gayle Bradley because the 0561 was just too bulky.
0560CBCF: Received in a trade. Perfect in every way. Just as smooth as the 0777M390BLK I had, which is impressive.
0566: Great assisted knife, off-center and terrible de-assisted flipper. Might have gotten a bad one.
0770: Bought it basically to resell it, but I'd have considered keeping it if the handle wasn't aluminum. I would have preferred G10, or really anything that isn't such a scratch magnet. Otherwise, fantastic knife. Never tried to de-assist it, but it is a flawless assisted flipper.
0801: It's a lot lighter than I thought it would be, given the all-Ti handles. Perfect lockup, amazing blade shape, VERY strong detent (which seems a bit unnecessary given that it runs on bearings), and great flipping action. Not a fan of the pocket clip, though - it looks cheap and out of place on the knife.
0777M390BLK: Lives up to the hype.
Others:
Spyderco Southard: CTS-204p is a beast. I bought one and used it, and used it, and used it... Hit the edge on a steel pipe accidentally with so much force that the pipe rang and resonated for a while. Zero damage to the edge. Top notch.
Hinderer XM-18 Gen 3: Terribad detent, and apparently Hinderer doesn't work on detents. You put out a >$500 knife and won't make the flippers work well? That's stupid. You're stupid. Otherwise, beautiful knife with amazing tolerances.
Hogue EX-02: I have three. God, I love these things. Linerlocks done right, flips and snaps open with authority, VERY nice blade shapes. All three see regular carry.
Buck Vantage: Blade play, off-center, mediocre flipper. I like the blade shape and pocket clip, though.
Meyerco Darrell Ralph DDR EDC: I might have gotten an unusually nice one (given the reviews I've seen for other Meyerco knives), but the one I got had fantastic flipping action, no blade play, and was terrifyingly sharp. The screws were definitely not heat-treated, though, and stripped easily.
Enlan EL-01: Best flipper for the money, bar none. Smooth, solid, light, sharp, well-designed.
Wilson Combat Rapid Response XL: I was hoping for something akin to a flipper Sebenza, but got a knife of a quality level about $100 less than what I paid. Only knife I've ever returned.
Microtech DOC: I loved everything about this but the lock disengagement. Finger-hurtingly-stiff and hard to access.
Whaleshark: See DOC.
Brous Reloader: It just felt flimsy to me despite having no flaws. It's hard to describe. The handle grooves are very comfy, it flipped out well, and the lockup was solid, but, eh. Just didn't inspire confidence for some reason.
CRKT Swindle: WONDERFUL other than the stupid pocket clip that would orient the knife sideways so that the flipper tab was pointed out, and the blade spine resting against my thigh. As I knew would eventually happen, it stabbed me in the leg when I bumped into something with my thigh. Sold it the next morning.
I've had:
Kershaw JYD, Skyline, RAM, Zing, Groove Edit: Lahar
ZT 0561, 0566, 0770 EDIT: 0801, 0777M390BLK
Spyderco Southard
Hinderer XM-18 Gen 3 (terribad detent)
Hogue EX-02
Buck Vantage
Meyerco Darrell Ralph DDR EDC
Enlan EL-01
Wilson Combat Rapid Response XL (brief review: meh.)
Edit:
Microtech DOC, Whaleshark
Brous Reloader
CRKT Swindle
What should I try?
By request, a brief review of each:
Kershaw:
JYD: I've had two, currently own one, both weren't particularly smooth flippers unless I loosened it to the point that it had side-to-side play. Still love the blade shape enough to keep a DLC composite blade version that I am in the process of customizing.
Skyline: Only owned the coyote brown G10 / DLC version. Crap flipper. Too small. Don't trust the one-sided-frame design.
RAM: Man, do I regret selling this one. Best flipper I've owned, bar none. Loved the integrated choil in the bolster (thus not sacrificing cutting edge), rock solid lockup, nice and fun closing mechanism.
Zing: I own, use, and love my Zing Tanto BLK. When I got it, the hex side of the pivot turned freely in the handle. I sent it off to Kershaw and all is well. Amazing, reliable, fast little flipper with perfect lockup.
Groove: I've owned four, and all have been fantastic flippers with solid lockup out of the box. Very well designed.
Lahar: There seems to be a lot of variance in the QC on these. Out of the three, only one flipped well without wrist action. I bought three at once at a crazy good price, and promptly sold them all (instead of keeping one or two) because the blade shape and pocket clip didn't do it for me. The screws didn't appear to be heat treated and I stripped three of them out despite being careful.
ZT:
0561: First $200+ knife, absolutely gorgeous, but had some very minor lock rock. The disengagement was painfully stiff at first, but that smoothed out just like the pivot did. Ended up trading it for a Gayle Bradley because the 0561 was just too bulky.
0560CBCF: Received in a trade. Perfect in every way. Just as smooth as the 0777M390BLK I had, which is impressive.
0566: Great assisted knife, off-center and terrible de-assisted flipper. Might have gotten a bad one.
0770: Bought it basically to resell it, but I'd have considered keeping it if the handle wasn't aluminum. I would have preferred G10, or really anything that isn't such a scratch magnet. Otherwise, fantastic knife. Never tried to de-assist it, but it is a flawless assisted flipper.
0801: It's a lot lighter than I thought it would be, given the all-Ti handles. Perfect lockup, amazing blade shape, VERY strong detent (which seems a bit unnecessary given that it runs on bearings), and great flipping action. Not a fan of the pocket clip, though - it looks cheap and out of place on the knife.
0777M390BLK: Lives up to the hype.
Others:
Spyderco Southard: CTS-204p is a beast. I bought one and used it, and used it, and used it... Hit the edge on a steel pipe accidentally with so much force that the pipe rang and resonated for a while. Zero damage to the edge. Top notch.
Hinderer XM-18 Gen 3: Terribad detent, and apparently Hinderer doesn't work on detents. You put out a >$500 knife and won't make the flippers work well? That's stupid. You're stupid. Otherwise, beautiful knife with amazing tolerances.
Hogue EX-02: I have three. God, I love these things. Linerlocks done right, flips and snaps open with authority, VERY nice blade shapes. All three see regular carry.
Buck Vantage: Blade play, off-center, mediocre flipper. I like the blade shape and pocket clip, though.
Meyerco Darrell Ralph DDR EDC: I might have gotten an unusually nice one (given the reviews I've seen for other Meyerco knives), but the one I got had fantastic flipping action, no blade play, and was terrifyingly sharp. The screws were definitely not heat-treated, though, and stripped easily.
Enlan EL-01: Best flipper for the money, bar none. Smooth, solid, light, sharp, well-designed.
Wilson Combat Rapid Response XL: I was hoping for something akin to a flipper Sebenza, but got a knife of a quality level about $100 less than what I paid. Only knife I've ever returned.
Microtech DOC: I loved everything about this but the lock disengagement. Finger-hurtingly-stiff and hard to access.
Whaleshark: See DOC.
Brous Reloader: It just felt flimsy to me despite having no flaws. It's hard to describe. The handle grooves are very comfy, it flipped out well, and the lockup was solid, but, eh. Just didn't inspire confidence for some reason.
CRKT Swindle: WONDERFUL other than the stupid pocket clip that would orient the knife sideways so that the flipper tab was pointed out, and the blade spine resting against my thigh. As I knew would eventually happen, it stabbed me in the leg when I bumped into something with my thigh. Sold it the next morning.
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