it depends on the occasion:
if i am standing up, and my 23 month old daughter is not around, i love to practice basic openings with my bm42c or my typhoon (both are balisongs for you non-flippers). my daughter is fascinated with bali's and pitches a fit if she sees me flipping and she can't play with one. -- i made the mistake of letting her play with the 42c once (spring-latch, locked closed) and she had this gleeful look of triumph as she twisted her wrist back and forth, pretending to twirl it. now, she thinks it's her right to play with it when she sees me flip.
for some reason (probably not wanting to repair the furniture), i rarely flip while seated. however i do particularly enjoy playing with my sog trident or atc vietnam tactical hawk while watching tv. both of them seem to have that "ineffable something".