Well I myself just finally got my hands on a Trident Tanto folder. Mixed feelings. In most regards it seems like it's essentially an evolved Flash II. The ergonomics are lightyears ahead of the flash in every regard. The shape, longer handle, the Digi-grip all make the knife feel way better in my hand. The arc-actuator feels FAR better than the Flash's release, and the notching on the top of the blade makes closing a lot nicer. Oh, and the pocket clip seems a bit stronger too LOL. At first it seemed like the lock up was really loose, but as I've gotten it broken in I've been able to get the pivot tightened down enough to eliminate excessive play without the SAT binding up. At first it was really loose but tightening the pivot stopped the SAT completely. Now I've gotten it to be a bit tighter than my Flash, and it opens almost as fast. The overall action doesn't seem as smooth, and it "sticks" a bit more. It's harder to open it that first few degrees before the SAT kicks in. Means it takes a bit more effort and isn't as quick to open, but on the plus side, it should eliminate the problem some people have had with the Flash accidentally opening on them. My only real complaints are minor. The groove could extend down a tad more, exposing more of the blade. I think this would make that feature work a bit better, but then I haven't had a chance to test that out much yet. My other gripe is blade choice. I'd like to see the plain edge clip point available in TiNi or tigerstripe. Don't get why only the combo edges and tanto are. As for the blade thickness, I have no issue with that. It's the same as my Flash. And like my Flash, if I'm doing anything with it that might need a thicker blade, I'm not going to be using a folder anyway. I wouldn't really be too concerned with it. Someone said that the weaker lock (not arc-lock) makes a tanto pointless. In a way yes, but I still find it usefull. I myself find myself stabbing into a lot of thick carboard at work. The tanto is a lot better at this than the clip point. I have no worries about the lock. If I'm going to be stabbing into a 2 x 4, again: fixed blade. I'd say it's a toss up between a Trident and the Flash. I find the Trident a LOT more comfy for my hands, and built essentially the same. The groove is a nice little plus as well. It is a good knife. I suppose the price could be about $10 cheaper for what you get, especially since the SAT does seem to work better on the Flash but still, I really do like the knife. Wish the SAT had the same action as my Flash II, but it's close enough and the improved ergonomics offset that quite a bit. For the money you may probably be better off with a Flash II, but honestly, the Trident is a really nice, well made knife in it's own right. I don't think you'd regret getting one. Given a choice, it'd be really hard for me to choose one over the other right now.
