My random observations about 3 flippers I recently acquired (new), for what it's worth. Price range from $50 - $125.
Realsteel Thor T101
Very impressive knife for a mere $50. Where to begin? Fit & finish is excellent, both the handle & blade. The blade is rperfectly centered. It is factory sharp (needs polishing like most all knives) and, the grind is absolutely symmetrical on both sides. No wiggles anywhere.
The stonewashed blade finish is even, the G10 handle has the appropriate tactile finish for grip without being abrasive. The pocket clip leaves about 1/2" exposed. The jimping is just right. Overall, a very ergonomic knife.
Now for the best part. The flipper is perfect! It has a strong detent, appropriate for its beefy blade. This combination results in a resounding thwack when deployed. It seems impossible to miss-fire this flipper.
To sum it up, the Realsteel T101 has to be one of the best bangs for the buck of any flipper. The 14C28N isn't a super steel, but it's no slouch and a cut above its price point. Impeccable quality of construction.
Buck Marksman 830
I just received the "Operator" aka, Buck Marksman 830 variant with S35VN steel & G10 scales with greatly improved cutout moldings. This model is exclusive to SKBlades for $125.
First of all, I love the knife! It's not perfect & I'll get to that. But first, this thing flips like butter! I know everyone says that, but it's true.
I was skeptical that it would be easy to close. It seemed odd in pictures & videos. I was wrong to fear that. This knife is easier to close than any other I have, including liner locks, lock backs, or frame locks.
I do believe this is the most comfortable handle in hand of all my folding knives. I have fairly large hands. The pocket clip leaves none of the knife exposed. There's no jimping, but the strap lock on top does offer a bit of traction, while still being comfortable. Overall, a very ergonomic knife. There are no wiggles anywhere.
And, it's so lightweight! Compared to my other flippers of the same size, it is one ounce lighter. That's about 20-25% difference. I consider this a positive, but it doesn't have as solid a "thwack" when it opens like my heavier flippers have. But I'm sure this is pure physics; heavy blade = loud thwack.
Now for the negatives. The blade is not centered. It just barely touches a side when coming to rest closed. Not that it causes any friction, but I have much cheaper knives that are perfectly centered. An annoyance.
The edge is ground noticeably more on one side than the other. Now I sharpen all my new knives right out of the box, so this isn't a big deal. But again, my cheaper knives come perfectly even. But after reprofiling the edge, that S35VN steel is scary sharp (and I usually can't get scary sharp).
IMO, worth the upgrade from the standard Marksman 830. I can foresee that this knife will get plenty of use, and may very well be the first knife I grab most of the time.
Kizer Vanguard Gemini
First off, this is the Vanguard (budget version) of the Gemini for $80. From my research, the difference is the steel used and the handle material. Otherwise, I belive it is the same knife, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
I'll come right out and say it, I'm not at all impressed with the flipper action. The detent is way too light to build up pressure to launch the blade. There is a too much friction in the pivot. The blade movement is stiff, whether opening or closing the knife. Miss-fires are rampant if you don't concentrate on giving it a quick flip (a flick of the wrist helps too).
I backed out the pivot screw until there was blade play, then retightened a tad. This reduced the stiffness somewhat. But, the lack of detent really takes the fun out and barely holds the blade closed. Also, the pocket clip leaves about 1/2" of the handle exposed.
Another item which is a deal, killer for me, is the liner lock is only half onto the blade. Yes, half the liner is hanging off the blade! It leaves me with no faith in this knife - finger guillotine! (see photo in post#3 below)
The good news is that all other elements are top notch. The knife is sharp out of the box. No, not "factory sharp", actually keenly sharp. This is one of only a couple of knives that I did not have to touch the edge. I really feel that I could not improve the sharpness.
Fit & finish of the stone washed V10 steel is uniform, and the G10 handle is appropriately tactile without being aggressive. There is no jimping. Finally, the blade is perfectly centered.
If I hadn't bought this for the flipper function, I would be thrilled with the Kizer Vanguard Gemini, except for the half @ss liner lock. But between the weak detent & unsafe lock, I'm bummed. Kizers seem to be gaining popularity, but they are off my list.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Realsteel Thor T101
Very impressive knife for a mere $50. Where to begin? Fit & finish is excellent, both the handle & blade. The blade is rperfectly centered. It is factory sharp (needs polishing like most all knives) and, the grind is absolutely symmetrical on both sides. No wiggles anywhere.
The stonewashed blade finish is even, the G10 handle has the appropriate tactile finish for grip without being abrasive. The pocket clip leaves about 1/2" exposed. The jimping is just right. Overall, a very ergonomic knife.
Now for the best part. The flipper is perfect! It has a strong detent, appropriate for its beefy blade. This combination results in a resounding thwack when deployed. It seems impossible to miss-fire this flipper.
To sum it up, the Realsteel T101 has to be one of the best bangs for the buck of any flipper. The 14C28N isn't a super steel, but it's no slouch and a cut above its price point. Impeccable quality of construction.
Buck Marksman 830
I just received the "Operator" aka, Buck Marksman 830 variant with S35VN steel & G10 scales with greatly improved cutout moldings. This model is exclusive to SKBlades for $125.
First of all, I love the knife! It's not perfect & I'll get to that. But first, this thing flips like butter! I know everyone says that, but it's true.
I was skeptical that it would be easy to close. It seemed odd in pictures & videos. I was wrong to fear that. This knife is easier to close than any other I have, including liner locks, lock backs, or frame locks.
I do believe this is the most comfortable handle in hand of all my folding knives. I have fairly large hands. The pocket clip leaves none of the knife exposed. There's no jimping, but the strap lock on top does offer a bit of traction, while still being comfortable. Overall, a very ergonomic knife. There are no wiggles anywhere.
And, it's so lightweight! Compared to my other flippers of the same size, it is one ounce lighter. That's about 20-25% difference. I consider this a positive, but it doesn't have as solid a "thwack" when it opens like my heavier flippers have. But I'm sure this is pure physics; heavy blade = loud thwack.
Now for the negatives. The blade is not centered. It just barely touches a side when coming to rest closed. Not that it causes any friction, but I have much cheaper knives that are perfectly centered. An annoyance.
The edge is ground noticeably more on one side than the other. Now I sharpen all my new knives right out of the box, so this isn't a big deal. But again, my cheaper knives come perfectly even. But after reprofiling the edge, that S35VN steel is scary sharp (and I usually can't get scary sharp).
IMO, worth the upgrade from the standard Marksman 830. I can foresee that this knife will get plenty of use, and may very well be the first knife I grab most of the time.
Kizer Vanguard Gemini
First off, this is the Vanguard (budget version) of the Gemini for $80. From my research, the difference is the steel used and the handle material. Otherwise, I belive it is the same knife, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
I'll come right out and say it, I'm not at all impressed with the flipper action. The detent is way too light to build up pressure to launch the blade. There is a too much friction in the pivot. The blade movement is stiff, whether opening or closing the knife. Miss-fires are rampant if you don't concentrate on giving it a quick flip (a flick of the wrist helps too).
I backed out the pivot screw until there was blade play, then retightened a tad. This reduced the stiffness somewhat. But, the lack of detent really takes the fun out and barely holds the blade closed. Also, the pocket clip leaves about 1/2" of the handle exposed.
Another item which is a deal, killer for me, is the liner lock is only half onto the blade. Yes, half the liner is hanging off the blade! It leaves me with no faith in this knife - finger guillotine! (see photo in post#3 below)
The good news is that all other elements are top notch. The knife is sharp out of the box. No, not "factory sharp", actually keenly sharp. This is one of only a couple of knives that I did not have to touch the edge. I really feel that I could not improve the sharpness.
Fit & finish of the stone washed V10 steel is uniform, and the G10 handle is appropriately tactile without being aggressive. There is no jimping. Finally, the blade is perfectly centered.
If I hadn't bought this for the flipper function, I would be thrilled with the Kizer Vanguard Gemini, except for the half @ss liner lock. But between the weak detent & unsafe lock, I'm bummed. Kizers seem to be gaining popularity, but they are off my list.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
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