Greetings: I have been carrying a ripple for about three weeks. The following is based solely upon the ONE Ripple I own. My overall impression of the knife has changed slightly since the time of purchase. The IKBS is VERY smooth. Unlike many other blade pivots this one was exceptionally smooth and liquid from the first. It has neither improved or degraded after frequent cycling. I expected it to change. It did not. I expected some small degree of blade play to develop after MANY opening and closings. No perceptible vertical or lateral blade play yet. I was prepared to deal with a comparatively soft blade steel when touching up the edge on a Sharpmaker. Nope. It feels as hard as a good 440c. The overall construction is somewhat of a contradiction. As with many Ken Onion designs this is a slim and sleek knife. My initial impression was that this is a lite duty gentleman's folder. Thin frame, multiple holes as part of the design elements, rounded blade spine, thin blade, thin locking bar and open frame contribute to this visual delicacy. The steel frame's weight and relative mass make the knife feel heavy for it's size and therefore feel quite solid.
Now the down side. The thin dementions are not conducive to extended periods of use. There are many "hot spots" easily felt after even a short cutting session. The frame machining is RIFE with sharp edges. Not only the outer edges of the frame itself but the slab sides. The raised areas of machined longitudinal curves and recesses are sharp. The areas surrounding the slab screw head recesses are really sharp. The serrations on the stainless pocket clip, which mirror the blade thumb jimping, are also sharp. These seem to be more a result of the manufacturing process than an intended functional attribute. The holes through the clip (used to mount it to the frame) are oversize and eccentric resulting in the clip shifting side to side in use. The IKBS ball bearings are packed in a brown/tan grease of medium viscosity. Clip-less pocket carry seems to result in dust, lint, grit, and other exotic material accumulating AROUND ~ but not IN the bearing area. The residual grease visually appears to keep it from contacting the ball bearing themselves. The blade itself was not sharp from the factory. All considered I'm still pleased, even though I paid almost full retail because it is a new and unique design. Due to the IKBS and a thin lock bar with an almost flat contact between lock face and blade tang, the knife is impressively smooth to open and close. Lock up is at about 50 percent with no play or creep. Stoning the multiple offending edges with a fine ceramic hone removed their sharpness. Some work on the Sharpmaker rods produced a sharp blade edge. Two shims on the clip screws encourage carrying it out of the bottom of my pocket lit pit. It will not replace my EDC but it is fun to play with and an interesting addition to my limited collection. OldDude1
