To flip or not to flip

I prefer thumb studs on pb washers. Still like flippers on bearings but only when it’s the only option on a knife I like. Eg, much prefer non flipper hinderers and still open more with the thumb stud on flipper version. Some of that has to do with how terrible the flipper tab is on the hinderers though.

To each their own, I feel they both work equally well.
 
Easily solved-don't buy flippers if you don't like them, plenty of other choices. I personalky don't like top flippers or thumb disks, so I don't have any. I do like front flippers, thumb studs and blade holes, so that is what I own. Others will like differently. Always nice to have choices.
The front flipper is a natural movement for me(top flipper not at all). I am not a fidgeter, with any of my knives.
 
Last edited:
I'm neither here nor there on them. I remember first seeing them and not liking the aesthetics of the flipper sticking up on a closed knife. However I soon realized that was something less obtrusive in real life than it was in a close-up picture taking up an entire computer screen. Then there was a time 5-10 years ago (think the height of the ZT heyday) when most of the hot newness seemed to all be flippers and they were all the craze, so I learned to like them because so many releases I liked had them. Plus I have a particular affinity for Hinderer knives. As for purely as an opening mechanism? They're fine with me. I don't seek them out and I don't avoid them. I do certainly find myself buying them less, but that's partly just because as trends changed there seems to be more options on new offerings.
 
I love 'em. :D

It's rare for me to buy a flipper that doesn't also have an alternate opening method (and I've sold all the flipper-only knives I used to own). I find flippers satisfying to use, fun to fidget with, and practical in terms of ease of opening and forming a guard once deployed.

oJnnDj1.jpg

Hinderer XM-18 3.5
 
I probably have posts from my beginnings on BF saying I’ve never had a need for flipper knives, while slipjoints, back locks and thumbstud/spyderco knives have worked just fine for me. I tried a few different flipper knives over the years and it just took getting the right one in hand to switch myself over to carrying one exclusively for a while now. I know I won’t like them all, but I like the ones I have.
 
Dadpool said:
I love 'em. :D

It's rare for me to buy a flipper that doesn't also have an alternate opening method (and I've sold all the flipper-only knives I used to own). I find flippers satisfying to use, fun to fidget with, and practical in terms of ease of opening and forming a guard once deployed.

oJnnDj1.jpg

Hinderer XM-18 3.5
Click to expand...
Are u happy with the flipper tab on the hinderers? I just find they’re way to aggressive on the finger, gouge into the index finger when choked up in the choil, and by design don’t flip with authority like so many other flippers.

Wish they would change it on an otherwise absolutely perfect knife.

I tend to use the thumb stud more on em for that reason.
 
mitchnola said:
Are u happy with the flipper tab on the hinderers?
Click to expand...
Yep. :)

When I got my first I flipped it quite a bit, and the jimped tab definitely didn't do my finger any favors. But in regular use and carry over the past couple years I like that there's zero chance I'm going to slide off the tab, and the aggressive texture doesn't bother me at all. My hand shape works will with the tab when open, and I find most current-gen Hinderers flip quite well.

Compared to, say, the Koenig Arius I used to own, my average Hinderer doesn't flip with quite as much authority. But they also thumb-flick and slow roll open more easily (for me), so that's a trade-off I'm happy with.
 
IMO , the main POU of flippers is "fidget" . Easy , smooth , fun opening and closing ...repeat ad infinitum , ad nauseam ! 🥳

Sure , why not ? I have some to play with . Lots of fun and stress relief .

But ...not what I want in a carry / user .

Liner or frame locks are the least desirable lock types for "hard use " IMO .

Needy , unreliable and even potentially dangerous to use under working stress , emergency , survival , or SD .

I prefer the Tri-ad lock and others that emphasis strength , reliability , and safety in extreme use .

I prefer a folder that has a more deliberate opening and closing set up . Not fidgety as top priority .

Although, I do like the ball lock slider on the Spyderco Manix 2 . Seems pretty solid and safe ,yet fun to fidget . :cool:
 
Dadpool said:
Yep. :)

When I got my first I flipped it quite a bit, and the jimped tab definitely didn't do my finger any favors. But in regular use and carry over the past couple years I like that there's zero chance I'm going to slide off the tab, and the aggressive texture doesn't bother me at all. My hand shape works will with the tab when open, and I find most current-gen Hinderers flip quite well.

Compared to, say, the Koenig Arius I used to own, my average Hinderer doesn't flip with quite as much authority. But they also thumb-flick and slow roll open more easily (for me), so that's a trade-off I'm happy with.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the insight
 
Let me try again, more succinctly this time:

Flipper Pros:
+ No thumb stud protrusion to drag on through cuts
+ No opening hole to make a big lump on the blade

Flipper Cons:
- Protrusion on the back of the blade CAN be as annoying as a thumb stud
 
No issue with flippers as long as they don't require a windup and pitch to open them. The issue there is often bad lock bar design or excessive pivot tightness. There is a certain amount of tuning and precision needed for a flipper to run on PB washers.

I don't mind a larger flipper tab in a lot of cases, most end up doubling as a finger guard to stop your hand from sliding forward, and to halt the blade from closing on your finger in an accidental lock disengagement. I do like having a secondary way to push it the rest of the way open for when things get dirty.
 
Needy , unreliable and even potentially dangerous to use under working stress , emergency , survival , or SD .

DocJD DocJD is this just opinion or is there data backing this up? I’ve heard that before but always when comparing to some supposedly much better lock.

Just curious
 
I don’t have any problems using either flip or no-flip or any kind of folding knife for that matter but if I could have all my knives flip open and closed like my Buck 830 Marksman that would be great!! It’s the easiest, quickest and most reliable action I’ve ever used so far.

I’m not a fidgeter or play with stuff I just like the easy one handed action when I’m doing stuff that requires one hand to hold while I cut with the other hand like cutting large round bale twine out feeding livestock. After each bale I’m putting my knife back in my pocket and then retrieving it to cut the next bale open. It works great. Same with sacks of feed and such. And sometimes when I’m holding on to something to steady myself while I’m cutting. But I can still make do with my 110 if I need to.
 
DocJD said:
IMO , the main POU of flippers is "fidget" . Easy , smooth , fun opening and closing ...repeat ad infinitum , ad nauseam ! 🥳

Sure , why not ? I have some to play with . Lots of fun and stress relief .

But ...not what I want in a carry / user .

Liner or frame locks are the least desirable lock types for "hard use " IMO .

Needy , unreliable and even potentially dangerous to use under working stress , emergency , survival , or SD .

I prefer the Tri-ad lock and others that emphasis strength , reliability , and safety in extreme use .

I prefer a folder that has a more deliberate opening and closing set up . Not fidgety as top priority .

Although, I do like the ball lock slider on the Spyderco Manix 2 . Seems pretty solid and safe ,yet fun to fidget . :cool:
Click to expand...
I think it depends on a person’s skill levels as how safe and reliable they are. I’ve seen some people including myself fall going up a set of stairs even holding the rail while others can dance a jig free handed going up and down stairs and never stumble.
 
Flipper is my preferred method. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate other methods. Flipper is just the cleanest, nicest, and easiest on my slightly arthritic joints. If you get a really good flipper, with just the right detent that snaps and sends that blade out from just the press of a finger, it can be a beautiful thing. (On some flippers with the right tab geometry, I also find myself using the tab as part of my closing technique.)

Here is another consideration. Can thumb studs sometime end up in the cutting path or in the way of a stone? Have you ever had a thumb-flick go awry and you touched your thumb to the blade? Have you ever otherwise liked a design but studs or a hole are accommodated by a hump or bump along the spine that makes thumb placement less comfortable during some kinds of use?

Those specific things are not guaranteed to happen with studs or a hole but they are guaranteed not to happen with flipper. :)
 
mitchnola said:
Needy , unreliable and even potentially dangerous to use under working stress , emergency , survival , or SD .

DocJD DocJD is this just opinion or is there data backing this up? I’ve heard that before but always when comparing to some supposedly much better lock.

Just curious
Click to expand...
I consider it to be a fact in general ,so far as lock types , but not necessarily applicable to every individual folder brand / model .

Also , for beyond normal folder use . Stuff for which I'd want at least a fixed blade , or maybe a different tool entirely , if available .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top