Why doesn't every knife have a flipper?

Because I hate flippers and would never buy one, no matter who was making it.
 
It's the primary reason I sold my ZT 301. I just don't trust flippers in the pocket and I've had most of my one hand openers open in my pocket - rare, but its happened. Also, it usually freaks out sheeple and the cops here in So. Cal tend to get froggy with non-issues.
I just got a BM 581 and I'm thrilled to have a one handed opener that locks open or closed. I'm very cautious about opening it in public (rarely have to do that anyway) since its assisted opening and the sheeple here are heavily programmed to overreact.
It's hard to beat a good slippie, IMHO, but I use my knives primarily at work and often need the one hand opening option.
 

Looking over this thread I can't help but be amused at how far things have come. When I was younger, the fastest things around were the cheap switchblades you bought from ads in the back of gun magazines and it seemed as if every cop and paramedic carried Buck 110 or some copy thereof. When the first thumbhole openers from Spyderco hit, we thought they were fast. It seemed like all the cool kids at work were flipping them open. Then came the assisted opening knives a few years later and they were really fast and some had the bad habit of opening in your pants pocket. It's funny how we get used to ease and speed of deployment and take it for granted. Flippers are fine, the very first of these I ever encountered was on a CRKT M16 liner lock and I thought using flipper as a vestigial guard was pretty trick. The Kershaw Ram is an unassisted flipper and it's pretty damn fast. On the whole though, I think pairing a flipper with an assisted opening mechanism is asking for trouble. I have seen four instances where guys have reached into their pockets and come out slicedbecause their blades partially opened in their pants pocket. Also if you have an assisted opening with a safety, that would seem to negate the speed aspect of the deployment if you are having to disengage the safety.
 
I bought three flippers; the Zing, the Skyline and the OD1 when they were on sale at Walmart. The idea was to try to get used to the flippers for light everyday carry with quality made in America affordable non-AO knives. I tried off and on for several months but just never bonded with them. They have been gifted to appreciative NKP relatives and I'm back to my Spyderhole ways. Just bought the discontinued light weight UKPK's in plain and serrated (gray and blue) and they just may bounce my trusty old Native since they're lighter and "friendlier" for light knife days.

Oh, yeah, and flippers don't work on lockbacks or slip joints, two of my favorite systems. :D
 
Speed of opening isn't the only attribute of a knife. It's like saying only cars with top end speeds over 200 mph are worth owning. So, how do you get that load of firewood up from the back of the property? Knives do more than just open quickly.

A flipper is just another form of assisted or spring opening, same as a hole. It has nothing to do with blade shape, profile, grip shape, or versatility. You can put a lot of features that make it a wonderful tool, and then add a flipper - which screws up the design and makes it something less. They are out there - I've nearly bought some just to grind off the flipper and have a good using knife. Fortunately, there are better choices.

I'd rather have a knife with a good thin edge that cuts, from a better grade steel with abrasion resistance, than a gimmick that can only open the blade quickly. What good is it to have speed if the edge is thick, blade profile inefficient, and there's no utility to the design?

There are more important features.
 
You can't choke up on the blade as effectively with a flipper, which is pretty much the only downside to me. My preference goes back and forth, but the Kershaw Junkyard Dog was one of my favorites before I sold it and I regret getting rid of it. The deployment is satisfying enough to make up for any other shortcomings when I do decide to carry a knife with a flipper, but I definitely don't want to carry one every day.
 
Deployment doesn't do the cutting, the amount of belly or recurve does, with the edge thickness and tooth. And there's another issue involved here - fixed blades are always faster. I've been using my HAK as a EDC utility blade lately, there's nothing faster out of the pocket sheath. It always trumps any of my 4 inch folders for being ready to use.

Flippers are just marketing. Done right they don't hurt the design, done wrong they interfere with reverse grips, or like was said, you can't choke up. As far as deployment goes, it's a false concept. Nothing is dependent on it except a copy writer's deadline and the marketing departments latest twist on selling a knife. It's like AR15 tacticool charging handles - the Army has used the same one for 45 years, you load it once before you leave the wire, the gun holds the bolt back every mag change, you don't really use it.

Marketing hype to sell to those who don't really know.
 
Because not every knife user likes flippers. Some knife people prefer traditional knives, some like thumb disks, some like a hole in the blade as an opening mechanism, some prefer thumb studs, and for those that prefer fixed blades, a flipper is useless.
 
Kind of a dying thread, but I have to jump in and revive it. I agree with twl. I also hate flippers. I think they are a fad that will pass. I don't really get the ultra fast opening thing. I do like fast opening but I prefer a spring assist with thumb studs like my Benchmade Barrage. I will take it any day over anything with a flipper and I wouldn't own a ZT that is flipper only opening. No matter which technique I use, I find that using a flipper is like pushing my finger down on an ice pick. I can crank open my Barrage hundreds of times in a day with no discomfort but can only play with a flipper knife for a very short time without my finger needing a couple of days rest. And why do knife companies have to make their flippers with the sharpest points they can design? Are the designers sadistic? You all can keep your flippers. My prediction is that this feature will become extinct in short order. Benchmades do not sport flippers. I think it's because their designs are not driven by passing fashion. Emerson can keep the wave too. If someone gave me one, I would grind the wave off. I prefer my CQC-7 without, thank you.
 
flipping is a novelty to me, not an opening method. It's fun to play with, but my knives aren't toys.

Why doesn't every knife have a spyder hole is a better question ;)

As far as spyderco goes, many of their models carry "wider" in the pocket already (not thicker), because the opening hole makes the blade tall, and the ergonomic, curved handle takes up more room. Add a flipper to that, and it takes up even more pocket real estate.
 
What everyone else said with the addition of, some knives would just look plain ugly with them. My fastest knife is a de-assisted blur. Imagine that with a flipper. It would go from a beautiful knife, to an ugly one, real quickly.
 
I've had a few flippers a d currently have one of the best!... a Shirogorov 95. From the pocket to opened I don't find them any faster to deploy. Sure...if its already in your hand with your finger on the trigger it may be faster but I find the steps from grasping it, pulling from the pocket, manipulating in hand to deploying the blade to be as many or more steps as a lug or hole.

Personally I see an opening hole to be the best deployment method because different fingers OR thumb can be used in different positions in the hand. Then again, some of my fav knives do not have opening holes!
 
Cant stand flippers either. Enough that it is highly unlikely I would ever be willing to pay for one. Everyone has different tastes in knives. In my opinion adding a "tacticool" feature that makes a knife considerably more obtrusive in the pocket is senseless. At least something like tiger stripe doesnt get in the way. My personal opinion of course
 
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