Poll: Flippers

[LDB]

I'm thinking about an Advocate or Southard or Positron soon. Wondering what percentage of members "give a flip". :)

[The Deacon]

Own well over 500 Spyderco knives and, aside from those that ride on my key chain or in my watch pocket, I carry them loose in my back pocket. Have no interest at all in models equipped with a device which I strongly suspect makes it more likely for them to partially open in my pocket accidentally.

[mrtodd777]

I own one spyderco flipper. The Mantra. I definitely recommend you ad that to your list of options.. The Deacon is right though.. It all depends on how you carry it.

[ZrowsN1s]

I own Spyderco, and I own flippers.... but I have no plans on buying any flippers made with ball bearings. I own some inexpensive flippers that use washers, I love them. I own some flippers that use ball bearings, hate them. It's a personal preference thing I guess. I'd love to see more lock-back flippers like the introvert, and more flippers made with PB washers.

[dplafoll]

I have the Mantra, I want the Sliverax a lot, and I also wouldn't mind having the Advocate, Domino, Dice, Positron, Mamba, and Hanan. But, I also just like them as knives to begin with, not necessarily as flippers first. The Mantra, Advocate, and Domino/Dice are all knives that would be just as good IMO without a flipper tab, just based on design. Positron and Hanan would need another opening method, and the Mamba is, in the words of a well-known reviewer "delightfully impractical" and removing the tab wouldn't change that.

[wrdwrght]

I own one, the original Southard. Beautiful F&F in one of my favorite steels. Curiosity satisfied. Won't buy another. The Spyderhole is all I want or need.

[bearfacedkiller]

I own many folders but don't have very many flippers. They just aren't my thing. The same goes for automatics and assisted openers.

I don't see knives as fidget toys. I have thought that bearings were a solution to a problem that didn't exist from day one, long before any issues arose. I find holes/studs fast and reliable. Also, while I do carry frame and liner locks I rank them at the bottom of my list if lock types. It seems as though flippers are almost all ti framelocks. Meh....

That said, the Advocate and ZT0452 are both on my wish list but they also both keep getting bumped down.

I am glad they make them for all the folks that like them though.

[ZrowsN1s]

I keep looking at the Rhino, and it looks to my untrained eye like if you just extended the ricaso out a little into a flipper tab/finger guard, you wouldn't have to make any other changes to the design to convert it to flipper, it's already got pb washers :D
That is a flipper I would most definitely be interested in (and it would make the Rhino an ambidextrous opener too :) )

[Sharp Guy]

I only own 2 flippers. Mantra and ZT 0450. I use the flipper tab on the Mantra but I could be perfectly happy without it. I really like the ZT 0450 but the flipper tab is the only way to open
it, So it doesn't get carried much.

[ronT2]

I have the Mantra, Dice and Domino. So far I haven't had any problems with bearings or accidental openings but i'm pretty easy on them and don't sit around armchair flipping. I like having the Spydie hole as an option.

[bpahk]

I have a mantra, zt450 and a skyline. The only one that gets carried is the mantra and that's always deployed with thumbhole. Not a big fan of flippers and just got the mantra because it's basically a slightly longer delica in m4.
Honestly I think it's almost a waste of resources to offer so many flippers. Spyderco made its name with its thumbhole and pocket clip. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to offer folders without its vastly superior opening thumbhole mechanism.
I get that it sells well, but models like the southard might as well be any other brand.

[Mako109]

I have just two flippers, Boker Kwaiken and CRKT (don't recall the model at the moment) and like them very much. Nearly acquired my first flipper by Spyderco when the Advocate was announced, but put that on hold after reports of the bearing/washer issues. Anxiously awaiting the fix.

[h8speech]

It seems as though flippers are almost all ti framelocks

You're right, and it's the craziest thing. I've got three flipper ti framelocks from different makers: CKF Milk, ZT0452 and Lionsteel TRE. Whenever I let someone else use one, they have trouble opening it because the hand naturally covers the lockbar. And if you've got any pressure on the lockbar, the knife won't flip properly.

Framelocks are fine, for knives that don't use momentum in their opening mechanism; flippers are fine, for knives where the lock can't interfere with the action. Flipper framelocks are a terrible awful idea and it blows me away that they are so popular. Unless you practice at opening the knife properly, it will fail to deploy in an unsafe fashion.

Linerlocks are objectively better for flippers.

[ABX2011]

I had some Spyderco flippers but I sold them. The Domino and Southard flipped well but I decided I didn't like the designs. The Mantra and Advocate both had bumpiness when opening. I'll probably buy another Spyderco bearing flipper after I'm confident they've ironed out their issues.

[Evil D]

I have no problem with them especially when Spyderco also give us a thumb hole along with it. There's nothing wrong with more opening options.

[Flipping Addict]

As my handle implies, I like flippers. Have lots of them but no Spyderco flippers. Just have not found a Spyderco one that worked very well or the design just did not work for me. I actually find the spydie hole as efficient as any flipper and am content with that.

Am interested in the Sliverax, or whatever it's called, but we'll see.

[Ippon]

I love my Domino, although it rarely sees pocket time these days. I actually really like XHP, the blue weave scales look really cool to me, and it is just satisfying to hold. I loved the flipping action too. Notice past tense, that was until I had my first ZT. Although I hated the knife (ZT0450-horrendous ergos, not the best cutter ever,) the action on that thing was amazing, outstanding, wonderful. If Spyderco could somehow engineer flipping action that good into their knives (good cutting power, ergonomics, strength etc.) that'd be a dream come true.

[pftbahaa]

I am a couch flipper. That I know and I accept. That being said though, I don't just flip flippers. A spydie or hole or any other method is more than enough for me. I prefer a front flipper since I started my collection with two of them and they're so easy. Personally what I really don't favor are studs or disks. Get that nonsense away from me, please. (no intended offense to those who prefer it)

[PSquared]

I'm a fourth option. I own Spyderco, I own flippers (Spyderco and other brands) and have no plans to buy more.

I don't dislike flippers, an Amicus / Arcane is one of my favourite knives but this whole move to bearings (in non-flippers as well) is, in my old fashioned opinion, addressing a problem that didn't exist. Most of the new flippers are on bearings, hence I don't really even look at them.

[Brock O Lee]

Flippers are not my thing. Mostly because I do not want the extra complexity of bearings and huge tang slots carved into the blade to accommodate internal stop pins that are common on most flippers.