Poll: Flippers

[The Mastiff]

I loved the idea of flippers and couldn't wait to try a few out. It turned out to be another idea that sounded better than it worked to me. I'm convinced the carry knives for me work out best when they have the bias towards closing that back locks do. I didn't have any problems with the Mantra and really like the looks of it but it gets pushed out of my pocket too often for my old standard the Endura. I doubt I will buy more flippers.

Joe

[Jazz]

I ground the useless thing off my Mantra.

[Scottie3000]

The flipper was a great idea and work well, but it's not for me. The tab always seems in the way in a pocket, it makes knives appear more weapon-like, and the biggest thing for me is that the tab always seems to be in disagreement with your thumb when closing them.

[arty]

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.

I completely agree. I would not buy a knife with a flipper mechanism. For me, the whole point of Spyderco is the hole!

[bh49]

own Spyderco and I own 2 ZT flippers. No plans to buy any flippers just because they are flippers. Spyderhole is better.

[Doc Dan]

Nothing like having a flipper open in your pocket to convince you it is a fad you had rather not delve into any longer.

[SF Native]

Own the dice, rubicon, and mantra. Nice knives.
But I generally don't like flippers and prefer them with a secondary opening method. I think the spyder hole is faster and more reliable to open anyway.

[TomAiello]

I've tried flippers (Southard, Domino, Dice, several ZTs) and they're just not for me.

[RLDubbya]

How many flips could a flipper flip if a flipper could flip flips?

[Lefty.Mike]

I love flippers; I wish spyderco would make more flippers. They don't need to be on bearings, but it'll be nice if spyderco can iron out the problems on theirs.

[yablanowitz]

I don't own Spyderco, but I do own a bunch of their products. I have no interest in flippers, and the few knives that I own that started with them no longer have them ( I've ground off a few of those annoying tabs). I don't carry knives as fidget toys. Few things turn me off of a knife faster than a flipper.

[Surfingringo]

I don't necessarily dislike them but I'm kind of over them. I always thought that a flipper on a knife with a spydiehole was kind of like tits on a boar hog. I'm not saying I won't buy any more but I'll only buy another spyderco (or any other) flipper if it's a knife with an overall design that I really like. And if that's the case I would have bought the knife even without a flipper and likely have even preferred it that way.

[DougC-3]

Once bought a $20 China-made flipper just to please a clerk who had allowed me to handle about a dozen spydies. It was amazingly well made for the price and had good action, but had to be grasped carefully in an insecure way with fingertips on both sides and index finger free, which seemed to defeat the idea of instant deployment. Maybe that was because it was a smallish knife, but it did seem that the main idea was to surprise and scare the imaginary hypothetical threatening person :D

I really like spyderhole deployment and find it very quick and secure just to flip the blade out with my middle fingertip if I'm in a hurry.

I was pretty excited about the design of the Mantra when I saw it in the catalog but a little disappointed when I saw that it was just 4mm bigger than a Delica and was not as easy to close one-handed with the left hand as a my fluted Ti Millie and linerlock knives like the millie, tenacious, etc, which I regard as ambidextrous for one-hand closing. I'd like to see a bigger, 8-inch mantra with a lock cutout as big as that of the framelock Millies... but I'd probably rather it didn't have that messy flipper :D

[Sharp Guy]

I was pretty excited about the design of the Mantra when I saw it in the catalog but a little disappointed when I saw that it was just 4mm bigger than a Delica and was not as easy to close one-handed with the left hand as a my fluted Ti Millie and linerlock knives like the millie, tenacious, etc, which I regard as ambidextrous for one-hand closing. I'd like to see a bigger, 8-inch mantra with a lock cutout as big as that of the framelock Millies... but I'd probably rather it didn't have that messy flipper :D

DougC-3, what makes you think the Mantra's not easy to close one-handed with your left hand? I find it's as easy with the left hand as it is with the right. It's also as easy to close with either hand than any liner or frame lock that I have. Maybe even easier due to the jimping on the lock bar insert. I don't really even use the cutout to access the lock bar. I just put my thumb on top of the lock bar where the jimping is and move the lock over.

Also keep in mind that, while the overall length of the Mantra may only be 4mm longer than the Delica, the blade length on the Mantra is 7mm longer (81mm vs 74mm) and the cutting edge is quite a bit longer (80mm vs 65mm). A lot of blade in a small package.

[ronT2]

I was pretty excited about the design of the Mantra when I saw it in the catalog but a little disappointed when I saw that it was just 4mm bigger than a Delica and was not as easy to close one-handed with the left hand as a my fluted Ti Millie and linerlock knives like the millie, tenacious, etc, which I regard as ambidextrous for one-hand closing. I'd like to see a bigger, 8-inch mantra with a lock cutout as big as that of the framelock Millies... but I'd probably rather it didn't have that messy flipper :D

DougC-3, what makes you think the Mantra's not easy to close one-handed with your left hand? I find it's as easy with the left hand as it is with the right. It's also as easy to close with either hand than any liner or frame lock that I have. Maybe even easier due to the jimping on the lock bar insert. I don't really even use the cutout to access the lock bar. I just put my thumb on top of the lock bar where the jimping is and move the lock over.

Also keep in mind that, while the overall length of the Mantra may only be 4mm longer than the Delica, the blade length on the Mantra is 7mm longer (81mm vs 74mm) and the cutting edge is quite a bit longer (80mm vs 65mm). A lot of blade in a small package.

I couldn't agree more. I have no problems closing the Mantra left handed. I love the jimped lock bar insert.

[DougC-3]

I was pretty excited about the design of the Mantra when I saw it in the catalog but a little disappointed when I saw that it was just 4mm bigger than a Delica and was not as easy to close one-handed with the left hand as a my fluted Ti Millie and linerlock knives like the millie, tenacious, etc, which I regard as ambidextrous for one-hand closing. I'd like to see a bigger, 8-inch mantra with a lock cutout as big as that of the framelock Millies... but I'd probably rather it didn't have that messy flipper :D

DougC-3, what makes you think the Mantra's not easy to close one-handed with your left hand? I find it's as easy with the left hand as it is with the right. It's also as easy to close with either hand than any liner or frame lock that I have. Maybe even easier due to the jimping on the lock bar insert. I don't really even use the cutout to access the lock bar. I just put my thumb on top of the lock bar where the jimping is and move the lock over.

Also keep in mind that, while the overall length of the Mantra may only be 4mm longer than the Delica, the blade length on the Mantra is 7mm longer (81mm vs 74mm) and the cutting edge is quite a bit longer (80mm vs 65mm). A lot of blade in a small package.

I couldn't agree more. I have no problems closing the Mantra left handed. I love the jimped lock bar insert.

That was my first impression after briefly handling a Mantra back when they first came out. I had some doubts about that when I wrote it. Thinking back, I think I may have come to that conclusion before I found out how easy it was to operate framelocks lefthanded, and that was the only time I handled a Mantra, being 50 miles away from a good B&M... so I'll go back and try again. Thanks for the tip :cool:

When I'm closing linerlocks and framelocks with my left hand, I push the lockbar with my index fingertip, and it works perfectly with all my Millies, Tenacious, Persistence, etc. OK I admit I use my thumb with my Cricket and Balance, but I then have to flip the blade around using my pants leg or whatever's handy. So I could use my thumb with the Mantra if necessary. The Cricket is my least ambidextrous for one hand closing, but doable.

[Bugs]

Flippers Meh.

[Sharp Guy]

When I'm closing linerlocks and framelocks with my left hand, I push the lockbar with my index fingertip, and it works perfectly with all my Millies, Tenacious, Persistence, etc. OK I admit I use my thumb with my Cricket and Balance, but I then have to flip the blade around using my pants leg or whatever's handy. So I could use my thumb with the Mantra if necessary. The Cricket is my least ambidextrous for one hand closing, but doable.

I close liner and frame locks with my left hand basically the same as I do with my right. I turn my hand over so the bottom of the knife is facing up and push the lock bar over with my thumb. I have my index finger on the thumb ramp on the back of the blade so once the lock is released the blade starts to close and the flipper tab stops the blade on my thumb. Then I turn the knife a little in my hand and pull the blade the rest of the way closed using my thumb in the spydie hole.

[dsvirsky]

I own Spydies and I own a few flippers, but I don't own a Spyderco flipper and I'm not interested in buying one. As someone already pointed out, a solution in search of a problem that doesn't exist. Spyder hole or nail nick.

[Halfneck]

I own Spydercos, and I own Flippers - just not any Spyderco flippers. So far none have felt right in my hand, and sorta waiting for an all clear on some issues they've had. Handled the Sliverax at BLADE and it has my interest.