Interest in Front Flipper by Spyderco?

[Josh Crutchley]

I would be interested in seeing what Spyderco could do with a front flipper. I have a Ruike P671 it was only $40 USD and was a way better knife than expected. I wasn't sure how a front flipper even worked when I got it. Now I can deploy the blade with the smallest flick of the wrist.

[Xformer]

Oh man. I picked up a Civivi Exarch a few months ago. Small, g10, D2 steel, it's nothing to write home about. Cost me $35.

But oh boy does it get pocket time, and it's all because it is such an amazingly satisfying knife. The size and feel of the flipper tab is perfect, action is so smooth, it has caused me to fall in love with front flippers. The fidget factor is through the roof, even more than my sliverax (a comp lock flipper).

I'd love to see some front flippers coming from my favorite manufacturer!

I have a different experience than yours. Bought a civivi Mckenna because it's a really good design (one of the few tame Isham desing). I loved everything about the knife, but that front flipper action. It doesn't feel natural to me, even after weeks of use, the muscle memory wasn't on point.

Sold it and never really missed. Fit and finish were good though.

[vivi]

I'll stick with the opening hole models myself. Not concerned with sleekness.

[Evil D]

Like any other flipper, I won't be interested based solely on the fact that it's a front flipper, it will depend on the rest of the design.

[sparty569]

Ric,

Good point! I had to make my detent harder on the Sliverax, but gem of a knife!

Somewhat like a reverse Smock, but I love the looks of the Shamwari. It has just the smallest profusion above the pivot to give it the leverage to be a front flipper. And looks elegant when open!

Hamilton

I just got a Mantra 3 yesterday. How did you go about making the Detent better? Dremel tool like in the video on YouTube, or a different method? I want to do this in the coming weeks, and just looking at the different ways to go about it.

[Sharp Guy]

Ric,

Good point! I had to make my detent harder on the Sliverax, but gem of a knife!

Somewhat like a reverse Smock, but I love the looks of the Shamwari. It has just the smallest profusion above the pivot to give it the leverage to be a front flipper. And looks elegant when open!

Hamilton

I just got a Mantra 3 yesterday. How did you go about making the Detent better? Dremel tool like in the video on YouTube, or a different method? I want to do this in the coming weeks, and just looking at the different ways to go about it.

This what I've been using. I've done a few this way and it's worked out well. I could put the burr in a rotary tool but I'd rather turn it by hand

viewtopic.php?p=1310864#p1310864

[curlyhairedboy]

I'd welcome more, the ikuchi is well-designed.

[sparty569]

Ric,

Good point! I had to make my detent harder on the Sliverax, but gem of a knife!

Somewhat like a reverse Smock, but I love the looks of the Shamwari. It has just the smallest profusion above the pivot to give it the leverage to be a front flipper. And looks elegant when open!

Hamilton

I just got a Mantra 3 yesterday. How did you go about making the Detent better? Dremel tool like in the video on YouTube, or a different method? I want to do this in the coming weeks, and just looking at the different ways to go about it.

This what I've been using. I've done a few this way and it's worked out well. I could put the burr in a rotary tool but I'd rather turn it by hand

viewtopic.php?p=1310864#p1310864

I like the cone better than the ball. I tried last night, with a sanding cone, but it didnt make much of a difference. Probably too soft, for the hardened steel. I'll look for one of these. 1/16" right?

[Sharp Guy]

Ric,

Good point! I had to make my detent harder on the Sliverax, but gem of a knife!

Somewhat like a reverse Smock, but I love the looks of the Shamwari. It has just the smallest profusion above the pivot to give it the leverage to be a front flipper. And looks elegant when open!

Hamilton

I just got a Mantra 3 yesterday. How did you go about making the Detent better? Dremel tool like in the video on YouTube, or a different method? I want to do this in the coming weeks, and just looking at the different ways to go about it.

This what I've been using. I've done a few this way and it's worked out well. I could put the burr in a rotary tool but I'd rather turn it by hand

viewtopic.php?p=1310864#p1310864

I like the cone better than the ball. I tried last night, with a sanding cone, but it didnt make much of a difference. Probably too soft, for the hardened steel. I'll look for one of these. 1/16" right?

Sorry I just saw this. I'm not exactly sure about the size. It came in a set of dental laboratory burrs. The shank size is much smaller than standard Dremel tool bits. I'll set a reminder to check tonight

[sparty569]

I just got a Mantra 3 yesterday. How did you go about making the Detent better? Dremel tool like in the video on YouTube, or a different method? I want to do this in the coming weeks, and just looking at the different ways to go about it.

This what I've been using. I've done a few this way and it's worked out well. I could put the burr in a rotary tool but I'd rather turn it by hand

viewtopic.php?p=1310864#p1310864

I like the cone better than the ball. I tried last night, with a sanding cone, but it didnt make much of a difference. Probably too soft, for the hardened steel. I'll look for one of these. 1/16" right?

Sorry I just saw this. I'm not exactly sure about the size. It came in a set of dental laboratory burrs. The shank size is much smaller than standard Dremel tool bits. I'll set a reminder to check tonight

I didnt have anything like that cone. I used my dremel and a sanding cone. Removed just a little bit of steel, and it sits flush now, and the detent is better. Not as good as it could be, if it wasnt "ramped," due to the shape of the bit, but the "light switch" flipper action is much better now than it was. I just dont like the "push button," my index kills after a few minutes of flipping it that way.

[Larry_Mott]

As a South African I’m going to throw my countrymen’s names in the ring - another Des Horn maybe or a Trevor Burger or an Andre Thorburn collaboration? Front flippers were, for quite some time, the domain of our local knife makers.

Another Des Horn collab would be golden!

[Sharp Guy]

This what I've been using. I've done a few this way and it's worked out well. I could put the burr in a rotary tool but I'd rather turn it by hand

viewtopic.php?p=1310864#p1310864

I like the cone better than the ball. I tried last night, with a sanding cone, but it didnt make much of a difference. Probably too soft, for the hardened steel. I'll look for one of these. 1/16" right?

Sorry I just saw this. I'm not exactly sure about the size. It came in a set of dental laboratory burrs. The shank size is much smaller than standard Dremel tool bits. I'll set a reminder to check tonight

I didnt have anything like that cone. I used my dremel and a sanding cone. Removed just a little bit of steel, and it sits flush now, and the detent is better. Not as good as it could be, if it wasnt "ramped," due to the shape of the bit, but the "light switch" flipper action is much better now than it was. I just dont like the "push button," my index kills after a few minutes of flipping it that way.

Are you saying the detent ball on yours now goes all the way in the detent hole? You have to be careful not to remove too much or you'll end up with detent slop.

[sparty569]

I like the cone better than the ball. I tried last night, with a sanding cone, but it didnt make much of a difference. Probably too soft, for the hardened steel. I'll look for one of these. 1/16" right?

Sorry I just saw this. I'm not exactly sure about the size. It came in a set of dental laboratory burrs. The shank size is much smaller than standard Dremel tool bits. I'll set a reminder to check tonight

I didnt have anything like that cone. I used my dremel and a sanding cone. Removed just a little bit of steel, and it sits flush now, and the detent is better. Not as good as it could be, if it wasnt "ramped," due to the shape of the bit, but the "light switch" flipper action is much better now than it was. I just dont like the "push button," my index kills after a few minutes of flipping it that way.

Are you saying the detent ball on yours now goes all the way in the detent hole? You have to be careful not to remove too much or you'll end up with detent slop.

Yeah, I was trying to be careful with that. The bit I used made the hole wider, but not much deeper. When the knife is closed, it is still tight, no wiggle or rattle. And it opens a little nicer than it used to. I'm not messing with it any more, as more would probably either give slop, or make it inoperable.

[ZrowsN1s]

As someone else pointed out. Put some jimping on the McBee and it's a front flipper.

[Mendozamike89]

My mod on lil native to make front flipper and it works great

[Mendozamike89]

[Mendozamike89]

[sshook]

You can apparently front flip a Shaman.

[Optimus Cultro]

Oh man. I picked up a Civivi Exarch a few months ago. Small, g10, D2 steel, it's nothing to write home about. Cost me $35.

But oh boy does it get pocket time, and it's all because it is such an amazingly satisfying knife. The size and feel of the flipper tab is perfect, action is so smooth, it has caused me to fall in love with front flippers. The fidget factor is through the roof, even more than my sliverax (a comp lock flipper).

I'd love to see some front flippers coming from my favorite manufacturer!

I have a McKenna that I’m pretty fond of. It is a real slicer and nice little front flipper for a very reasonable price. For the the types of things I use a knife that size for it works great.

The spyderco flippers I have used all have really soft detents and do not flip very well at all. I’m not sure if that’s because they also have Spydiechef hole openers and a detent that would make for a good flipper would not work well for that or what. The ones I’ve used wer Taichung made knives that otherwise were impeccable and very nice knives. I don’t get wrapped around the axel about a knife’s “action” but it is going to have a flipper tab it should probably reliably flip otherwise why bother. My $300+ magnitude doesn’t flip as well as my $30 ruike. If spyderco made a front flipper it would have to be a MUCH better flipper than anything else I have experienced from them for me to be remotely interested. There are too many really good ones out there.