Spyderco Forums

As my knife collection grows, I find myself drawn towards those with maximum fidget factor. For sheer fidgety variety, my CruWear Smock is the favorite big kid fidget toy - thumbing it open, reverse flicking, flipper tabbing, or inertia opening with the button lock all bring joyous hits of dopamine. Much to my wife's chagrin, I can play with it for hours while watching my favorite shows.

What is your favorite fidgety knife and why? I'm super curious! Is it a Spyderco product or something from a different brand? Does the scale material make a difference to you? The sound of my Manix in CruCarta totally changed when I swapped from the factory steel ball bearing and Micarta scales to a ceramic bearings and titanium scales. How about the weight? Do you like something with weight/substance or a light & nimble blade? My PM2 Salt handles completely differently with brass scales versus the original G10.

Did I miss your favorite locking system in my poll?

Please share pictures of what you enjoy most and tell me why it brings you all the satisfying tingles!!!

I don't believe in the phrase "fidget factor."

Admittedly though, when I carry a Sqaurehead I have caught myself mindlessly opening and closing it... In much the same way someone would "fidget" with a knife.

I find it's form factor to be small, convenient, and safe enough to not call attention to it but it still gives a relatively satisfying thunk when opening. In effect, I use the knife like a small worry stone. I don't sit there rubbing it like a worry stone but the constant opening and closing action feels similarly as effective.

I have to say I just love my two favorite Manix knives after I changed the ballcage to the Titanium but I chose to keep my steel ball bearings.

They really came to become my favorite once I put the AWT scales on them, AWT still has not made the Manix 2XL in the more aggressive texture yet, much to my disappointment, but soon as they do my Manix 2XL will get a burnt bronze set of those to match the little Manix 2 of mine.

Both of these I have M4 DLC steel and lots of time setting these up to open and close perfectly.

Backlock for me. Easiest to close

I would say the compression lock on my Lil Temperance LW is my favorite to fidget with. It’s fun to push the tab and open and close it with just a wrist flip.

If I wanted to devote more time to fidgeting, I'd buy myself a balisong and a box of bandaids.

i voted other. i don't get fidgeting with knives, or anything else for that matter.

I’m voting for the ball bearing lock but only because the uncaged version turns me into a raccoon. It’s often not even very fluid in function…but round and shiny…

As someone with a childhood of diagnosed ADD and probably some form of undiagnosed ADHD, I empathize w/ the fidgeters lol. However, I also have just enough OCD to be bothered/concerned about lock wear, so it tempers my desire to fidget to a degree. I've often thought about finding a dedicated throwaway fidget knife just so I don't have any expectations past wearing it out - which I'm not even sure would even happen.

I would stay away from linerlocks, as I have seen those wear out more than any other knife, and the potential to injure oneself with the whole 'body parts in path of blade' thing happens w/ every close. The Manix 2 because a top fidgeter after I replaced the factory spring w/ a pen spring when the original went hopelessly flying away. Yes, it is very weak...but that makes it way more fun to play w/. That, and the crossbar lock mod on it is infinitely more interesting to interact with than the plastic cage -



I've flicked this one open 1000s of times and it just gets better, so it has reduced my 'lock wear' worries a bit. So many ways to open - two handed, slow roll, thumb flick, spydie flick, upside down flick, inertia, pinch flick, inertia fling, wrist twist, etc. Super easy to close w/ pinch grip, thumb pad, index finger pad, fingernail, etc. I can even close it w/ just pinching the lock alone by itself, but it is difficult.

I would also advocate for a compression lock, because if you get a really nice and well-tuned one, the detent based knife system is a real joy to interact with - and the acoustics are pleasing as well.

A top contender would be a knife w/ a front flipper, rear flipper, Spydiehole and button compression lock w/ a modified cutout for closing the comp lock traditional style - you'd have just about all the openings and closings possible. The Smock comes close.

I also voted other. Certainly not going to yuck someone else's yum when it comes to knife preference, but I haven't considered fidget factor in years. I guess by default it would be lockback because it's almost exclusively what I carry.

I've tried all of those locks and the Shark Lock is by far the most fun.

Synov wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 11, 2025 2:08 pm

I've tried all of those locks and the Shark Lock is by far the most fun.

Haven't ever played w/ one of these but would love to in the future. Nice knife!

The Millie liner lock is a lot of fun, I’ve grown quite fond of playing around with this one.
Honorable mention to backlocks, which just follows flow.

Manix lock is fun for obvious reasons, still doesn’t hold top position for fidget time. The lock can be wearisome after some time.
Compression is okay but hasn’t been a favorite for messing around with.

Does sharpening stones count??

I carry this 3”- ish ceramic DMT combo stone that when there is down time at work, I polish the edge of my current knife. Usually I can get a semi mirror polish in a couple of sessions.

Also I enjoy Terotuf, micarta and FRN scales cause feels good against fingertips.

Torn between Ball cage and Compression lock knives.

"If you don't have anything nice to say"...Uughhhh, this kind of topic has always ground my gears. Never fails to pop up time and time again though.

Fidget factor is not something I consider when looking at a knife. With all the backlocks I have, I don't see Spyderco as the best brand for fidgeting. You want multiple ways of opening and bearings iso washers.

I do get why people fidget, especially people with ADD can benefit from the stimuli when doing mundane tasks. But if you really actively fidget all the time, there are much cheaper and safer options.

I have knives laying around in my home office and pick them up from time to time, keeping them under the camera in a Teams meeting I flick them open as well and admire them. But that also goes for a new slipjoint I just got, which doesn't fidget I do appreciate smooth action on a knife when deploying, but that also goes for my CRK which I slow roll. That solid bank vault locking sound is pleasing.

The Smock is the best fidget knife I own that Spyderco makes.

Not a locking system as such, but this is the knife i have spent most time just playing with (and i am not a fidgety guy at all!)

AGA Campolin Dragonfly

Being of the ADD tribe I definitely put value on fidget factor. For me it's more complex than just lock type but if I had to focus only on that then I like locks where You don't have to switch Your grip op from opening to closing. That's why I voted for Frame lock (though Liner locks are equivalent in this regard for me) and Other thinking of Double Action OTFs. This allows for for reasonably safe and easy fidgeting and both types usually sound nice as well. I guess button actuated locks would work too, but I don't have that many.

But going deeper into it, my favorite overall types for fidgeting are thumb stud/hole/disk - PB washer - liner/frame locks and flipper - ball bearing - L/F locks. Or OTFs of course.

Depending on how the day goes, every knife I carry gets played with to some degree. Call it fidgeting, I call it getting familiar with the knife.

If I only used one knife, this would be a less of a thing. If it was a traditional slip-joint, it wouldn't be a thing at all. But as I use a variety of knives, fidgeting with them allows for better and safer handling. Especially with single hand openers/closers.

Assuming "button lock" is a button operated compression lock then that's my choice for fidget friendly. If I had the choice I'd actually have all of my Spyderco's with the Plunge Lock and be automatics.