Anyone else not exactly feeling the Sharp By Design Mini Tempest?

[King of the Cheese]

I like it. As far as Chinese front flippers go, it’s the cream of the crop. It carries well and the blade is incredibly sharp and slicey. The front flipper isn’t for everyone but I think if the mini tempest was made with a small flipper tab, it would be perfect.

 

[Catermellons]

Unfortunately you will have to purchase a gold membership to be able to sell on the forums

I was thinking more of eBay, Instagram, or r/Knife_Swap. I might get a membership here to do that but I'll need to check out what that's going to cost as the other options are free.

 

[Catermellons]

I like it. As far as Chinese front flippers go, it’s the cream of the crop. It carries well and the blade is incredibly sharp and slicey. The front flipper isn’t for everyone but I think if the mini tempest was made with a small flipper tab, it would be perfect.

Same. I would love this knife if it had a tab I could work with my thumb, I guess a traditional flipper style?
I have nerve issues from a drug overdose from my late teens that caused me to shake and I randomly lose control over my hands strangely enough. It's why I always held my son while sitting down for the first 9 months of his life as I was terrified that my hands would go limp and I'd drop him. My fingers also don't work as well as they should so it's definitely more difficult than it should be.

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

I’m a huge fan of front flippers. I own and have owned a lot of different ones.

I find that FF work a lot better on washers. Bearings work, but washers are smoother.

I found that a lot of the production front flippers are lacking in good detent and smoothness.

The only thing I’m not a fan of on the Mini Tempest is how high up the tab sticks past the scales. In my experience, it makes it more difficult to flip.

I must say, I am a huge fan of SBD’s designs and I was really looking forward to the MT but the tall flipper tab ultimately led me not to buy it.

If you love the look of the knife, keep practicing. You have to build up muscle memory. It comes with time.

 

[Random Dan]

IMHO it's pretty much a perfect design if front flippers are your thing, which it sounds like is not the case for OP. Personally I find the more top mounted "Pena style" front flippers more natural to use, but I've gotten used to the tempest and like it almost as much.

 

[Catermellons]

IMHO it's pretty much a perfect design if front flippers are your thing, which it sounds like is not the case for OP. Personally I find the more top mounted "Pena style" front flippers more natural to use, but I've gotten used to the tempest and like it almost as much.

I just can't actually open it properly and I'm not super well versed in anything other than fixed blades and lock back type of knives. When I bought it I thought it had the same or similar opening mechanics as the 703b I love so much and have been blathering on about. The Mini Tempest is a beautiful knife and is very well made, I just haven't warmed up to the way it opens. I'm going to try and get a better hang of it but if I can't I'll probably pass it along to someone else who will appreciate Brian's work more than my busted fingers can.

 

[Catermellons]

I’m a huge fan of front flippers. I own and have owned a lot of different ones.

I find that FF work a lot better on washers. Bearings work, but washers are smoother.

I found that a lot of the production front flippers are lacking in good detent and smoothness.

The only thing I’m not a fan of on the Mini Tempest is how high up the tab sticks past the scales. In my experience, it makes it more difficult to flip.

I must say, I am a huge fan of SBD’s designs and I was really looking forward to the MT but the tall flipper tab ultimately led me not to buy it.

If you love the look of the knife, keep practicing. You have to build up muscle memory. It comes with time.

I will take that advice and see what I can do with it, though I did expect it to open up a tad bit easier than it actually does. As you said it's probably just a new way of opening and I'm not used to it so I'll work on it and see if I can get the hang of it. Otherwise I'll probably try and sell/trade it for something different.