As far as my personal KAI flippers go, I would rank them in this order:
1. ZT 0600 #310 -- Super smooth. I like my blades to snap open fast, but something about this weighty thunk makes me smile. I've been carrying it the last few days and it had slowed down on me even though I lubed it a teensy bit with NanoOil. I started looking at it and it had a hair and some lint around the ball bearings. So, I used some pressure duster and sprayed it all out and its back to its magical self.
2. Kershaw TiLT #403 -- a few folks have said their TiLT has a weker detent. Not mine. My TiLT has probably the strongest detent out of all listed. It snaps open with authority
3. ZT 0600 #257 -- Weaker detent that #310, but super super smooth. Requires a bit more skill, but if I end up selling this one, if the person has the right technique, they'll love it. I just like my detent a bit stronger
4. ZT 0777 #109 -- There's not anything that I can specifically fault with the 777's flipping action. I love the knife. The detent is perfect and it flies open in any position.......fast. AS much as I like Carbon Fiber, I think the lightness of the blade and especially the scales make this one just not feel exactly right for me. I rarely have a tendency to hit the lockbar while flipping this one, but even that doesn't stop it from opening, only slows it down.
5. ZT 0560 CBCF #147 -- Nothing necessarily bad about this one either. I mean, the fact is, we're splitting hairs here and much of this is about personal preference. I've just never been the biggest fan of the 056x flipping action. Admittedly, this one is much better that the 0560 that I sold a while back, but its a bit rough on the fingers, despite the nice snap.
6. Kershaw Volt 3600 #198 -- OK, now here's a flipper that just doesn't flip nearly as well as it could. When I first bought this bad boy, it was smooth as silk, but slower than molasses. I've since put some teflon washers in it and lubed it and it will open with a bit more speed, but its nowhere near the performance of the newer flippers. Also, the shape and tiny pocket clip and the slick felel makes it hard to get a good grip, but when you do, you end up pressing the lockbar, and this knife is REALLY finicky about anything even looking at the lockbar wrong. I really feel like if they were going to make this knife a flipper, they should have at least put some thumbstuds on it, too. Knife is beautiful as can be, but I just don't find it functional. I said I was gonna sell it when I got my 0600, but I haven't decided yet.
I've got an 801CF on pre-order. I hope that those turn out great since the 801's seem to be making a lot of people really happy.
Let me add that I, also, have a CRKT Eros............freaking awesome little knife. It weighs next to nothing and people freak out thinking I have a tiny switchblade when I open it because it deploys so damn fast. I always carry one little "pen knife" style knife and one big knife. So, right now my combo is the CRKT Eros and the ZT 0600..........I think its as godd of a combination of knives as you'll find.
Have a good one and enjoy your knives!!
