Manual Flipper with Best Action?

D

Detroit1980

Joined
May 17, 2020
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182
What manual Flipper knife do you think has the best action? The best that I've came across so far is the Kizer Vanguard Dukes.
 
Freeman 451 flipper, by far

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In my collection, the best flipper i have experienced is the Koenig Mini Goblin
 
My Freeman 451 is amazing for sure, but button lock flippers tend to be. For framelocks, my Carson Boiling that the Real Steel Megalodon was based on wins hands down... even compared to the Shiro Hati-R and CKF Milk.

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Every flipper that I've gotten from Artisan is perfect. ( Proponent , Osprey, Hyperion and Hornet).
Everything I've gotten from Kizer and WE is also perfect.
ZT ( for me ) is hit or miss. My 0452CF felt glued shut until it broke in.
 
JPD1998 said:
Every flipper that I've gotten from Artisan is perfect. ( Proponent , Osprey, Hyperion and Hornet).
Everything I've gotten from Kizer and WE is also perfect.
ZT ( for me ) is hit or miss. My 0452CF felt glued shut until it broke in.
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Maybe that's why I've never been impressed with ZT. I've never owned a ZT but the knives I've tested must have just needed to be broke in because they seemed kind of stiff.
 
Best I have handled would be in the realm of Shiros and Grimsmo knives. I could try and figure at different price points who or what model is the best.
 
After seeing some of these high end knives you guys were probably laughing at my cheap Kizer Vanguard Dukes lol. It really is a great knife though and I'm generally attracted to reasonably priced knives with great action and some fidget factor. The most expensive knife I have is a Guardian Tactical Recon-035 OTF that was $279 and I thought that was kind of expensive lol.

To be honest, the only knife I have that gets put to hard work is my Milwaukee Fastback Compact utility knife that only costs $9 lol. It's surprisingly kind of fun to play with and is probably the cheapest button lock knife you can get.
 
Sorry to take this off topic, but what is "it" that ya'll consider to be the action of a knife? I guess in this case, a flipper knife. This is not a rhetorical question. I genuinely wish to be informed and my apologies if this has been covered before.

Is it just how well it flips or flies open?
Is it how smooth it operates though the motion of opening and closing?
Is it just how freely it shuts, like drop shut?
Is it how satisfying it is to feel it open and close. Or to a greater extent, fidget with?
Is it a factor of all of these?

As mentioned, you have different lock styles so that likely has some added caveat to the discussion. I mean, none of my knifes move more freely just before or after they engage the lock than my Buck Marksman, but that may not be a good assessment of the action of a knife. Or is it?

But let me try to contribute to the op's question. Out of all my flippers, I'd say my ZT's flip the best. I love how my 0804 moves through opening and closing, even when not flipping it open hard and just slowly deploying the blade.

And then there is another satisfying characteristic in knives being flipped open: the sound. My 0909 makes the most beautiful mechanical noise when flipped open hard. I guess the combination of the sturdy frame and weight just make the right pitch.
 
I don't think I could name just one as I have many that are pretty spectacular. Most of my ZT's, all of my WE made (including Civivi, Massdrop, and other private labels), and a couple Spyderco's. Side spin, the Spyderco PM2 is not a "flipper", but mine thumb "flicks" as smooth as some of my best flippers. Quite impressive.
 
hectorsn said:
Sorry to take this off topic, but what is "it" that ya'll consider to be the action of a knife? I guess in this case, a flipper knife. This is not a rhetorical question. I genuinely wish to be informed and my apologies if this has been covered before.

Is it just how well it flips or flies open?
Is it how smooth it operates though the motion of opening and closing?
Is it just how freely it shuts, like drop shut?
Is it how satisfying it is to feel it open and close. Or to a greater extent, fidget with?
Is it a factor of all of these?

As mentioned, you have different lock styles so that likely has some added caveat to the discussion. I mean, none of my knifes move more freely just before or after they engage the lock than my Buck Marksman, but that may not be a good assessment of the action of a knife. Or is it?

But let me try to contribute to the op's question. Out of all my flippers, I'd say my ZT's flip the best. I love how my 0804 moves through opening and closing, even when not flipping it open hard and just slowly deploying the blade.

And then there is another satisfying characteristic in knives being flipped open: the sound. My 0909 makes the most beautiful mechanical noise when flipped open hard. I guess the combination of the sturdy frame and weight just make the right pitch.
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I guess it can be really hard to decide because the quickness, smoothness and sound are all factors. Then even if you have all that and it sucks if it don't close easily. That's why I at least made sure to label it manual.
The spring assisted Kershaws are actually what got me into knives but I gave up on them because the torsion bars always end up breaking and they obviously aren't easy closing.
 
I'm mostly a budget guy but the last few years have been kind. Best is probably a tie between some of the $52 knives I've had from Bestech. They really seem to nail that action. The proliferation of bearings and the overall Renaissance we've seen in Chinese production has done wonderful things to this end of the price spectrum. I've been very happy with my knives from Civivi, Kizer, and others. Bestech just takes the crown for budget action.

I will give an honorable mention to the Harnds Talisman. For a $30-something flipper in AUS-8, it's surprisingly excellent. It drops or rather glides shut beautifully. If you're looking for a gift idea or a gateway knife with good action, this could be the ticket.
 
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