Umnumzaan Front Flipper/Opener - Am I the only one who likes the idea?

b00n

b00n

Joined
Dec 15, 2016
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It seemed a lot of people find the glass breaker a little unnecessary, but ever since getting my Zaan I've been thinking it would be cool if there was a version that left the material and turned it into a front flipper. I made a quick simple photoshop:
L4qN6f7.jpg


It probably would need a little tweaking where the studs lock against the frame as well, given some height discrepancies but I just liked the concept. (The Inkosi would also work if you just wrap part of the tang over the stop pin)
I'm aware CRK isn't advocating flipping their knives, but you can open a front flipper slow and smooth (and you might even forgo the studs on the Inkosi and make it a sterile blade.) Thoughts?
 
b00n said:
It seemed a lot of people find the glass breaker a little unnecessary, but ever since getting my Zaan I've been thinking it would be cool if there was a version that left the material and turned it into a front flipper. I made a quick simple photoshop:
L4qN6f7.jpg


It probably would need a little tweaking where the studs lock against the frame as well, given some height discrepancies but I just liked the concept. (The Inkosi would also work if you just wrap part of the tang over the stop pin)
I'm aware CRK isn't advocating flipping their knives, but you can open a front flipper slow and smooth (and you might even forgo the studs on the Inkosi and make it a sterile blade.) Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Are you crazy? Just kidding! I can’t wait to hear from the purists and innovators. Maybe a survey for fun.
 
b00n said:
It seemed a lot of people find the glass breaker a little unnecessary, but ever since getting my Zaan I've been thinking it would be cool if there was a version that left the material and turned it into a front flipper. I made a quick simple photoshop:
L4qN6f7.jpg


It probably would need a little tweaking where the studs lock against the frame as well, given some height discrepancies but I just liked the concept. (The Inkosi would also work if you just wrap part of the tang over the stop pin)
I'm aware CRK isn't advocating flipping their knives, but you can open a front flipper slow and smooth (and you might even forgo the studs on the Inkosi and make it a sterile blade.) Thoughts?
Click to expand...
A Small Umnumzaan with a front flipper would rival the mythical Large Mnandi as the grail of all grails for me.

The glass breaker is truly unnecessary.
 
A front flipper Zaan especially small doesn't interest me. A front flipper Insingo (Inkosi or 21) would be ideal for me. I can kind of front flip my Inkosingo now. But a front flipper insingo with no studs...man.
 
The 21 can already be front-flipped with a little effort. It appears to have a tiny bit more tang sticking out though and I don't own an Umnum to try.
 
b00n said:
It seemed a lot of people find the glass breaker a little unnecessary, but ever since getting my Zaan I've been thinking it would be cool if there was a version that left the material and turned it into a front flipper. I made a quick simple photoshop:
L4qN6f7.jpg


It probably would need a little tweaking where the studs lock against the frame as well, given some height discrepancies but I just liked the concept. (The Inkosi would also work if you just wrap part of the tang over the stop pin)
I'm aware CRK isn't advocating flipping their knives, but you can open a front flipper slow and smooth (and you might even forgo the studs on the Inkosi and make it a sterile blade.) Thoughts?
Click to expand...

As Arch VV says the Sebenzas can be front flipped already, particularly when well broken in.

The issue is that the main advantages of front flippers are their sleek minimalist appearance, plus the fact there is no thumbstud in the way of the cutting path and no flipper tab to block any blade when cutting against a flat surface.

The disadvantage is even amongst people used to front flippers a thumb stud or regular flipper is just objectively a more natural and “better” way to open a knife. So knives that have front flippers plus studs front flipping just becomes a neat trick that the knife can do incidentally. In other words it just becomes a party trick the knife can do but the studs will remain the more practical way of opening the knife.

So I always have felt a front flipper kind of needs to be only a front flipper otherwise it is just a silly feature you will only use occasionally.

Imho you would have to delete the studs.
 
The only reason CRK is my favourite brand is because they are not flippers.Nuff said.
 
Lapedog said:
Yes but front flippers can be designed so that way one can slowly thumb roll them open as well.
Click to expand...
I know that but if you like front flippers,thery are out there.For me CRK is perfect as is and I don’t need any special flipping to have my knife work as a proper user.
 
rexromic said:
I know that but if you like front flippers,thery are out there.For me CRK is perfect as is and I don’t need any special flipping to have my knife work as a proper user.
Click to expand...

To be fair though it wouldn’t mean that CRK would discontinue its non front flipper models.

I definitely think you got nothing to worry about though. Crk hasn’t made a flipper and I wouldn’t count on them making a front flipper any time soon.
 
Don’t mess with the Zaan. It’s my favorite. A new model with a front flipper would be the sh!$
 
To be clear, I am not advocating for a change to the existing models. more in the line of a Left Hand/Right Hand ,where it's a different model. I added a quick (large) Inkosi:
TtdFgBu.jpg

Extended the jimped tang portion and removed the stud. (It would need some sort of hook/cut-out to accommodate the length/position of the stop pin)
 
Clean.

b00n said:
To be clear, I am not advocating for a change to the existing models. more in the line of a Left Hand/Right Hand ,where it's a different model. I added a quick (large) Inkosi:
TtdFgBu.jpg

Extended the jimped tang portion and removed the stud. (It would need some sort of hook/cut-out to accommodate the length/position of the stop pin)
Click to expand...
 
I'm not a flipper guy, but like the Spyderbenzas out there, if you want an UM to flip, someone will mod it for you.... pics when it happens please!
 
I've been on a front flipper binge recently. I have really grown to like them They have a very clean look and function well. But I really don't care one way or another if CRK builds them. There are many other fine companies already doing it, and for that reason it may be very unlikely for CRK to follow. They are innovators not followers.
 
b00n said:
To be clear, I am not advocating for a change to the existing models. more in the line of a Left Hand/Right Hand ,where it's a different model. I added a quick (large) Inkosi:
TtdFgBu.jpg

Extended the jimped tang portion and removed the stud. (It would need some sort of hook/cut-out to accommodate the length/position of the stop pin)
Click to expand...
I would snag a micarta one instantly. But the Inkosi can be front flipped already, pretty easily too. The little bit of tang is just enough to get a full purchase through opening. I'm not scared to flip my CRK
 
b00n said:
It seemed a lot of people find the glass breaker a little unnecessary, but ever since getting my Zaan I've been thinking it would be cool if there was a version that left the material and turned it into a front flipper. I made a quick simple photoshop:
L4qN6f7.jpg


It probably would need a little tweaking where the studs lock against the frame as well, given some height discrepancies but I just liked the concept. (The Inkosi would also work if you just wrap part of the tang over the stop pin)
I'm aware CRK isn't advocating flipping their knives, but you can open a front flipper slow and smooth (and you might even forgo the studs on the Inkosi and make it a sterile blade.) Thoughts?
Click to expand...

What no friction folder ;) Just kidding of course. Hard to mess with perfection of CRK!
 
Minirehak212 said:
I would snag a micarta one instantly. But the Inkosi can be front flipped already, pretty easily too. The little bit of tang is just enough to get a full purchase through opening. I'm not scared to flip my CRK
Click to expand...
I am usually pretty adept at opening my knives in all sorts of ways, and while I can open the Inkosi in a front flipper fashion I don't quite get to flip it.


Jazz123 said:
What no friction folder ;) Just kidding of course. Hard to mess with perfection of CRK!
Click to expand...
You could make it one for sure, although I don't care for FF's :D , and yes, I like my CRK's. If I didn't I wouldn't have bought three in like two months. ;)
 
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