ALL THINGS BUDGET KNIVES

Gnome designed by Anton Malyshev:

Not sure what you call flipper but the GR-605 is not a flipper.
Also. with smaller knives, the effect of ball bearings diminishes, so not too many budget ones available.

The Spyderco Techno clone has ball bearings but is not a flipper.

The Sanrenmu 7076 and Sanrenmu 7090 are 2 small flippers that don’t have bearings but are very smooth.

The Gnome is a nice small flipper on bearings but more expensive.

Looks like Isti beat me with the Gnome :slight_smile:

I have one of those Techno clones and although it has a smooth action I’m pretty sure it’s running on bronze washers.

FURA has a couple of nice titanium mini flippers here , here and here.

I got mine a couple of weeks ago and haven’t taken it apart yet, so I don’t know for sure but looking at it, it look like bearings to me.
Yep, I forgot about those Fura, not my style but nice finds.

Thanks for the suggestions. The Gnome is a beautiful knife but out of my budget range. Sorry but the fura knives are not in my taste, too….something, boxy maybe?
Wish the gnome was cheaper :slight_smile:
I do dig the Sanrenmu 7076 LUX-GHV, i will search for youtube reviews on it.
I thought a flipper is a knife you can flip open? Im not good at knife terminology. SOme of the enlan knives might fit the bill too, are they regarded about same quality as sanrenmu and ganzo knives?

In my experience, yes.

Thank you for the answer.
I did mention “flipper” and at the time i didnt know what the defenition of flipper is…but i do now after some reading.
I dont care if its a flipper or not, i might even prefer a non flipper but not the end of the world either way. More than anything, i want it to have ball bearings in it and not longer than about 16cm.

Save a little longer and get the Gnome. Very good knife. You’ll thank me later

What we typically call flippers is a knife that has a flipper tab at the back and that you open by pressing down on the flipper.
About Enlan, in my experience some are better than others, look at the EM-01 , I had it and it was a good knife and it should fit within your size requirements.

Funny youd mention, i do have a page open to the Enlan you mentioned. Its the size im looking for but doesnt mention ball bearings so it probably doesnt have it.
I like it regardless….and thanks!

No, this one definitely not.
I wouldn’t be so fixated on the bearings, there really doesn’t make that much of a difference on that size of knife, not enough mass.
Like I said, the 7076 doesn’t have bearings and is one of the smoothest small knives I’ve had.

These are nice too (Clones of Ganzo G719)

https://www.dhgate.com/product/fielder-automatic-folding-blade-knife-8cr14mov/407272897.html#s12-9-1b;searl
https://www.dhgate.com/store/product/new-arrival-auto-tactical-knife-8cr13-stone/405675333.html</blockquote>

Notice the clones have scales on both sides of the handle , the genuine G719 only has a scale on the button side.

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The Genuine Ganzo G719 was available on their website: FOLDING KNIVES ganzoknife.com: buy FOLDING KNIVES, catalog ganzoknife.com, buy in USA
However when I try to get on their site today I’m getting this:

“Your connection is not secure

The owner of ganzoknife.com has configured their website improperly. To protect your information from being stolen, Firefox has not connected to this website.

This site uses HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) to specify that Firefox may only connect to it securely. As a result, it is not possible to add an exception for this certificate”

…or this

That Y-Start mini folder is a decent one although it’s not a flipper.

This video tells me otherwise.

The tangram amarillo is nice. Ball bearings 440c steel and a good edc size
Only thing i dont like is that it doesnt have a thumb hole or something like that, you got to use the flipper. The shape and design kinda reminds me of the gr605

From my experience Sanrenmu and Ganzo quality is better by much.

I can’t front flip mine but I’m not a big front flipper fan anyway. :slight_smile:

Well yes - and no…

As isti242 stated, this knife does not have a “traditional” flipper, but in the video (at 7:28) the reviewer uses the jimping on the spine to propel the blade open (the front of the handle appears to be cut away around the pivot for that purpose)

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Yes this is what traditionally is thought of as a flipper.

The term “Flipper” in modern knives came about mainly after the release of the CRKT M16, which employed a protruding “tab” or “nub” that was called the ‘Carson Flipper’:

Who invented the flipper? That remains a mystery to knife makers and enthusiasts. Legend has it that its origins may trace as far back as the late 19th century. What is clear is that CRKT’s M16 became so popular that the opening mechanism was often referred to as the ‘Carson Flipper’ soon after its launch

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So yes as Adahn pointed out the Y-Start mini could be referred to as a flipper, but not in the traditional sense.

Since it appears part of the design of the knife is to employ its jimping for opening assist, for a better term I would say it has a “hidden flipper”, which would be good for places where a traditional flipper might be illegal? (and may very well be the intention of the design) or just a way of making the knife more “pocket or sheath friendly” without having any protrusions.

Cute little knife.