Ponder three markedly diverse examples of the quickest manual flippers.

When BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Kit Carson’s CRKT M16 design hit the shelves in 1999, it was a crapshoot in a rapidly growing field of modern tactical folders. To say the least, the M16 caught on like gangbusters and, well, here we are a quarter century later featuring the genre in BLADE®. Kit is no longer with us but his legacy is cemented in cutlery history as the popularizer of the modern-day flipper folder.

Bladerunners Systems (BRS) Khopesh

Bladerunners Systems Khopesh Specs
Blade length: 4”
Blade steel: Bohler M390 stainless
Blade pattern: Drop point
Pivot: Ball bearing
Handle material: Titanium, black G-10
Carry: Pocket clip
Weight: 6 ozs.
Closed length: 5”
Country of origin: China
MSRP: $196.95

At 9 inches open and 6.07 ounces, the Bladerunners Systems (BRS) Khopesh is the big bad wolf of the test bunch. The large stonewashed blade rolls out with ease thanks to a smooth ball bearing pivot. The flipper is the main mode of transportation for the blade, though it is pinch-able via three diagonal blade grooves to assist. The handle has V-shaped, bead-blasted titanium bolsters with silky rails housing a linerlock. A machined, reversible titanium pocket clip completes the package.

The Khopesh is over twice the heft of the two lightest review folders and, considering the weight, I didn’t expect the blade to fly out of the handle when using the flipper. However, I was delightfully surprised at how well the pivot added to the speed of deployment. With a bit of practice you can get quite proficient at it, and its size works to its advantage as the large handle aids in getting a good grip. The BRS entry won’t set any speed records for blade rollout but it’s fast enough for most applications.

A knife as large as the Khopesh also offers more utility advantages than a smaller one. The flipper folder is game for a lot of uses, whether cutting rope or preparing a meal on the go. I tested the blade on a chub of summer sausage and lopped off quarter-inch slices like a walk in the park.

Zero Tolerance 0990

Zero Tolerance 0990 Specs
Blade length: 3.25”
Blade steel: CPM 20CV stainless
Blade pattern: Drop point
Handle material: Carbon fiber, steel overlay
Carry: Pocket clip
Weight: 2.9 ozs.
Closed length: 4.4”
Special feature: Floating Bridge skeletonized frame
Country of origin: USA
MSRP: $330

Zero Tolerance pushes the design envelope with the 0990, a spinoff of its limited edition 0999. The 0990 is highly skeletonized to the point that even the blade stop—aka a floating bridge—is exposed. The 4.4-inch handle features a steel frame with black carbon fiber onlays. The blade secures open via a linerlock hidden by the carbon fiber on the front frame rail. The tip-up pocket clip can be reversed to the front. The blade operates on a KVT ball bearing pivot and can be flipper-activated or pinched open by its oblong cutout.

The 0990 is the most distinctive member of the test trio both design- and flipper-wise. When the blade is closed the flipper tab extends out under the floating bridge. When flipped, the blade tang revolves and snicks into place on the bridge, holding the blade rigid. It’s what blades normally do—you just get to see it happen. The flipper tab is small, so it helps to practice flipping it to become totally familiar with its location and action. Practice makes perfect. Once activated, the KVT ball-bearing does a great job of flinging the blade out post haste, and the whole system is tight as a drum.

The ZT flipper folder is a mid-sized EDC capable of small-to-medium tasks—from opening mail and packages, preparing snacks, even cutting paracord and 3/8-inch rappelling rope—and in a pinch will offer a welcome level of protection. I tested the blade on some rope and paracord and the CPM 20CV blade cut extremely well. Plus, the 0990 will definitely wow your friends on work breaks.

CobraTec Ghost

CobraTec Ghost Frame Lock Specs
Blade length: 3.75”
Blade steel: Damascus
Blade pattern: Modified wharncliffe
Pivot: Ball bearing
Handle material: Titanium
Carry: Pocket clip
Weight: 2.4 ozs.
Closed length: 5”
Special feature: Glass breaker
Country of origin: USA
MSRP: $199.99

CobraTec’s streamlined Ghost flipper folder has all the style and grace of a stiletto on steroids, eschewing a symmetrical dagger blade for a wicked modified wharncliffe with linerlock. The knife adds to its mystique with a damascus blade and skeletonized handle etched in a pattern complementing the blade steel. That’s a lot to digest but, all in all, it works. The blade engages exclusively by the flipper tab—even the latter is skeletonized—and swings out effortlessly on a ball-bearing pivot. Out back is a bead-blasted, tip-up pocket clip and there’s a lanyard hole and glass breaker in the butt.

Thanks in no small part to its ultra-slim profile and light weight, the knife is a speed demon. With little drag on its ball-bearing pivot, the blade literally flies out when flipped. I found the flipper tab easily accessible and the exposed framelock makes it easy to reload. The slim profile makes it harder to grip than a wider model but, as with any knife, practice and familiarity makes perfect. You can’t knock its looks, either. There’s something about damascus that just warms the soul.

Most knives this slender typically excel at jobs like self-defense and melon testing. That said, the tip extends the blade’s slicing ability beyond the standard symmetrical stiletto. I tested the blade by taking off strips of suede and was surprised at how well it performed for such a narrow pattern. I also gauged its penetrating prowess on a cantaloupe and it easily sank to the integral guard with every stab. The Ghost is not a working knife per se but its utility may surprise you.

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