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Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Ease of Opening, Handle Feel, Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type, Overall Quality, Weight
Cons: Handle Material, Pocket Clip
Poor clip/scale interaction demerits an otherwise great knife
The Real Steel Iris Front Flipper has a lot going for it, especially at its price point. It compares favorably in size, materials, form, and function with other folded-sheet-metal blades, such as the Böker Plus Atlas (one of my favorite front-pocket daily carries). The 12C27 blade came scary sharp and evenly ground out of the box, the front flipper opening is nimble, but has just the right amount of resistance to maintain control. The full flat-ground blade tapers to a sharp point; although it looks and feels pretty stabby, the blade is not broad enough to look scary, but rather looks and feels like a gentleman's folder. The one thing that keeps this knife from being a five-star budget blade is the combination of the wire clip and how it attaches behind the very thin G10 scales: The grooves machined into the back side of the scales are so deep they nearly break through to the grip side, and the flexing of the clip causes the edge of the scale to show stress and then flake. Being a southpaw, I appreciate reversible clips. Shortly after reinstalling the clip for left-side tip-up carry, the second scale started to show stress discoloration and flaking at the end of the clip grooves. It's a shame. This knife needs a clip that mounts on the outside of the scale -- either a wire clip with grooves on the outside of the scale and a broader Torx screw head, or a two-screw flat deep-carry clip that simply sits on top of the scale. This front flipper's kissing cousin, the Iris Flipper, has the same issue. With just this one change, both would be five-star budget flipper folder EDC bonanzas. As it is, they disappoint precisely because of this one small design defect.