David Mosier Spyro IKBS flipper

Here's a piece that I got not too long ago, a David Mosier Spyro IKBS framelock flipper. David is known for making solidly built knives that are meant to be used, and this piece is one of the best that I've seen from him yet. The satin finished blade is 3 3/4" long, and the OAL is 8 1/2".

With a blade thickness of 5/32" and handle slabs that are 3/16" thick, this Spyro is pretty beefy for a framelock, but it fills the hand nicely when gripped, and it is comfortable to hold thanks to the contouring and chamfering that David did on the handle.

The flip action on the knife is smooth and fast, requiring no wrist action whatsoever in any direction that the knife is held in. The pivot features IKBS, the open-bearing system invented by Flavio Ikoma and Korth, and it helps the knife blade glide open and shut effortlessly.

I would highly recommend David's work to anyone looking for a well built tactical folder that begs to be used. Thanks David!

WOW that's really nice!

Beautiful lines on that knife. The IKBS is really catching on- I have a Begg and a Mayo Dr.Death Jr. with it - nothing like it.
Thanks for the photos. Always impressive.

Very nice knife. Simple, clean lines, nice attention to detail. A real beauty. Thanks for introducing me to the work of another great knife-maker.

Gorgeous knife. I don't know a lot about the IKBS. I've seen some pics of the bearing system but do you forsee any problems with durability or maintenance?

Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

Oddjob said:

Gorgeous knife. I don't know a lot about the IKBS. I've seen some pics of the bearing system but do you forsee any problems with durability or maintenance?

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I have carried 2 different IKBS flippers for the last year and a half, and I have had no problems whatsoever with durability or maintenance on either of the two knives. I have been told by makers that because IKBS is an open bearing system, debris can get in between the bearings and that if that happens, I can clean with compressed air and then apply a drop of Break-Free CLP or Three-In-One to get things working smoothly again. However, from my own experience, I have not had to do any maintenance whatsoever on either of those flippers, and they both flip as smooth as the day I got them.

As far as how strong the IKBS is, Flavio Ikoma, one of the inventors of the IKBS, posted a series of videos demonstrating strength tests on IKBS here:

http://customknivesandguns.com/ckgforums/showthread.php?t=24214

The link is to a forum that may be private, so you might have to sign up for that forum before you can view the thread, but membership is free, and it is owned and operated by some of the more well-respected custom knifemakers out there, so I can attest to the quality of its content.

Thanks commodorewheeler. Good info.