Flik vs. Wave, comparison review.

[J-sews]

Just got my Flik today. During the initial play time with it, I remembered something the Gerber folks showed us: When accessing the small "inside" tools, slide the blade lock release backwards a bit. This lifts the tools slightly, allowing you to easily unfold the one you want.

There's a note of this on the back of the Flik's blister pack. Gerber refers to it as "small tool access assist."

No mention of it at all on the box mine came in

[J-sews]

Okay how about this:

The knife and the serrated knife are so hard to unfold that I can't do it one-handed. I'm thinking about loosening up the pivot screws.


Anybody elses like that?

[Grant Lamontagne]

The serrated blade on mine is fine, but the plain edge is a bit of a chore.  I just assumed it would loosen up with some use.

Def

[jzmtl]

The box doesn't mention anything, but the blister pack insert does.

Mine was very hard to open as well. I throughly cleaned the tool under running warm water with soap and toothbrush, let dry, then lubed with graphite (rattle can type, not powder, the solvent help it flow into things). Now it's loosen up a bit and can be opened one hand, thou still not as smooth as wave.

Of course another problem is the rounded corner I mentioned, they ground the edge of thumb cutout smooth, a stupid thing to do consider the cutout is on the small side already, and further reduce thumb traction doesn't help.

[prime77]

Okay how about this:

The knife and the serrated knife are so hard to unfold that I can't do it one-handed. I'm thinking about loosening up the pivot screws.


Anybody elses like that?

The Serrated blade on mine is harder to get out. I oiled the main blade good and then watched a movie while opening and closing over and over again. It opens much easier now but no where as easy as on a LM Wave. The main problem I have opening the blades is the thumb hole is too small.

[J-sews]

Okay, guess I better go rent a good movie to watch


Another thing. Have you guys looked closely.....I mean REALLY closely....at how that anti-pinch mechanism on the underside of the pliers works?

On the one hand I'm impressed with how complex it is, but on the other hand I'm a bit concerned with how complex it is.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, it is complex, but it seems pretty sturdy to me.  I've opened and closed it hundreds, if not thousands of times, and many times not too gently and it hasn't had a problem yet.  I'll keep an eye on it long-term, but it seems to be fairly well put together. 

I thought the same thing when I got it and haven't been torturing it, but riding it pretty hard!

Def

[jzmtl]

It doesn't seem all that complex to me. Mind you I didn't take it apart, but here is my understanding. Here's my awsome and accurate illustration of it:



Notice the two notch at bottom of jaws. The two blue thingy pivots at bottom and top can move, when handle seperate enough they jam against the outer two notchs, prevent the handle from close on each other. When you press the red release button it push the two thingy in and rest in two inner notch, allow handle to close.

[J-sews]

Yeh, that's what it looks like to me too.

And by "complex" I didn't mean like a Swiss watch or anything, I just meant like in comparison to.......say......the Gerber 600 tool.

The 600 has:
2 plier jaws
2 push buttons
2 coil springs
2 circlips
8 total parts in the plier mechanism

The Flik has:
2 plier jaws
2 push buttons
2 plastic sliders
4 little screws
2 channel shaped pieces
2 coil springs
2 clothespin springs
2 brackets (that the screws thread into)
2 pawls (the blue things in your sketch, which are themselves made of two small pieces)
4 pivot rivets
22 total parts

[jzmtl]

Heh, I figure someone is gona take it apart soon or later. I was concerned about the number of parts too, and stength of the plastic slider (wish they made this with metal instead). But I've been flicking it open and close almost none stop since I bought it and no problem encountered,

[EM745]

Heh, I figure someone is gona take it apart soon or later. I was concerned about the number of parts too

Ditto.

I'm usually not the one to shy away from taking things apart. (Warranties??? Pfft! Who needs those!  ) But there's something about the Flik and its sliding pliers that gave me the heebie jeebies... The thought of it "exploding" into a million springs and small parts after removing a single fastener was none too comforting. It was bad enough that I had to remove one screw to get to that scissors spring.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, but look at what you are comparing it to- my fanny has more moving parts than the old MP600!

While it is undoubtedly more complex than other models, it doesn't seem as complex as I thought it might be now that I see it taken apart.  Does anything in your pile of parts formerly known as a Flik strike you as particularly vulnerable to breakage or malfunction?

Def

[J-sews]

Yeah, but look at what you are comparing it to- my fanny has more moving parts than the old MP600!

WARNING! Everybody should ignore this comment altogether. We don't want him posting any pictures. (And he will do it, too!)

While it is undoubtedly more complex than other models, it doesn't seem as complex as I thought it might be now that I see it taken apart.  Does anything in your pile of parts formerly known as a Flik strike you as particularly vulnerable to breakage or malfunction?

Def

Not breakage I suppose, but I would worry about dirt and crud getting into the mechanism.

For instance, it probably wouldn't be a good tool to carry around loose in your pocket or the bottom of a gym bag, where loose grains of dirt or even lint might jam things up.

[jzmtl]

I formated it to make it more comprehendable, since original draft was written at 1 AM after I got home from skiing and dead tired (although it's 5 AM right now so it's not much better hehe). I suppose this review doesn't really fit main site's specific product reviews, but if you can find a place feel free to repost there.