How about a Mantra 3?

[Bdubs808]

I have both Mantra 1 and 2, and they're fantastic. I agree with lots of folks when they say Mantra 1 is like a ti-delica-flipper.... so how about a ti-endura-flipper with a 3.5 to 3.75 inch blade length, and call it Mantra 3? If the "go bigger" idea doesn't fly, how about a different blade shape that's still 3.2ish inches? Mini-ti-stretch-flipper.

[dplafoll]

I hope I'm not giving out info that I shouldn't, but someone in the booth told me at Blade that they're working on a Mantra 3 with a compression lock. :D

I already have a Mantra 1, but I might have to buy the 3 as well.

[bearfacedkiller]

We were intially told that the name Mantra was chosen because Mantras are meant to be repeated. They said there would be more but I haven't heard anything else.

[Evil D]

Well, if they make a Mantra 2 with a compression lock, I will buy that knife. I will buy that knife so hard.

[Sharp Guy]

If they did make a Mantra with a compression lock I assume that it wouldn't be a flipper? If so it certainly wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.

[SpyderNut]

If they did make a Mantra with a compression lock I assume that it wouldn't be a flipper? If so it certainly wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.

Agreed. I'd actually like the Mantra better without a flipper tab. :)

[bearfacedkiller]

That makes two of us. No bearings and no flipper and I'll buy one.

[Mikael Andersson]

That makes two of us. No bearings and no flipper and I'll buy one.

Bearings and flippers are a bad thing?

[bearfacedkiller]

I didn't say that they were bad.

I personally don't like either one though. I hope that bearings are just a fad or that they are at least reserved for pocket jewelery. I am not sure what they add over washers except more complexity. I am a keep it simple and reliable kind of guy. Different strokes for different folks.

[Evil D]

I didn't say that they were bad.

I personally don't like either one though. I hope that bearings are just a fad or that they are at least reserved for pocket jewelery. I am not sure what they add over washers except more complexity. I am a keep it simple and reliable kind of guy. Different strokes for different folks.

My experience with washers has been that I can tighten down the pivot to the point there there is absolutely no perceivable play in the pivot in any direction, and the blade will still fall closed with gravity. I haven't noticed any real difference in smoothness over a well lubed washer pivot, but friction wise there seems to be a huge difference when the pivot is tight enough to eliminate any play. This hasn't been 100% universal for every washer pivot knife I own, because my 52100 Military and Nilakka for example both have bank vault solid pivots with no play no matter how much you wiggle them, and those blades fall closed at the press of the lock tab. But, my Southard and Mantra (the only two bearing pivots I have) are both rock solid in the pivot and there's no play at all. The Southard in particular has an amazing lock up that's at least on par with the Nilakka.

Something to consider with this subject is surface contact and friction. Even if the bearings don't spin, there is WAY less surface area between the bearings and the tang than on a washer pivot, so in a technical sense there's really no scenario where a bearing pivot will be less smooth or have more friction than a washer pivot. The contact area of those bearings is so tiny, the friction is going to be significantly less than washer-to-tang friction. It's the same concept as the detent ball.

[SpyderNut]

That makes two of us. No bearings and no flipper and I'll buy one.

Bearings and flippers are a bad thing?

Not necessarily. Like Darby said, "different strokes for different folks." I suppose there are a few of us here who are from the old camp who prefer bronze or Teflon washers over the ball-bearing washers. Flippers and bearings are fine, but I am personally content with bronze washers and the Round Hole on my folders. If I wanted a faster opening knife, I'd buy another Microtech auto. But Microtechs don't have a Round Hole.

[Bdubs808]

they're working on a Mantra 3 with a compression lock. :D.

Excellent, thank you for this news. I love the compression lock, the Mantra sounds like a great platform for trying it out with a flipper. I wonder if it'll be a ti-integral-frame-compression lock?

[Wright.88]

someone in the booth told me at Blade that they're working on a Mantra 3 with a compression lock. :D

I am all over this when it hits, of true. Ti compression lock?! Heck yeah!!

I'd also vote for no washers over bearings. I had issues with my Mantra 2 where every once in a while it would seem to "stick" halfway up when opening. It would go away eventually, but kept coming back intermittently. Heard others had similar issues.

[Mikael Andersson]

I didn't say that they were bad.

I personally don't like either one though. I hope that bearings are just a fad or that they are at least reserved for pocket jewelery. I am not sure what they add over washers except more complexity. I am a keep it simple and reliable kind of guy. Different strokes for different folks.

Ball bearings in a folding knife is an improvement and to dispute it is like to dispute climate change.

Embrace the future.

[Tdog]

I didn't say that they were bad.

I personally don't like either one though. I hope that bearings are just a fad or that they are at least reserved for pocket jewelery. I am not sure what they add over washers except more complexity. I am a keep it simple and reliable kind of guy. Different strokes for different folks.

Ball bearings in a folding knife is an improvement and to dispute it is like to dispute climate change.

Embrace the future.

The climate changes every day, and predictions are just that. Bearings and saltwater aren't a good combination. A Mantra 2 XL with enlarged hole, sans the bearings, with S110v would be the dog's bark. :D

[SuckSqueezeBangBlow]

^^^
I'm with this guy

[Mikael Andersson]

I didn't say that they were bad.

I personally don't like either one though. I hope that bearings are just a fad or that they are at least reserved for pocket jewelery. I am not sure what they add over washers except more complexity. I am a keep it simple and reliable kind of guy. Different strokes for different folks.

Ball bearings in a folding knife is an improvement and to dispute it is like to dispute climate change.

Embrace the future.

The climate changes every day, and predictions are just that. Bearings and saltwater aren't a good combination. A Mantra 2 XL with enlarged hole, sans the bearings, with S110v would be the dog's bark. :D

Make the bearings out of H1 steel.

[dplafoll]

Well I'm pretty sure I remember that Sal has said they're working on several comp lock flippers, and this is presumably one of them. Maybe some of them won't have bearings. But I hope the Mantra continues to have bearings; I would want it to be as close to the current Mantras as possible, with a change only in lock. I think the size, blade shape, and handle ergos are just about perfect, at least for me, and I also really like the flipping action. So I'm all about minimal changes.

I didn't say that they were bad.

I personally don't like either one though. I hope that bearings are just a fad or that they are at least reserved for pocket jewelery. I am not sure what they add over washers except more complexity. I am a keep it simple and reliable kind of guy. Different strokes for different folks.

Ball bearings in a folding knife is an improvement and to dispute it is like to dispute climate change.

Embrace the future.

The climate changes every day, and predictions are just that. Bearings and saltwater aren't a good combination. A Mantra 2 XL with enlarged hole, sans the bearings, with S110v would be the dog's bark. :D

I'm not going to go into the arguments for or against the origins of climate change (because the existence climate change as a phenomenon is indisputably true, even according to those that believe it's not anthropomorphic in origin). But I do have to point out that, by definition, climate does not change every day.
From Wikipedia: "Climate is the statistics (usually, mean or variability) of weather, usually over a 30-year interval.[1][2] It is measured by assessing the patterns of variation in temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological variables in a given region over long periods of time. Climate differs from weather, in that weather only describes the short-term conditions of these variables in a given region."
I'm not trying to be a jerk; I just believe that to debate any issue you have to be informed about the facts that frame that issue, and clearly any mention of climate change has to involve a knowledge of what climate is in the first place. I then make the assumption that others want to have a clear understanding of the issue(s) in question. If I assumed in error, I apologize.

[bearfacedkiller]

I didn't say that they were bad.

I personally don't like either one though. I hope that bearings are just a fad or that they are at least reserved for pocket jewelery. I am not sure what they add over washers except more complexity. I am a keep it simple and reliable kind of guy. Different strokes for different folks.

Ball bearings in a folding knife is an improvement and to dispute it is like to dispute climate change.

Embrace the future.

This is certainly not the first time I don't agree with you and it undoubtedly won't be the last.

[Tdog]

Well I'm pretty sure I remember that Sal has said they're working on several comp lock flippers, and this is presumably one of them. Maybe some of them won't have bearings. But I hope the Mantra continues to have bearings; I would want it to be as close to the current Mantras as possible, with a change only in lock. I think the size, blade shape, and handle ergos are just about perfect, at least for me, and I also really like the flipping action. So I'm all about minimal changes.

I didn't say that they were bad.

I personally don't like either one though. I hope that bearings are just a fad or that they are at least reserved for pocket jewelery. I am not sure what they add over washers except more complexity. I am a keep it simple and reliable kind of guy. Different strokes for different folks.

Ball bearings in a folding knife is an improvement and to dispute it is like to dispute climate change.

Embrace the future.

The climate changes every day, and predictions are just that. Bearings and saltwater aren't a good combination. A Mantra 2 XL with enlarged hole, sans the bearings, with S110v would be the dog's bark. :D

I'm not going to go into the arguments for or against the origins of climate change (because the existence climate change as a phenomenon is indisputably true, even according to those that believe it's not anthropomorphic in origin). But I do have to point out that, by definition, climate does not change every day.
From Wikipedia: "Climate is the statistics (usually, mean or variability) of weather, usually over a 30-year interval.[1][2] It is measured by assessing the patterns of variation in temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological variables in a given region over long periods of time. Climate differs from weather, in that weather only describes the short-term conditions of these variables in a given region."
I'm not trying to be a jerk; I just believe that to debate any issue you have to be informed about the facts that frame that issue, and clearly any mention of climate change has to involve a knowledge of what climate is in the first place. I then make the assumption that others want to have a clear understanding of the issue(s) in question. If I assumed in error, I apologize.

Thank you for the clarification. I would agree with you that the weather, ergo the climate is in constant change, and has been since the beginning of time. Good thing we have knives to distract us. :D