What is the Spydie Flick?
The Spyderco Flick or more colloquially known as the “Spydie Flick” is a blade deployment technique originating from the use of Spyderco’s trademarked circular thumbhole. You perform the spydie flick by pinching a knife between your thumb and forefinger while simultaneously opening the blade with a flick from your middle finger. If this sounds confusing, no worries! I’m going to teach you how to spydie flick. By the end of this tutorial, you will be on your way to mastering one of my favorite deployment techniques. Let’s learn how to spydie flick.
Why Spydie Flick?
For me, I am able to spydie flick a blade open with more force than the traditional thumb technique. Sure, I can provide more force by snapping my wrist like backhanding someone being disrespectful to my wife. But there’s no need for backhanding or any wrist movement with the spydie flick. A forceful deployment results in better lockup and better lockup means more confidence.
I have nothing against the more traditional method of deploying a blade using the thumb. That being said, I much prefer the Spydie Flick technique over most other deployment techniques.
Personally, spydie flicking is just so much fun. At this point in my life, having a good knife is more than just having good utility or blade hardness. With modern knife designs and knife steels, most knives are able to handle 100% of day-to-day EDC tasks. But what’s the fun in that? My favorite knives I carry are just plain fun with a high fidget factor. Uncoincidentally they’re all spydie flickable.
Step-by-Step: How to Spydie Flick
1. The Hold
I remember when I tried spydie flicking for the first time. I didn’t quite understand how to hold the knife because I was still in the thumb deployment mentality. You need to throw away that train of thought.
There are three points of contact when you’re holding the knife. It should rest between your thumb and a combination of your index finger and palm. I know everyone’s hands are different sizes, but the butt of the knife rests on the meaty part of my palm, right below my pinky. The pivot area sits in the mid section of my index finger, otherwise known as the middle phalanx. You apply pressure by pushing down with your thumb. This is what keeps the knife in its place while you flick. It’s important to get this part correct because you don’t want the knife to fly out of your hands.
2. The Finger Placement
Once you have a firm grasp of the holding position, you can position your middle finger in the deployment hole. Let me ask you this…
Can you flick a paper football through finger uprights? You know, the old tabletop game with the triangular “football” made of paper. Where your main objective is to score a touchdown so that you could flick that 3-pointed ninja star at your opponent’s face. Sorry about your eye bro! If your answer is yes, then you can spydie flick a blade. It really is that simple. I’m not exaggerating when I equate this technique to flicking a paper football. The form and motion of the flick is nearly identical between the two.
3. The Flick
If you don’t know the paper football reference, that’s okay. You can equate it to flicking virtually anything. A pea? A fly? An ear? Whatever it may be, the concept is the same. You can see in the last step that my hand is in the flicking position, the only difference is that I’m holding a knife.
Now all you have to do is quickly extend your middle finger in the flicking motion and the blade should deploy posthaste.
4. The Transition
Here are some other reasons why I prefer the spydie flick technique: The way I draw my knife and the fact that I carry my knives tip up, my hand is perfectly positioned for spydie flicking right from the get-go. This means that I can deploy the blade as soon as I have enough clearance to not stab my leg. On top of that, my fingers are already in the correct position to have a firm grasp of the handle after deployment. In other words, there’s no need to reposition the knife to get a good handle. I like efficiency and spydie flicking is certainly efficient.
My Favorite Knives to Spydie Flick
Giant Mouse ACE Grand
I think Scandinavian designers Jesper Voxnaes and Jens Anso must have had spydie flicking in mind when they designed the ACE Grand. The Grand is a truly satisfying knife to spydie flick. Read my review of the Giant Mouse ACE Grand.
Spyderco Shaman
We’re talking about spydie flicking so you know that there would be several Spydercos in the list. You can’t go wrong with the trademark Spyderco hole and the Shaman is no exception. Combined with the compression lock, the Shaman is a fidget factor machine.
Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight
The second Spyderco in the list, the Para 3 is a great lightweight folder. The Para 3 LW comes with only one phosphor bronze washer in the pivot, but spydie flicking remains effortless. Does this surprise anyone? I’m not, it’s a Spyderco. Read my review of the Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight.
CRKT Pilar III
Another Jesper Voxnaes design, the Pilar III is a fantastic budget option for those wanting to take a stab at spydie flicking. The Pilar III sports an oval shaped thumbhole and proves that you don’t need a perfectly round hole to spydie flick.
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