Sometimes, all you really wanna do is cut stuff. The tiny Tiflex titanium-bodied knife is definitely designed to be simpler and lighter than a knife-equipped multitool, although it does feature a clever mechanism that allows its blade to be deployed with just one hand.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the Tiflex is made by Chinese manufacturer Titaner.
The company also brought us the TiSpanner 2.0 mini adjustable wrench, the Tiroler measuring ring, and another diminutive knife known as the Falconer 1.0. Whereas the latter had a straight blade that required two hands to fold out, however, the Tiflex features a #12 hooked stainless steel surgical blade that can be flipped out by the same hand that's holding the device.
The secret lies in a fin at the base of the steel blade housing, which protrudes out from the top of the knife's sandblasted titanium body when the blade is folded down.
Simply pulling back on that fin with the index finger causes the blade to swing up and out of the body. At the same time, the fin swings down to stick out from the underside of the Tiflex. It then serves as a finger guard, helping to keep the user's digits from sliding forward onto the edge of the blade when applying pressure.
A flexible flange in the side of the Tiflex, along with ceramic beads in the blade housing's pivot point, produce a tactile sensation as the blade pops into place when opened or closed. This setup also adds friction to reduce the chances of unintentional blade deployment.
ActMax's TiFlip knife incorporates a similar mechanism, but with a more traditional straight blade.
According to Titaner, the hooked shape of the Tiflex's user-replaceable blade boosts its usefulness for intricate cutting tasks, and for the opening of boxes without accidentally cutting their contents. That said, the Tiflex does also accept less curvy #10, #11, #12, #15 and #23 blades – swapping one blade for another reportedly takes just a few seconds.
The whole rig measures 4 mm thick by 55 mm long (0.2 by 2.2 in) when closed, and is claimed to tip the scales at 6.6 g (0.2 oz). It's being offered in both left- and right-handed models.
Assuming the Tiflex reaches production, a pledge of US$39 will get you one – the planned retail price is $65. It's demonstrated in the following video.
Source: Kickstarter
