DPx Gear Answers the Call for HEST/F Urban Flipper

DPx Gear is expanding its HEST/F Urban line with a flipper variant. The new iteration of the popular folder will open the floodgates on flipper knives for the DPx brand.

As soon as the Urban Folder debuted on Kickstarter, questions about a flipper version cropped up. “People would always come over to our booths and ask, ‘Do you make that with a flipper?’” says DPx Gear Founder, journalist, and author Robert Young Pelton. But when Pelton and his crew drew up the Urban Flipper, they did more than just tack on a tab to the existing design. “There’s no reason for a flipper, but we wanted to make one, and make it functionally superior,” Pelton tells us.

The team removed the wire stripper jimping and the instant opening notch to simplify the Urban Flipper’s blade and minimize redundancy, and the final production version will have a different clip than its thumb stud predecessor. They also upgraded the steel from S35VN to S90V, a hard-working super steel with major edge retention. Finally, the show side handle scale has been machined with a diamond pattern that makes the Urban Flipper more than just a pretty face. “The 3D texturing is pragmatic, it improves your grip, but also wears in and patinas beautifully over time,” Pelton says.

He goes on to explain that the superficial changes, and the idea a flipper in general, break new ground for DPx. Their knives have always been well-made and attractive, but cosmetics were never a priority for their tools. “It’s actually hard for us to make beautiful knives,” Pelton says. “We never get out of that zone of making sure you can depend on our knives out in the bush or in combat.” While the Urban Flipper carries on the DPx tradition of overbuilt, sturdy blades, Pelton notes that it’s probably the most people-friendly knife they’ve ever produced. “I wouldn’t take the flipper version to Somalia, but it’s a great knife to take to the office.”

The new knife won’t be the last DPx release sporting a flipper tab. The company is working on a new knife project with well-known Special Forces soldier Billy Waugh. It will be a large, four-inch flipper with a folding marlin spike included. The idea is to create a knife that Waugh would have wanted during his colorful career spent behind enemy lines. This tactical flipper will be drawn up by none other than the equally legendary Bill Harsey. “If anybody can make a flipper fit for use in the field, it’s Bill Harsey,” Pelton says. The Aculus, DPx’s integral folder for those in executive protection, is getting a flipper variant too.

DPx expects to start shipping the Urban Flipper in the next three months. Releases will come in small runs with different colorations and configurations. The MSRP is set at $485.

Knife featured in image: DPx Gear HEST/F Urban Flipper (Handmade Prototype)