Folding Knives

Why Arno Bernard Knives

The Turaco button lock, imamba flipper and Flipper Delete, Rinkhals Flipper, and Rinkhals Slip Joint all share one thing in common: the bearings are the only components not machined in-house. Every other component is machined in-house using state-of-the-art machinery to produce knives with unmatched tolerances. While it is more difficult to craft knives this way, it eliminates the issues associated with sourcing parts from numerous suppliers and relying on each one to maintain the specified tolerances.

Most knives today are assembled from pieces made by a variety of suppliers. Arno Bernard takes total control over the process, which is extremely rare in today’s knife industry. They regularly receive calls from other knife producers asking them to supply parts, but because this is a competitive advantage, they politely decline those offers. Hold one in your hand and you will notice that all the components are rounded. Even the flipper tab and pocket clip are engineered to be comfortable in the hand. They have made the conscious decision to keep production low so they can concentrate on making knives that exceed your expectations.

Controlling the entire manufacturing process has other advantages. It allows them to prototype new knives more quickly and modify each design until it is as close to perfect as anything on the market before production begins. Today, 99% of folding knives are taken off machines and assembled. In direct contrast, each one of these knives has the brothers’ fingerprints all over it. Every internal component is hand-polished to remove machine marks. Like most things, what you do not see is sometimes even more important than what is visible.

Since most companies have moved away from labor-intensive mirror finishes, Arno Bernard sells two-thirds of its knives in that finish. A mirror finish highlights the time and effort that go into making each knife as close to perfect as possible. It also reveals even the smallest imperfections, which is why so many knives today have stonewashed finishes.

What does this mean to you? All Arno Bernard knives showcase a commitment to excellence that produces a beautiful, strong knife with an incredibly smooth, glass-like action that only gets better over time.

In terms of aesthetics, the knives are beautifully designed and offer a wide range of exotic natural and carbon fiber scales. This allows you to select a mechanically flawless, visually appealing knife built to last for decades.

• The Turaco is a large button lock available in mirror and stonewashed finishes. It is also available in Bakers Forge Copper Damascus.
• The imamba is a large flipper or Flipper Delete available in mirror and stonewashed finishes. It is also available in Damasteel.
• The Rinkhals Flipper is a medium-sized gentleman’s flipper available in mirror and stonewashed finishes. It is also available in Damasteel.
• The Rinkhals Slip Joint is available in a mirror finish and Damasteel.

Turaco

The Turaco is the logical next step up the flipper knife pyramid for Arno Bernard, following the success of the imamba®.

There are thousands of companies that make liner-lock flippers, but only a small fraction offer the much more challenging button locks. Getting a button lock to open and close without any stick requires considerably more effort than getting the detent correct on a flipper. The tolerances on this knife are incredible. You may notice an almost imperceptible caged-bearing rattle when you shake the knife because the tolerances are so precise. The pivot screw and frame have a hexagonal design to facilitate alignment and securely lock the screws into the frame.

The pocket-clip chamfer blends into the frame and allows for slightly deeper carry. It also has a beefier appearance because its footprint is slightly larger than the one on the imamba®, yet it weighs slightly less because titanium has been removed from the underside.

The solid drop-point blade features Bohler M390 stainless “Super Steel,” which is extremely durable and offers excellent edge retention and corrosion resistance. It is heat treated to a Rockwell hardness of 63 for optimal performance. The molecular structure of this steel is extremely fine, allowing it to buff to a beautiful shine. This German steel was originally designed for injection-molding applications, where molds run around the clock and often operate at high temperatures with abrasive engineered materials. The blade also features a longer choil—the unsharpened surface between the handle and cutting edge—to provide additional grip surface for larger hands.

To add excitement to this launch, they have added even more natural handle materials such as premium carbon fiber and natural handle materials like blue mammoth molar, Snakewood, African Blackwood and more carbon fiber choices such as TechnoBlue/ TechnoGold carbon fiber.

This knife is as strong and smooth as more expensive button locks, with fit and finish that compare favorably with competitors in the same price range. Reviewers have called it the smoothest button lock they have tested.

This knife was years in the making, and once you have one in your hand, we are confident you will feel it was worth the wait.

• Button-lock mechanism with a no-stick plunge design for smooth action.
• Four deployment options: flipper tab, reverse flick, thumb roll, or thumb stud.
• Phosphor bronze Skiff bearings, with 14 bearings, for smooth operation.
• Bohler M390 stainless “Super Steel” blade, heat treated to 63 Rockwell.
• Skeletonized titanium frame and pocket clip, weighing 3.84 ounces.
• Measures 7.9” overall with a 4.6” frame and 3.4” blade.

imamba^®

The imamba® is a large flipper that has garnered rave reviews from some of the most discriminating knife reviewers around the world. If there were a “Best Knife” classification like there is for British Best Guns, the Arno Bernard imamba® folding knife would fall into that category. It was their first flipper and has been compared very favorably with knives that have been the gold standard for decades. See for yourself why it has garnered such glowing reviews.

• Effortless one-handed operation with a rounded opening tab.
• The Flipper Delete requires two-handed operation for areas with flipper-style knife restrictions.
• Phosphor bronze Skiff bearings, with 14 bearings, for smooth operation.
• Comes with caged bearings; washers are available as an add-on option.
• Skeletonized titanium frame and pocket clip with no external screws.
• Available with RWL 34 premium stainless steel or Damasteel Rose.
• Measures 7.9” overall with a 4.5” frame and 3.4” deep-bellied blade, weighing 4.3 ounces.

Rinkhals Slip Joint

This updated version of the classic slip joint features a beautiful design. It has a nail nick for easy opening and ridged thumb serrations on top of the blade. Like your old Buck®, Western®, or Case®, the blade features a mirror finish. A hand-sewn leather sheath—or ostrich leather for Mammoth Molar models—protects it in your pocket, and the matching bead attached to the lanyard makes it easy to access. This lightweight knife sheds ounces by using titanium for the frame, pocket clip, collar, and screws, and weighs less than 2.5 ounces.

The slip-joint mechanism features an innovative safety when the blade is approximately halfway open. The blade releases its tension at the 90-degree position, making it easier to move your fingers out of the way before tension builds again and assists with closing or opening the knife. Most slip-joint knives maintain continuous tension throughout their entire range, which can cause the blade to close before your fingers are clear. Because this knife does not have a mechanism that locks it open, always cut with the blade moving away from you to prevent injury.

• The smallest folder in the Arno Bernard lineup and smaller than the Rinkhals Flipper.
• Classic design reminiscent of traditional pocketknives.
• Measures 6.5” overall with a 2.8” blade and a full-sized 3.7” frame featuring a 2.8” handle inlay.
• RWL 34 premium stainless steel blade with a mirror finish.
• Also available in Damasteel Rose stainless steel.
• Two-handed opening with a nail nick and thumb serrations on the blade.
• Includes a hand-sewn leather sheath—or ostrich leather for Mammoth Molar models—and a matching bead on the lanyard for easy access.
• Titanium frame, pocket clip, collar, and screws, weighing 2.3 ounces.