When it comes to folding knives, a good balance of materials, action, and ergonomics makes all the difference. The Ironfly Syperfly checks a lot of the right boxes with its 14C28N steel blade, purple G-10 handle, and liner lock mechanism, but as I put it through its paces, one glaring issue kept standing out.

In this review, I break down everything about the Syperfly, from its size and ergonomics to the action and usability, and give you my honest thoughts on where it shines—and where it falls short.

Size and Comparisons

At 8.58 inches overall with a 3.74-inch blade, the Syperfly is a full-sized knife that’s not going to disappear in your pocket. It’s right in line with other workhorse EDC knives, and I stacked it up against two well-known models for size reference:

✔ Ontario Rat 1 – A solid work knife with a reputation for reliability.
✔ Buck 110 – A classic folding knife that’s still going strong decades later.

The Syperfly fits right in with these, and for those with larger hands, you’ll be happy to know that it provides a full four-finger grip with some extra room to spare. The forward finger choil and thumb ramp give it a well-thought-out feel, making it easy to control for detailed cutting tasks.

Materials & Build Quality

The 14C28N stainless steel blade is a great choice here, offering good edge retention, corrosion resistance, and ease of maintenance. It takes an edge well and, as I showed in the review, stropping it back to sharp was quick and easy—something that’s always a plus in a working knife.

The handle scales are G-10 with a frag pattern, which provides a good amount of grip without being too aggressive. My only nitpick? It just sounds weird. Not a dealbreaker by any means, just something you notice.

Nested steel liners add to the durability without making the knife overly heavy, keeping it at 4.69 ounces. The wire pocket clip was a bit scuffed up when I got it on the secondary market, so I stonewashed it to even things out. It’s not black like it originally was, but functionally, it still works fine.

Action & The Big Issue

The deployment on the Syperfly is smooth, and it gives you multiple ways to open it:

✅ Thumb hole (aka the "angry eye") – Works great for a controlled, satisfying open.
✅ Spidey flick – No issues here, it fires out cleanly.
✅ Front flipper – Works, but isn’t as intuitive for me personally.

Where this knife loses points is in the liner lock. Disengaging the lock is frustrating, especially for anyone with larger hands. The cutout isn’t quite deep enough, and trying to get my thumb inside to unlock it often resulted in the blade coming down onto my finger—not exactly ideal.

With gloves on? Forget about it. This knife is not glove-friendly in the slightest.

If I wanted to modify it, I could take a grinder and remove a little material from the blade’s lock interface, but honestly? A knife should just work out of the box.

That’s where the Syperfly falls short—everything about it is good except for unlocking it. Because of that, I had to dock points on my action rating, bringing it down to a 6.5/10 instead of the 8+ it could have been.

Final Thoughts – A Good Knife with One Fixable Flaw

There’s a lot to like about the Ironfly Syperfly:

✔ Good ergonomics – Full grip, comfortable handle design.
✔ Great blade steel – 14C28N is easy to maintain and holds an edge well.
✔ Smooth deployment – Thumb hole and Spidey flick work great.
✔ Nice pocket clip design – Wire clip is unobtrusive and functional.

But that liner lock? It holds this knife back.

If Ironfly reworked that issue in a future version, this could be a fantastic EDC option. As it stands, it’s still a good knife, but not without its frustrations.

Would I carry it? Yes. Would I modify it to fix the liner lock issue? Probably. Should you buy one? That depends—if you don’t mind the lockup being a bit finicky, the rest of the knife is solid.

Watch the Full Review Here:

📺 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5DsFp-7fOM 

Got thoughts on the Syperfly? Drop them in the comments and let me know if you’ve had a similar experience with the liner lock!