Are autos dead ?

Charlie Mike said:
My command were real dicks. During deployment as an infantryman in Mosul Iraq during the initial invasion 03-04, I ordered a dagger logo hand ground Microtech CFO2 and I was promptly ordered to stow it in my B Bag. Something about me being an ambassador and that I shouldn't be carrying such a nasty weapon (even though I usually carried a SAW or M4).
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That's pretty rich.:D
 
Charlie Mike said:
My command were real dicks. During deployment as an infantryman in Mosul Iraq during the initial invasion 03-04, I ordered a dagger logo hand ground Microtech CFO2 and I was promptly ordered to stow it in my B Bag. Something about me being an ambassador and that I shouldn't be carrying such a nasty weapon (even though I usually carried a SAW or M4).
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anthony cheeseboro said:
That's pretty rich.:D
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The military plays a PC game nowadays. Just be glad you were issued ammo for your SAW. :D
 
SpookyDriver said:
Not really. I was in the military for 30yrs and have owned a law enforcement consulting firm for 15 years. I've probably seen less than a dozen automatic knives in military/LE service during that time.
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You must not have been in combat arms. I was returning from deployment to Iraq, had to go through customs in Kuwait. They would only let you take one auto knife back. I had a Benchmade that I had taken with me Issued. I had been issued a second auto a Gerber tanto, they (the Navy customs people) tried to confiscate my second auto. I had a hell of a time finding a soldier to hand my Gerber auto to that didnt all ready have an auto on them.
 
SpookyDriver said:
Not really. I was in the military for 30yrs and have owned a law enforcement consulting firm for 15 years. I've probably seen less than a dozen automatic knives in military/LE service during that time.
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+1.

I work in LE and I have yet to see an officer carry an auto. Most of them carry cheapo S&W Chinese manual gun show folders if they carry one at all. I know a couple that carry Kershaw AOs. I'm the only one in my precinct who carries a Spyderco and it's either a Tenacious or a Byrd Wings (for the rescue blade). Most officers can't afford to drop $125 on a duty knife when they have house/car payments, a wife, and kids to support on a $40-$50k salary.
 
Psyop said:
You must not have been in combat arms.
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Nope, I just flew big ugly airplanes with guns on one side. But a few thousand of your compatriots rode with me during every conflict between Vietnam and OIF and automatic knives were like hens teeth.
 
Tim616 said:
Can you buy tobacco? Of course. Can you smoke it anywhere? Yep, in your house. Same reason autos are declining, just another thing the protectionists would enjoy phasing out, and then erased from history books.
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Smoking and autos. I don't see te connection.
In anycase I think they are overpriced gimmicks that have a functional role in movies and for mall ninjas.
 
SpookyDriver said:
Nope, I just flew big ugly airplanes with guns on one side. But a few thousand of your compatriots rode with me during every conflict between Vietnam and OIF and automatic knives were like hens teeth.
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Wasnt trying to be smart, just saying that in Iraq at least autos were the norm. Benchmade and Gerber were issued in bulk.
 
Nathan Ihrke said:
I would not say that's true, I have a microtech daytona double edge and I use it for plenty of utility task... I trust it more than my TI frame lock DPX Hest which almost cut my finger off last week when the lock failed. It's a solid knife, you just have to realize it's not a bruiser of a knife.
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Many DPX HEST/F's had lock issues. Your lock would not have failed on almost any Sebenza, ZT framelock (300/550/560 series), or one of many other midtech/production/custom designs out there. Or even a properly made linerlock.

There have also been Microtechs with failure issues as well. Misfires, worn out sears, failure to lock up. DPX/Lionsteel will take care of you if you get a lemon, Microtech will tell you pound sand unless you jump hoops.
 
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Planterz said:
It's been a while since I've read anything as ignorant and absurd as this. A knife is a tool, and an OTF auto is merely a knife. A knife can be used as a weapon, and any knife can be used as such. It's clearly obvious that you've never held an OTF auto in your life. If you have, you would know that your "scenario" is completely ridiculous. There are 2 kinds of OTFs, single action and double action. S/A autos are fully sprung along its action, but the strength of the spring, while certainly enough to cause injury if you're dumb enough to put flesh in the way, is a small fraction of the force a motivated individual can do with his own muscles. Put more plainly, if a guy is going to stab someone with a S/A OTF, he'll just stab him, rather than expecting the spring to do all the work. Then there's double action OTFs. These "coast" along the action after the initial spring, and stop if anything substantial is put in front of it. Most won't even lock up if you put a single piece of paper in front of the blade. They'll put a neat little hole in you if you're dumb enough to fire it into flesh, but again, using your actual muscles will do many, many times more damage.

You clearly have absolutely no clue what you're talking about.
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i have owned a few microtech halos because i thought thew where cool....... i never said walk up to a guy with a colsed knife and then push the button as it is aginst their skin. i ment it as a suprise knife that opens fast that you could jam in somebodys neck real fast because their easy to hide. the springs are strong enough to stab you but the blades are thin and week and can not take side to side stress. i do understand all knives are cutting tools. never said they wernt. some knives are just better suited for differnt things
 
A fellow member of a muzzle loader shooting club during the 1970's owned an industrial paint manufacturing company.He hired a Manager to run everything and chose for himself to head the sales department and make calls because he enjoyed and was good at it. He served in WWII in the US Army Infantry.By the time his Regiment was on the ground the war in Europe had ended.So he became part of the Occupation Army of Germany.While there he bought a drop point,lever lock,w/stag scales almost exactly like the Hubertus 11cm.It was his everyday carry.When I first saw it he told it's story,adding "This knife has sold a lot of paint"! Said now and then a deal would hit a snag.I'd pull this knife and hand it over to the client to play with. They'd smile or even laugh.It lifted the mood and often led to a path around the rough spot in the deal.
I've yet to hear of anyone being punished for simply carrying a switchblade.
 
Strict laws and Hollywood gangstas are the main 2 reasons for auto's becoming endangered.
The fact that Microtech "leads" the industry is a close 3rd.
 
They are just about the only bladed weapon that is flat out illegal in Indiana. Feel free to stick a 7" Sykes-Fairburn in your sock...but don't get caught even owning a switchblade. So that's pretty much that.

Indiana has very friendy knife (and gun) laws but autos are out...as are...get this...throwing stars! I suspect some state legislator's kid got his eye poked out with a throwing star and thus they're out too. I think maybe lawn darts are illegal here.

Feel free to open carry a 9" bowie knife though...or any double edged knife. No rules about folding knives at all other than the auto thing.

I suspect lot's of people are afraid to run afoul of laws in other states.
 
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Personally I'd carry an auto if I could. But alas I can't carry one in my state. Maybe we should do more to write our local representatives. I have but without much avail.
 
twl said:
They have been legislated out of popular use, due to onerous laws and highly ignorant lawmakers.

I would much prefer to see lawmakers banned, and switchblades legal.
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Agreed. I would love to have one but I don't like having things to worry about, especially not things that could send me to jail.
 
For me they were never alive at all. I never saw any appeal in them. I thought most of the time they looked flimsy. I was a 90s kid though, went through cub scouts than boy scouts in the early 00s so I had a lot of knife options.
 
They were never very popular to begin with, so no they're not dead, just not a high demand item, and never will be.
 
Ken44 said:
They were never very popular to begin with, so no they're not dead, just not a high demand item, and never will be.
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If that was true then please explain it to me when I sell at the local gun and knives show I sell more switchblades than all of the other knives combine?? if you look around the internet switchblades are selling like there is no tomorrow. Can you please explain that or is it just your option that there is not a big demand for them??
 
richard thurman said:
If that was true then please explain it to me when I sell at the local gun and knives show I sell more switchblades than all of the other knives combine?? if you look around the internet switchblades are selling like there is no tomorrow. Can you please explain that or is it just your option that there is not a big demand for them??
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Can't explain why you sell more, but in when I had my FFL and sold at shows no one here wanted them, and I've never know anyone personally that has ever owned one. I know some here do, but like I said the demand is nothing like that for manual knives.

You can call any major online dealer and ask them which they sell more of, and they will tell you. If you do call let us know who it was, and what they said please.
 
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