asisted opening

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bj264

Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Messages
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can someone explain to me why there are so maney haters of assisted opening knives.
 
Same reason there are so many haters of automatic transmissions. :p

In all honesty though, I just prefer to be in control of my blade at all times. Can't be done with an assisted opener, although they have their place as well. I enjoy both for different reasons but definitely prefer manual. :thumbup:
 
Speed safe is great in a perfect world where nothing wears out. But I have had a couple torsion bars crack n break on me, so there is a definite lifespan. A manual knife will last longer mechanically with less maintenance.

When you get a good manual flipper that works well its hard to beat it.

The reason I love speed safe is the way was dedigned to subverts the silly knife laws. It's close to a switch blade while being legal.
 
For me, hate would be too strong a word... It is just a matter of preference. I like being in control of the blade at all times. A good manual folder deploys just as fast as an A/O, and is easier to close also, no need to fight the mechanism to close it. There are times when deploying a blade slowly is best especially when your out on the town. Simplicity to me in this case is also best, less mechanisms to depend on for a chance to fail.

Although I prefer manual, I can appreciate a good assist and Kershaw makes plenty of them. Own a few, they're cool to play with and edc.

Are there any "haters" of manual folders? lol, if so please share why.
 
I have a better question:

can someone explain to me why there are so maney haters of haters of assisted opening knives?
 
Well, it gives no advantage in a well made knife and is a feature that can break (and does too often in my experience), makes the knife harder to close, can rattle, makes for another cavity in the knife that can collect dirt, requires that you take the whole knife apart if you want to clean only the pivot, and in some places exists in a gray area in regard to laws. For me it's a huge list of cons with no pro.

As long as the knife has a detent hole, I don't really care whether it has AO, though.
 
Some knives are built too smooth to be assisted.
It is hard to appreciate a well made knife when the torsion bar is doing all of the work.
On smaller knives such as the leek, where my hand is too large to comfortably open it, AO is great and I would never consider changing it.
 
I like assisted but I prefer a manual. I don't need help opening my knives. I like feeling the buttery smooth action when I slowly open my knives, I like to feel the lock engage though my thumb. I like the ease of closing them back up too. Also for legal reasons, Assisted is legal here but my local enforcement is against them and I've noticed they tend to scare sheeple which is all my area has really. The pro knife/gun people hide away in the shadows.
For flippers, its iffy for me. I only have three flipper knives, ones assisted, ones manual and the third is an overdrive. I like my SOG twitch II a lot, I like my Kershaw Chill just as much and the same is said for my Kershaw OD-2. I can't say anything about speed safe as I've never experience it, it could change my mind set on this topic I don't know. I have my eye on a G10 Leek, and BladeHQ has an orange one coming soon as well. I'm gonna have to snatch one up.
 
greetings all,
just had to cast my vote for 'non-assisted'. don't care for the noisy snap-bang, rattling torsion bars, stiff closing, etc. don't snap open my knives so a nice smooth unassist is what i like. thought i was alone but see a lot agree with me especially after seeing the threads on de-assisting 0350's and blurs. best regards to all.
mike
 
I like the assist, but I hate the added resistance in closing. I am really not a fan of assist but I do rock a blur and 300 with it. I also only drive stick shifts.
 
First off:
Why is it such a big deal to people that some people don't like the assist?
Just because one person likes it doesn't mean everyone should or does.

Anyways, I have a few assisted knives and don't hate them at all. However, I do prefer a manual knife. The Speed safe is a "cool factor" and fun to play with but the truth is, it's not needed at all. I can open all of my manual knives just as fast as my assisted knives. They're easier to close on top of that because they don't have spring resistance. Assisted knives used to be my favorite when I first started because they were just super cool and fun to play with.

Over time I realized the assisted feature wasn't needed and is indeed just a cool factor in my opinion. I like the simple smooth glide you feel and experience when opening a knife manually. I also like how they open up just as fast if that's how you want it. Even if you don't flick it open quickly, you're only opening it just a 1/4 of a second slower.

I just like gliding the knife open smoothly, feeling it open, and no resistance when closing.

It's truly just a personal preference. You like what you like, who cares if other people do or don't?
 
I like assisted knives a lot, if makes the need to keep the parts all oiled up less important because it's much more difficult to tell if it needs oiling because it opens so easily thanks to the assist.
I prefer manuals way more tho, even deassisted my Kershaw Knockout. Prefer small knives to be assisted, like my Kershaw Brawler, large knives assisted makes it a pain to close.
 
I think most people just worry about the torsion bars breaking, I never do because I know KAI customer service will take care of me if it happens.
 
I bought the leek when it first came out and that is all that I carry. I have has this one and the bar has not failed yet unless the knife gets really wet. maybe I am lazy but I just touch the back and it is open. I have never used the safety on it and I have never had it open in my pocket too.
 
I agree, "hate" is too strong a word. There have been times when I was in a situation where discretion matters and deploying an assisted knife draws unwanted attention. I EDC both manual and assisted openers. But would prefer a manual over my assisted.
 
I have assisted opening knives that are 11 years old and haven't had a torsion bar break.
I also carry manual flippers and slippies. I don't have a preference of one opening system over another.
There are so many options available for everyone. No need to hate.
 
Very good points made. I was wondering because dont own any assisted. Im new into the Kershaw world of knives and havnt bought my first Kershaw yet. My wish list is steadily growing.. plan on making my first Kershaw purchase this week.
 
bj264 said:
Very good points made. I was wondering because dont own any assisted. Im new into the Kershaw world of knives and havnt bought my first Kershaw yet. My wish list is steadily growing.. plan on making my first Kershaw purchase this week.
Click to expand...

What Kershaw are you looking to start your collection off with?
 
The torsion bar broke on my ZT 302 and I haven't liked assisted since then.
 
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