"Assisted opener(s)"; opinion(s)

A

Allen E. Treat

Banned
Joined
Oct 4, 2001
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498
To : ALL

I've heard some pro's & some con's "in the field" regarding thing(s) like "speed safe","SAT" & others.
I myself have a Meyerco Speedster ;)
and am looking at the SOG "Blink";)
What is the opinion of you forumite(s)?

AET ;)
 
I think if you're going into anything spring loaded, go straight for the Full Automatic stuff. They're not that hard to get, and if you're careful, no one would know.

Otherwise, play it totally safe and get a manual...
 
I have both a Timberline Discovery and Kershaw Scallion that are both spring assist and they are great knives that open as fast as automatics but they are legal in most areas where automatics arn't.

I am also hoping to get a new SOG Flash 2 w/aluminum handles as long as my local dealer can get one in :D

For the "How do they work" did you mean technically or what do you do to open them. If its how do you open them I can answer that, You push the thumb stud a bit and then the spring takes over. For the Scallion the thumb stud is pretty much pointless and is never used because the part of the blade spine that sticks out the top is a much better way to open the knife.
 
Originally posted by MelancholyMutt
I think if you're going into anything spring loaded, go straight for the Full Automatic stuff. They're not that hard to get, and if you're careful, no one would know.

Otherwise, play it totally safe and get a manual...
Click to expand...



I'm not sure about your area but it's not easy to get full autos, or even balisongs, through knife retailers or even mail-order where I live. Underground, or smuggled, are the only sources...

And I'm not sure if advising someone to do something which may get him in trouble with the law -- owning a restricted weapon -- is really the best advice.

Besides, I disagree that the spring assisted knives are bad compromises. They are as fast and easy to deploy as automatics IMO (and I've handled autos, switchblades, and spring assisted). Especially some of the Kershaws which have flippers. They might as well be automatics.

The only question I have is how long the spring will last.
 
I'm finding that I'm beginning to warm up to the idea of a small fixed blade work Inside the Waist Band...

Well, honestly, I haven't been able to put down the Dozier Freedom Fighter I picked up at the recent local knife show and I've been packing that around IWB for about a week now. A fixed blade makes moot the deficiencies of a folder of any type, but it's also comparing apples to oranges...

I guess, before anyone tells me that this thread isn't about fixed blades, I recognize that I'm just bragging about my new toy...

Okay, back to using a foilding knife...

There is no benefit of having an auto or spring assist knife as opposed to a manual. If one argues that limited dexterity (as wearing gloves) may require some sort of assistance, there are knives that use a flipper tab such as the Carson design, or the Emerson thingie that is supposed to catch on your pocket to deploy the blade. A switchblade is pure "gear factor" and has so many parts that may break. Semi-auto's are the same. There is such a tiny difference in deployment speed that it defies comparison, and on the negative note, it takes a greater effort to open a switchblade or assisted opener quietly and discreetly.

Of course, the auto's and semi's have an incredible "gear factor" which is enough for me to want to own one.

BTW, Allen, you're in Florida so you can legally acquire auto's... why would you want to mess with a semi then?
 
Originally posted by Warthog
How do they work?
Click to expand...

I don't know all the mechanics involved but I guess there is a torsion spring affixed to the tang of the blade.

If you mean "how does it work" functionally, you nudge the thumbstud and the spring will flick the blade out.

The first one I tried was a friend's Kershaw Boa. When he showed me the knife, I knew right away from reading about it here at BladeForums that it was "Speed Safe" model so there were no surprises. Except that the knife exhibited more characteristics of an "auto" than I thought it would. I thought you had to open the blade at least a quarter of the way until the spring engaged. Not so. Just cracking the blade open by the thumbstud and "snkkkkt" the blade is out! It's even more easy with the models that have a flipper. You just press the flipper while in the closed position and s-n-a-p! the blade is out.

That's why I say it might as well be an automatic. The only reason it's not is because these knives found a loophole in the definition of automatic knives. Just the fact that they require assistance on the thumbstud (albeit a very small assistance) makes it legal.

One caveat: A few guys said that the blade was so quick that it almost bit them as it whizzed by their thumb. I've never experienced that.
 
Originally posted by MelancholyMutt

There is no benefit of having an auto or spring assist knife as opposed to a manual.
Click to expand...

I agree, the spring assisted knives are more of a novelty. They are more fun than they are useful for the average knife nut.

Especially with the smooth opening of some of today's folders -- particularly many liner locks and BM Axis knives -- which can be easily opened by a small flick of the thumbstud.

There's also a question of how long the torsion spring will last before snapping in two. A problem you don't have to deal with on a liner lock. I guess sometimes simple is best.

Still, I'm thinking of picking up a spring assisted knife -- maybe an inexpensive Chive, or Whirlwind (I don't care if it's only 440A since I just want it for the Speed Safe) -- just for the novelty and because autos are outlawed where I live, and before the idiots who make the laws decide to ban these ones too.
 
As for the "semi" question, it's just that it seems these new widget(s);)
(i.e. "assisted openers) may be a bit more reliable than an auto as most work off a "cam" rather than "coil"
spring. Don't get me wrong, auto's are O.K. in my book & I think the Federal
Switchblade Act was one of the most stupid iconoclastic "laws" ever written. Auto(s) are NOT hard to obtain via the internet ;)( been there,done that;)) Problem : Florida
recently had a case State vs. Darnyani where the Court found switchblade(s) fell under the "self propelled" knife statute (790.225) &
are subject to seizure/forfeiture &
are a 1st degree misdemeanor to possess,sell or manufacture. Do "assisted opener(s)" fall nto that catagory (yet?) Stay tuned forumite(s).

AET ;)

OBTW : The gist of State vs. Darnyani
was on the AKTI website ;)
 
Originally posted by Allen E. Treat
As for the "semi" question, it's just that it seems these new widget(s);)
(i.e. "assisted openers) may be a bit more reliable than an auto as most work off a "cam" rather than "coil"
spring. Don't get me wrong, auto's are O.K. in my book & I think the Federal
Switchblade Act was one of the most stupid iconoclastic "laws" ever written. Auto(s) are NOT hard to obtain via the internet ;)( been there,done that;)) Problem : Florida
recently had a case State vs. Darnyani where the Court found switchblade(s) fell under the "self propelled" knife statute (790.225) &
are subject to seizure/forfeiture &
are a 1st degree misdemeanor to possess,sell or manufacture. Do "assisted opener(s)" fall nto that catagory (yet?) Stay tuned forumite(s).

AET ;)

OBTW : The gist of State vs. Darnyani
was on the AKTI website ;)
Click to expand...


Allen,

If you are looking for a quick deploying knife -- perhaps for self-defense without compromises -- why not just go for a good fixed blade?

As for folders, the Emerson Wave knives are way faster to deploy than full-autos. Cheaper than full-autos and legal too. And the Emersons are built more robust than Kershaws.
 
I don't like assisted openers, I don't really see the need for them. They are sort of neat, but that's about it. Personally, I find them a little awkward to use. I acutally can open a regular knife a lot faster than an AO.
 
I'm just making discussion ; my personal EDCis the Spyderco C29SBK "Cricket"(SE),it deploys faster than auto or "assisted opener". I just get so sick of post(s) like "is so &
so a well made knife" or "just got my new toy" or the various "rant(s)"
that occur from time to time. ANY good forum needs CONTROVERSY now & again ;) I have the Meyerco "Speedster" but that's about it. Anything needlessly mechanically complex is repulsive to me. I just wanted some feedback, and I'm sure if there are manufactuerer(s)out there
reading this thread, they'll get an idea of how this new gadgetry is received by those "in the know".;)
O.K.?

AET ;)
 
Speed Safe? I would never ever buy one. Not faster than a conventional knife, dont want anything spring loaded in my pocket, and if you put a safety on, then its slower than a conventional thumbhole or stud, and finally I dont want some dumb cop, to say its an auto, arrest me, only to find out later he has to kick me loose. Could ruin your whole day. Also none of the speed safe knives by Kershaw appeal in the least to me.
 
It's true that many of them eventually will break, but I think some of the assisted openers have appeal for me.
I like the Kershaw Boa, and I wish they'd make one that's "defanged" - without the speed safe and have good blade retention.
 
I have a Kershaw BOA and the knife works beautifully...No play in the mechanisim and it opens just as smoothly now as it did the day i bought it...Totally worth the money which is why is begs the answer...To each his own...:rolleyes:
 
I think autos are cool but illegal...as for the assisted openers I've always found them more of a pain then anything. Awkward, and somtimes you need to assist the assisted openers :mad: I can open my blade just as fast with out them. what is this obsession with speed anyway I find the same thing happening with Paintball (my our hobbie) everyone wants there gun to shoot automatic... it's acuracy on quantity...back to the knives I think it's what you do after the knife is out not how fast you open it!!!!
 
The more springs/coils/and doodads there are the more there is to foul up or break.:yawn:
 
So we mostly agree that:

1. Spring assisted knives are more of a novelty than useful.
2. One should consider a knife overall rather than a few features as a spring assist.
3. The spring will wear out and your knife will be a "wet noodle" sometime down the road.

Yet, why do I still want to buy one (albeit a low-end Whirlwind)?

First, not everything in life has to be practical. In fact, most things that are the most fun are impractical. Speed Safes are a novelty, and it's different. When you think about it, the traditional Balisong isn't very practical and offers little advantage over a good, modern day tactical folders. Yet people love them because they are unique.

Spring assisted knives are also one branch in the tree of knife evolution. Isn't one of the goals of collecting anything -- coins, stamps, knives -- to have variety? Besides, if they should be banned as an auto in the coming years, it could become quite rare. Maybe, get them while you can.

Second,I just want it for the novelty. I don't care if it's 440A steel and Zytel handles. I just wanna flick it and play with it as a toy. I have my Spydies as real EDC's.

Last. Sure the knife will breakdown quicker than a conventional folder. Then again, I don't need a knife that will last me a lifetime, just one to hold me over until that next cool knife comes along.

Now with all that said, I wrestle with my practical side that says, "Why spend even $70 on a novelty, when you could put that money towards saving up for a Microtech SOCOM Elite?"

Ahhh, the dilemma of being a knife nut with limited funds! :confused:
 
The truth is that any well designed one handed opener in the hands of a practiced owner is as fast as or faster than either an assisted opener or a switchblade. Personally, I don't own an assisted opener because they add some mechanical complexity without any real benefit. That doesn't detract from the assisted openers's popularity, though. They sell like proverbial hotcakes.
 
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