Assisted Opening Comparisons Wanted

J

JNieporte

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Nov 1, 2004
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I wanted to know the differences in the various assisted-opening mechanisms in knives. I'm looking for differences in design (how the assisted opening works) and performance (how fast it opens).
Compare the following and please let me know your conclusions. I've added a few models for an example...
1. Buck A.S.A.P. (Sirus, Rush, Tempest, etc.)
2. Buck L.E.A.P. (Catapult)
3. Kershaw Speed Safe (Chive, Leek, Scallion, etc.)
4. Sog S.A.T. (Flash series and Twitch series)
5. Meyerco A-OK (all Meyerco's assisted openers)
6. Benchmade Optimiser (Apparition, Nitrous Stryker, etc.)
7. Camillus / Ontario ROBO Power (Sizzle, Heat, etc.)
8. CRKT Tailwind (Wild Weasel, etc.)
9. CRKT Outburst (My Tighe, etc.)
10. Gerber F.A.S.T. (Valloton, Fast Draw, etc.)
11. Whatever Smith & Wesson are calling their assisted openers.

That's more assisted opening mechanisms than I thought. Let me know what you can come up with though
 
I've used the Buck, Meyerco, Benchmade, Kershaw, SOG, CRKT, and the Gerber systems.

The Kershaw's SpeedSafe and the Sog SAT were hands down the best of the bunch.
 
SOG S.A.T. is nice, but not as fast as I wanted it to be. It opens smoothly with no "kick back" and it opens without the feeling that the knife is gonna do a back flip out of your hand.
 
i've got a SOG blink II, and I like the opening on it better than the kershaw's that i've handled. it's a little tight at first, but i'm used to it now.
 
Benchmade Apparition with the "Optimizer" AO. That thing reminds of me of racking a shell into the chamber of a 12-Gauge Pump. It opens with authority so you better be holding on to the knife good when you flip it open. The nice thing is, if you don't want the AO, it comes with a small allen wrench to disable it. But then, why buy an AO and then disable it?

Buck Sirus: Nice AO. Smooth and quick. You can use the thumbstud or the "flipper".

Kershaw Speed Safe: My first Kershaw came with the Speed Safe, all of my Kershaws since then have the Speed Safe. Fast, easy and reliable. All of my Kershaws have the AO and they all work like new after all of these years. That says a lot about the Speed Safe.
 
Kershaw Leek and Spec Bump work smooth as can be in my experience. No complaints whatsoever.

The Benchmade optimiser is also very nice. I especially like how easy Benchmade made to remove the optimiser if you prefer not to have it in use. I like the Apparition so much that I own it in three different configurations.

The SOG S.A.T. is ok as well. Very smooth, but sometimes I wish it had a touch more punch to it.

The CRKT tailwind is the one system that I have a lot of experience with that I don't really care for. I have both the Voodoo and Wild Weasel and the complaint is the same...too much initial pressure needed on the thumb stud to get things going. It seems to defeat the purpose of having the assist in the first place. I have lots of unassisted openers that I think come out faster and smoother than the knives with the tailwind. At least it seems that way to me. I guess you could loosen the pivot, but I haven't tried that yet and don't know if there would be any issues with blade-movement.

Cheers,
Jon:)
 
i have a buck tempest and a kershaw blur tanto. both are fast opening but i believe the buck is a little faster. the buck also has some kickback when locking in the fully open positon. the buck also has the rear blade flipper so you dont have to use the thumb studs to open it and has a safety lever so it accidentally open. the kershaw blur feels good and strong and has a stronger liner lock than the bucks liner lock. the buck is tip up carry only where the kershaw is tip down only. they both have their strong points and weak points.,,,VWB.
 
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