Assisted Opening - Do we really hate it, or is it a stigma?

[brancron]

I’ve handled a few Ken Onion customs that had really great assisted opening. The spring was very light, and the action extremely smooth. In fact, you could hardly feel the spring tension while closing the knife. Kind of hard to describe the overall feel, but it was nothing like the assisted opening you get with production knives. I’m surprised that no one else appears to have tried to replicate it.

 

[dryflytrout]

I've had 2 AOs that I broke the spring in. Then they jam up and don't open or close well. The simpler and less to go wrong, the better IMO. I also tend to avoid frame and liner locks, which it seems like almost every AO is. I'm a lefty and refuse to pay for a knife that's designed completely backwards from my perspective.

 

[Zephyr One/Zero]

I have both AO's, and full-auto, and don't really have a preference. Zero Tolerance, Off Grid, and Benchmade have worked well for me. BTW, I'm a southpaw too.

 

[TrashPanda]

I didn't know there was a stigma with A/O knives, but my problem with them is reliability. I don't think springs/torsion bars of that size age that well to begin with, and then add a little humidity to the mix, and you end up with an automatically de-assisting knife. Not all A/O knives have detents for the closed position, as I have found out the exciting way. Just to be clear, I've only used two assisted knives (both kershaw speedsafe designs), and while they both failed the same way, maybe other systems are more robust.

 

[3D Anvil]

I don't have any negative feelings about assisted knives. I just prefer the control and reliability of manual openers.

 

[G. Scott H.]

I too was unaware of any stigma surrounding AOs. In any case, I voted for the 3rd option. I've had a number of Kershaw AOs over the years that I liked and that were nice knives. Between well designed modern flippers (some of which are as fast or faster than autos) and autos I don't see much need for AO, but I have no problem buying a knife that I like that happens to be AO.

 

[K.O.D.]

I became disenchanted after premature breakage of the torsion bar in both a ZT 0350ts and a Kershaw blur. My cousins leek just wore out.

One of my favorite designs of which I would still own were it not AO is the ZT 0770CF.

In 2017 I believe illinois repealed the ban on automatics, and I just like them better. I have three OTFs and a Kershaw Launch 8.

I feel like AO allows looser tolerances in the pivot as people aren't going to notice smoothness. Therefore, assisted open is very popular in budget or sub $100 knives. I can open my manuals just as quickly, but can also be discrete not looking (and sounding) like a tactifool opening my AO at my desk at work. They don't improve actual opening speed (I feel the resistance hinders it) and they are just wannabe switchblades.

I actually rarely carry my launch anymore to be honest. Only when I go into the city. My dad loved his. I'm not sure where it is, it's been missing since he passed last month.

 

[colin.p]

I think it is a stigma from low end gas station knives. People here will pay hundreds of dollars for a fancy Microtech auto but they snub assisted knives (which are just autos with a slightly different opening movement you make). They just arent "cool" like autos (I think because they are legal almost everywhere so they dont have that same mystique that scary automatics do). I like assisted knives just fine, and sometimes more. Sometimes it is hard to open a manual knife, for example when it is cold and you have gloves on or if you have arthritis or something.

I agree. Now to be clear, I have never seen an auto let alone held one (the price of living in a hostile country). However, from what little I have gathered in my short amount of time engaged in knife acquiring, I am somewhat bemused at the disdain that some people have toward AO knives but just adore prohibitively expensive autos. Maybe it's a bit of envy on my part.

 

[colin.p]

A good assisted knife is just fine, IMO. Less chance of fumbling the flip, for one. And autos aren't legal everywhere. (Pity).

However, the ones I've liked are few and far between. The ZT0357 is excellent, IMHO, as is the 0770CF. The BM890 Torrent was also good, as was the HK Nitrous Blitz. Can't stand the little Kershaw Chives and even Leeks, just too small and fiddly for me.

I'm undecided at this point on my BM Mini Valation. It's a bit slow, but the blade is pretty stout, and I don't need it to fire like a rocket, it just has to open every time. I had a Large Emissary, and while it was a beautiful knife, it did fire like a rocket, but I felt it would eventually beat up the frame / scales. Probably, it would not have, but that "THUNK!" when it locked open was disconcerting. Like it had too much spring for its weight. It may be that Axis Lock assists to me are kind of an answer to a question that was never asked. Makes more sense on a flipper.

I was wondering just how reliable the AO would be and how hard it would be on the stop pin and frame. I bought a pretty beat up Barrage off a guy at work several years ago that had looked as if it had been through hell and back. Pretty sure it had been opened a million times but after a complete tear down, it looked just fine. I even de-assisted it but since I have several axis lock Benchmades already, I preferred the Barrage as an AO (I am a bit OCD) and re-assisted it. It's as close to an auto as I'll ever be allowed.

However, I always look at the Emissary with lust and desire...maybe one day...

 

[gooeytek]

There's a stigma, but also legitimate reasons to dislike them. I personally dislike it when a knife has an assisted opening that doesn't make it any easier/quicker to open, but in being assisted eliminates easy one-handed closing (talking to YOU, Benchmade Barrage )

Thankfully, my Barrage is still fully functional (and better) after de-assisting it. Unlike some Kershaws that need the speedsafe mechanism to serve as a detent of sorts (Leek, for instance).

 

[PirateSeulb]

They just don't really fill any void to me as from a law stand point even an AO is still risky in places that still outlaw Autos and I have not handled one that really felt as nice as a well done manual knife. I can appreciate the ingenuity of the design and I don't doubt that it can be done well and probably has been but the bulk is done just to make something autoish for those who can't, are too afraid, or don't know they can own a true auto.

 

[CDHumiston]

I love assisted opening knives. Every knife I carry on the job is assisted opening. Not sure what the stigma is?

 

[jakemex]

My ZT0350 is great with the assisted opening. No issues. No rattle & nice thwack. A great back pocket knife without the clip.

 

[karnaknives]

When assisted opening knives first came out they had a sort of “high tech” appeal or something. A lot of knives (at least the ones I had) weren’t truly one handed openers and the assisted knives were, so they were fun to have. Some worked well and others didn’t or didn’t for long.
Nowadays I’d take a pass on an assisted knife.
The only assisted still in my possession is a Leek I got for a gift. As far as it goes it works well so no reason to dislike it but I’d prefer if it wasn’t assisted.

FYI I didn't answer the thread Poll question because none of the choices reflect my opinion, which is "I have no problem with assisted knives, but I would no longer buy one."

 

[afishhunter]

I did buy a couple about 10 or 12 years ago. Haven't seen them in close to 8 years now. Don't know what happened to them.
I really don't need assisted opening, but at the time I needed a knife for work. Couldn't get to a Walmart or something with the truck to get a good knife. They did what I needed to did until I could get some better knives.
I don't anticipate getting another one ... at least not while my hands and fingers still work.

 

[Onies]

My preference is a manually opening folder, but I do love my M4 Blur, the Benchmade Torrent, and going way back, the Camillus Heat!

 

[dundak]

There are some nice assisted openers out there, but in reality they are used as expensive fidget spinners 90% of the time.

 

[Chronovore]

Some of my Speedsafe knives would slow down over time and more than as just a matter of cleaning them. Putting in a new torsion bar after years can make a noticeable difference. I only ever had two torsion bars break and like I said, I've got well over a decade of carrying that style of knife. Still, there is more going on and more to go wonky than on a good manual knife, with literally no advantage versus a good manual action.

The Leek was my most-carried assisted knife. I had a few of them over the years. It was relatively non-threatening as an office carry and would occasionally draw a compliment. I always thought the safety was dumb, and doubly so as I came down hard against manual safeties on DA/SA carry guns. The difference is that the Leek actually needs a safety...

The "slop" I mentioned feeling before engaging the assist can vary between models. Especially with my Blue Smoke Leek, the blade could be nudged out a little without engaging. It would then hang out with the tip just above the scale. I got a nasty surprise one day and went back to using the safety.

 

[sv4]

I have a couple of Benchmades, a Subrosa and a Torrent, that have the “nitrous assist”. They have a tension spring mechanism that requires one to manually open the blade to around 30 degrees, before the assist kicks in. When the assist kicks in, the opening is very fast and stays open until the lock is disengaged. I like them, no problem with any accidental openings or disengagement.

 

[betzner]

I've owned several custom Ken Onion assisted openers. Loved them all, but there is one thing many of them tend to do - rattle, lol.