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Assisted vs. Manual Opening

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nygiantsfan3342

nygiantsfan3342

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Aug 20, 2006
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Anyone who has read a Kershaw thread lately knows that I love kershaw Knives. I especially love the Speedsafe mechanism and the convenience it offers. My question is, why would anyone prefer a manual-open knife to an Assisted Opening one?

I know that AO knives open up legality issues, but I want to ignore that for now. Unless there is a Supreme Court Justice on the Blade Forums right now, lets let the laws remain up for interpretation. I just want to know why someone would prefer to open a blade slower or with two hands. THIS SHOULD NOT BECOME AN ARGUMENT! I don't want to hear Kershaw Bashing or a biased OPINION.

I truly am curious why AO knives have such a hot/cold following.

Thanks!:)
 
I have several Kershaw speedsafes, several of which I love, esp. the Leek and Blackout. I like AO knives a lot.

That said, I generally find myself preferring to carry/use a standard manual one-hand opener, such as my Benchmade 805 or 556, or CRK Sebenza, or some of my Spydercos, for examples. I can open my 805 or 556 faster than I can my AO knives...the actual blade action isn't faster, but if I want to I use my index finger to push the stud and the knife is open and already in position faster for me. I don't do that all the time, though.

But probably my biggest reason is that if a knife requires the torsion spring or kick bar to open a blade, if it breaks, would I still be able to operate the knife? I know the possibility may be remote, but it's in my mind. There is a new Kershaw model that has the option of both AO and manual, at the push of a little safety switch, which may be the answer to such a potential problem.
Jim
 
I don't carry an assisted opener but I have owned them in the past and they are nice knives. I carry a Benchmade 943 everyday and I can flick it open with near the speed of an assisted opener or even a switchblade. Thats fast enough for me.
 
Manuals for me; in my experience, A/O has long since lost it's charm. As for two hand opening, I find it nostalgic and often carry a Opinel on the golf course.
 
nygiantsfan3342 said:
a biased OPINION.
Click to expand...
umm, I think that's actually exactly what you're asking for ;)
anywho, I don't carry AOs anymore because I just don't see a need for them. A quality folder opens just as fast. Plus I drop my knives time to time, and when my Random Task would pop open upon impact, it scared the hell out of people.

Just a couple days ago, I was in the gun shop. As I was leaving, I saw an older fellow at the counter with a tac Blur. He was bleeding:rolleyes: He and the employee thought that he might have cut his thumb open on the liner lock! (little blood on it) I asked for the knife and showed them why he walked his thumb across the edge, and mentioned how much safer the flipper models are.
 
I like AO knives alot, but I also like manual knives alot too, so I switch my edc often. The only reason I don't carry AO all of the time, is that they don't make the variety of AO as they do manual and they don't make AO in my favorite knives. I especially like Kershaws AO's, they have it just rite, SOG's a little week and Cammillus is a little strong, but Kershaw is where it is supposed to be (all except for there AO lock which I don't use, but I haven't had one open when I didn't want it to yet). Thank you Kershaw!
 
i love the idea of a AO but my EDC is a flipper because i find that the AO makes me focus more on the opening because it goes so fast. My EDC i can open behind my back and i still feel comfortable with it
 
hardheart said:
umm, I think that's actually exactly what you're asking for ;)
Click to expand...

Actually, no; I want UNbiased Opinion. Not Cliff Stamp coming here and telling us how Kershaw's Sandvik is improperly hardened or tempered or whatever.

I appreciate the response from you and everyone though, I guess the cool factor and convenience just haven't worn off. I could open my Benchmades pretty quick, but they just felt too light/delicate to me. I kinda view the Axis Lock as an assisted opener anyway, because the blade is being opened by gravity/momentum sort of. I should have asked for the preference for TOTALLY manual vs. Assisted.

Not another Spyderco vs. BM vs. Kershaw.
 
hardheart said:
anywho, I don't carry AOs anymore because I just don't see a need for them. A quality folder opens just as fast. Plus I drop my knives time to time, and when my Random Task would pop open upon impact, it scared the hell out of people.

Just a couple days ago, I was in the gun shop. As I was leaving, I saw an older fellow at the counter with a tac Blur. He was bleeding:rolleyes: He and the employee thought that he might have cut his thumb open on the liner lock! (little blood on it) I asked for the knife and showed them why he walked his thumb across the edge, and mentioned how much safer the flipper models are.
Click to expand...

The first point is just an argument against dropping your knife!:D Good point though...

And the second is why I wish Kershaw made the Blur with a Flipper!
 
With a manual opening knife, and I include Benchmade Axis knives as manual openers, I'm in control of opening it. I can open it a little bit, I can open it fully, I can count on it being able to open...

With an AO, I've got a little helper in there, something I've really got no control over. When it's working and kicking butt, well, that's great. That's the dazzling AO experience. But if it's not working, if it's being temperamental or unreliable, then I've sort of lost control of my knife.


A cynic I knew used to say, "Yeah, something else that can break".

--------------

AO's are great and fun and useful and have their place
but there are reasons to have a fully manual carry
 
to me it's about the feel in the hand while opening and the overall design of the knife, not just convenience. i think speedsafe is a great design, but i think my axis lock is more fun to deploy. sometimes i like how it feels to flip a CRKT m16. sometimes i like something more traditional and simple with a nail nick two-handed opener.

there can also be sheeple issues with assisted openers.

but anyway, i think kershaw's speedsafe popularity is well deserved. great price, nice product, very well designed, IMO. in many ways, an improvement over classic pocket knife design in terms of function and ease of use.
 
I just don't care about the speed and ease of opening a knife. I'm not opposed to using an AO, but I don't actively seek them out. I care much more about ergonomics, locking mechanism and materials used in construction than opening methods. Most the knives I carry are nail-nicked, and even my Spydercos I'll open and close two-handed sometimes.

I prefer no AO. I prefer simple tool construction, like an Opinel or Buck 110. I also prefer opening a knife myself rather than the knife deploying through a mechanism. Just doesn't feel as good to me. I'd buy an AO, but most the knives that attract my eye aren't AO, so I don't see myself getting one anytime soon. Byrds, Opinels, Buck 110's, SAKs...that's the kind of stuff I prefer to use.
 
Vivi said:
I also prefer opening a knife myself rather than the knife deploying through a mechanism.
Click to expand...

This is what I was trying to say in my previous post.
Thanks for making the point I was attempting to.

JH
 
I just traded into a SOG FlashII. It's the first AO I've carried. My wife has a couple of Kershaws (she's had the Blackout for going on five years) so I've grown to trust that the torsion bar will last. I don't carry a Kershaw because they are not lefty friendly. I won't buy another knife without an ambi clip. I like the ergos on the SOG and the deep carry clip. I'd carry it even it were manual. The AO is fun but I can open my Native plenty fast. And there's less to go wrong on a manual. The gadget/fun factor is high but there's still a part of me that likes to keep things as simple as possible. That's why I lean towards lockbacks. They're simple. Simple is good.

Frank
 
I often carry both. However, manual is a strong preference for me.
In fact, of my three AO knives, only one of them would I definitely keep AO.

I really enjoy opening knives myself...it's fun to flick a good Benchmade or Spyderco.

Also, I like the option of a fast opening or a slow one, just when people are around.

But honestly, I can open a manual as fast or faster than my AOs. That said, OTFs in general, and some microtech side autos I've seen, are ridiculously fast.....and I'm not going to beat those.

I like to have a few AOs circulating in my EDC rotation just to mix it up. They're fun. But 85% of the time, I want a manual.
 
I have a few AO knives that I really enjoy but prefer the simplicity of manual knives. I like being in complete control of the opening of the knife. Most of my AO's will not fully engage and lock 100% of the time. I carry them a lot but don't fully trust that they will stay closed in my pocket. They will likely never open up in my pocket but a tad bit of paranoia keeps me alert. Also, manuals are usually easier to close due to the lack of spring tension.
 
AO is just not necessary feature that can break - and being in Europe makes any repairs difficult and expensive so I try to avoid AOs...
Besides if you want really some gadget factor, why not get real automatic instead (like Microtech UDT (side opener, so it is comparable))?
 
I have nothing against AO, but opening a knife manually is more fun for me because the feel of opening a knife has a certain character. Many manual knives are also just as fast as any AO knife.

AO provides more modes of failure. All things equal, an AO knife will not be as reliable in the long-term as a manual knife.

Manual knives provide more control over how you open them (and at what speed).

Manual knives feel nicer to close as you do not have to fight the mechanism. This makes the "character" of the closing better as well.

My question is: Aside from people with hand injuries or other dexterity problems, why would anyone prefer AO to manual?

Personally, I currently just use fixed blades. I lost my interest in folders. I like "simple, strong, reliable". And AO runs totally counter to that even though quality AO knives are very study and reliable compared to other *folders*.
 
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