Best manual open knife action?

lemonslush

lemonslush

Joined
Aug 13, 2012
Messages
783
Curious what you guys think is the best manual thumb deployment action of a production or Mid tech knife you have come across. Nothing with a flipper and nothing assisted. Just a normal thumb stud or hole style opener.

Personally I would say the Benchmade 761 was the best. Super smooth, the knife almost jumped out on its own. Excellent detent. Sadly I wanted the smaller size that was tip up carry and the action on that one was not so great. Been looking for something excellent like that. The bm 940 has decent action better than most I have used.


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The best(smoothest) would have to go to my Ritter Mini. That little bastard acts like there's no resistance whatsoever. I love it, haha.
 
I'll be the one to give the expected, typical response. My Sebenza. Admittedly though, I don't own many other manual open knives. :p

Another would be my Spyderco Native G10. Also opens smoothly, if not a bit more stiffly.
 
My S110V PM2 acts like it wants to just fly open. It's a rocket. Falls free almost like it was pushed. Detent is excellent with no blade play any direction open or closed.
 
For me, there is smooth and then there is fastest and hardest firing.

Smoothness goes to my Large Sebenza 21. It just floats out but takes a bit more of a flick.

Fastest and hardest firing, My Rat 1 and my Jarosz K-2a. They fire every time with authority. PM2 and Mini Grip are not far behind.
 
Best Mid Tech thumb opener I've owned was a Burch V3. A well broken in Sebenza 21 large is a pretty nice too.
 
My original 940, most fun to play with, is stupidly free and smooth with no blade play. GB 1&2 have a hydraulic type smoothness which is my favorite. I had a Techno which was also smooth like the GBs.
 
I like my BM 940-1, and 940-2. Perfectly centered blades, smooth action, no blade play. Rock solid, and easily deployed with the thumb stud, or axis lock.
 
I've been able to make a HK Axis into a snot between glass smooth. No noise almost no friction, drop free, I even have the springs broken into the point where when comparing it to a newer Benchmade it's scary how smooth it is. I even lacerated my finger on it because it was so smooth. :cool::p
 
I have to agree with HowAmI- the HK axis is super smooth...

I've only got the mini- just saw them on sale at the local knife shop and got a couple more for back-ups


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Those axis lock folders are definitely some of the smoothest. Sadly on my 940 there is no sweet spot where the knife fires well and also doesn't have bladeplay. This issue doesn't exist on my other axis lock knives though.

What's amazing is that they don't have bearings, just phosphor bronze and yet the blades are free dropping.
 
Oh yeah my Microtech Socom Elite manual fires so hard it feels like it's assisted or something. I believe those are on nylatron or teflon washers.
 
To me the smoothest operating knife is something like the Benchmade Ares 730 with axis lock. This is because of how the axis lock ramps in or out of engagement instead of quickly snapping in or out like most liner locks and knives with small ball detent.
But my favorite knife design is the Spyderco PM2 and I find knives of that size with the large thumb hole to be easiest for me to operate.
 
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