Do you like assisted opening knives?

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DangerZone98

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Dec 7, 2019
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Never had an AO knife before as I’ve always been happy with my manual knives. I’d love to read thoughts on this though. What do you like about AO knives?
 
I have 2 AO knives, a Kershaw Camber and a 580 Barrage. Both are fine but I don't fancy them too much, so I'm not planning on getting anymore. However, I live north of the US border, so AO knives is pretty well a moot point.
 
No. If I buy one I de-assist it whenever possible. With that said, I've gifted a few to friends and family. They have a "wow" factor to them that is hard to beat, especially for the price of an entry level kershaw or something similar.
 
It's not a make-or-break detail for me, though they are fun, if they're well executed. The knife needs to have some kind of tab, even if it disappears, to open with. This allows you to keep your palm on the spine of the blade while the assist fires. If you have to muck about getting to a thumb stub, your hand is holding the knife in such a way that it feels like the assist could spin the knife out of your hand. I've never had it happen, but it's still cutlery, and I want to feel confident in my ability to hold onto the sucker.

The unfortunate thing about them is how you get the best noise from the opening. That metallic "snap" sounds best with bare metal scales. That also means the knife is harder to hold on to.

I like them, but it's not what I buy a knife for.
 
The positives I find are:
They’re cool to watch fling open.
They will definitely “open” once they get going.
They won’t close unless you apply pressure to compress the spring.

Negatives:
Difficult to close one-handed.
Additional moving parts (more moving parts, more that can go wrong, broken springs for example)
Legality needs to be verified for the places you carry it.

I have a couple, my workhorse being the Benchmade Vector 496. As long as you’re buying from a reputable manufacturer that knows what they’re doing on assisted knives, you’ll be okay. Kershaw and Benchmade come to mind.

An additional note: Personally I wouldn’t buy an assisted knife and then de-assist it... knives generally work best when you keep them how the manufacturers designed them. I think it also lessens resale value, and if you mess up or lose a piece during disassembly that’s a problem too.

So there’s my answer... pros and cons.

Some top assisted knives IMHO:
1. Kershaw Leek
2. BM auto-barrage
3. Kershaw Blur
 
I used to like assisted opening knives; but, over the years, knives have improved. People wanted knives they could "flick" open easily; and the knife companies listened....so assisted opening doesn't provide the benefit that it used to. In fact, many unassisted knives open more easily, with the same (or better) reliability as assisted; and there's no arguing that an assisted knife is harder to close. They don't appeal to me now; but I'll occasionally carry one of the few I haven't sold (yet).

To counter a couple of King of the Cheese King of the Cheese 's points:
They won't all open reliably, even from a reputable manufacturer. I've had a few Kershaws pass through my hands that didn't. The worst being two Cryo IIs.
I don't find them difficult to close one handed...but I have been closing "modern folders" against my leg almost since I started carrying them. They do require more pressure to close, though; and, if trying to do it entirely by hand, a person has to overcome the spring and maintain control of the knife. (I've seen people drop them when they fumble on the close & the blade springs back to the open position)
 
I do not like them on thumbstud opening knives. They don't bother me with a flipper because it's easier to firmly hold the knife when it springs open. It wouldn't be my first choice, but it's not a deal breaker on a flipper opening knife I otherwise like the design of.
 
Does that assisted definition include thumb holes that can cause the blade to be quickly flicked open, like my Spyderco Gayle Bradley?
 
GatorFlash1 said:
Does that assisted definition include thumb holes that can cause the blade to be quickly flicked open, like my Spyderco Gayle Bradley?
Click to expand...
Usually assisted opening means “spring-assisted”, but still just an “assist” and not the entire mechanism... which would make it an “auto” or “switchblade”. If you’re doing all the work it’s still “manual” by definition.
 
dannyp said:
I do not like them on thumbstud opening knives. They don't bother me with a flipper because it's easier to firmly hold the knife when it springs open. It wouldn't be my first choice, but it's not a deal breaker on a flipper opening knife I otherwise like the design of.
Click to expand...

I hate thumbstuds, I really hate assisted with thumbstuds! My fingers must not work right nut my thumb always ends up at the edge of the blade.

Kershaw link is my only true assist, and this I do like.

OP, I'd consider automatics over assisted for many reasons.
 
When I got my BM 672, I tried the assist a few times , then got the instructions out and fixed it to regular opening. I think there was a tension rod in there. Not much of a flipper fan either.
 
I own plenty AO bc thats what those models are equipped with. Its not my favorite but wont stop me from acquiring a knife i like if it has that. i dont mind AO but much prefer a good manual action. If it can be deassisted like the BM barrage then thats what i do. The barrage is much improved when deassisted imo and i wish all AO had the option but alot of them lack a detent hole in the tang.
 
I only have 1 assisted right now, a Benchmade Barrage, but I like them fine. My wife only uses assisted knives.
I think they make sense in the bottom end of the market where knives dont open smoothly very often. Assists can also work on small knives that would be tough to open without an assist (like my wifes Kershaw Scallion). For enthusiasts like us I think assists arent important. They dont bother me, I just dont much care.
 
I don't mind them, but as many have said, legality in different country/region is an issue and ability not able to close one handed is a con to me.
 
My first AO as well as a flipper were SOGs back when I first joined BF. I lost interest and then I got a Benchmade and ZT AO's. I liked them and still like them, but I am pretty firmly entrenched using manual knives now. One hand opening is not a priority for me.

Give one a try and see how you like it.
 
I carry a Kershaw Leek when working, it opens fast and is made in the USA.
 
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