Do you like assisted opening knives?

AO are not as popular these days and manual folders have much improved , but I still like the old ones I got just fine ! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:



 
kylemiller said:
I've always wondered how much you'd have to spend in lawyer fees to get a court to make the distinction between assisted and automatic.
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Unless you are wealthy and just like to push legal points, I suspect you don't want to find out. Lawyers in my area run from $200-$400/hr generally.
 
22-rimfire said:
Unless you are wealthy and just like to push legal points, I suspect you don't want to find out. Lawyers in my area run from $200-$400/hr generally.
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Both, automatics and assisted opening knives have bad reputation. So it'd be really bad to end up in court because of one.

Design and function of your knife can be what prevails on court. Will judge see it as a weapon, or as a tool.
 
I went through an a/o phase. Still have a bunch of them, but now prefer a smooth opening manual, in combination with a good ol' traditional.
 
When it comes to knives, if you actually use them, the simpler the better. I'm a fan of manual opening knives.
 
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22-rimfire said:
Unless you are wealthy and just like to push legal points, I suspect you don't want to find out. Lawyers in my area run from $200-$400/hr generally.
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I mention that because the common knowledge when discussing A/O is that they are not subject to automatic knife laws. I don't know if that originally came from the manufacturers or how that dialectic got started, but I wonder if anyone has put it to the test legally.
 
I have quite a few. For the most part, I like Kershaw’s speed safe. My Rat1 with assisted opening seems like it could go off far too easily. That’s probably why it has a safety.
 
I say why ask? Pick one up and see for yourself.
You can get a pretty decent entry level Keshaw AO for under $20. For under $50 there is the USA made Link & Dividend. Even less if you get one used here on the Exchange.
 
One of my favorite knives of all time, the Benchmade 496 Vector is an assisted opener. It works really well with the flipper and the axis lock. I used to live in a state where autos were illegal, so an assisted opener was the next best thing.

That being said, not all assisted knives are the same. I'm not a fan of assisted knives with thumbstuds, and I'm not a fan of torsion bar style assists like the Kershaw Speedsafe and CRKT OutBurst. I've had much better success with the coil spring assisted knives like most of Benchmade's Axis Assist knives.

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As a rule I don't much care for nor appreciate AO knives. However, I absolutely love my Kershaw Dividend Composite and Knockout M390. Just de-assisted my ZT0566. So I guess I'm "on the fence" relative to AO's. ;)
 
I’m not a big fan of them, but I still buy AO if I like the design. I much prefer manual opening knives with ball bearings.
 
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For me it does not really factor into a knife purchase one way or the other. I don't look for it as a feature but I don't mind if it is a feature on a knife that I like otherwise. I have a BM Vector and a few Zero tolerance (301, 302, 303, 560, 566, etc.) and I like them, but I would like them just as much if they were un-assisted / manual flippers as well.

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They’re not my favorite and I haven’t carried one in a long time. The majority of the ones I had years ago were budget knives and the mechanism usually broke
 
Fun to play with if you figure out how to close them with one hand easily and safely. But I see absolutely no practical use for one. I have one, 581 Barrage which I only carry once in a while. Great knife, with or without it. I would get another assisted knife but definately not for that reason. With or without, I don't care. Its the "open" knife that matters. I have wanted a Buck 110 that was customised to be assisted for years. Now that I have gotten older and have a decent collection, I see no reason or have the bug for it anymore. I guess I see it now as a useless extra.
 
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I briefly purchased a Rat 1a and i ended up really disliked it. I was not nearly as smooth as the OG so i ended up returned it. Plus, i feel like disassembly is more painful than tradition folder since there's a spring that constantly adds pressure on the blade (but don't quote me on that as i never disassembled a spring assisted before) and closing is not as smooth too since the said pressure from the spring is always present.

Also i don’t know it it ever happened to anyone and i hope not but there’s a constant fear that it might disengages inside my pocket if the safety lock was not on. So i tend to avoid AO as much as possible. But that’s my 2 cents though as i prefer to be in control of my knives.
 
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