How important is a folder that can be deployed quickly?

Speed of opening is not really an issue for me.


That said, my favorite folders are all very smooth, and open one handed very quickly,

...getting the knife out of the pocket is the slow part.



My fixed blade belt knife is always quicker.




Big Mike
 
Waved is the way ... All else is blasphemy.
 
Andrew Colglazier said:
Doing a lot of work which often requires the use of a knife, I find it most useful if the knife can be deployed EASILY with one hand, as the other hand is often tied up holding something in place until the knife can be brought to the job. FAST isn't important, ease of deployment, especially while wearing gloves, is important.

Andy
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Well said. Off topic but what art is your avatar from?
 
Ya know 20 years ago, even 10 years ago I'd say it was important how fast I could open a knife, now, I carry a Barlow and a Stockman that see the most amount of use these days.

I do carry a fixed blade,(Bud Nealy Aikuchi for speed) and an old Pat Crawford Framelock that's as fast as any AO or full auto.

So how important is a fast knife, not as important as a dependable one.
 
cop911 said:
have to agree with timberweasel about the 'slow, but sure'...with smooth thrown in...best opening blade I've ever owned is a Benchmade AFCK, smooth as silk, and will snap out with a flick of my wrist if need be. One of the few knives I'll not be selling off.
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I love my AFCK, it's been retired for about 4 years now but I still gotta pull it out and play with it once in awhile, without a doubt next to my William Henry P-10 the smoothest action of most production one hand knives..
 
I agree with many of the above posters. One-hand is required, quick deployment is moot. Most of the time, I'm holding the item to be cut in my other hand, I'm guessing others are too.
 
In my opinion spring assist and auto are toys, and only toys. They have no purpose whatsoever. In fact they both only offer disadvantages and nothing even remotely close to an advantage. That being said, I own 2 autos and 1 AO. Used to have a D/A otf as well. Fun to play with.
 
I always have at least a one handed opening knife that locks on my person. If it comes down to me having to use it on someone, I don't want to be stuck with a little slipjoint. Wave openers are even better, but require a bit more space to get open most of the time. Fixed blade is still king of speed and reliably, though. Get a good plastic sheath and just grip 'n' rip. ;)
 
kaosu04 said:
In my opinion spring assist and auto are toys, and only toys. They have no purpose whatsoever. In fact they both only offer disadvantages and nothing even remotely close to an advantage. That being said, I own 2 autos and 1 AO. Used to have a D/A otf as well. Fun to play with.
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I wouldn't say they are toys. Autos came about before most one handed openers with thumb holes and studs were around and offered a legitimate solution to opening a folder without using two hands.

Compared to studs and holes, on an auto there's less chance of slipping when you're trying to get some leverage on the opening mechanism. One push and the blade is locked in place every time.

That being said, most one handed openers nowadays can be opened just as fast as an auto, and usually have stronger lockups. Assisted opening mechanisms just... Assist a bit.

No one is going to argue that they're not fun to play with though.
 
Noctis3880 said:
Oddly enough, I very much like blades that can be opened quickly, reliably, and be closed just as fast. Flippers are among my favorites. I much prefer my R.J. Martin Overkill over my Sebenza, SR-1, XM-18, and many others. Though I feel I like my Spyderco Para2 just as much. I think ease of opening is the deal breaker for me though.

Fumbling with the pointed thumb studs on my Sebenza or the "technique" for my XM-18 does NOT float my boat. I do like my SR-1 over my Sebenza because I can open it with one fluid motion.
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R.J. Martin Overkill is nice, but pricey.
 
to me its only important if I see a need, like if I'm rafting and i might need to cut somebody out of a tangle or something on that end. As far as sd goes, I dont carry knives for SD but if needed I will use one so when i'm outside of my house i tend to cary at least one fast deploying knife. As far as buying new knives go, I have multiple fast deploying knives so deployment speed will absolutely not affect my future knife purchases, smoothness, looks and ease of lock operation(if there is a lock) are more important to me.
 
Vertebrae said:
I wouldn't say they are toys. Autos came about before most one handed openers with thumb holes and studs were around and offered a legitimate solution to opening a folder without using two hands.

Compared to studs and holes, on an auto there's less chance of slipping when you're trying to get some leverage on the opening mechanism. One push and the blade is locked in place every time.

That being said, most one handed openers nowadays can be opened just as fast as an auto, and usually have stronger lockups. Assisted opening mechanisms just... Assist a bit.

No one is going to argue that they're not fun to play with though.
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That is interesting as I had never even considered that they were invented as a/one of the first one handed solutions. I chose the wrong word as dangerous objects are obviously never a toy. I've never slipped off a thumb stud or opening hole before, but can imagine a situation with wet gloves or something making it difficult, though I would think something like a spyderco hole is pretty safe. In my opinion these are sort of a far stretch. And if one were inclined to need a folder when in a wet/messy environment I would imagine they wouldn't want an auto or ao mechanism that could be gunked up.
 
fast deployment is of the utmost importance. Just yesterday, I needed to cut some tape on a box, and my being able to get my RAT 1 folder opened quickly meant the difference between life and death. :D
 
Not at all important to me as my reasons for carrying are utility and not SD. As many have said when I carry a one handed opening blade ease of opening and not speed is paramount. Having said that I find that the Spydie Hole is both easy and fast.
 
Dorito Monk said:
It doesn't really matter to me, especially when I carry a SAK. :p I prefer that a knife open and close with one hand at work or when camping, but the speed isn't a big issue for me.
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Ya same here. But if a flying squirrel ever went for my throat in the bush, I could whip out my ninja sword from its tactical deployment scabbard on my back. Speed is everything in a life and death struggle.:p
 
Most of the time it really doesn't matter for me. I can get by with using both hands. For me, the lure of the one hand opening and closing is the convenience.


ric
 
Not a fan of auto's, and for years I have been carrying only SAK's and traditional slipjoints before I discovered the ease of one hand opening, so I may be a bit "old school" on this.
A knife is a tool and it's not involved in tasks where half a second faster or slower can make any difference (altho I admit I was never attacked by a flying squirrel - there aren't many of those deadly creatures around here). Instead, one hand opening is surely easier and more convenient.
Personally, switchblades never seemed safe to me, and that's why I never owned any.
As for self defense (in those rare cases when it might necessary to use a knife) I am more than sure that any one hand opener that fits ur hand and that u have opened a number of times is fast enough. I guess time factor in those situations would depend much more on deciding to deploy a knife and grabbing it from wherever u are carrying it, other than opening it.
 
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