is there any talk of spyderco coming out with assisted ?

AO + Spyderhole sounds like a bad combination to me.

But then again I'm not a huge fan of AO + thumbstud either.

Flipper is by far the best way to do AO IMO.
 
I don't believe Spyderco will have an AO in it's line-up anytime in the near future.

Tom
 
i have bm 580 witch has assist & axis = stronger lock & faster open . the assist would work just as well with spyder hole.also have kershaws with assist.assist kicks in as soon as you start the blade. dont understand the draw back.
 
gunmanb said:
i have bm 580 witch has assist & axis = stronger lock & faster open . the assist would work just as well with spyder hole.also have kershaws with assist.assist kicks in as soon as you start the blade. dont understand the draw back.
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The draw back is that the springs tend to wear out on AOs faster than non-Aos. Consider one of my Kershaw Leeks, which had a torsion bar break after a mere two weeks. Yes, you can wait for weeks to have Kershaw send you torsion bars so you can repair it, or spend $8 on shipping and Kershaw do it for you, but that's a drag.

In fact, it's a drag to have your knife out of commission for any length of time, especially when you need to use it right then and there. If you really dig AOs, it's worth it, but I like my knives the way I like my cars: little to no maintenance.
 
gunmanb said:
i have bm 580 witch has assist & axis = stronger lock & faster open . the assist would work just as well with spyder hole.also have kershaws with assist.assist kicks in as soon as you start the blade. dont understand the draw back.
Click to expand...

Because you would have to start the blade opening and you then have fractions of a second to make sure no part of your thumb is in the hole/touching the blade. I don't think it would work well at all.

I also don't like AO's with thumbstuds because IMO it is difficult to have a secure grip on the knife while opening them.
 
I once thought that the spyder hole was a huge weakness because it wasn't compatible with AO. But now that AO is under fire it seems that Spyderco is safe and sound. Spyderco is a really respectable company, they want everyone to be able to have a knife if they need one. They have worked hard to make knives that are legal in places with strict laws.

I now see that the spyderhole is a great way to open a knife. It is the most simple way to open a knife one handed, because rather than adding something to the knife, they took something away. To answer the speed of AO, Spyderco has added the Emerson wave to a few models, which is faster that AO.
 
The last time I saw Sal post on the subject, he seemed to feel the AO market was adequately covered by others, and he didn't see entering a market with the potential legal and mechanical difficulties that the AO presents to be a sound idea. In fact, I think he suggested Kershaw for those interested in AO.
 
There was a Spyderco/Kershaw collaboration a while back, the SpyKer.

c96gpl.jpg


EDIT, which doesn't matter, since it doesn't appear to be assisted opening. Oops.
 
HotSwat said:
I once thought that the spyder hole was a huge weakness because it wasn't compatible with AO. But now that AO is under fire it seems that Spyderco is safe and sound. Spyderco is a really respectable company, they want everyone to be able to have a knife if they need one. They have worked hard to make knives that are legal in places with strict laws.

I now see that the spyderhole is a great way to open a knife. It is the most simple way to open a knife one handed, because rather than adding something to the knife, they took something away. To answer the speed of AO, Spyderco has added the Emerson wave to a few models, which is faster that AO.
Click to expand...

If you think only AO knives are under fire, you're not understanding the "whole" (<---- pun intended) situation. :)

I don't think Spyderco needs an AO..it's just not Spyderco. I feel the same way about Kershaw putting holes in their blades...just wouldn't be them.
 
Perhaps Sal wants to comment but I would agree with the others that it isn't likely. Spyderco's design philosophy has always revolved around utility. A/O provides no meaningful utility to a folder design but does add complexity and lowered reliability. A/O may be "cool" but it really isn't useful in any important way. Spyderco would likely not be impressed with A/O. Heck, black blades are fairly new in the Spyderco lineup. I'm sure they fought it all the way. Black blades just scratch and look bad and provide no meaningful utility. Just cosmetics. Same issue. Spyderco takes function over form every time.
 
Knife Outlet said:
Perhaps Sal wants to comment but I would agree with the others that it isn't likely. Spyderco's design philosophy has always revolved around utility. A/O provides no meaningful utility to a folder design but does add complexity and lowered reliability. A/O may be "cool" but it really isn't useful in any important way. Spyderco would likely not be impressed with A/O. Heck, black blades are fairly new in the Spyderco lineup. I'm sure they fought it all the way. Black blades just scratch and look bad and provide no meaningful utility. Just cosmetics. Same issue. Spyderco takes function over form every time.
Click to expand...

I find AO knives useful and they do provide a meaningful utility to me. It's just another method of one-handed opening in my eyes. I routinely need to pull my knife out of my pocket and open it with the same hand. I'm usually holding something up with the opposing hand making the need for one-handed opening necessary. If AO is not utilitarian than neither is the hole on Spyderco knives. They accomplish the same thing for me. Obviously with more moving parts AOs could suffer in reliability as you said but I've not had much trouble. I carry some AOs (mostly Kershaw and Buck) and also Spydercos as they fill the same role. Flippers fall in to the same category for me as well.

As far Spyderco taking function over form every time, I'd have to disagree with you on that point. Spyderco has released its share of radical and innovative designs that some would argue did not put function before form. I'm glad Spyderco doesn't put function before form all the time......that could get boring pretty quick. A nice mix of designs is always preferred.
 
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IMHO: AO is one thing that can be weak link for knife. Spyderco's are fine as they are now in openingm echanism. It can't become more reliable than it is.
 
I find AO useful. I've had times painting when I'm on a ladder, literally contorted up there taping off a door frame or window, and I can pull out my knife left hand and open it without any effort. Could I have done it without AO? Yes, but was it nice to have? Yes.
I don't think I needed it for the job, but when it makes the job easier, I'm glad to have I.
 
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