Looking for A Top Notch Assisted Opener

cziv

cziv

Joined
Nov 24, 2005
Messages
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I'm looking for a fast assisted opener. I like the BM 890 but it was a bit pitiful on the assist. Very pretty knife though.

On the Barrage - very fast but big ol oversized plastic handle.

Are there any nice approx. (close to) 4 " bladed knives with maybe G-10 handle, slick looking blade (no gigantors) like the BM 890 or the Barrage that fit the bill?

I guess what I'm looking for is something like a hybrid of those two - the 890's size with the Barrage's speed.

Thanks for any help.
 
Thanks spidyman,

I have looked. But I've no way of knowing if they're fast or not. I would hate to buy one and not like it. Have you got any experience with the two models in my post to make a judgement about what I'm talking about - in regard to assisted opening speed?
 
The ZT0350 or the Kershaw Blur are the fastest opening AOs that I have. Don't have any BM AOs, but I've tried the Apparition and Barrage. They both seem fast, but I didn't get a chance to compare them with the 0350 or Blur.

Another of my favorites is the G-10 Tyrade. Its a little slower due to the blade size, but a great deal for around $80 on-line.
 
I've had a couple of Kershaw AOs and they all open fast and lock up tight. In general, the bigger and heavier the blade, the slower AO opening will be.
 
I've heard the Protech Ciabatta is one of the best. Then again it's very pricey but worth it I guess.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxRwTy9WPbc[/youtube]
 
I have a Kershaw Leek it is very fast,but my Kershaw Ram is a flipper and I can open it just as fast. Kershaws are really great knives. :thumbup:
 
Kershaw tunes their AO speed to what they feel is proper. As mentioned, the bigger blades open a bit slower than the smaller ones. This said, and getting as close to your size as possible while keeping the snap, Take a look at the Shallot.
 
Even though I don't need mine to open at the speed of light, the Blur, the Leek and the Needs Work seem to open the fastest for me.
 
You should be able to find videos on YouTube of the Kershaw blades and get to see how fast they open.
 
my blurs fly open. my shallot is a little lazier.

i can thumb-flick my non-assisted crkt crawford/kasper about as fast as my blurs, if that helps.
 
Stick with any Speedsafe Kershaw if you want a fast AO. The Scallion, Shallot, Leek, and even my full size Cyclone SNAP open.
 
The kershaws IME have been far more reliable and much smoother and tend to be quicker than almost any other AO on the market.

If your willing to look at something a bit smaller then look at an OD-1, its flipper assist mechanism is as fast if not faster than any AO in production and has zero chance of spring to torsion bar failure- and its a frame lock with the HLBS too boot. The only thing is its only a 3" blade.
 
I will agree with the many that have mentioned Kershaw's SpeedSafe AO. The Leek is very fast opening. Another Great AO knife is the Zero Tolerance ZT0300/301/302. But it is not "fast" relatively speaking. It opens kinda like in slo-mo but when it opens and locks in place, it'll shake your whole arm!!! I love mine! :cool:

But the fastest and hardest opening AO knife I've experienced so far is the CRKT Folding Hissatsu. Damn thing scared the shit outta me the first time I opened it and it nearly fell out of my hand. :o

IMG_2000.JPG


Also, check out the Kershaw Blurs. I just got a blem from kershawguy in brown CB w/ ZDP-189 and Sandvik 13C26. This thing gets scary sharp! Opens fast and with authority too.

IMG_3599.JPG
 
I have 3 AOs, two Tyrades (Ti and G-10) and a ZT-350....all three deploy fast, with a satisfying *THWACK*, and lock up like bank vaults....the 350 is a little faster due to less blade mass.
 
I would recommend the TI/ZDP-189, Mini-Cyclone. Its very hard and fast and is a TI framelock. It also has a switch to disable the assist if you want. It's about 3/4" shorter than you're looking for, but I've never run into a situation where I would have missed it.
 
My Kershaw Leek opens more or less quick as a switchblade. The blade is "slick looking." My favorite edc.
 
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