Need assisted opener advice ...

C

c_meisenzahl

Joined
Dec 27, 2001
Messages
51
Looking for a small assisted opener pocket knife.

I've been looking at the Kershaw Ken Onion Chive, really like the assisted opener.

But now I see that SOG offers assisted openers in the Twitch and newer Flash knives.

I've had an opportunity to try out the Kershaw's opener, but neither of the SOGs.

Can anyone compare/contrast these knives and their overall quality, steel used, and opening mechanisms?

Every time I think I've decided on one I find something else I like. :-)



Thanks very much in advance!!


Christopher Meisenzahl
 
Neither.

Get a Camillus Robo Dominator...designed by Darrel Ralph.


P-CAM3948.jpg



here are the specs courtesy of TNK
Blade: 3.65" CPM S30V Flat Ground Clip Point
Thickness: .125"
Handle: Titanium Frame Lock w/ bead blast finish
ROBO ASSIST OPENER

BTW a 3.65" blade is considered small for me ;)

RL
 
I had a Dominator for a while, wonderful knife and very well built. I found it just a little larger then what I needed for an EDC. That being said, I find the Chive a little to small. The Twitch II looks like a nice sized knife and I think the steel is better then that in the Kershaws.
 
Go to chesapeakeknifeandtool.com and buy yourself a Random Leek.
 
IMO, Kershaw's assisted openers are better than SOG's. I've held and tried out knives from both companies and the Kershaws just felt more solid while the SOG's felt kind of cheap, IMO. Try both out if you can and then make your decision.
 
The knife I currently pack every day is a Sog Flash. Overall, I'm not very impressed with it. It has lots of blade play, the safety is pretty crude, and the lock is really hard to disengage if the knife gets dirty at all. The pocket clip is also pretty wimpy. I've bent it out of shape several times just at work.

It does open nicely, however. No problems there. It's a very thick knife also, which I'm not too fond of.
 
the Kershaw Scallion or Leek or the Twitch II (my newest baby) are all FANTASTIC choices, and you absolutely can't go wrong with any of them. i have, and recommend all three!

abe m.
 
I own both brand types.
I prefer Kershaws' design, they can be taken apart for cleaning.
SOG cannot, you must return the knife to SOG for disassembly for cleaning, spring replacement and so on.
This fact alone is not good.
The Scallion has a steel inner frame, the Blink does not.
SOG action is good but I think they need to redesign a little
to make these knives more servicable by the end user.
I'll stick with Kershaw.
 
I own and use daily a Scallion and for the price feel that it is unbeatable for someone wanting assisted opening and a size bigger than the Chive, yet shorter than the Leek.

However that said, I am hearing more and more positive comments on the Leek.
Very thin and available in many different finishes.

Scallion takes down easily for cleaning etc, and I would highly recommend Kershaw's knives in the under $100 range.
 
I prefer the Sog Flash for a number of reasons.

My experience with the Kershaw's is that the opening is fairly hard on the liner lock. A lot of wear pretty fast on that lock. Besides, it's a liner lock. Ick.

The safety lock on the Kershaw's I've seen gets loose and it won't always stay the way you had it last.

I don't like metal scales. I suspect people are confusing solidity with weight and heft. Spyderco has many great and strong FRN handled knives that no one complains about. The SOGs are just as good. And the lightness is very nice. It balances well with the thin blade.

The Sog has a wonderful thin stock blade with a full flat grind. A rare thing in today's knife world and it cuts and slices like mad.

Sog has a better clip, IMHO. Deep discrete carry.

The bolt lock is just a great and underused lock. Wears elegantly, not subject to the impact wear that a hard opening liner lock is. Sog's implementation isn't perfect. The lock release isn't particularly comfortable to use, nor is it fullly ambi as can be done (See the CRKT DOG).

Down sides of the SOG. YOu'll probably have to play with a couple of the same model to find one with no play. SOG needs to tighten up their tolerances.

The mini Flash handle doesn't comform well to medium or large hands. It's the version I actually have and they tried to put in too many specific curves in too small a space. But it's very minor for me.

I like the Flash better overall than the Kershaw's.

Phil
 
Any of the Kershaw Ken Onion speed safe knives are very good quality.

From what I have heard they seem to be much nicer than the SOG assited openers.
 
I have a Chive and used to have a Leek. Both had the smooth metal handles and both, especially the Chive because of its smaller size, were a bit slick to handle while opening. This is more of a problem on these knives than it would be on a normal manual knife because you have to grip them just right to operate the opener. I kept the Chive because it opens really fast, so is kind of neat, but I will probably pass on other assisted openers, and definitely on assisted openers with smooth handles.
 
Kershaw Boa all the way, this knife is underrated for what you get. This is a great cutter due to it's deep belly blade and CPM-T440V a.k.a. CPM-s60v is a very tough steel, good edge holding. You will spend more on the Boa than some of the others mentioned and with a 3.4" blade it might be a bit larger than you are looking for but it is a great knife, worth the money IMHO, check it out.;)
 
I own several assisted openers. Here is my opinion

Of the ones i own the Camillus Dominator is the strongest opening with sv30 blade although a bit expensive..
If you get a kershaw chive and play with it alot the spring will eventually break.
The kershaw scallion is a bit larger than the chive and opens ok but spring seems weak.
I have a kershaw rainbow leek and it opens quick and spring seems ok.
Kershaw BOA has a nice sv60 blade scarry sharp but a bit slow
I just bought a buck rush and to be honest i like the locking design better that kershaw. I have not had it long enought to determine spring quality.

All are fine knives.
 
I have to second the vote for the Chesapeake Knife and Tool Random Leek! I bought one a few months back and it is AWESOME. I'm used to carrying a bigger edc (Axis TSEK), but I just love this knife. It whips open with a nice *snap*, and has great lock-up. I've always liked the design of the Leek, but I didn't like the steel choice. With the Random Leek, you get S30V steel. I bought mine for around $70. I think that was just an introductory special, though. You can still get one for $100. Well worth it! :D
 
TheBladeRunner said:
If you get a kershaw chive and play with it alot the spring will eventually break.
Click to expand...

Interesting....this is what Ken Onion said himself about the Kershaw Onions in this thread :

QUOTE:
our tests prove that an undamaged tortion bar can survive 50-60,000 cycles without failure.
UNQUOTE


I like the "Onion family" of Chives, Scallions and Leeks.

Onions_S.jpg


The Leek is my personal favorite with the Chive (especially the Black Chive) following, as they both have Speed-Safe assisted opening and frame-locks.

Ken Onion and Kershaw have got this assisted opening thing down.

I know it's not the Chive - but thake a look at these threads
(there are some comparison pics of the Black Chive, and the Chives comes in all 3 of these finishes too) -

Kershaw/Ken Onion LEEK (pics)

Black "boron" Leek

Kershaw Rainbow Leek - a pictorial review

--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net/
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net/
 
The Leek uses a framelock instead of a linerlock, but the safety seems an afterthought, I removed mine. The knife is quick and easy to carry. Can be a bit slippery unless you bead blast the scales.
 
If you are one was going for a kershaw I would go with the leek or blur over the scallion or chive because the scallion and chive have 420HC blades that don't seem to hold a good edge for very long. The Blur or Leek have 440A blades that seem to hold better edges and are even more stainless.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top