Opening methods

Pete1977

Pete1977

Joined
Apr 15, 2002
Messages
3,376
I've been away for a while and don't feel like doing a search. Here's the question? With the amount of one hand opening methods around- stud, hole, wave, gravity,automatic, balisong...why the assisted opening? what sets it apart from the masses? Is it simply the gray area "legality" of it?

is it the novelty? is it the idea that it is a loophole to the prevaling laws regarding automatics?

I've never been a fan of them myself (its not my intention to knock them here, or the fans of them) a one hand opener opens just as fast with a flick of the wrist, and an auto with the push of a button.
what is the draw for them?

I've seen a few people hope spyderco comes out with one, but I don't think they should. They have been a consistently unique company with consistently unique designs, and frankly, the whole assisted opener thing has been done enough by enough other companies.

Peter
 
the appeal (for me, anyway) is the snappy opening that requires very little effort, yet allows for a snappy closure as well. Kind of like taking the nice features of both a linerlock and a lockback.
 
The intention of Speed safe (ken onion) was to sidestep the "switchblade" law. Some states are now banning spring assisted knives as well.

I thought it was cool when I first go into knives but now, I'm not so enthused. My first "real" folder was a Kershaw, Scallion, I liked it for a while and got really bored,not that I don't get bored with any of my other knives :D .Manual action is more fun anyway. If autos were legal here, I'd probably pick up some D/A OTF, microtech maybe. :cool:
 
i have never been too thrilled about the assisted open knives. i say either get full auto, or full manual.

also, most of the assited opening knives i have come across (w/ exception of onion, chive, etc.) are a little too fat for my taste

IMO
 
Pete1977 said:
I've been away for a while and don't feel like doing a search. Here's the question? With the amount of one hand opening methods around- stud, hole, wave, gravity,automatic, balisong...why the assisted opening? what sets it apart from the masses? Is it simply the gray area "legality" of it?

is it the novelty? is it the idea that it is a loophole to the prevaling laws regarding automatics?

I've never been a fan of them myself (its not my intention to knock them here, or the fans of them) a one hand opener opens just as fast with a flick of the wrist, and an auto with the push of a button.
what is the draw for them?

I've seen a few people hope spyderco comes out with one, but I don't think they should. They have been a consistently unique company with consistently unique designs, and frankly, the whole assisted opener thing has been done enough by enough other companies.

Peter
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I'm on my second Kershaw Leek, and I love the engineering! Slim, good pocket clip, easy one hand deployment. Never opens accidentally. I use it every day. I gave my first one to a good friend (for a small coin). Holds a good edge. Locks up just right,and for a tough job you can push the liner lock a little more snugly behind the blade. A great knife to complement my slippie! Gotta have at LEAST 2 knives on me! Better than an auto in my book.
 
To me , looking at it from a practical standpoint the assisted open or automatic is nice if your doing something where you have to have one hand holding something . Which for me ive had that happen quite a few times and its very handy to have the assisted opener .
 
I like my assisted opening knife. I've had knives with thumb studs and the assisted knife is far easier to use.

As for wrist flips, it's been my observation that is a good way to lose control of a knife and have it go skittering away.

My one complaint about my Kershaw assisted opening knife is that if it dropped, it pops open.
 
IMO, a well-made AO knife is just as fast and easy as a true switchblade. The big plus is that they are also California legal.

If an AO knife has the index finger flipper, then it is basically a switchblade with the button on the spine of the handle instead of the side. Nothing wrong with that.

Is it a gimmick? Yes. But not any more than a real switchblade is a gimmick.

They open fast and with very little effort. They look cool (opening) too.

Overall, though, I prefer manual knives. With fewer parts to fail and the option to open them gently, I feel they make for longer-lasting knives.

Why use an AO knife instead of a true switchblade? Legal reasons. Why use an AO knife instead of just thumb-flicking or wrist-flicking a manual knife? Less effort and less chance of messing up.

I see AO as a feature that is not a pro nor a con. If a knife has it, that's fine. If not, that's fine too. I love my Kershaw Leek and Buck Rush. I also love my manual knives. I also love my switchblades. It just depends on my mood.

If a knife comes in AO and manual, I will tend to opt for the manual.

I want to note that some knives thumb-flick open so easily that they might as well be AO (Axis lock knives, for example). And some knives are so much fun to open manually that an AO mechanism would take away from the experience (Sebenza, Manix, and Skirmish come to mind).

travis55- It is possible to open most knives with one hand even if they are not assisted.
 
If you want to open a knife quickly the auto is hard to beat (probably why it was made illegal in so many places).

I sent two Microtech mini-Socoms (3.5 inches is not very "mini") to my relatives when they were stationed in beautiful Baghdad. They carried them for 18 months in dust storms and other miserable conditions without any problems or failures of any kind. I would have gotten them anything they wanted. We agreed on these because in an emergency situation you don't even need a good working hand to open them (your nose could push the button).

http://www.1sks.com/store/microtech-mini-socom-elite-automatic-seatbelt-cutter.html

I don't find much difference between assisted and non for everyday use.

Now if Kershaw would make their knives out of better grades of steel I might change my mind.
 
DGG said:
Now if Kershaw would make their knives out of better grades of steel I might change my mind.
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You are not the first, and undoubtedly won't be the last, to wish that. I doubt we'll ever be made happy on that count. There is a Leek variant in S30V for some knife distributor someplace, but I don't recall which, only that the lines of the knife are ruined because they changed the blade design.
 
Pete1977 said:
I've been away for a while and don't feel like doing a search. Here's the question? With the amount of one hand opening methods around- stud, hole, wave, gravity,automatic, balisong...why the assisted opening? what sets it apart from the masses? Is it simply the gray area "legality" of it?

is it the novelty? is it the idea that it is a loophole to the prevaling laws regarding automatics?

I've never been a fan of them myself (its not my intention to knock them here, or the fans of them) a one hand opener opens just as fast with a flick of the wrist, and an auto with the push of a button.
what is the draw for them?

I've seen a few people hope spyderco comes out with one, but I don't think they should. They have been a consistently unique company with consistently unique designs, and frankly, the whole assisted opener thing has been done enough by enough other companies.

Peter
Click to expand...


I'm the best example for this:

I'm from Canada, and the law sais:
a knife that has a blade that opens automatically by gravity or centrifugal force or by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to the handle of the knife,

Assisted opening knives are legal (I think they just forgot to ban them)

So I have a Camillus Heat :)

If there is no switch, then it's not a switchblade
 
I'm not sure of the difference in this (not having owned either) but can an auto or a switchblade be opened "manually", without the assisted action?

If not, one difference would definitely be that AO's can still be manuevered manually w/out the AO action. I'll admit that I never manually open my AOs; but in the presence of sheeple it can be done. I think I also read on someone's post here that he uses 2 hand opening on his AO when in the presence of sheeple.

IMO it's a feature that works well for some knives, but not others. Just like the variety of locking mechanisms.
 
Deadhead Archer said:
I'm not sure of the difference in this (not having owned either) but can an auto or a switchblade be opened "manually", without the assisted action?

If not, one difference would definitely be that AO's can still be manuevered manually w/out the AO action. I'll admit that I never manually open my AOs; but in the presence of sheeple it can be done. I think I also read on someone's post here that he uses 2 hand opening on his AO when in the presence of sheeple.

IMO it's a feature that works well for some knives, but not others. Just like the variety of locking mechanisms.
Click to expand...

Some can- Butch Valloton's original chameleon did both, but it was a hidden trigger mechanism.
 
DGG said:
If you want to open a knife quickly the auto is hard to beat (probably why it was made illegal in so many places).

.
Click to expand...


Most Autos were outlawed around 1958, IIRC, due to the hysteria surrounding "West side Story" gangs.

I feel that AO's are just more crap to break, but on really small knives (like the chive they just make it easier to open.
 
Deadhead Archer said:
I'm not sure of the difference in this (not having owned either) but can an auto or a switchblade be opened "manually", without the assisted action?
QUOTE]

I think those are dual action knives.

On my ao, I can't open it only manually.
Click to expand...
 
Automatics can be single-action, or double-action...

single-action (like my Buck 110 auto conversion) can only be opened with the release mechanism (in this case, a button).

double-action can be opened manually as well as automatically. It works by "loading" the spring and then locking it. The spring only releases when the mechanism "fires". Otherwise, the blade can move freely.


All AO knives I'm aware of are double-action. Some can be "adjusted".
 
Dijos said:
I feel that AO's are just more crap to break, but on really small knives (like the chive they just make it easier to open.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily though some may be prone to breaking, the "Benchmade Optimizer", there take on assisted opening, is jut a torsion bar that rids on a cam shape at the tang of the blade. I would be amazed if that bar would break. Also, at least on the Benchmade 670 Apparition, the torsion bar can very easily be removed with a supplied Allen wrench, though that obviously takes away the whole point of buying it in the first place unless you are a huge fan of the design.

I believe people like the assisted opening for a couple of reasons: one being that is a nice way to have a near automatic without it being illegal (If automatics are illegal in the area). Also though I can manually open a (smooth) knife as fast if not faster than an assisted opening knife I have to use a much much more exaggerated motion, which leads to a serious problem the possibility of losing the knife. Another reason though not as important (IMO) is the "coolness factor"

JamEs
 
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