Sell me on OTFs

I think an OTF knife is about as good of an idea as a balisong for a defensive knife...that is to say, not the best idea.

OTF and balisongs have a good amount of WOW/Intimidation factor. Flashy or noisy or explosive and seem to come from nowhere. However, it takes more skill to whip out a balisong that most don't possess, and it takes making sure nothing is in the path of an OTF so that the blade will actually lock open. They are typically banned because they are "scary", and the powers that be dont believe that anyone "needs" that kind of action to open a knife.

OTF knives of good quality can take a lot of downward stabbing pressure before they fail, and at least if you manage to slip/break the lock the blade is going to slide back down into the handle and not fold on your fingers. However, you have to make sure you have full clearance to open them up. What makes them safe makes them a self defense liability as any force applied to the tip of the blade before lock up results in a half in-half out flaccid blade that won't do you much good in a fight.

They really are handy to have, fun to fire, and a quality made one is worth the price of admission. You just have to know their limitations: Keep the path clear when they open. Keep dirt and grit out of the hole. Keep them oiled. Dont use too much oil. That is too much oil...lighter fluid and canned air are your friends.
 
Recently acquired an ultratech as well and has quickly became a favorite! It’s slim, light and as mentioned above way more capable than I ever thought of otf’s. U can literally hammer them into a log without lock failure, shouldn’t any more than that be required for a pocket knife! They’re pretty awesome
 
DangerZone98 said:
In addition, what entry OTF would you recommend to a newcomer?
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I don't believe there is such a thing as an "entry OTF."

Any OTF will cost you some money, typically $250-400 retail and some more than that but you could get lucky and score one for cheap here on the Exchange.

Since I live in CA where carrying one is illegal, I only collect my autos for show and have never used/carried any of them. So, I cannot comment on the use/carry pros/cons of any OTF but my personal opinion is that an OTF is best used as stabbing weapon because the blades are usually sharp and pointy and it is natural to push forward at the same time as the blade opens. My dual edged ProTech Dark Angel immediately comes to mind in this regard. Doesn't mean they can't be used as a general EDC (the single edged MicroTech UTXs could fit the bill) but I think that there are other autos that are better designed for that purpose.

BTW, one my favorite OTFs is a MicroTech Halo V that I bought for "cheap" (relatively speaking) off of the Exchange. Another favorite is a Twist Tighe. If you ever get your hands on one of these, you'll never ask again to be "sold" on OTFs.
 
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marrenmiller said:
I'd still take a good OTF over a folder if for some bizarre reason those were my only defensive choices.
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I wouldn't, especially for stabby type motions. Much easier for hand to slip forward on an OTF than say a folder with a flipper tab. but I'm also of the general opinion that stabbing things is not good.
 
I’m a newbie and have my eye on an Microtech UTX-85 as my first knife! Go for it!
 
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unwisefool said:
I wouldn't, especially for stabby type motions. Much easier for hand to slip forward on an OTF than say a folder with a flipper tab. but I'm also of the general opinion that stabbing things is not good.
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I don't think your hand is any more likely to slip forward on an OTF than it is on a folder. Something like a Combat Troodon/Infidel/Sandshark has enough consideration to grip that this seems a non-issue to me. Plus, I wouldn't love to be stabbing anything hard with a folder, knowing that missing or impacting anything hard or at an angle below the pivot could possibly result in a lock failure.

If you carry a knife with a flipper tab then maybe it could serve to keep your hands on the handle slightly better, but I also don't think you'd be able to deploy a flipper under duress better than an OTF, as you have to change your grip to deploy a folder. Each design has trade-offs.

On a side note, I've even destroyed a cheap OTF for fun to see what it takes to ruin them, and I was stabbing cinderblocks, TVs, rocks, wood, etc as hard as I possibly could with zero slippage or failures. After abusing and breaking a bunch of folders doing similar nonsense (something that is akin to a hobby for me), I would not feel nearly as confident in my safety having to stab anything with a knife that's built to fold in half. That being said, for all practical cutting tasks I carry a folder.
 
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My Hogue Exploit has very slight play. My Twist Tighe had zero upward play, and negligible downward.

I've got OTF fever. This thread needs pictures.

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Give me a break with "defensive tool"... if you live in a state where carrying a firearm is allowed- no excuse not to if self defense is a concern. If you DON'T live in a state where it's legal to carry, count on the bad guys to have a gun in which case it's the proverbial "bringing a knife to a gun fight". Or if they aren't armed at all, go to jail and be a felon for the rest of your life.
Didn't you guys learn anything from Michael Jackson's 'beat it' music video?
 
I don’t normally think of a knife as a defensive tool. Personally, I don’t want to get that close to my opponent.

Keeping your wits about you is much better for your defense, at least in my mind. Where you go, when you go, and what you wear all play a role in your defense.
As does, who you pick as friends, what you say, what you don’t say, and how you carry yourself.

The interesting thing is how some people get it from the get go and others are completely clueless.

People can learn with a little training and instruction but some people will never figure it out and always be a victim.
 
The first time one fails to fire because you accidentally got a piece of packing tape stuck to the blade you will realize just how finicky they can be. Fun knives, great letter openers but not ideal if your EDC doubles as your protection.
 
I don't go to places where needing a defensive "tool" would generally be needed.

I did when I was young, but in the one altercation I had at a bar I was able to get two punches in by the time I could I have drawn my pocket knife, let alone deployed and use it.

I've experienced quite a few bar fights, and they are always fast, up close, and personal.
 
First time I saw an OTF I thought it was battery-powered, with an electromagnetic servo or linear motor. When people insisted they don't have batteries, I resigned to accept that the knives operate using the forces of the Dark Arts or some sort of Voodoo, or physics-defying situation like a perpetual motion machine. But then I saw how they actually work, and it's really quite simple.

Then @stonproject let me check out his OTF, and I was surprised at how solid of a mechanism it is, and delighted at the satisfying recoil when the blade shoots out. After using it to launch some items from the table by shooting the blade out into them, Ston took the OTF away from me. :( I've wanted one ever since, they are like a really cool toy that's also a useful knife.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
I think an OTF knife is about as good of an idea as a balisong for a defensive knife...that is to say, not the best idea.

OTF and balisongs have a good amount of WOW/Intimidation factor. Flashy or noisy or explosive and seem to come from nowhere. However, it takes more skill to whip out a balisong that most don't possess, and it takes making sure nothing is in the path of an OTF so that the blade will actually lock open. They are typically banned because they are "scary", and the powers that be dont believe that anyone "needs" that kind of action to open a knife.

OTF knives of good quality can take a lot of downward stabbing pressure before they fail, and at least if you manage to slip/break the lock the blade is going to slide back down into the handle and not fold on your fingers. However, you have to make sure you have full clearance to open them up. What makes them safe makes them a self defense liability as any force applied to the tip of the blade before lock up results in a half in-half out flaccid blade that won't do you much good in a fight.

They really are handy to have, fun to fire, and a quality made one is worth the price of admission. You just have to know their limitations: Keep the path clear when they open. Keep dirt and grit out of the hole. Keep them oiled. Dont use too much oil. That is too much oil...lighter fluid and canned air are your friends.
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Agreed. Should’ve indicated that I was considering an OTF just for EDC purposes. It’s not the kind of knife that I would take to battle, lol, as awesome as that train fight scene in John Wick 2 was.
 
marrenmiller said:
Addressing these points in order:
  • You're not going to press the sliding button of a double action OTF while it's in your pocket. I guarantee it. Some people cant do it intentionally with one or two thumbs on the button, as some models have very stiff springs.
  • The mechanism could possibly wear out faster than a folding knife, or it could last forever if you take care of it. They're very simple mechanical systems with one long coil spring. At worst, this spring can snap and you might need to send it in for servicing. That's probably not any more likely than a lock not working right, washers getting ripped or pinched, or whatever other issues cause people to generally send knives in for warranty work. I've sent tons of normal folders in for warranty repair for all sorts of reasons, so I'm not going to worry about that particular issue.
  • OTFs have small amounts of blade play as a general rule. This blade play doesn't affect function in any way, cannot result in a knife unlocking or being unsafe, and probably won't get noticeably worse over long periods of use. I have a UTX 70 CA and have never noticed blade play while cutting anything, nor has it affected my ability to cut anything with it.
  • I don't generally carry them because I live in CA so I'm legally restricted to my UTX 70 CA model with a <2" blade, but I would carry a significantly larger one if I could. I find OTFs excel in EDC use, being the easiest thing I've ever tried to take out of the pocket, cut something, then put back in my pocket. They're just mindlessly easy to use to the point of being boring. I know I will never accidentally cut myself opening/closing one, nor do I have to consciously think about how to manipulate them safely. OTFs are also one of the few non-fixed blade options I'd actually consider being a valid SD choice, as you can deploy them without changing your hand position and the blade cannot fold on you under any circumstances, though for reliability's sake I'd think a single action OTF like a Microtech HALO would be better (this is all theoretical as I don't carry a knife for defensive use).
  • If you don't like them, then don't buy one. However, it appears to me that most of your issues with them stem from not really understanding them all that well. Get one in hand and try it out. You might find that you appreciate the inherent qualities of an OTF enough to want one for certain tasks or use cases.
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Thanks for the comprehensive response. True, before this thread, I knew practically zilch about the anatomy of OTFs if we’re not counting YouTube reviews. Always fascinated me but never got around to it.

Would you recommend a double-action OTF or single-action OTF (the ones with a pull-back thingy)? The DA looks fun to play with, but other than that, I don’t know. :D
 
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