wave vs. assist opener

R

richiequan

Joined
Aug 27, 2006
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OK i know knive are mainly tools and i agree but most of us here carry at least 3 knives or so. i know one of those knives are for self-defence if you needed it.

IF something went down and you had no other choise but to draw your blade, what would you rely on more a waved blade or a assist opener.

oh and why?

thanks
 
A waved blade. As soon as you draw it from your pocket it's open. With an assisted opener you have to draw it, usually adjust your grip to work the filpper and then regrip. Basically there is more fumbling around with an assisted opener because you have to open the blade. With the wave you just pull the knife out of your pocket and get a firm grip on the handle.

Personally I'd take something like a 710 or 806 Benchmade with an AXIS lock. I know I can flip them open quickly (faster than an assisted opener, not as fast as a wave unless the wave doesn't catch) and I know they are solid knives with a solid lock.
 
I would choose my Axis-lock 710 over either a waved knife or an assisted-opener...

But if I had to choose between the two I would most likely choose an assisted opener.
Here's why:
The only waved folder that I have ever used is the Spyderco Endura 4, and the wave feature works only sometimes.
It seems to depend upon the type of pants I happen to be wearing and in combination with the way I draw my knife.
And the wave does not always work if I draw from a sitting position either.
Basically, while I think the wave is potentially faster, it is not 100% reliable.
 
I have found the Spyderco waves to be as reliable as an assisted opener , and simpler to boot . The only complaint is that they are too effective , it is hard to withdraw the knife without it opening . Assisted's have been known to break and fail . They are also borderline illeagal in some juristictions .

Chris
 
Waved knives are also borderline illebal in some jurisdictions as any device that allows for the carry or draw of a folding knife open and ready to use. I know that I have read verbage very similar to this for at least one state. I just can not remember the state. I don't know which I would carry, though. The wave seems pretty cool, but I've never handled one; and in my experience all assisted openers are not created equally. If my apparition had a knurled thumbstud instead of the pyramid stud I would choose it in a heartbeat. I wonder if the one from my kershaw would fit. Hmm.
 
First of all, i disagree with the idea of carrying a knife specifically for self-defense. If I found myself in a situation where I needed a knife to ward off an attacker, I would go for my standard EDC, not some special weapon I rarely touch and would probably not remember or maybe even not have with me at the time.

Next, assuming I was dumb or unfortunate enough to get surprised by some bad guy, I would be in that heightened state colloquially known as panic, when tricky knives and unusual techniques most often fail. The simplest prosaic systems work best under stress. Speed is less important than control.
 
I carry a Emerson CQC7 Combat Karambit and a Kershaw Speed Bump (AO) for defense. (shh) I have an add'l knife and a multitool for utility purposes.

The Emerson is ready in your hand in the saber grip as soon as it's drawn, unlike the AO knives. It draws faster than any other folding knife i've ever used, (I'm not fast enough at the brownie pop, fixed blades are nearly illegal to carry here in CA, and butterfly knives require too much manipulation).

However, my Emerson knife is very hard to deploy with one hand when you are lying on the ground. i think the assisted opening is easier to draw and open in a physically restrictive situation. Otherwise the Emerson is an excellent choice.
 
What you said, Esav. Use of the knife for self defense is a poor end game. Use of a knife you don't normally use for EDC cutting means you'll probably wind up grabbing the one you train with - the one you're most familiar with - the one you can rely on - the one you trust yourself not to drop, fumble, or cut yourself with.

Using your SD knife as your only knife guarantees a much higher success rate in drawing and opening. Most of us don't carry two or three knives precisely because of that. I don't rely on speed openers because they cannot guarantee absolute rock solid 100% they will open - and reliability is paramount.

The use of a knife for self defense isn't supported statistically or tactically in real life. Unless you're confronted with a true life or death decision, pulling a knife makes you the assailant in court, and if it really is life and death, a knife is a poor choice in absolute stopping power - the ability to immediately stop the attack.

Which is why the legal concealed carry of firearms is almost universal now, and why assaults are gravitating toward those who are considered unarmed.

This isn't meant as a flame - it's meant to inform and correct the misperceptions of generations of TV fed and inexperienced knife users to prevent them making a fatal mistake. If your local situation is so horrible, you are much better off learning martial arts and applying for concealed carry until you move or beat down the local hoods. You will be able to recognize, respond, and resolutely deal with the situation in a much safer manner knowing your real limitations, and recognize who is ego tripping and who is the mature adult.

It will result in more mature marketing of knives for their true use, and help deanimate arguments to restrict sales, possession, carry, and use. Look the the negative results we have with switchblade and balisong possession, or any knife in Great Britain.

When your up to your hips in alligators, it's too late to drain the swamp.
 
If your local situation is so horrible, you are much better off learning martial arts
Click to expand...

That's the truth. I don't care how bad a knife you carry, if you can't carry yourself into combat without tripping on your own feet, you're lunch.

Avoidance comes first. Stay away from trouble, from bad neighborhoods and unreliable people.

Awareness comes second. Pay attention to what's around you so you don't find yourself confronted when it's too late to leave.

Skills are third, and critical when all else fails. In Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein wrote, "There are no dangerous weapons, only dangerous men."

When trouble pops up, you will revert to your training, so keep that training basic but flexible. Focusing on that one tactical marvel of a highly specialized knife will leave you totally helpless when the knife isn't there or isn't efective. The only asset you can count on being there is yourself.
 
Neither. Aside from the sound comments that other skills are more important than knife opening method, I just don't like waves and Assisted openers.

Phil
 
As far as the wave, and I own two Spydercos with wave i agree with Alan.

My wave works great with some pants not so great with others. I have jeans with a rivet in the pocket corner and the wave plain just does not work well with these jeans. The wave catches behind the rivet and the knife just sort of stops half open at that point.

Since i workout every day I'm in sweats or nylon gym shorts not just at the gym but running to the store doing work around the house etc. The wave just pulls these clothes right up with the knife.

I love these knives but but for me they depend to much on what I have on on any given day to be my Sd knife.
 
I find the wave more reliable. No moving parts to break, and I find that I can open it faster as well.
 
I have both.
A Camillus Heat and a Maxx bought from the guy above, modified to be waveable.

Both have their good sides. But I have to say that AO's are more convenient when you're sit down. I can't say I prefer one to the other for opening at least. Those 2 share the pocket time.
 
you guys allways write a knife is bad for SD ect... For me I'd rather have a knife as a LAST DITCH weapon than nothing at all. I train in MMA and have for years. I've been training Krav maga recently. And with everything I know I'd still like to have back-up. Like if there where 2 or more assailents or whatever.There's so many reasons I wouldn't know where to start. Would you like to be in a SHTF scenario with nothing? I mean what if you get into a rear naked choke. You could pull it and cram it into their chotch,femoral artery. What if 2 or more had weapons and you had little chance,atleast you could take 1 or 2 out and injure and leave DNA for the cops. I don't know about you guys, but I've seen the elephant, and it's allways better to be prepared. I like to play with AO's but waved are more reliable. You should train with your EDC. Whatever you use most and are more comfortable with will be far better than this one or that one.
 
killerskill, nobody on this forum is saying don't carry a knife. Nobody on this thread is saying a knife is useless. But there are times you won't have it, and it will never do the job for you.
 
The wave knife opens with a backwards motion away from whatever danger threatens you. AO knives vary, but usually require a skill move, which is difficult to pull off in a high-stress situation. The axis lock is about as good as it gets for quick AND effective deployment, especially if it's your familiar daily user. In high-stress situations, you generally do familiar things better and unfamiliar things worse.
 
I got an ernie cqc-14 tonite and the wave works really well. I'd say wave is the way to go if you need it drawn quickly.
 
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