Why So Fast?

I have no need for an AO knife or any knife that is an Auto.


:)[/QUOTE]
Thats the point! that is what America is all about it is about being able to do things and have things you don't need to do or have yea you dont need an AO but the fact is that you can! now im fairly new to this knife thing so maybe I don't know what im talking about but this is my opinion
 
Thats the point! that is what America is all about it is about being able to do things and have things you don't need to do or have yea you dont need an AO but the fact is that you can! now im fairly new to this knife thing so maybe I don't know what im talking about but this is my opinion[/QUOTE]
 
I guess speed is relative. 10-20 seconds hanging can be a real long time. Some times when holding someone down I need to cut something and the one hand open and close is critical for me. Fumbling through my fanny pack to get a knife in an emergency doesn't work for me.;) :p
 
since this thread is still alive, ill add some more things about speed.

again i will say, my speed of life requires me to do so.
yup, those of you who have the time of day to open your knives, I envy you.

I work in a small business, of 3 people. one owner(my father), one employee, and me.
that makes me the gofer boy. Im the records clerk, phone attendant, forklift operator, equipment manager, and coffee boy.

got to work at 9 this morning finding today's schedule extremly rushed.
everything's taken care of now (or else i wouldnt be leaving a comment right now)
but within the first 15 minutes i had to cut open a box of degreaser, slice open a bag that some one knotted, and cut some straping loose.

its was at this moment i thought about this thread...

FORGET ABOUT FAST OPENINGS!
FAST CLOSINGS AND A FAST RETURN ARE FAR MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES.
 
I'm impatient. When I'm in the middle of something the last thing I want is to dicker around with some tool. I need immediate results. The faster I can open my knife, make my cut, close it and put it away, the better. Maybe it's a regional thing. Here in the Northeast things are faster paced than other areas of the country, and the world. There usually isn't enough time in the day to get things done as it is, so fiddling with a knife longer than I would have to isn't something I want.

Another example is if I'm working on something and I need a certain tool, but stupid me misplaced it, so now I can't find it. At this point I feel like smashing something because I'm being delayed, even if it's my own fault. :)

So I'm all for anything that makes my life more efficent, such as the AXIS lock. :) FLIP, open, cut, FLIP, closed, all with one hand.
 
eyeeatingfish said:
Any serious knife nut has already opened and closed his folder a million times and he should be able to do it just as fast as assisted knives.
Click to expand...

I find I can open my BM Axis lock knives faster than the assited openers. I find it takes more time getting your grip right on an assisted opener and by the time I'm gripping the knife properly to hit the flipper my Axis lock knife would have been open and ready to go. Then of course the assisted opening knives take longer to close, and more caution needs to be used as well. Gotta make sure the blade doesn't try and pop back open during closing.
 
I can open a well balanced one handed opener faster than you can open an A/O or an auto. To me A/O folders represent unnecessary mechanical complexity with no advantages and autos are simply too dangerous to put in my pocket (aside from being illegal.) If autos have a safety then they aren't too dangerous but then they are the slowest knives of all to open. Just practice with those thumb studs. They work really well.
 
I can think of several situations (really cold hands, one hand injured, etc.) where the convenience of a AO would be mighty nice. Besides, when you are beset by 10 ninjas in a dark alley, every second counts!
 
Ok.

If you haven't used a microtech UT-6 as an EDC carry for utility use, then you have no idea how convenient the dang thing is. Not just convenient, but safe.

It goes beyond one hand opening or speed.

1: It is virtually impossible for it to open accidentally due to the amount of force needed to push the button forward.

2: When you take it out of your pocket and hold it ready to open, it is in a firm grip.

3: When firing the blade out, it remains in a firm grip. At no time is any part of your hand in the blade path.

4: Once the blade is out, the knife is already firmly in hand and ready to use. No shifting of grip necessary.

5: When you're done, give the blade a quick wipe (as you always should), and retract it. No grip change necessary. No fingers ever in blade path.

6: Stick back in pocket. No chance of the blade partially being open, or snagging. Just stick it back in. If you miss the pocket or sheath, you didn't spear yourself like you would with a fixed blade.

Compare this to a manual folder: Takes two hands. When releasing the lock, your hands are often in the way of the blade's folding path. Think about how you close a swiss army knife or a lockback. You release the blade, get your fingers out of the way, and then close it. Liner lock? Push the liner out of the way with your thumb, partially close the blade to engage the liner, then move your thumb out of the way, then close it. Axis lock? You still have to change your grip to get your fingers out of the way.

Are any of these issues a big deal or huge safety issue in everyday life? NO. But, accidents do happen. I bet more than a few of the people reading this have been 'bitten' by their knives while carelessly or hurriedly folding them. Or thrown them across the room while flicking them open one handed.

The fact remains. A knife you can open one handed is genuinely useful. A knife you can open and close one handed is even more useful. A knife you can open and close one handed quickly and reliably, with perfect confidence that you are never in any danger of cutting your fingers in the process is really really really useful.

If you think otherwise, just try carrrying one for a few days. I used to carry spydercos, benchmade liner locks, side auto-openers, fixed blades, swiss army knives, what have you. After a few days of using the UT-6, it went straight from "a nice curiosity knife that I'll keep in the drawer so it doesn't get scratched up" to "EDC, cut whatever I need it to."

It's too small to really be a SD knife. It's not a prybar. But for opening packages, cutting sushi for my kid, general utility purposes, whatever, it's so much more convenient than anything else I've EVER carried. And I resent the fact that people think they should be illegal because 'nobody needs a knife to open that fast'.

Edited: reminds me. Gotta go clean the dried avocado off of the blade.
 
Reminds me that full auto knives were often called "safety" knives.

Unfortunately, it would take years to remove the stigma they are saddled with.
 
partridge said:
Ok.

If you haven't used a microtech UT-6 as an EDC carry for utility use, then you have no idea how convenient the dang thing is. Not just convenient, but safe.

.
Click to expand...

I often think about how handy a OTF would be and would have one (or six) if I didn't have to worry about being traded for a pack of Cools in prison for having it.:(
 
When I was a youngin', I worked on ships and being able to get a knife out and open could save your life as you're caught in running rigging
When I was older, I was an EMT, Speed also an important factor.
As a nurse, I saved the lives of 2 patients who had hanged themselves. Having a fast knife allowed me to cut them free before it was too late.
Now I am getting long in the tooth and I have arthritis in my hands. I carry a pro-tech duke. It's a small AO, and even though I am quite slow now, It still is a whole lot easier to open and close than a slipjoint.
Merek- if you can't think of a good reason to carry a fast opening knife, you might think about expanding your thinking a bit.
Ed for Sp.
 
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