Why the hate for AO (assisted opening ) ?

I like well-made AOs. I've carried knives as SD pieces in a medical clinic that carried 4 times more liability insurance than an entire Department of Internal Med, because of the volatility of the client base. No FBs, no "weapons", but a folder would pass.

They require less space and body motion than a wave, and are legal in more places where a full-on auto is not. As an EMT, I fell in love with Kershaw's Boa because, regardless of your position, curled in a ball, or standing on your head, if you had 3" if space, it would open. Period.

Torsion bars, meh, any spring can fail. A well made AO is using a 12-14 gauge wire, which is plenty stout.

I would agree, statistically, because you see sooooo many cheap AOs, there is reason to be wary, but at $50 and up, and/or from an established maker, you should be getting good value.
 
91bravo said:
I don’t need my blades to open like lightning. I need my blades to lock up solid and have a razor sharp edge. I see what you’re saying about closing an AO. I don’t like the spring tension when closing, especially with gloves on or out in the freezing cold weather, or like you, high up on a ladder.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I don't need lighting either. I want reliable one hand opening and closing. I'm not taking out sentries. Just need to get work and chores done safely and easily.
 
Benchmade's AO is the same system as their side opening autos. I have two and with the axis lock they work very well. While I don't prefer them over a bearing flipper they certainly open with no effort and lock up just fine. This 495 has no rattles and is a solid knife. A touch of the tab and it opens up fast. IMO it is on par with the side opening BM's I've owned as far as function.
2196mah.jpg
 
craytab said:
Agreed. I don't need lighting either. I want reliable one hand opening and closing. I'm not taking out sentries. Just need to get work and chores done safely and easily.
Click to expand...
LOL! And the few AO's I have all open with a big THWACK! I've tried taking out sentries with 'em, but the THWACK! keeps getting me shot... :D
 
The only knife bought that i found will open in pocket sometimes slam it down on the carpet and it will snap open, is the Benchmade "Lerch" all Ti body and locking bar, it has a sharp s30v coated serrated 4 inch bowie blade and has a strong Ti pocket clip, i like the solid build and the overall thin feel of it's handle but i don't feel i can safely carry it so it's just kept in my safe.
This knife is no longer being Mfg.ed
 
craytab said:
He's talking in a practical tactical type sense. Doesn't make much sense here in gkd but it would in that particular subforum.
Click to expand...

No I was actually addressing someone else who brought it up as an issue. It started off with the guy saying that Autos had the advantage of being much faster opening. I was just saying that a good manual knife opens just as fast.

Practac has nothing to do with it, just arguing with Smaug about whether there is any discernible speed advantages to an auto or AO.

I was saying that a well tuned manual knife opens just as fast because pushing a button, thumb stud or flipper takes the same ammount of time. And that’s why many people dislike A/O, because there is no real advantage over a well tuned manual knife and that they feel AO is used to hide poor action.

I usually don’t care much about how fast my knife opens for edc. I often carry a righty only small 21 in my left pocket sort of making opening it with my left hand tricky.
 
I think so many cheap knives using AO has put a bad stink on them too. Those Benchmades are really nice AOs though that did alot to revive my interest in AOs.
 
The Speed Safe action is rock solid so I don't consider AO as either a positive or a negative. Although I'll admit that my Griptillian opens just as quickly
 
I won't say I hate AO, just that I have come to dislike the feature. I have several AO knives bought many years ago, and so far have not had one fail on me. Then again, I don't use or carry them much, either.

What I dislike about AO is that for myself, I find no advantages over a good manual opener. If I want to, I can open many manual openers just as fast or faster than I can an AO, although in practical day-to-day use, I haven't had a need to get my knife open like that.

Another thing...the BIG thing for me...is that with AO there is simply more that can foul up and go wrong.

Jim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top