Why would anyone go for an assisted knife?

A

AgentSanchez

Joined
Sep 1, 2022
Messages
4
I was thinking about this and decided to make an account to see if there is a counterpoint to my severely judgmental position that assisted knives are only attractive to basic B's. Other than the fact that any kind of assist is illegal where I live, I believe that every assisted blade is inherently inferior and less dependable that the thumb stud on a properly built/maintained folder, and serves to profile the owner as an aggressive idiot.. The folder will be less questionable, just as fast, more useful for everyday purposes, simpler/cheaper/stronger. What possible argument is there for assisted designs when a thumb stud gets you there just as fast without the compromises?
 
They're cool. No need to mindlessly disparage those with different tastes.

Many are also unconcerned with what ignorant folks find threatening or aggressive.

Thumbstuds can catch on what you cut. Other than that any differences in utility are negligible. Flippers are often more satisfying for many folks.

I'm confused as to why they'd be cheaper or stronger or more useful. It's just a different way to open a knife. Has no impact on actual use except where thumbstuds are worse (catching on material being cut).
 
AgentSanchez said:
I was thinking about this and decided to make an account to see if there is a counterpoint to my severely judgmental position that assisted knives are only attractive to basic B's. Other than the fact that any kind of assist is illegal where I live, I believe that every assisted blade is inherently inferior and less dependable that the thumb stud on a properly built/maintained folder, and serves to profile the owner as an aggressive idiot.. The folder will be less questionable, just as fast, more useful for everyday purposes, simpler/cheaper/stronger. What possible argument is there for assisted designs when a thumb stud gets you there just as fast without the compromises?
Click to expand...
Oh I should have asked - what am I missing? I'm clearly opinionated and possibly ignorant, but curious
 
Carboniferous said:
They're cool. No need to mindlessly disparage those with different tastes.
Click to expand...
Yes I regret my choice of words - I think assisted blades are silly but don't actually have any beef w/ those who see otherwise and implying that they're basic b's is uncalled for an just pain unclever. But I AM curious if there's an example of one that's going to be more reliable in a pinch than a good straight up folder like a Benchmade. Like what was the dude who invented the switchblade thinking? Did he really just not think to put a stud on a good folding design?
 
AgentSanchez said:
Yes I regret my choice of words - I think assisted blades are silly but don't actually have any beef w/ those who see otherwise and implying that they're basic b's is uncalled for an just pain unclever.
Click to expand...
I have also become less enthused with assisted opening since first browsing Knifecenter like 20 years ago, but I still like novelty. I don't actually own an assisted knife at this point, nor a manual flipper, and agree that thumbstuds are plenty fast. That being said, I do have several flippers on my list of knives to check out. No longer something I specifically seek out, but also not something I'm averse to. Just some nice variety for me, and something fun to fidget with.
 
AgentSanchez said:
Yes I regret my choice of words - I think assisted blades are silly but don't actually have any beef w/ those who see otherwise and implying that they're basic b's is uncalled for an just pain unclever. But I AM curious if there's an example of one that's going to be more reliable in a pinch than a good straight up folder like a Benchmade. Like what was the dude who invented the switchblade thinking? Did he really just not think to put a stud on a good folding design?
Click to expand...
Assisted or automatic?
 
AgentSanchez said:
I believe that every assisted blade is inherently inferior and less dependable that the thumb stud on a properly built/maintained folder, and serves to profile the owner as an aggressive idiot..
Click to expand...
Thumb studs reduce the maximum potential thrusting length of a knife. 🤔
 
So how many weeks or days have you been into knives? Stay patient, pay attention and after awhile you’ll catch on and it won’t seem so difficult to understand. 😆.

First thing, every knife has its limitations and so do knife users. An assisted open isn’t necessary for everyone but for those who have physical limit to range of motion, strength or dexterity they can be very helpful.
 
AgentSanchez said:
Yes I regret my choice of words - I think assisted blades are silly but don't actually have any beef w/ those who see otherwise and implying that they're basic b's is uncalled for an just pain unclever. But I AM curious if there's an example of one that's going to be more reliable in a pinch than a good straight up folder like a Benchmade. Like what was the dude who invented the switchblade thinking? Did he really just not think to put a stud on a good folding design?
Click to expand...
Switchblades (automatic opening) were around well before "thumbstuds". Back then folding knives had "nail nicks" to push the blade out. But you usually needed two hands to open the knife. So the Switchblade was a "one hand opening knife". I am sure this is what the "dude" who invented it was thinking.

Also, knives called "Assisted Open" are just that, they still have thumstuds or whatever to open, but the action gets assisted. They are different from switchblades and OTFs that are fully automatic.
 
I picked up an assisted Kershaw after flying to Oregon for vacation a couple years back. It was the first assisted knife I bought, and honestly I didn’t know it was assisted when I bought it, it was just a quick pick up.
It isn’t a deal maker or breaker for me. I am glad they exist for some folks who enjoy them and I won’t talk down to them for having slightly different taste or needs while enjoying the same hobby.
 
I have a few assisted knives and they are all quality. The ZT 0350 is a tank of an assisted opening folder. Cracks out with authority and is the thickest liner of any liner lock I have ever seen. I have no doubts in its design or that it will ever fail me. It is the assisted opening knife that ruined all others for me.
 
Last edited:
Well barring the fact that automatic knives do have a place in one's toolbox where they excel over manual knives, especially OTF autos, AO (assisted opening) knives do a couple of things:

They open easier than a knife with a thumb stud when your hand is at a suboptimal angle/position. Pushing down on a tab to fire the blade is easier than thumbing open a blade in some instances.

The other thing they did was to show how silly automatic laws are. Once knives were readily available where they weren't automatics "technically", many local jurisdictions scrubbed archaic auto laws from the books since it was pretty obvious that the opening mechanism of a knife did not make it more dangerous or deadly and AO knives were available in every Wal-Mart.
 
I’ve got two with thumb studs, one assisted, one manual. I prefer the assisted of the two, because I can flip it open easier; otherwise they both perform similarly. I also have a couple of unassisted flippers and one assisted. Of those, I prefer the unassisted. There’s nothing silly about any of them - they just have different ‘personalities’, some of which I prefer over others for various reasons.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top