Would you carry an auto folder, if you legally could?

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wutitiz

Joined
Mar 5, 2008
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I was born in 1956, exactly one year before the U.S. Congress, in a fit of hysteria, passed the ban on switchblade knives. It's a good reminder to those who wax nostalgic about the 'good old days.' There was no shortage of nanny-statism back then. Anyway, there were few things that I wanted as a kid more than a nice Italian-made switchblade. I still remember vividly a few of the war movies that I saw in which the bada$$ American GI carried a switchblade.

Fifty-one years have passed, and now there is a thriving grey market for auto folders. Plus, whenever I head south to Oregon, I could buy one at any cutlery shop, since they are legal there to own (but not carry). But I have no interest now in acquiring an auto. I don't even like assisted-openers. Give me a manual opening folder with super-smooth opening via pivot bearings like IKBS, or Darrel Ralph's 'MaxGlide' (my EDC). That to me is the ne plus ultra now. I regard switchblades as inherently less reliable and less durable, and little, if any, faster. I see downside but very little upside to autos. Many still see them as 'neat,' but to me less reliable and less durable is not neat. Neat is as neat does.

The one exception is that I've always wanted a Microtech UTX-70, which is a small 'double action' OTF. Double action means that the blade opens and closes by pushing a switch. I love the idea of that, because while most one-hand knives are quick to get out, they are somewhat slow to put back. I think a double-action OTF carried in a WH style 'clip case' would be the best of the best, in terms of quickly getting your knife out and putting it back. I've never bothered to buy a UTX-70, because tiny or not, they are still illegal in my state. As dicussed in past threads, you are one 'cop having a bad day' away from a huge legal headache if you carry illegally.

Today, I would not buy, much less carry an auto, even if I could do so with 100% legality. Would you?
 
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Nope. I have no use for them whatsoever. Not saying they should be illegal - just saying that for any purpose I might have for a folding knife, they are useless.
 
Too many extra parts that increases the chances of something breaking. With an axis lock you can open and close about as fast or faster than any auto. The wave feature is also faster than any auto.
 
Since even with added thumbstuds or a one arm bandit, Buck 110's are still not the easiest to flick open, IF they were ever made legal in Illinois...not holding my breath...and I could find a left handed conversion, I would give an auto 110 some serious consideration.
 
I have a Severtech standard which is a VERY strong knife, and carry that and my AFO everywhere. For small autos I carry a Lonewolf Double Duty. BTW they are legal in Arizona. :D
 
wutitiz said:
Today, I would not buy, much less carry an auto, even if I could do so with 100% legality. Would you?
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Nope. No interest. For much the same reasons you cited above.

I use a knife as a tool and do not care how fast it "deploys".

I like one-hand opening and closing. Lockbacks are good for me on that.
I like a pocket clip because I carry a lot of stuff in my pocket and don't want to have to look for a knife that has drifted to the bottom of the pocket.
I care how well built it is and how long the blade stays sharp.
 
I wouldn't buy them for the auto feature. It wouldn't stop me from buying a knife design that I really like. I would buy in spite of a knife being an auto and not because of it.
 
Nah. I don't even carry a one-hand opener.

I might like to own a couple if they were legal, but I can't see myself carrying one. Somewhere, maybe only in my mind, automatics cross the line from pocketknife to weapon.
 
wutitiz said:
I was born in 1956, exactly one year before the U.S. Congress, in a fit of hysteria, passed the ban on switchblade knives.
Click to expand...

That was a congressional ban?? Because there are some places in the U.S. where they're legal. Usually pretty grey laws, which differentiate in legality between owning
them and carrying them.

In my state, Alaska, I can legally carry one, as I am both a LEO and a dealer who sells to LE and military. Both are legal here, as well as active-duty military... although every base up here prohibits them. Why there is an exemption made for LE and military is beyond me, particularly given that they were banned initially because of their criminal image. More "us-and-them" fear-based elitism if you ask me.

Anyway, while the newer styles of switchblades are pretty cool overall, I have yet to find one that I can open faster than any of the one-handed openers that I've owned, and I agree with the gentleman whose concern is that the more parts there are the more that can go wrong. They also tend to be a bit bulkier (most of them) than regular openers, even more so than the legal spring-assisted ones.
 
Auto knives are like sportcars to me as I get older. When I was younger all I wanted the latest and greatest Tactical folder. Or the really big FB Choppers. As I become a little older and a little more laid back I have progressivley changed my ways and wants. Now days an auto loader suits me just fine for a morning out to breakfast with my Wife and or Friends. Lets face it, on the weekends at home the most I need a pocket knife is to cut the plastic tag off a new hat...LOL!!! When I escape to the North or I get to get out of town Camping or Hunting or both. I revert back to the Hard working tools like a Buck 110 or Sebenza or the like...Heck I even have a few Buck 110's and 112's that are autos. The best of both worlds... But still not hard work knives...IMHO!!! ~baba~
 
Yes, definitely, as I am open to all weaponry. Legality is not an all determining factor that limits my procession of certain SD gear, as I have yet to get pulled over and have almost zero to no police interactions in my life (knock on wood). Further, I live in a state where virtually everything is illegal, so it's difficult to be a collector of rare and exotic pieces of martial art and modern weaponry. Is this thread cool to talk about...I'm scared? Late!

disclaimer: all parties thereof or therein of this post are exempt from any and all penalties, purgeries or violations of penal codes pertaining to legality of said topic. Huh,???
 
If autos were legal, there are a few I'd carry from time to time. Good working knives with a toy factor. Top of the list: my Severtech.

As a weapon? ha ha ha ha ha
Crippled old men are not good knife fighters.
 
No.. Bulkier, more parts to fail and really serve no purpose since AO and one-handed opening have become so common.
 
Nah, I don't think so. I carried a few when I was a kid, (around the time they were made illegal), but the darned things came open in my pocket a couple of times, and I cut myself. Since the Spydies came out, I find I can open one of them just as quickly, and they have fewer parts to get broken. Admittedly, they are way cool,and I'd like to have one or two to play with, but as an EDC I think there are better choices.

Now if I could find that old Schrade penknife with two auto blades that I used to see in hardware stores......
 
I really don't think I would carry an auto. I like some, like the microtech and severtechs, but just too many parts and it would scare folks too much.

i like them, for sure, but just not my style.

brett
 
I think it's funny that it's the people who aren't interested in autos who always bring up that modern tacticals are as fast or faster. Who cares how fast they are? If you're looking for speed and convenience, get a fixed blade.
 
H2H907 said:
That was a congressional ban?? Because there are some places in the U.S. where they're legal. Usually pretty grey laws, which differentiate in legality between owning
them and carrying them.

In my state, Alaska, I can legally carry one, as I am both a LEO and a dealer who sells to LE and military. Both are legal here, as well as active-duty military... although every base up here prohibits them. Why there is an exemption made for LE and military is beyond me, particularly given that they were banned initially because of their criminal image. More "us-and-them" fear-based elitism if you ask me....
Click to expand...

According to Wikipedia the federal law (1958, not '57 as I mistakenly said)

"prohibits possession on Federal lands, Indian reservations, military bases, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and other protectorates. It prohibits manufacture and sale of switchblades in interstate commerce.[6] The act was amended in 1986 to also restrict ballistic knives. Federal law controls Federal aspects only, and does not mandate prohibition within an individual state. It does say specified knives can not be mailed through the U.S.Postal Service"

The Wikipedia article on switchblades looks great, and I plan to read the entire thing when I have time.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switchblade
 
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