Automatic knives, valid for use?

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Suspect it depends on the knife design.

I've got a Kershaw Leek that's classified as assisted open that I find handy, however with minimal practice I was able to reliably flip open its predacessor - the Kershaw Vapor III. Both are largely pragmatic designs.

Something flashier that's ostentatiously styling itself as a switchblade ... maybe not.
 
Automatic knives are nice but I prefer an ambidextrous thumb stud for my EDC. Just fewer things that could go wrong at the worst possible time
 
The Chuck Gedraitis Microtech Halo looks nice, but ridiculously costly if found.

For me the biggest obstacle with automatic knives is the switch. Unless lockable, you run the risk of accidental opening in your pocket. And if lockable, the additional step required makes them slower than conventional pocket knives.

There is the coolness factor though...
I have a cheap switchblade I bought over 30 years ago in TJ and it still works and locks up tight. But I only use it for opening Xmas presents.
 
Double action out the fronts like most Microtechs are outstanding knives. I have had a few side opening autos and they weren't that great for me. I have plenty of excellent folders that got more attention. But I have two MT's and two Heretics (sort of a division of MT) and they are all fantastic knives. I almost always carry one in addition to a folder, or even sometimes the OTF on its own. They are great for one handed/ambidextrous use, are extremely safe (impossible to open a MT D/A accidentally in your pocket), and fun to use. Watch some MT torture tests on youtube of guys assaulting Ultratechs and Troodons and you will see that they are very durable and will take anything you can throw at them. The ONLY time I would not recommend them is if you frequently cut a lot of gooey sticky things, like food. In that case, carry a cheap folder in addition to your OTF as food inside the handle could cause problems. If they are legal where you are, give one a try. I highly recommend the Ultratech as a great OTF that serves well as a stand alone EDC or secondary knife. They come in a million flavors to suit any taste.
 
i guess it depends on what you're using your knife for. I have a cheap auto t hat I use for opening boxes and cutting up cardboard. I find it so much easier just to retract the blade and keep it in my hand while I'm taking out whatever or folding up the box. I feel like it's safer to "put the blade away" and sill be able to complete the task without stabbing myself in the leg.
 
In my state mere possession of an auto is illegal. That being said, the thing I prefer most about a good OTF is the form factor. I generally keep my knife in my back pocket, clipped as far toward my hip as possible. The slender form of an OTF is very comfortable and OTF's like Microtech makes have great pocket clips.

I'm not a hard knife user so I can't really say anything about durability. These days I prefer a multi tool with an external blade.
 
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Former law enforcement with lots of self defense training.

My opinion? Just carry something with a flipper. They are just as fast. If you stab someone you are probably getting arrested. In my training it was explained that most jurisdictions are extremely bias against stabbing use weapons in self defense encounters. For instance , if you shot someone the cops look for a reason for it to be justified. But if you stab someone they almost always just arrest for aggravated battery and let the courts figure out if justified or not. I will never forget that lesson.

That being said, get some real police pepper spray. It works up to 15 feet away, is safe and considered a less lethal self defense option. And a CCW pistol if that option is available to you. If not, a knife makes a good lethal self defense option….
 
There are so many options that are as good or nearly as good, and involve no legal complications in all 50 states -- why ask for the extra trouble, for no gain in function?
There are assisted openers, sure. Most Axis locks will act pretty much as gravity-knives if you grab the locking-lugs as you pull it out of your pocket -- just a slight retraction, a swing, and it's open. With 20 minutes practice you can be as fast as an auto.
Also, many Spydercos -- with a lot of those, you can have it out of your pocket and fully open as fast as any auto. Your thumb just learns to find the cutout, and by the time your hand is in front of you, the blade is locked open.
I have a classic Benchmade AFO which is a very nice auto--bought it when I used to live in OR. Leaving there, I took the coil spring out in order to make it legal elsewhere. Excellent knife, but I never carry it. The 710, the Osborne, some Spydercos -- all of those ride with me more often, and deploy just as fast.
 
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Like Idleprocess I have a Kershaw Leek. California allows "assisted opening" knives, defined as a design that finishes opening once you open it beyond a certain amount. The design of the Leek is such that it's really easy to open with one hand even if you have arthritis in your hands.

I carry the Leek all the time. It's handy for most light opening jobs, such as boxes, packages, etc. I find it holds an edge quite well too.

I also sometimes use the CRKT ICHI model. It has the standard thumb studs and snaps open the rest of the way once it's opened about 20 degrees. I just like the style of that one, but some days it takes me a few tries to open it. Like the leek, it sharpens well and holds the edge. The downside is that more than once I've shaved the very surface of my fingerprint as I tried to push it open just a touch wider.
 
There are many well made autos if the genre suits your taste. To the well written comments in this thread I will only add that the slim profile of most OTFs means the blade is quite thick behind the edge. Maybe that matters to you. Or maybe not.
 
bubbatime said:
Former law enforcement with lots of self defense training.

My opinion? Just carry something with a flipper. They are just as fast. If you stab someone you are probably getting arrested. In my training it was explained that most jurisdictions are extremely bias against stabbing use weapons in self defense encounters. For instance , if you shot someone the cops look for a reason for it to be justified. But if you stab someone they almost always just arrest for aggravated battery and let the courts figure out if justified or not. I will never forget that lesson.

That being said, get some real police pepper spray. It works up to 15 feet away, is safe and considered a less lethal self defense option. And a CCW pistol if that option is available to you. If not, a knife makes a good lethal self defense option….
Click to expand...

No one here is suggesting autos or knives in general for self defense, so I don't think this applies or is helpful. Those of us who use them have them as tools, like any other knife. You cannot cut things with pepper spray or a pistol so they are mostly useless for basically every situation you will ever find yourself in.

lampeDépêche said:
There are so many options that are as good or nearly as good, and involve no legal complications in all 50 states -- why ask for the extra trouble, for no gain in function?
There are assisted openers, sure. Most Axis locks will act pretty much as gravity-knives if you grab the locking-lugs as you pull it out of your pocket -- just a slight retraction, a swing, and it's open. With 20 minutes practice you can be as fast as an auto.
Also, many Spydercos -- with a lot of those, you can have it out of your pocket and fully open as fast as any auto. Your thumb just learns to find the cutout, and by the time your hand is in front of you, the blade is locked open.
I have a classic Benchmade SFO which is a very nice auto--bought it when I used to live in OR. Leaving there, I took the coil spring out in order to make it legal elsewhere. Excellent knife, but I never carry it. The 710, the Osborne, some Spydercos -- all of those ride with me more often, and deploy just as fast.
Click to expand...

Autos are not all about being fast. There are many aspects of their design that make them very useful to use, whether they are faster than a flipper or other quick flicking folder or not.
 
I carry a Microtech UTX-70 OTF and find it very handy for daily use. Most of what I do would be considered light duty, but being able to open and close it one handed makes a huge difference sometimes. Check out Microtech abuse threads, there's a guy the really punishes these and they hold up with no issues.
 
bubbatime said:
Former law enforcement with lots of self defense training.

My opinion? Just carry something with a flipper. They are just as fast. If you stab someone you are probably getting arrested. In my training it was explained that most jurisdictions are extremely bias against stabbing use weapons in self defense encounters. For instance , if you shot someone the cops look for a reason for it to be justified. But if you stab someone they almost always just arrest for aggravated battery and let the courts figure out if justified or not. I will never forget that lesson.

That being said, get some real police pepper spray. It works up to 15 feet away, is safe and considered a less lethal self defense option. And a CCW pistol if that option is available to you. If not, a knife makes a good lethal self defense option….
Click to expand...
As a kid i use to be fast with a buck knife. Living in the Bay Area, Oakland, in the late 60s carrying a knife was not considered EDC but a necessity. All things considered "never bring a knife to a gun fight" and most importantly Do Not bring a gun that leaves shell casings
 
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