Assisted Opening knives... Where's Spyderco?

tricker said:
i have an AO buck and like it....i've got a suggestion, how bout an AO Dodo.....i think that would satisfy everyone :D
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well the dodo wouldnt really need AO because the ball lock allows the knife to be flicked out effortlessly.
 
Hi Killdozer

I understand your point and understand that AO's are very popular. It is not a bad design and if applied correctly is very affective. Kershaw did that with the help of Ken Onion and thus and innovation was born.

I feel that if the law would allow spyderco a limited run of AO's would be possible first and then take it from there. I would like a small knife with an AO like a meerkat but thats my personal view.

With this said. I am not a fan of AO but I am a knife nut and I like innovations.

Your comments are welcome.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Timcsaw,

We've thought about it, Eric even designed a few pieces, that we've not produced. Kershaw has even agreed to license Spyderco with their patent.

Originally there were legal issues because we are in Colorado. Colorado mirrors Federal law on knives and assisted openers are not legal to import, so their legality in Colorado was in question. We try to be government friendly. (City, County, State & Federal)

Ken's a good friend of Spyderco's and he came to us first with his idea. We recommeded Kershaw because they really needed a designer and they were located in Oregon where manufactuer of spring loaded knives was permitted. They also had Kai behind them to be able to finance the operation of a large production as well as any legal questions that might arise..

The second issue was manufacturing capacity. We would have to make them in our Golden facility, which was at full capacity making what we were already making. We did not have the expertise and financial backing to do the idea justice. As it turned out, Kerhsaw did good by Ken and Ken deserved the reward for his efforts. As we do some shifting in our Golden made products to be able to make autos, I don't think the trade off would be worth it.

Third, at this time, it is a fad. We've not jumped on fads just to be able to sell more knives.

sal
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Sal,
Thank you for the thoughtful response... I hope you/others didn't take my question as a critisism... It's just something I've wondered about. I hadn't taken into consideration, the legalities, or production costs involved in an AO Spyderco... makes perfect sense now. I personally have a couple of small knives with AO, and I like them (Sog twitch 2, Kershaw Scallion, CRKT Ichi come to mind). I've also had a couple larger AO's and didn't care for any of them (speed bump size). For me, it seems the larger knives are a bit cumbersome with AO... but smaller knives benefit from AO. I suppose it has a lot to do with hand size in my case. My big mitts don't need help getting open a Spyderco Police, but I'd appreciate AO on a Dragonfly.

I am confident, that should the AO "craze" continue, and Spyderco decides to jump it, you will produce the "AO to have". The quality of your current products is OUTSTANDING, and I would expect nothing less from you if AO ever comes to Spyderco (please note that I said "If AO ever comes to Spyderco", and not the reverse... Spyderco doesn't need to "go" to AO, but AO would sure like to come to Spyderco!). Should AO find you in the future, please do a Dragonfly for me!:D

Best,
Tim
 
While I personally am not a huge fan of AO, other than my now working properly nitrous Stryker (originally had lock issue), I think that a AO really is a must for spyderco, and here's why:
All of us currently posting on an online are cutlery crazies who have plenty of experience opening and closing all manner of knives and tools. Any one of us could pick up anything with a spyder hole and have it opened in a blink of an eye; I could easily draw and open my D3 faster than any of my friend’s autos and AOs.

With that being said, the traditional Spyderco back lock folder is one of the most challenging knives to open quickly. Gasp! I know most of us don't remember this far back, but I'm sure we all had a bit of a learning curve when it came to opening our first spydie quickly and reliably. I know it took me a week or so of playing around with it to get the hang of it. Meanwhile, none of my knife carrying, non spyderco owning friends has managed to figure it out, only managing to flick the knife open halfway most of the time. For this reason, and this reason alone they have still not bought a Spyderco. Despite liking the looks and performance, despite watching me deploy them in a blink of an eye, they have not purchased a spyderco of their own, preferring instead the easier opening Axis and AO style knives.

Their loss, true. But it also represents a loss for Spyderco as well. My friends are young, and so they will go on to buy plenty of shanks in the future, and they will go on to show these knives off to others, some of whom will buy a knife themselves. It would be nice if Spyderco was that knife.

Many people encounter their first knife in person, at a knife store or other physical establishment. When they pick up the knife, flick the hole or stud, and the knife snaps open, that’s a sale. But, if they can't figure it out, or find it slow into action, then the sale is much less certain.

Spyderco is the king of knives. I'm hooked, your hooked, and I see them is all sorts of professionals pockets. But that doesn’t mean that that there aren't others who need to be lured into the Spyder web. And for those people, a rapidly deployable, easy-idiot proof opening method is the perfect bait. I know that if my friend had an easier time opening a Wal-Mart native, he would not have left with a Kershaw tactical blur.

Should we abandon the back lock traditional in favor of this latest wiz bang? Hell no! I'd be pissed, just like the rest of us would be. But at least one folder in the under $100 line up should be assisted opening, or really easy to flick open (comp lock perhaps?) With that kind of knife in the line up, Spyderco would be unstoppable, and more people than ever would be lured into the web.
 
I agree with sal this shouldnt turn into an arguement. But i would have to say that AO is a novelity and not even very helpful for what i need a knife for.

Plus (as lame as this sounds) I have had numerous "knife draws" against all the AO fans at my work, and i am able to get my knife out of my pocket and deployed much faster then any AO. Maybe its better technique, but i just dont see how AO adds any advantage to a pocket knife.
 
I can open my ATS34 Milis in a blink right along with my SS Enduras.

While I would never want Spyderco to change what they have, I would
like to see a A/O variation of some of the models.
I know Columbia River offers their A/O's in both assisted and non.
Not a new knife, just a little something extra.
See what I mean?

Just my thoughts.

I still purchase Spydercos as I always have. Just because they don't
offer an A/O doesn't detract from my respect for Sal and the gang
or anything they make.

Is the law still in effect for making assisteds in Colorado?

mike
 
I've never really liked AO knives for EDC but they are quite fun to play with. That said, an AO version of the Delica (not sure a back-lock will work for AO?) would certainly find its way into my hands. If Spyderco made an AO I'd definitely give it a try.

I agree that smaller knives seem to benefit more from AO than the larger ones. The Kershaw Chive and Scallion are excellent examples of this.
 
carrot said:
I've never really liked AO knives for EDC but they are quite fun to play with. That said, an AO version of the Delica (not sure a back-lock will work for AO?) would certainly find its way into my hands. If Spyderco made an AO I'd definitely give it a try.

I agree that smaller knives seem to benefit more from AO than the larger ones. The Kershaw Chive and Scallion are excellent examples of this.
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you may like the kershaw mini mojo/mini mojito. its a small blade that is razor sharp with assisted opening.

1800minimojo.jpg
 
look at this bad boy, i have one of these and it has very smooth assited opening. g10 handle. wicked blade!

Kershaw-SpecSpeedBump-004.jpg
 
I'm torn here. I love Spyderco and I love AO. However, if Spyderco makes an AO I'm afraid of seeing a flipper thrown in there and ruining the "brand distinction." I don't know if the opening hole is best for AO either, IMHO the studs would probably work better because you have more finger clearance when the blade whips out. Spyderco has done an exemplary job of meeting the customers needs/wants and staying out of the herd at the same time. I believe that if an AO Spyderco ever comes out, it'll be a modification of an existing model or a collaboration.
 
I'm unsure of the time necessary for an idea, feature or product to pass by the fad or gimmick/novelty stage, but we are in year 11 now with AO’s, and they are stronger than ever.

Fad...I think AO's have long past that.
 
Its like calling crack a fad in the 80's IMHO. Barring new legislation or other revolutionary change in tech, I can only imagine the AO craze gathering momentum. While I am not clamoring for an AO for my personal use, I would like to see Spyderco reap the lucrative financial rewards of the AO market. In my book, the more money in Spyderco's pocket, the better. The AO knives could help fund additional zany awsomeness.
 
I guess i never think of spyderco as jumping onto the bandwagon, i think of them as starting new trends. I have a few kershaw assisted openers, and while they are awesome, i look at it as a little spring or piece of steel that can break at any time. This is one of several reasons i won't buy a benchmade for example. I don't like the idea of little springs dictating whether my blade locks or not. I wouldn't be interested in a spyderco AO unless it was completely different from what is on the market already. For example, a cobra hood and compression lock with a new, stronger, assisted opening method, would likely get my money.
 
Not a fan of AO myself. I think if Spyderco decides to make one it would be nice, but if I want one now I can just get a Kershaw or ZT. Still not seen one I want. Seen a few AO that I'd actually be more interested in if they were not AO - for example the CRKT M4 & the ZT302.
 
I got into knives (I now have 6 instead of just one) because I saw a guy AO his Kershaw I now have 3 Kershaws.

But I just bought a Spiderco Native which I like a LOT. It opens smoothly and has a satisfying click when it locks in. It's small and light, and, it's S30V! And has good looks to boot.

I would like a waved Delica one day. But Benchmades auto axis (mines a Griptilian) is a fast opening knife as well.

How about a Spiderco that opens like that. I'd buy one, just make it S30V.

I believe Kershaws soon to be released RAM is a similar type knife but 13C26.

However I do like the looks and style of Spiderco knives just as they are, so no real complaints here.

Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Killdozer said:
Sal you like innovations... how about Waved and AO. I have my waved Delica half open sometimes, like when I am trying to show off (naturally). A little extra kick would really make the deployment fail proof.
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I agree with this point, my waved D4 is not carried at all partly because of the fact I can't open it fully everytime (also because I prefer thinner blades). An assisted opening would add a lot of reliability to the wave system (maybe a bit of danger too, though, if you're too slow to draw you might get the point stuck in your thigh). The waved knives are the only ones I would see the AO useful though.
I would carry a wave+AO knife more than a "just" waved knife, but anyway I prefer a fixed blade for eventual SD (Swick in DIY Mercharness lookalike) and a (pair of) good manual folder(s) for general use (Calypso Jr/Caly III/UKPK + Cricket).
 
I like Spydercos just the way they are. Like my Sebenzas, they keep it simple. Minimal parts for reliability and easy cleaning, and direct action opening and closing, which means I can open them slowly or quickly.

I like AO in my S30V Leek. There is a certain toy factor involved. But I have pre-AO Kershaws too, and they are great knives without a mechanism deciding how fast the blade is going to open on me.

Spyderco is endlessly innovative, and still manages to upgrade it's old designs like the Endura/Delica, Native, and Military. Just how many different models can one relatively small company justify keeping in production? Age quod agis -- Do what you do best.
 
Completely agreed.


Esav Benyamin said:
I like Spydercos just the way they are. Like my Sebenzas, they keep it simple. Minimal parts for reliability and easy cleaning, and direct action opening and closing, which means I can open them slowly or quickly.

I like AO in my S30V Leek. There is a certain toy factor involved. But I have pre-AO Kershaws too, and they are great knives without a mechanism deciding how fast the blade is going to open on me.

Spyderco is endlessly innovative, and still manages to upgrade it's old designs like the Endura/Delica, Native, and Military. Just how many different models can one relatively small company justify keeping in production? Age quod agis -- Do what you do best.
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Personally, I don't see AO as a fad, any more than I see full auto's as a fad. It's an enhancement that some people prefer. Not necessarily a good thing, not necessarily a bad thing, as it's an option that meets a "personal preference". I do like the fact that some co's produce two versions of the same product... one AO the other "manual". This gives the option to everyone (to meet their personal needs). It's just an enhcement... like the thumb stud, or spyder hole, or full auto mechanism. It's both good and bad depending on personal preference.

As I say, I like AO in a small knife, but not in a large knife (there's my personal preference thing). The SOG Twitch 2 uses a spring steel "back" which provides the tension to open the knife blade, and also acts as it's lock back. The spring steel back is split to allow a small flipper to extend through the spring steel. It's an interesting AO mechanism, and seems much more sustainable that the AO's I have that use a coil spring. I do agree that I am weary of "little pieces" which can lead to failure.

I'm glad to hear that Spyderco has considered AO, is perhaps still considering AO, but I am not, and will not be disappointed if they never produce one. If they do.... I WILL WANT ONE (:)just like I want one of each knife they make now... feel free to send me any extras that any of you might have just laying around:)... just PM me and I'll pay shipping!:D)

Who knows... I like to tinker, maybe I'll make my own just for the fun and challenge of it!:D

OH BOY!!! A NEW PROJECT!!!! Whooooooo HA!!!!:thumbup::D
 
I´m not old enough to need assistance in opening my folders. By the way, obviously neither is Paul (The Deacon). :D

More seriously said, an AO assures opening of a flipped blade. So it seems to me a little like a cure for a self created problem. A Flipper works best with an AO and limits the lock option to liner lock (except for the pass-through lockbar from SOG). For my liking that narrows down the options too much.

JB
 
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