fast, easy opening knives

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FireDragon76

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Jan 21, 2016
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Besides assisted opening, what makes a knife fast and easy to open?

I have a cheap liner-lock Ozark Trails knife I picked up a few weeks ago, it has a quasi- tanto blade. It seems like a decent knife for day-to-day use, but I'm mostly interested in carrying a knife I can open quickly if I find myself in a self-defense situation. I can open the OT one handed with the lever or the thumb stud but it requires a lot of wrist action to open reliably and quickly. It seems to have plastic bearings that make a bit of noise, and lubrication doesn't seem to make much difference. The thumb stud also doesn't have quite enough clearance to really flick the blade open with my thumb (like a marble), another trick I learned practicing on a cheap 2 dollar lockback.

So, I'm wondering what sort of features I should look for to try to get an inexpensive (under 30 dollars), fast opening knife to try out.

I also have an AO knife (Tac Force), but I'd like to try a non-AO and see which works better for me. I showed the Tac Force to my dad and he liked it, but he usually carries a Kershaw knife of similar style.
 
Buy a Rat 1

Better ergos for fast deployment.

Stay away from assisted if in a defensive mind set, one day it may break when you need it most.

Also, a knife is considered application of lethal force.

Guns are better applications.

Food for thought.
 
Unless you train extensively a knife isn't as good for self-defense as bare hands or a stick- unless you think just showing it will scare the attacker(s) off, which actually worked for me once! Another time, when I was actually attacked, reaching for my knife was the last thing on my mind. With a good attacker you won't even know it's coming until it's there and you'd better get busy, not try reaching for and opening your knife! Don't forget, fine motor control goes out the window, so even if you had the time to pull your knife, you're as likely to drop it as to open it.

Don't get me wrong, none of this has stopped me from carrying a knife, and one that I think opens quickly. It has just made me more realistic about how and when it may actually be useful. For quick opening I like my Griptilians. Don't use the thumbstuds, just pull back on the Axis lock and flip it open, do the same to close it. In these sheeple days, I can pull it, open it, cut what I need to and have it closed and back in my pocket before most people even notice. ; )

A good flipper (I like my RAM) can also be pretty fast. Practice is what matters. Best is to learn a good practical martial art.
 
I don't have the experience with axis locks, but I've seen a lot of nice looking Ganzo knives with that type of locking mechanism. How likely is it to accidentally unlock the blade using a modified grip with the thumb on the side of the handle? That would be my concern.

It sounds like fixed blade might be better in a self-defense situation?

I plan to apply for a concealed weapons permit. I actually am thinking about carrying a collapsible baton and pepper spray as primary defenses. But carrying a fast-opening knife might also be useful.

I studied Escrima years ago with a good teacher.. but I'm planning to look for one again and practice more. To get really good takes practice. The collapsible baton would actually fit better with Escrima.

I don't think carrying an expensive knife as an EDC is a good idea- it could get lost or taken away at a security point. But at the same time, I think the knife should be good enough to work well in an emergency.

How about switchblades/autos, assuming they are legal to carry concealed? Good or bad?

If I had a gun, I'd have to buy a gunsafe and other folks I live with might not be comfortable with having a gun around. But I agree it would probably be better in some abstract way for self-defense.
 
I never advocate for using a knife as a primary defensive weapon. I do however recommend that everyone get a CCW permit if available and legal so they can properly arm themselves. In a CCW situation a knife could play an important role IE: The bad guy is on top of you or in a position that makes drawing your handgun impossible. A Spyderco Matriarch two with Emerson Wave would be a great option when used to create space between you and the attacker allowing you to draw your handgun successfully.
 
With autos you lose durability for intimidation and convenience.
Most low end models are poorly made
 
Buck Marksman
Benchmade 810
Any well made knife with Axis or Axis type lock.
 
FireDragon76 said:
...I don't think carrying an expensive knife as an EDC is a good idea- it could get lost or taken away at a security point. But at the same time, I think the knife should be good enough to work well in an emergency...
Click to expand...

How much did you spend in the past 4 weeks eating outside? $140-$200? Buy some wonder bread and PB for the next few weeks and get a decent blade.

$70 gets you a Spyderco Delica Wave, nothing opens up faster. Don't forget to post when you get it.
 
I think you're paying too much attention to the pivot when your real villain may be the detent. It's what you work against more than a pivot in most cases. Your OT is probably opening about as fast as it's ever going to. But with any knife there's going to be a learning curve involved as well as a little practice time.

Right now my favorite flick knife is a Cold Steel Ti-Lite IV. Been having fun with it for a while now. Relatively cheap, too. Before that it was my Grayman Dua...not so cheap but glass smooth. Before that it was a....etc., etc., etc.

Some knives aren't really that good at flicking open fast. Emersons for example--double detents. Sebenzas too--thumb stud shaped more for smoothing the opening arc than fast deployment, IMO. While both are great knives and open smoothly, you'd have better choices for ninja openings.

A RAT folder is probably going to be one of your best bets for your budget.

The fastest you're ever going to open a knife will be a good one with a wave....and practice.
 
easy-opening-
In the past most of my knives have had thumb studs. Now I have quite a few with blade holes and I've had a few flippers. Thumb studs and flippers can be slow to open because you have to get your thumb on there just right in order to operate the mechanism, otherwise you thumb will slip off and the blade won't open. The most positive thumb stud knife I've seen was a Kershaw Blue because it had a big thumb stud with sharp edges. I find that knives with big thumb holes with sharp edges are by far the most positive to open. The thumb hole is easy to hit and there is little chance that my thumb will slip. On the average a knife such as a Para2 will be quicker for me to open than an assisted knife with flipper or thumb stud, or an auto with a button, because it is quicker to get to and activate the opening mechanism.
 
Syderco Delica :D

[video=youtube;sxWuPaHzTKg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxWuPaHzTKg[/video]
 
For 30 bucks check out the Kershaw Emerson cqc6k. Once you get the hang of the wave you will never go back.

 
Pepper Spray

Feel threatened = spray (you can always say sorry :0)

your not likely to pull and try and use a knife until its already too late
 
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