OTF KNIVES, PRACTICAL TOOL OR GADGET ?

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BillZee

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Apr 30, 2020
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Someone posted that a bill has been introduced in Pennsylvania to make legal automatic knives.
I live in Pennsylvania and because that type of knife is illegal; I have never owned one. If I can't carry why own.
My question is are auto knives practical to carry and use.
There have been discussions on the strength of liner lock, frame lock, etc.
How are the locks on OTF and switchblades in use ?
Auto knives have an ease of opening one handed usually carried for a certain use.
What about all around general every day use.
What do you think.......gadget or practical tool. I'm not a secret agent so not interested as a weapon.
 
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They are the worst knives ever, don’t waste your money on them.

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OTF knives make a fine EDC for most people. I've been happy with my Ultratech.

The blades are incapable of folding on your fingers and they are very slim in the pocket. They offer truly one handed opening and closing.

My only issue with them is that the blades are often narrow, which can sometimes lead to less than stellar geometry. (It's not terrible, just a bit thick.)
 
They certainly fall into the "you get what you pay for" realm of things.

A $40 piece of garbage is a $40 piece of garbage. When you step up to the triple digits, the world opens for you.

I have gotten spoiled by my OTF Microtechs. Draw the knife, cut the thing, retract the knife, pocket the knife. While a bit of blade wiggle is the nature of the beast (until you start getting into really high dollar knives), they tend to not fail once locked open.

Do a Google on microtech destruction tests. For such an intricate machine with moving parts and springs, they just hold up.

Keep them clean, keep them oiled (just a lil bit), and they are about as reliable as any mechanical tool.

A decent Ultratech will satisfy most. Don't step up to the Combat Troodon. There is almost no going back at that point 😉
 
I believe there is more blade shape variety in auto knives. Many shapes to be more functional. I have a few, and they definitely have a fidget factor. snickCLICK!!
 
1. yes they can be.

2. on microtechs, gt, heretic and other quality makers, strong. plenty of videos showing it. on junk knives and clones not strong. also videos showing that out there too.

3. fine. I carry an otf sometimes and use it all day for work tasks.

4. a useful tool.
 
There's a couple automatics I wouldn't mind getting hold of one of these days: the Benchmade Claymore and the Boker Kalashnikov.
 
Forget the mall ninja Hollywood fantasy meme and consider autos as the practical solution when you are down to working with a single hand. It is when you are on a boat, a ladder, or only have one hand free that you get to appreciate autos. They are just regular cutting tools that can be operated with one hand. But sometimes that can be the difference putting yourself at risk and doing it safely.


n2s
 
I cant carry an OTF in CT, but I still have a few. The UTX70 I carry around the house is very useful from opening to cutting (the blade is thin enough where the geometry is not too big a deal).

A few months ago my UTX70 was all I had to repair a bigass nail in my tire, it did good widening the whole in the tire and cut some rubber cement sticks etc to complete the repair. Its probably good at slashing and stabbing tires too, but I wouldn't know anything about that.

I have the DE with one side fully serrated because why the hell not.
 
I have been asking myself the same as OP. A dagger with one side serrated gives a lot of edge in a small package, but the blade geometry seems steep.
 
Great tools and uniquely easy to operate one handed. Yes with practice one can be just as "fast" with an axis lock or similar but even there you need to build up the muscle memory to change your grip, pin the knife handle into the meat of your hand, and then actuate the lock. You can open and close and OTF without changing your grip which is a great feature for those with dexterity issues or those that are conducting complicated cutting tasks with their other hand occupied such as being up on a ladder.

And then yes, of course, they are also fun as hell to mess with. Despite the stigma surrounding them legislatively here in the states and among non knife people, they are fantastic tools and in my opinion, far safer for non knife folks than a traditional folder.
 
They make a good EDC tool. I've become particularly fond of double-action OTF's around the kids because it's really easy to get the edge hidden if the kids come up to me while I'm opening packages or something, and it only takes one hand. Unique situation, maybe, but the ease of getting the blade put away on an OTF is one of the biggest reasons I carry an OTF around.

Side openers are good to but closing is not so simple. The big bonus there, for me, is there isn't something protruding from the blade to open it, or a big hole in the blade. It's a much sleeker look and nicer when it comes time to sharpen for me. Flippers kind of solve that but I don't like flippers. Front flippers, which are a more recent development, have really grown on me for EDC as well.

Once you get it out of your head that OTF's are fragile toys and actually use them they are actually quite capable tools. They do the most important job a knife is supposed to do, cut, as well as any other knife assuming you bought one designed to cut (not overly thick or drilled full of holes and whatever). The only thing I wouldn't want an OTF for is messy jobs like food prep where things are very likely to get into the handle. If you do use it for food prep, just keep the food away from the opening and clean the blade off when you're done. Fixed blades still rule the day for food prep for me though, being a food safety snob.

And C c7m2p3 's comment about safety is another good point. I've never worried about my kids being able to open my microtech if they happen to get their hands on it. The spring is too stiff. I'm not leaving it around for them to grab but just in case, I feel better about them grabbing that then a benchmade that almost falls open on it's own. I've also had plenty of thumbstuds open on me when pulling them out of pockets, especially vest pockets. I have a pair of cargo shorts that also seems to like to grab onto thumbstuds. The chance of my OTF accidently opening is really low in comparison. I mentioned benchmade, I've dropped an axis lock knife more than once and almost everything time the blade comes out. They have very little retention keeping the blade in, enough that I don't carry them much anymore and backlocks and autos have started to take over my EDC and outdoors folders selection. Just another perspective on the safety end of things.
 
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I think they’re great for EDC. I use my microtech and guardian tactile frequently.
 
Lock strength on an OTF is a little weird, because you've got a bunch of different parts that could fail and cause the blade to unlock. The pin that goes through the blade to keep it from falling out of the knife is probably the least likely thing to break. But the sears and springs that lock the knife open and closed are relatively tiny.
 
Both. In my experience they work totally fine as a practical tool, but the real reason to spend the money to get a good one is because they're cool and fun. I don't think my OTFs offer any amazing, practical advantages over similar manual openers, but I like them better because they're more fun.
 
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