Hi. I'm trying to get some info on this knife. http://www.phantomknives.com/ I've searched the forums and the web and there doesn't seem to be a lot of info from users/owners. Anyone own/handled/seen one of these? Impressions? I like the potential for fast opening, doesn't require a lot of "fine" motor skills, could hang somewhat inconspicuously from a belt. I'm concerned about the lock up. Bottom line questions: Does it work reliably? Is it rugged? Or is it just one of thoses "gimmicks" that sound great in a description but just don't hold up in actual use? Thanks for your help.
Phantom Rip cord
- Thread starter Lee
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There was some scuttle-butt when they first came out but they have not really caught on. Most of the stuff I heard was negative but to be honest it was probably from people who never handled one.
IIRC it's basically an OTF without a spring, when you pull down on the handle a plastic rail draws the blade.
My impression of them was that they looked a little clunky because you have to re-insert the deploying mechanism after each use. I also feel that they don't offer anything over a neck knife and you're giving up the inherent safety of a fixed blade.
JMO.
IIRC it's basically an OTF without a spring, when you pull down on the handle a plastic rail draws the blade.
My impression of them was that they looked a little clunky because you have to re-insert the deploying mechanism after each use. I also feel that they don't offer anything over a neck knife and you're giving up the inherent safety of a fixed blade.
JMO.
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I don't have any comments about the knives. I handled one briefly. I will tell you, though, that the company that made them no longer exists. Why? Because the local DA decided that they were illegal in Massachusetts and so manufacturing them in Massachusetts was also illegal. The owner gave up and closed up shop.
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Thats a shame to hear that they've closed / moved. There was a LOT of advertising going on not long ago in the knife mags. I had a number of ambulance officers and rescue personnel asking me at work about this knife, since it was probably the paramedic / rescue folks the company was targetting. I've never handled one myself. The idea looks interesting enough, but I can see how bureaucrats might take offense to this design ... 
Jason.
Jason.
Esav Benyamin
MidniteSuperMod
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The only bureaucrats who might take offense at the design are those without enough real work on their desks. What business is it of anyone's -- except the seller and the buyer -- what kind of knife a company manufactures?
Stores, catalogs, and ads are full of hardcore garbage, with pictures from dragons to half-dressed women on them, cheap plastic handles, dull blades, all designed to appeal to the teen-aged fantasist.
Those phantom knives cost real money, were designed for a fairly specialized market, were never widely available, and the maker was an honest businessman contributing to the well-being of the economy.
#)(^ the bureaucrats.
Stores, catalogs, and ads are full of hardcore garbage, with pictures from dragons to half-dressed women on them, cheap plastic handles, dull blades, all designed to appeal to the teen-aged fantasist.
Those phantom knives cost real money, were designed for a fairly specialized market, were never widely available, and the maker was an honest businessman contributing to the well-being of the economy.
#)(^ the bureaucrats.
I used to have one. Abysmal QC and lateral blade play in the thing right out of the box. Clunky, heavy, and impossible to carry discreetly in any position. Closing the thing always made me feel like I was going to impale my off-hand. And if you didn't resheath it correctly, it would be permanently locked in unless you sent it back to the factory. Any attempt to open the casing on the thing automatically violated the warranty.
Do not mourn its passing. Spyderco makes any number of better knives for ambulance/rescue, to say nothing of the blunt-tipped Blur, the EKI Whitewater La Griffe, hell--even the CS Land and Sea Rescue is better.
For SD use, you're better off with a Nealy, even a Boker version if need be. THAT will carry discreetly and omit the fine motor skills problem.
Do not mourn its passing. Spyderco makes any number of better knives for ambulance/rescue, to say nothing of the blunt-tipped Blur, the EKI Whitewater La Griffe, hell--even the CS Land and Sea Rescue is better.
For SD use, you're better off with a Nealy, even a Boker version if need be. THAT will carry discreetly and omit the fine motor skills problem.