Assisted opening

JudasD · #1

I did a quick search for this topic. What i found was a bunch of folks asking if anyone would like an assisted opening Spyderco.
I am curious if Spyderco has ever thought to produce one? if yes/no, why? I do realize that the Spyderhole is a very convenient way of opening a knife. While I love the Spyderhole opening method, i also like assisted openers. Just curious mostly.

Thanks,
JD

Holland · #2

i dont think it would sell all that well. lots of people, myself included, dislike the extra components added to the knife and i think its completely unnecessary. I bet i can flick my para2 open faster then an AO can. Plus im not a fan of the concept.

araneae · #3

I have several Kershaw AOs. I would like them better if they didn't have speedsafe. No reason for an AO spyderco IMO.

Liquid Cobra · #4

I agree with everything the others said. However, why does spyderco bother to make automatic knives then? Is it not just for the cool factor? I think an AO would be cool. Not necessary, but cool.

Fred Sanford · #5

Spyderco makes Automatics for Military, Police, and Fire. AO is just a way to get around the law and carry a knife that is almost an auto. I have no use for anything assisted. I wouldn't buy one. I specifically search out NON-AO Kershaw knives when I buy something from them. AO is a gimmick.

bpeezer · #6

I think it would sell out quick just because it seems like every time spyderco releases something new it sells out stupid fast. As a general rule, I don't like AO knives. That being said, if spyderco released one for under $150 I would probably buy it just for funsies :)

Pomelly · #7

Holland wrote:i dont think it would sell all that well. lots of people, myself included, dislike the extra components added to the knife and i think its completely unnecessary. I bet i can flick my para2 open faster then an AO can. Plus im not a fan of the concept.

+1, I'm of the same idea...

Liquid Cobra · #8

David Lowry wrote:Spyderco makes Automatics for Military, Police, and Fire. AO is just a way to get around the law and carry a knife that is almost an auto. I have no use for anything assisted. I wouldn't buy one. I specifically search out NON-AO Kershaw knives when I buy something from them. AO is a gimmick.

Why do military, police and fire need an automatic then?

Blerv · #9

Liquid Cobra wrote:Why do military, police and fire need an automatic then?

There are not many arguing points. Still more than a cable repair guy who wants to snap a blade out quickly to open a modem box. :)

As for AO while nothing is impossible it does seem less than likely. They make a line of autos for service folks and manual folders for the rest. They even have a huge slipit line and work hard to comply internationally to laws. AO knives bring attention to a company, just not sure if its the vibe they are seeking out.

The Deacon · #10

There's definitely a market for AO's, so if Spyderco made one it would probably sell. OTOH, that market may be shrinking since a few states have repealed their laws against automatics and more appear to be heading in that direction. As for me, all the AO's I've ever seen use wrong handed locks, so I have no real interest in one.

BAL · #11

Holland wrote:i dont think it would sell all that well. lots of people, myself included, dislike the extra components added to the knife and i think its completely unnecessary. I bet i can flick my para2 open faster then an AO can. Plus im not a fan of the concept.

I agree Holland. I don't think that it's bragging if you can do it, but I bet many can
pull and open certain Spyderco's just as fast if not faster than a AO. It makes it
more special to do that and besides, you don;t have to open it that way unless you
have to. T he rest of the time it's normal, if you are around certian people or certain
situations.....but if you ever need it open fast...boom goes the dynamite.

Boberama · #12

I hate assisted openers. First, the springs wear out and/or snap, second, I find they take all the fun out of flipping or flicking the knife. I wouldn't consider buying one, I view it as a gimmick.

bh49 · #13

Holland wrote:. lots of people, myself included, dislike the extra components added to the knife and i think its completely unnecessary.

+1
In addition to all of these. Many LE do not know the difference between AO and automatic. This is not my assumption. I did little research. There is one forum member on BF, he is police lieutenant in my state and somebody asked him a question about legality of AO in our state, where autos are prohibited. In his opinion they are legal. Out of curiosity he asked this question in state attorney office and did his best to explain the difference. Per his comment, one of the top layers said that OA legal and second said no. So this guy's bottom line is, he doesn't recommend to EDC AO in our state. If somebody wants to carry, than this person should realise, that he can be arrested and than fight in court, may be win, may be not.
BTW, spyderhole opening is fast enough for me.

senorsquare · #14

I'm not a fan of assisted open knives. I used to own an AO knife and it had a nasty habit of flying open when you didn't want it to. I also think it adds unnecessary parts that can fail on you, which could be trouble when you need the knife to open fast and it won't open at all. Really, my PM2 opens as fast as any assisted knife.

rodloos · #15

I'm sure many people said the same thing about flippers, before Spyderco came out with the Southard ("we already have the Spydero hole, why do we need the flipper?"). But that doesn't seem to be slowing down the sales of the Southard. I'm sure if Spyderco made an AO knife, people would buy it. I have a few AO Kershaws that I like.

But there is more complexity and more to go wrong. I have read many reports of the spring breaking/wearing out. To their credit, Kershaw has great tech support and they will send you a new spring to put in. But Spyderco doesn't want you taking your knife apart to replace a spring, it will void the warranty.

Spyderco does have a few waved models too, which for many people are faster to open than an automatic (for me, the ease of use of a waved Delica/Endura depends on the pants I'm wearing, some pants don't work as well for it).

Fresh Eddie Fresh · #16

I'm not a high speed sort of guy, so I really don't need any sort of high speed deployment. If what ever it is I need to cut is not still there in the couple of seconds it takes me to take my knife out and open it with the Spyderhole, then that is just one less cut I have to make. :)

araneae wrote:I have several Kershaw AOs. I would like them better if they didn't have speedsafe. No reason for an AO spyderco IMO.

If you take apart a Kershaw, you can remove the Speedsafe spring and they will work just like a non-assisted knife... still a lot of trouble to defeat a feature you paid for and do not want, though.

Jazz · #17

Holland wrote:i dont think it would sell all that well. lots of people, myself included, dislike the extra components added to the knife and i think its completely unnecessary. I bet i can flick my para2 open faster then an AO can. Plus im not a fan of the concept.

Exactly. I can't stand them, plus they make us knife people look bad. Same with flippers. Useless. The Spyder hole is fast, sure, and safe. What more do you need. My answer is NO.

bpeezer · #18

Fresh Eddie Fresh wrote:If you take apart a Kershaw, you can remove the Speedsafe spring and they will work just like a non-assisted knife... still a lot of trouble to defeat a feature you paid for and do not want, though.

Many of the Kershaws rely on the spring tension to hold the knife closed, so when you remove the speedsafe you can just shake the knife open. The lock bar still has a detent ball, there's just no hole in the blade for it. Really frustrating :mad:

BAL · #19

Jazz wrote:Exactly. I can't stand them, plus they make us knife people look bad. Same with flippers. Useless. The Spyder hole is fast, sure, and safe. What more do you need. My answer is NO.

Yep, agree.

fanglekai · #20

It would be interesting to see one. I have a few Kershaw AOs and a ZT 0350, but I don't carry them all that often. They make a loud sound when they lock open unless you use two hands, and I prefer to be more discreet when using a knife in public. Still it would be interesting to see Spyderco's take on an AO.