Assisted Openers Poll

[DRod]

I wouldn't rule it out. I would be interested as to how Sal would package such a feature in a knife. Like its been said, the Cyclone has the option of AO which I could see in a Spyder before full AO. Although.. I have only ever cut myself with a Kershaw AO. First time was my Tactical Blur when I stabbed my hand good and hard. Second time was when it closed on my pinky knuckle, that hurt, bad, with the same Blur. And the third time was with a Chive. I was closing it with one hand and the tip of my pinky was just too far in the way of the tip of the blade when it closed. Its a strong spring so I pushed harder thinking the spring was strong... BUT, as it turned out, it was the tip of my finger being sliced through. Kinda burned. Ah well. I have yet to get anything worse than a paper style cut from any of my Spyderco, to my recollection.

[dete]

I avoid them like the plague!

[fret]

I have the Kershaw Scallion and I like it. Just a different way to open a knife to me. I like the Buck Rush safety better tho.

[tap]

The round "Spyder Hole" and the "Comet Hole" are there to ASSIST in opening the knife. It is easy to understand why "other" makers and buyers of those other knives would want some form of assistance when they don't have a hole in the blade. That is clearly why they are so popular. I've never had a thumb stud and I don't think that I would like one. I prefer to deep pocket carry and I don't like any sharp exposed edges or unnecessary bumps or protruding items. I've been a flicker for a long time. I can understand why flicking would not appeal to everybody.

[tap]

I should add that I suspect that many people would and do object to having a large hump in a blade just to accommodate a big hole. I'm sure that some would object just because of the hole. Until fairly recently I viewed the the hump and round hole as somewhat gimmiky. The price range may have had me looking for excuses to dismiss those features also. I had never handled a Spyderco either. As a long time "flicker" (grasping the blade) and after reading for hours on this forum, I saw the light that was shining through the round holes. I don't know if I was drawn in or if something with 8 legs pulled me in. Either way, I am in. So at this time I don't have any intrest in any sort of "power" assisted opening knives. Even the very old "nail slot" or nail "flick" were there to assist. So I geuss that it is important to specify when using the term "assist".

[cjgrad23]

Personally, I dont care for assisted openers, most of the time. The single exception I would make to this is if I am wearing gloves (fat fingers+gloves=slow opening time). For this reason, I would like to see an assisted rescue (think firefighters, emts, rappellers, ect.). Other than that, its just one more thing to break, so I tend not to care for them, the same as autos. But I can also see them for folks who have some sort of digital handicap (arthritis, missing fingers, ect.)

I do think that, eventually, someone will do something really bad with one, and they will be legislated. It sucks hardcore, but I can see it happening.

[Rex G]

I am sure the inventor of this feature is a nice guy, and commerce is good for the economy, but I see AO as a gimmick, and a toy for collectors. Moreover, I have seen posts on forums indicating confiscation has occurred, with LE involved. I do know of one REAL case where a person was prosecuted in Matagorda County, Texas, under the state prohibition on switchblades as prohibited weapons, and as the incident occurred where alcohol was consumed, was bumped up to a felony. The defendant entered a guilty plea, so there will be no precedent-setting appeal. I said REAL because I know one of the prosecutors who worked there at the time, who BTW now works elsewhere and did not agree with that case being prosecuted, or AO knives being switchblades. As for opening methods, the hole is good, the Gunting's ramp is really good, and the Wave can be good, if other aspects of the design are right.

[butch]

i hav e a slight take back on my post
the cricket would be nice with a little help but cant make it any thicker while doing so as it sits so nice IWB
butch

[KaliGman]

Why play with Assisted Openers, when waved knives are ever so much faster? :D

I have never cared much for waves. Since I can "flick" some Spydercos open in 6 separate ways and all folding Spydercos that I own (I need to count--I am somewhere between 60 and 150 now, but I haven't cleaned out the safe and counted some of the stuff in the back in awhile :) ) in at least 4, I don't see the need for something that is designed to catch on a pocket. I sometimes want a blade that is closed, but in my hand ready to deploy. I also have seen people "miss" with the wave, and have the knife not deploy or only partially deploy the blade. If you have come to rely on this method of deployment and have trained for this deployment, if it doesn't work in real life, you will be left standing holding a closed knife until you realize what went wrong. If you are focused on a bad guy who is attempting to hurt you, you might not notice the blade is closed until it is too late. That said, in general, waves usually work well (nothing works every time) in rapidly deploying a knife. To each his own.

As for the assisted openers, I have never owned one, as I don't see the need for them. However, I have purchased them as gifts for people who were never going to take the time to become proficient opening a knife quickly with a spyder hole, but who had a need for a one-hand opening knife. I have no problem with anyone who wants one, but assisted openers are not for me. The same can be said for switchblades. I own two, but they are collector's items. I never carry switchblades, even though as a federal law enforcement officer I can purchase and carry them, simply because I don't like them. It is easier and faster for me to deploy a blade with a spyder hole.

I don't really expect to have to fight with knives anyway. The thing to remember, though, is that the fight isn't going to be what you want or expect, it is going to be what it is (a line I borrowed from a Stephen Hunter novel, as it really gets down to the essence of combat). My quick deployments are used a lot in Kali classes, so I can be ready if there is a need in the real, non-training, world. In reality, the whole quick opening thing is a little overrated. It's like in firearms--in a combat situation, if you can draw really fast but you can't hit anything once the handgun is out, you probably get killed. In a combat situation, if you draw your knife really fast, the blade deploys instantly and you don't know how to fight with your knife, then you probably get killed. Speed is necessary, but accuracy in technique is critical.

[A.P.F.]

I own 3 Kershaw AO and carry an Avalanche as part of my EDC. I have found the AO to be quite handy and safe to carry. That said, for other reasons, I prefer my Spydercos, but there is no way that I will retire the Avalanche. Each to their own I suppose, but I do like the feeling of torque as the blade snaps into place. Quite addicting. :)

[Spydiman]

To KaliGman:

I see where your coming from, and a lot of people like you prefer normal withdrawal, but I'm not to good with my hands. When I try to speed up my normal draw, I have a MUCH worse speed and sometimes, reliablility, then using a wave. I almost fumble when moving my hand to the proper opening position.

I can still open my Spydies fast, but I love the Wave.

[dialex]

I was quite intrigued when I heard of the AO. I got a Kershaw Chive especially to take a closer look. I admit I love the Chive, it's a neat little knife and pretty fun to play with. However, now that I've seen what the fuss is all about, I don't care that much anymore. IMHO a Spyderco is far better than any AO.
It deploys at least as fast as any AO (not to mention the safety those AO usually have, and make you lose precious seconds disengaging it) and it's safer, because you can control the movement all the time.
It happened to me that the strong spring of the Chive almost threw it out of my hand when I opened it. Closing it one handed is also a wee bit more difficult, for the same reason - the blade may slip off your hands when the spring is torsioned. I don't say it can't be done, I close all my knives one handed, AO included, but accidents may occur more often.
As a conclusion, AO is a feature that adds merely to the fun factor (IHO). It will never stop me from buying a knife that doesn't have AO, but I won't mind if it has either.

[Piet.S]

I don't really care about them.
It's a bit of a fun thing to me but the safety makes it more awkward to use.
Besides, where I live I can own and carry a real auto so I probably would go for that instead of a travesty.

[DRod]

I noticed the strong spring on the Chive too Dialex. I noticed it so much to the point where I was closing it one handed and what I thought was the spring gaining torsion when I closed it was really the tip of my pinky. I pushed it though and sliced the tip of my finger open. Blead like crap too. It burned. Clean cut. Its a NICE knife and worth the money, but the spring is soo strong, the blade is so small and SHARP it just isn't that safe to me. Not to mention the handle is sort of slick. When I first opened mine, like you said, it nearly threw itself out of my hand and on to my lap.

[KaliGman]

To KaliGman:

I see where your coming from, and a lot of people like you prefer normal withdrawal, but I'm not to good with my hands. When I try to speed up my normal draw, I have a MUCH worse speed and sometimes, reliablility, then using a wave. I almost fumble when moving my hand to the proper opening position.

I can still open my Spydies fast, but I love the Wave.

I'm glad you found something that works for you. Keep buying the waved stuff and keep practicing :D

The fact that Spyderco makes waved and non waved knives, as well as so many different styles of knife, and often multiple variations of each style, is one of the reasons that I like the company so much. If you ask for something, have a concern regarding a design or a specific need that is not being met by current offerings, they listen. If they determine there is enough of a market to make the product, they will. This is refreshing when a lot of knife companies treat you the way that Henry Ford treated his customers in regard to the color of their vehicles--since he knew what was best, you could have the Model T in any color you liked, as long as that color was black.

[Fred Sanford]

Personally I think assisted openers are just looking for trouble in court. Eventually they will be banned just like "switchblades". I don't like to carry them because even a Kershaw Scallion or a Leek draw unneeded attention to me if I open it with the flipper and it snaps open. They also have a safety which, to me, defeats the purpose of having the AO in the first place. So now I have to undo the safety and then start the knife opening. Doesn't make sense to me.

Benchmade has jumped on the AO bandwagon and I don't like anything they offer with AO. I like many of the Kershaw knives but will not buy them because of the fact that I cannot remove the AO entirely. With the old Camillus Heat's you could take the knife apart and remove the AO and it would work just as a normal knife.

All in all I just think that it makes the knife companies look like they found and exploited a loophole around the "switchblade" thing. I think AO makes knives seem more scary and will not help us and our ability to carry knives in the long run.

The way Spyderco is right now I think really helps our future carry ability. They make fun, friendly looking, and functional knives. The fact that Spyderco is very "form follows function" is a big plus in my opinion.

I tried a Spec Bump from Kershaw and also a Scallion and a Leek. The knives were ok but the AO turned me off and I still don't use those knives to this day.

Just my $.02. :)

[jaislandboy]

Timely poll, Doc Snubnose....
Even though I have more than a few AO Kershaws (bump, leek, chive).....I don't really care for them for an EDC piece much....I enjoy "playing" with them from time to time.....like flipping a balisong every now and then.... :rolleyes:
It's probably from fear of an unintentional opening of the knife in my pocket or IWB.....even though it's probably unlikely! :eek:

[bh49]

I do not see any benefits for my uses, it is just makes knife less reliable and more expensive.

[SonnyD]

I was a bit curious to why there are 68 voters at the moment but 106 replies?

Regards Sonny

[Puyallupknifegu]

Doc,

No spyderhole, me no likey!!! (Unless it's a fixed blade, and that's really rare for me to buy!!!)

I really don't care for AO's...just don't like them. I enjoy flicking my spydies open, etc...



Tim :D