Spyderco Forums

Evil D wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 27, 2021 10:24 am

TkoK83Spy wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 27, 2021 9:58 am

Evil D wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 27, 2021 9:54 am

The timing on this thread is funny, I spent an embarrassing amount of time yesterday looking into Microtechs, and if the one I wanted was in stock anywhere I probably would have ordered it.

What model/color are you looking for?

Dirac Delta, preferably as black as I can get it.

I know 2 places where you can get the black blade, black handle Dirac Delta, (steel hardware though, cant find any of the fully murdered out ones). Hit me up if you want to know where.

Ya, Liquid Cobra nailed it. They are FUN.
My biggest collection by far is Spyderco, but I have decent collection of Emerson and Microtech knives as well.

I wish Spyderco could do more with their auto's. In particular I wish they would make a California legal auto. But I completely understand why they do not.

I LOVE dual action OTF's. In particular the Microtech Combat Troodon, the absolute finest otf I've ever seen. Just a beast of a knife, I feel like a kid with his first knife every time I hit the button and it fires open like a rocket.

A big fan of the Microtech Exocet too, it kicks my Dragonfly out of my pocket quite a bit. It's got a super thin 2" double edged blade that not only slices through cardboard with ease, but also makes a legit self defense tool.

I've been so tempted on the Autonomy 2 so many times. They are a lot of fun!

Rinzler wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 27, 2021 6:03 pm

Chapp wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:52 am

I don't use them myself, they look too murdery for my taste.

I understand the appeal though. It's a badass design inspired by popular culture. In movie, the villains always have one anf it works.

From the practical side, there nothing wrong with them. The only downside is it's hard to find a good one at a good price. You have to spend north of 200€... well, that and the fact that you'll give psychopath vibe when you use it it in public.

Now, the obsession with tool steel in folders... that I'll never understand. It's asking for a bunch of problem science has resolved a while ago with inox.

This is a dangerous opinion to hold. Your UKPK surely looks murdery in the eyes of non-knife people too. Have you ever seen someone’s eyes go wide in shock when using a simple delica in public? It matters not whether you’re holding a ladybug or a native chief pocket sword or an automatic knife. The person that will think you as a psychopath for holding an automatic knife in public will think the same of you with a bug on your keychain. These comments you made are a total disservice to the knife community.

The world and the average person didn't wait for my takes to be afraid of knives. I doubt posting an opinion is dangerous at all ?

Now, yeah I think a Benchmade infidel OTF is more frightening than a Delica to the average person. The fast action and the sound alone make a difference.

I actually think that the 'psychopath vibe' thing is real. I'm not saying it's deserved--just that you get weird responses from people. I went through an auto phase a while back (more than 10 years now), and I remember the looks I got from moms at one of my kid's playdates when I opened some fruit snacks with an Ultratech. It was funny. But also not funny.

Many non-knife people would not even be able to distinguish between a manual-opening folder and an automatic, especially if it were flicked open.

Jim

I kinda like automatics, but don't get me started on cheap butterfly knives... Albeit, I've long wanted a Hackman or a Benchmade.

I've had people go bonkers when I pulled out a Victorinox Classic SD--yeah, one of those little things; aka the most malignant knife ever made. Yet, I've also had people not even pay attention when I had to trim a shoelace--first thing I tried was a tiny Zippo knife--forgot to sharpen it (must have grabbed the wrong one--I've got several which I've collected for the logos on them). I had my Buck 110 on my belt, and then used that.

I have knives that are completely unassisted in any way that open faster than an ancient 1950s Shur-Snap Model 1900 I own--my Para 3, a Buck Vantage, and a Benchmade Mini Griptillian (which prior owner polished bronze washers to mirror finish), and these aren't all of them. I have all of the main "Onion" Kershaws, all assisted, and they open like a flash.

I like the Kershaw Launch 3, but am also a big fan of the Spyderco Autonomy Rescue. It is designed to save your bacon, not be used as a weapon.

A couple reasons:
-the autonomy2 is easy to actuate when my hands are cold where I have issues with some lock backs.
- the autonomy2 button is also very easy to actuate when I’m wearing gloves.

Precisely.

They're completely legal where I live. I carried an OTF while working patrol because it could be opened more securely if in a grappling situation. I gave it to my daughter now.

imagine your being pulled underwater by a crab pot, you got one free hand and the other is mangled, your in panic and the adrenaline is making your movements sloppy and the more you get sloppy the more your body does not do what you want it to, here is where the button comes in play, easy immediate relief and solution to your cutting needs. They have a very clear use if not the coast guard would not carry it rescuing boaters!

Exactly. Like any tool, they're not necessarily everyone's cup of tea, but for some they sure come in handy.

I used an assisted in self defense. I do not think it would have been as easy to get a knife deployed under the circumstances.

Xformer wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:52 am

I don't use them myself, they look too murdery for my taste.

LOL! That's one of the best things about it!!!

I am considering buying an auto for work and want to of course try Spyderco first. The Autonomy 2 caught my eye but I am curious to the benefits of the extra “guts” to the knife and how they would stand up to prolonged use in a marine environment vs a standard one hand opener. I have limited experience with automatics and want to do my research before I spend the money.
I am tough on a knife, I can open a knife with a spyderhole extremely fast and under pressure.
I have rarely worn out a knife lock and had very few fail on me and I don’t believe ever with Spyderco.
I am in law enforcement and search and rescue so it would be legal in for me to carry. I am looking for experiences that would justify me to spend the money on an auto vs a manual Spyderco. Ultimately I would consider having autos issued to my agency if I could justify the use vs a manual folder through use and testing.
This knife I would buy out of pocket for the purposes of testing and evaluating the added benefits of an automatic knife at the higher price point.
Thanks
Pete

For my purposes, especially if this knife was considered an issued piece of equipment, I would choose a coated black standard blade with a plain edge as it would be more familiar and less specialized to non-knife people than a serrated sheepsfoot blade. I prefer a G-10 handle to the aluminum handles of most other automatic knives.
The Autonomy 2 seems to meet these criteria. I will most likely be looking for a used (not abused) one in the next few months.

Pete1977 wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 23, 2021 7:43 pm

I am considering buying an auto for work and want to of course try Spyderco first. The Autonomy 2 caught my eye but I am curious to the benefits of the extra “guts” to the knife and how they would stand up to prolonged use in a marine environment vs a standard one hand opener. I have limited experience with automatics and want to do my research before I spend the money.
I am tough on a knife, I can open a knife with a spyderhole extremely fast and under pressure.
I have rarely worn out a knife lock and had very few fail on me and I don’t believe ever with Spyderco.
I am in law enforcement and search and rescue so it would be legal in for me to carry. I am looking for experiences that would justify me to spend the money on an auto vs a manual Spyderco. Ultimately I would consider having autos issued to my agency if I could justify the use vs a manual folder through use and testing.
This knife I would buy out of pocket for the purposes of testing and evaluating the added benefits of an automatic knife at the higher price point.
Thanks
Pete

Only concern I could see is cost, they're quite a bit more expensive than something like a Pacific. You probably already know the Autonomy 1 was designed in a partnership with/for the Coast Guard, so marine environments aren't an issue and the design won a Blade award for the way the mechanism can be serviced without disassembling the whole knife. If you were to order a bunch for your agency I would also order several spring kits just in case. I ordered two kits for myself but so far haven't had a spring failure and I've been using mine on and off since 2017 (it and a Caribbean have been my most used knives for 4 years). I'm no Michael Janich but I can usually whip out a manual folder pretty quick, but with these knives I know the only way I can screw it up is if I drop the knife.

Evil D wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 3:51 am

Pete1977 wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 23, 2021 7:43 pm

I am considering buying an auto for work and want to of course try Spyderco first. The Autonomy 2 caught my eye but I am curious to the benefits of the extra “guts” to the knife and how they would stand up to prolonged use in a marine environment vs a standard one hand opener. I have limited experience with automatics and want to do my research before I spend the money.
I am tough on a knife, I can open a knife with a spyderhole extremely fast and under pressure.
I have rarely worn out a knife lock and had very few fail on me and I don’t believe ever with Spyderco.
I am in law enforcement and search and rescue so it would be legal in for me to carry. I am looking for experiences that would justify me to spend the money on an auto vs a manual Spyderco. Ultimately I would consider having autos issued to my agency if I could justify the use vs a manual folder through use and testing.
This knife I would buy out of pocket for the purposes of testing and evaluating the added benefits of an automatic knife at the higher price point.
Thanks
Pete

Only concern I could see is cost, they're quite a bit more expensive than something like a Pacific. You probably already know the Autonomy 1 was designed in a partnership with/for the Coast Guard, so marine environments aren't an issue and the design won a Blade award for the way the mechanism can be serviced without disassembling the whole knife. If you were to order a bunch for your agency I would also order several spring kits just in case. I ordered two kits for myself but so far haven't had a spring failure and I've been using mine on and off since 2017 (it and a Caribbean have been my most used knives for 4 years). I'm no Michael Janich but I can usually whip out a manual folder pretty quick, but with these knives I know the only way I can screw it up is if I drop the knife.

Thanks EvilD-
Cost is definitely going to be the deciding factor and i am not sure the benefit an automatic provides over a manual spyderco would justify it. I will still probably pick one up for myself as I am just starting to get into automatics and want to get back into testing and reviewing knives. I am sure I can find one on the secondary market for myself.
My supervisor carries a SOG auto and a Benchmade auto from his USCG days and I have been trying to get him to allow us to issue a knife, flashlight etc to our full time personnel so they don’t have to buy out of pocket.
That isn’t something I could address until I budget for FY23 however.

Pete, I'm in Law Enforcement too. I carry an Autonomy fairly often, but as Evil D said they're pricey. To be honest, you're just as far ahead with a regular Salt. The automatic is nice if you're hanging off a line, but if my Coast Guard son hadn't purchased mine as a gift I'd be just as happy with an Atlantic Salt. Now, if you can get the department to open their purse....

bearrowland wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 2:17 pm

Pete, I'm in Law Enforcement too. I carry an Autonomy fairly often, but as Evil D said they're pricey. To be honest, you're just as far ahead with a regular Salt. The automatic is nice if you're hanging off a line, but if my Coast Guard son hadn't purchased mine as a gift I'd be just as happy with an Atlantic Salt. Now, if you can get the department to open their purse....

that is going to be the hard part- convincing them that we should issue knives vs having them purchased privately, THEN trying to convince them to spend over $50.
We did get approved for a new SAFE boat though so…

On a model that's ordinarily a two-hand opener, such as a Buck 110, automatic opening can make sense.

Autos have a fun fidget factor for some.

In all other ways, models with Spyderholes are superior, ymmv.