Has anyone done heavy duty comparisons of OTFs

[crk1984]

Never had the problem personally , but some regular side opening AO folders used to come with a secondary lock , to prevent accidental opening .

So . I assume the manufacturer thought there could be problem .

The lawyers thought it "could be" a problem.

 

[DocJD]

The lawyers thought it "could be" a problem.

Of course , but somebody had to advise the lawyers about the potential for a problem .

 

[brownshoe]

Side opening autos with a button lock can and do open accidentally. That’s why Benchmade invented the locking mechanism. It has nothing to do with lawyers.

 

[jbmonkey]

Side opening autos with a button lock can and do open accidentally. That’s why Benchmade invented the locking mechanism. It has nothing to do with lawyers.

I'm not sure they invented it. rather put a patent on it and went after other manufacturers. George Schrade I believe invented the side opener safety and used it in his designs over 100 years ago.

 

[whp]

What does “controlled opening” mean? I have total control of the opening of any of my Microtechs. Are you talking about accidental opening of an OTF knife? I have never experienced that - have you? I have never experienced a knife that exhibited “uncontrolled” opening- that would be scary

Maybe controlled opening is quite the right wording.

I don t like any automatic opening pocket knives. And I don like assisted openers. I don t even like flippers. Sometimes I like the option to open a folder slowly. Particularly in situations where someone might pay too much attention to my knife.

I don t fidget with knives. Or screwdrivers. Or any tool. I don t fidget with anything.

 

[Tafkaag]

Never had the problem personally , but some regular side opening AO folders used to come with a secondary lock , to prevent accidental opening .

So . I assume the manufacturer thought there could be problem .

The Kershaw Leek still does. This problem is easily prevented with proper carry placement. Tip-up, carry at the rear seam of the front pocket. Tip-down, carry at the front seam of the front pocket. In this manner, the hand cannot come in contact with the blade when reaching into the pocket, and the pocket liner itself helps hold the blade closed.

 

[The Principal]

OTF’s are specially designed tools; built for a quick, discrete, one handed tactical response. If you are looking for something else, then there may be a better tool for the job.

 

[Buffalohump]

I do think they're a gimmick... out of curiosity I once bought what is supposed to be one of the best, a Microtech Scarab. I was disturbed to discover it had movement in the blade when it was fully open. I couldn't understand that so I got rid of it. I believe they're only now developing ones that don't have blade movement when open.

I just don't see the benefit apart from the fun factor. The blade to handle ratio is poor, they're expensive and I'm sure they can incur deployment issues quite easily if you use it to cut fruit or something and then forget to clean it. This happens to me all the time with my knives but I just rinse them out and they're good to go. Is that true of OTFs? Maybe...

I can see the benefit of side-openers but given how easy folding knives are to open nowadays and how good the locks are I simply don't see the benefit of an OTF.

 

[Brian_in_indiana]

I agree with many points previously mentioned, handle/blade ratio and cost.
Regarding "accidental deployment"... You've got to put quite a bit of preload on the actuator to overcome the sear.... I'd be hard pressed to see where your pocket could make that happen, though I suppose squatting just the right way it's possible.
The fidget factor is really high with OTFs for sure, and fast one handed opening is a definite plus when you've got a left hand full of something you need to cut...
I'd like to play around with one for a while, but I don't know if I'd ever EDC one... The scariness score is pretty high on an OTF depending where you open it also.