Why Don't You Carry Switchblade.....or do you?

[Reinz]

Ever since I was 4 years old I have had a knife in my pocket every day, even at school, all levels.

I'm from a generation that never considered carrying a pocket knife threatening.

The rage in the 70's was the Buck lockback folder which carried over into the 80's. In the 90's one hand openers exploded and are today's norm.
Spring assist knives from the late 90's are still cool, but common.

The obvious next step are the switchblades, once taboo, but finally legal in Texas. However, I don't know anyone that carries one everyday.

A lot of gun and knife guys have always had at least one on the desk for opening mail and fidgeting with when on boring business calls. Or someone will bring one to a shoot to show off, then put it in the safe when he gets home.

Are we just conditioned since they have been illegal for so long?

I love them. I have about a dozen that range from ok quality to very nice. But I don't carry one.

I reckon for me, it's a safety and speed issue. That is, fear that it may open while I'm carrying, which means I need to use the safety if available. That means a slow draw/activation. Thus, I'm much faster with a one hander and have piece of mind that it will stay closed while carrying.

How bout you?

 

[smittyb]

Because the Emerson Flipper is faster?

 

[Darkpriest667]

Well unassisted opening still opens to the side... The problem with a switchblade, and i've personally seen this happen, is that if something activates the button in your pocket you're gonna have a bad day. With auto assist it just folds out and you feel it and you can retrieve it... That's why I don't carry one and autos are way too expensive.

 

[texasnurse]

Assisted and Hand Folders Lock open better than autos


Sent with my IPhone with electronics and fuzzy logic...

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Yes.
OTS, not OTF.

 

[satx78247]

Personally, I've NOT seen a switchblade that's any better quality than the SA paramedic's Gerber (which easily opens with one hand) that I already own & thus haven't acquired one.

Anyone know of a HIGH-QUALITY SW that is available for a somewhat reasonable price??

Btw, I'm one of the "early crop" of baby boomers (late-1946 model) and most every guy of my generation carries a pocketknife and/or sheath knife routinely.
Most of my friends, who aren't boomers, don't carry a blade & often want to borrow mine for various daily tasks.

yours, satx

 

[sucker76]

I have an Italian stiletto with olive wood scales and I love it. My daily carry Gerber unassisted lock back is frankly easier to carry. It's thinner and has a clip that keeps it in the same place on my pocket. I'm not sure about through the center switchblades but mine has a sliding safety the blocks the button mechanism. The safety makes it A LOT slower to open.

 

[Kar98]

I had a switchblade or two back in the day, the kind where the blade shoots straight out of the handle, but they were of such flimsy, shoddy construction, neither of them lasted a month. I don't think I ever even managed to go and cut anything with it.

 

[satx78247]

Kar98,

My experience exactly. - I don't buy junk.
(Years ago, I took a SB off a street thug in NOLA & after trying to sharpen it, I pitched it into the trash. = JUNK.)

yours, satx

 

[ZX9RCAM]

When I was very young, maybe 5-6, we were in Mexico and I happened to see one of those stiletto switchblades.
Of course I wanted it, but I was told no, obviously it would have been very illegal.
Anyways, short story long, when we got back to Kingsville, my mom walked into my room and gave it to me.
I'm sure she said don't take it out of the house, or something like that.

Just one of those memories that sometimes comes out.

 

[jrbfishn]

I really haven't looked hard, but I still haven't even seen one for sale anywhere yet. Really don't have much use for one. I halready carry 2 or 3 knives on me most days anyway.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

 

[smittyb]

Every gun show is overrun with cheap OTF autos now.
I picked one up from my LGS for $40. It's a fun toy, but not a serious tool.

 

[Darkpriest667]

I've used a KA-BAR Dozier for about 2 years and I love it... for 22 dollars it's probably the best pocket knife you can buy... Sure it' snot a benchmade or a spyderco, but it's also 1/10 the price.

 

[robertc1024]

I do carry a switchblade. I got a Boker Kalishnikov a couple of years ago. I carry it everywhere, every day and I love it. I've got Benchmades sitting in a drawer at home. The button is recessed into the handle and you have to mash on it pretty hard to open the knife. The likelihood of it going off on its own is similar to a gun going off without a finger in the trigger guard. They are easy to find - go to bladehq.com and click on "Automatic Knives."

 

[sucker76]

I never heard of Boker Kalishnikov. They are pretty cool and very reasonable at ~$40

 

[TheDan]

The problem with a switchblade, and i've personally seen this happen, is that if something activates the button in your pocket you're gonna have a bad day.

The ones I've messed with it takes a fair amount of pressure to press the button, and the spring isn't so strong that it'll rip your pocket open.

Anyone know of a HIGH-QUALITY SW that is available for a somewhat reasonable price??

That's the issue I have with them. The overall quality of regular pocket knives has really gone up in recent years, but to get an automatic of the same quality costs many times over that of a non-automatic. Just because it has a 15¢ spring...

That Boker Robert mentioned above is a pretty good value. I bought one for everyone in the family as Christmas gifts the year they became legal

 

[ZX9RCAM]

The ones I've messed with it takes a fair amount of pressure to press the button, and the spring isn't so strong that it'll rip your pocket open.

That's the issue I have with them. The overall quality of regular pocket knives has really gone up in recent years, but to get an automatic of the same quality costs many times over that of a non-automatic. Just because it has a 15¢ spring...

That Boker Robert mentioned above is a pretty good value. I bought one for everyone in the family as Christmas gifts the year they became legal

I bought a few to give as gifts when they became legal as well, still have all of them in their boxes, lol.

 

[TheDan]

Yeah it's mostly just a novelty for them, but they aren't really the type of people to carry knives anyways. My wife carries the OTF I got her, tho... The FIL keeps his in his truck.

 

[Darkpriest667]

The ones I've messed with it takes a fair amount of pressure to press the button, and the spring isn't so strong that it'll rip your pocket open.

Wasn't the kid's pocket the point hit... the spring activated and the opening was angled in a way that it hit his leg.. He had to go to the hospital to get the knife removed and stitched up, lucky it didn't hit an artery as it was a 3.5 inch blade. This was around 98 or 99 in Amarillo. My guess is he was drunk (I was at a party) and he bumped something hard enough it activated and popped right out into him. His jeans were soaked in blood by the time he got out the door which was less than 2 minutes after the blade activated into him.

 

[deemus]

I do carry a switchblade. I got a Boker Kalishnikov a couple of years ago. I carry it everywhere, every day and I love it. I've got Benchmades sitting in a drawer at home. The button is recessed into the handle and you have to mash on it pretty hard to open the knife. The likelihood of it going off on its own is similar to a gun going off without a finger in the trigger guard. They are easy to find - go to bladehq.com and click on "Automatic Knives."

I have four of them. Its my favorite knife I've ever owned. The knife works great, and I have had zero problems with it opening up without me pushing that button.

That sucker pops out every time, and rocket fast. It comes super sharp, right out of the box. Its a high quality knife. I've looked some that were over $100, but this $40 knife works great.

Pretty much every objection to automatic knives listed above, the Boker eliminates.