Why have an assisted opener

[sjones]

I can open my bench made knives with my thumb just as fast as you can a switch blade,and its legal too.Maybe years ago they helped but not anymore and even then they were poor metal,that wouldn't hold an edge. sj

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Ice Man]

I have had both and I prefer the assisted open knives. I currently carry a Kershaw Leek, and I find the assisted open feature very useful.

[HiFreq47]

I can open my bench made knives with my thumb just as fast as you can a switch blade,and its legal too.Maybe years ago they helped but not anymore and even then they were poor metal,that wouldn't hold an edge. sj

I'm with you Jones. I've found that those who prefer assisted openers have either never had a knife with thumb studs or had one but never learned to use the stud properly.

Have a co-worker who's carried a Buck every day for 17 years (constantly bragging about it). He lost that Buck recently while kayaking and was looking at getting an assisted opener as a replacement to improve the deployment speed. Showed him my BM 950 (Rift) and showed him how to use the thumb studs and he was blown away. Went out and bought a Mini-Griptilian a day or two later.

While shopping for my Rift, I also took a look at the auto-Presidio ... I could get the Rift open quicker with the thumb stud than I could get the Presidio open.

[buckeye .45]

I still prefer a waved emerson or spyderco, fastest deployers ive seen, without any extra moving parts to break. my second choice is something with good thumbstuds.

[QKShooter]

It's a personal preference thing. Whatever floats your individual boat. Lots of various assorted knives out there to choose from. Folks should find out what works best for them and then carry that one.

[Jmac00]

to answer your question?

I have a AOK because may times I have one hand holding something and I need my knife to remove it and I don't want to let go of it, so a AOK is the ideal tool. A blade that I can open with one hand is very..........Handy

I have no use for a "switch blade" or one of the "butterfly" type blades. They are cheap and weak and way to much screwing around to get it open.

[retsupt99]

After a box of bandaids, I can open and close my assisted opener with one hand...very handy.

Whatever works for ya'...

[HiFreq47]

to answer your question?

I have a AOK because may times I have one hand holding something and I need my knife to remove it and I don't want to let go of it, so a AOK is the ideal tool. A blade that I can open with one hand is very..........Handy

I have no use for a "switch blade" or one of the "butterfly" type blades. They are cheap and weak and way to much screwing around to get it open.

Never used a knife with a thumb stud, have you?

[Jmac00]

Never used a knife with a thumb stud, have you?

every single day. I have a Kershaw Blur and a Timberline both have thumb studs to assist opening

[ksholder]

Billy Ng prefers manual opening knives while Jmac00 prefers assisted opening knives; both can open their knives with 1 hand. Its simply a matter of preference.

I have used both and prefer a knife that can be opened by either hand. This can be with a hole, stud or kicker. On some knives, clips get in the way of the hole or stud for the side the clip is on. Kickers work great regardless of where the clip is. My current carry is a Kershaw Leek - has both studs and a kicker. I amost never use the studs.

[WvHiker]

I will say this about assisted openers; don't try to follow through the motion like you do with your regular thumbstud knives. The blade will outpace your thumb enough that you wind up pushing the edge. The sharp, sharp edge. So other than learning to just let it go once it's in motion I didn't see much of a difference. I wound up giving my assisted opener to my cousin, but more because he was crazy over it than because I didn't like it. I liked it just fine, I just didn't feel that it was something I could live without.

[psychophipps]

Also watch that blade length as you swap from one knife to another. I was messing around with stressed deployments one day with my friend's assisted-opening Benchmade Barrage and I didn't track that his blade was about 1/4" longer than my Griptilian blade. Gave myself a nice little slice on my off-hand thumb.

[HiFreq47]

every single day. I have a Kershaw Blur and a Timberline both have thumb studs to assist opening

So why do you feel you need a knife that has an open-assist? One-handed operation is painfully simple with thumb studs.

[WvHiker]

I don't think you should have to justify having an opening assisted knife anymore than you should have to justify having, say, high capacity magazines or pistols without external safeties.

[Chainman]

Why have an assisted opener?
Chicks dig it

Just personal preference, never had one till I got my Sog, I really like it and will probably continue to use one. I like how it takes less motion. JMHO