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Old December 12th, 2008, 11:23 PM   #25
T Bone
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Metropolitan Detroit
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T Bone
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ridgeline View Post
OK at the risk of sounding really stupid... what is the difference in "spring assist" (got a Kershaw Leek and love it) and an "automatic"?
Actually, while we've probably got our own version and mostly agree, the only definition that matters is that of the State where the knife is located. Laws are screwy things, and the definition of "Switchblade" for example can include items such as a "gravity knife", whatever that is. In some jurisdictions, Balisongs are actually treated as switchblades (sometimes a synonym for an automatic knife).

The Kershaw Ken Onion series is considered assisted opening by most collectors (and I think some laws). It uses a torsion bar as opposed to a spring (an important difference in some legal definitions). Knife laws, to paraphrase one authoritative collector, are an incoherent mess.
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