Auto knives

[Irving]

What does OTF stand for?

[elsilrac1]

Out the Front

[Irving]

Thanks, that's definitely not the type of knife I have.

[elsilrac1]

I have used many OTF autos before moving to Denver. My experience with the double actions is they are more fragile than I desire. I carried the Benchmade Infidel when they first came out and I kept having to reset the blade with any use. I shifted to several Microtechs and had similar experience. I will say the single action Microtech Halo V is rock solid, but you have to manually retract the blade when you are done. Just my two cents on OTF autos.

[hurley842002]

I have used many OTF autos before moving to Denver. My experience with the double actions is they are more fragile than I desire. I carried the Benchmade Infidel when they first came out and I kept having to reset the blade with any use. I shifted to several Microtechs and had similar experience. I will say the single action Microtech Halo V is rock solid, but you have to manually retract the blade when you are done. Just my two cents on OTF autos.

I've played with a few double and single action OTF Auto's, and while I can certainly understand the convenience Jer is talking about, I don't have much desire to dabble in OTF autos.

[Jer]

I have used many OTF autos before moving to Denver. My experience with the double actions is they are more fragile than I desire. I carried the Benchmade Infidel when they first came out and I kept having to reset the blade with any use. I shifted to several Microtechs and had similar experience. I will say the single action Microtech Halo V is rock solid, but you have to manually retract the blade when you are done. Just my two cents on OTF autos.

That's crazy because I've had several Infidels (standard, mini, anniversary, gold, etc.) and many Microtech (Ultratech, UTX85, etc.) and they've all been rock solid reliable for my use. I think I read some negative things about the Infidels from over 10 years ago but I think they cleared that up and even the one I had from those first batches gave me zero problems. They had some issues with some Infidels that were produced last year and that put a halt to production for several months that delayed the #'d 10th Anniversary Edition I ordered until this year but other than that I don't think I've heard an alarming number of issues from either. Nothing I wouldn't consider acceptable for production #'s anyway. Probably hard to say if you're one of the few that has issues I guess though. Just my anecdotal experience to add as data points.

I think that one of my favorite EDC knives is still a cheap-o Kershaw Ken Onion Tanto blade Blur but I don't even carry that anymore just because the putting away aspect has become a chore now that I'm use to DA OTF. The Halo is even super annoying due to the "cocking" aspect after each use. I just want to push a button, open a box and push a button and return to pocket. No drama or fanfare and I've definitely drank the DA OTF koolaid. lulz

[elsilrac1]

Might have to try another Infidel then. Mine was a first production run. Thanks for the info. Been a knife guy for a long time and still go in and out of the hobby.

[Jer]

Might have to try another Infidel then. Mine was a first production run. Thanks for the info. Been a knife guy for a long time and still go in and out of the hobby.

My experience has been pretty solid other than having to wait nearly a year for that Anniversary Infidel but once I found out why I was willing to wait. No issues with the handful or so Infidels I've personally owned. I don't go out of my to try to break my knives or abuse them though so not sure how typical my use is. I'm carrying a Microtech Ultratech currently because it disappears in my pocket as compared to the Infidel. The mini-Infidel is a real good size as well. They also have a Pagan model which I have limited first-hand experience with as I haven't owned one.

If you're on a budget I'd say to also check out the Precipice. I have a buddy who got one last year from GOVX or one of those first responder sites pretty cheap and he's had really good luck with it as well. It fires from the side like a Microtech and he's liked his. It's more of an entry-level version though so if you're looking for the most reliable, not sure how that one will stack up long-term. It's still a multi-hundred dollar knife though so I would imagine it's going to be hold up. I just don't have any long-term intel on that particular model to offer up.

[izzy]

I have to say I really like the one handed operation of my knife. Didn't know the terms before reading this but I guess I have a Double Action OTF. It's not super tactical but I'd say 70%ish of the times I'm using my knife it's to open a package or breaking down the boxes later. I really like that I can be holding a box with one hand, deploy the blade with the other and cut, retract the blade, all without putting things down. That was the worst sentence ever but I don't care either so take that!

[elsilrac1]

Good conversation about OTF Autos - I will concede breaking down boxes is a joy with any of the double actions I have owned. My first run infidel on launch hit cardboard and was knocked out of its channel and had to be reset. I find myself not trusting them for anything other than cutting tape etc. I have carried the single action OTF and they are heavy duty tools. I love the function and feel of the OTF and look forward to trying them out again. For now I lean to a solid Benchmade Mini Rukus Auto that I value and a few other Protechs I can enjoy now that the law is on our side.