OTF knife???

[theboyscout]

I'm looking for a general good out the front knife, around $60-100. sharp and stong. I know of the Benchmade knives but they are up there in price. Another company I resently discovered is cobra tec. They have a life time warrenty knofe but their blades are made of 440c steel. I feel that's kind of cheap steel.

Any suggestions for a well made, strong bladed, OTF knife; not over priced.

 

[theboyscout]

On a second thought, would an auto knife be better thought of for strength and usage?

 

[Valkman]

Nothing wrong with 440C. Just don't get "440" or 440A or B. I made many knives out of 440C and it never disappointed.

 

[JShirley]

No good suggestions for you. Any especial reason you need OTF?

 

[hso]

There are no good sub $100 OTFs.

There are very few good sub $100 auto knives.

There's nothing wrong with properly heat treated 440C, or 420HC. Look at the genius of Ray Ennis and what he gets 440C to do.

 

[hso]

There are no good sub $100 OTF knives. the least expensive dependable ones are the Benchmade H&K and Paragon OTFs.

 

[CZ9shooter]

would an auto knife be better thought of for strength and usage?

Gernerally, yes. And even more so in the case budget OTFs.

I agree that 440c aint a bad steel. You would have a hard time finding any kind of knife with "better" steel in your price range anyhow.

 

[bikerdoc]

Much more knowledgably that I have given you good advice above.

For me I find assisted opening to be the best value in your price range.
8crmov is a comparable steel that I like.

Check out the CRKT Fire Spark or any of the Kershaw a/o's

 

[cdk8]

I'm looking for a general good out the front knife, around $60-100. sharp and stong. I know of the Benchmade knives but they are up there in price. Another company I resently discovered is cobra tec. They have a life time warrenty knofe but their blades are made of 440c steel. I feel that's kind of cheap steel.

Any suggestions for a well made, strong bladed, OTF knife; not over priced.

Are you interested in the OTF as mainly a novelty or as a knife you plan to carry and use daily?

I ask because I've found that most OTFs tend to be more finicky, require somewhat more upkeep, and have shorter service lives than many of the side-opening counters. I also find OTFs do not hold up well to hard use, can be sensitive to malfunctioning when dirty, and will have or will develop an inherent degree of blade play over time. The exception to this rule are arguably the Benchmade Infidel, most Microtech OTFs, the DKW/MOD Sandshark, and ProTech OTFs...but these are pricy.

One option is you could try to find a used and earlier generation Microtech Ultratech...you can probably find one in like-new condition for under $200, and heavily used for a lot less. This is a bare-bones knife in terms of cosmetics, but it is an outstanding OTF and one of the industry benchmarks for a double-action OTF. It would look somewhat like this, with the older gens being a little boxier

The Cobratech knives appear to be clones of Microtech...both in name and in appearance, and the internals are likely inexpensive clones. They might be OK, but for $100 it's my opinion that this knife would be a better novelty than it would an EDC. I've had great experiences with good 440C (Benchmade used to use it a lot and HT'd it very well IMO) and some that were abysmal (mainly cheaper imports with poor quality control and presumably bad heat treatments.)


I'm not sure if this interests you or not, but for reference here's a few automatic Kershaw Launch knives, using CPM-S35VN or CPM-154CM (absolutely outstanding cutlery steels) for less than the 440C OTF
http://kershawguy.com/products-page/automatics/

And $100 is also approaching the point where you can find used ProTechs, like the TR-4. The company doesn't get a lot of attention, but they are one of the best makers of automatics out there. I'd go as far to say better than Benchmade and on a par with Microtech when they are at their best.

For what it's worth.

 

[hso]

Cobratech is just the crappy Chinese Lightnings or the improved versions that are the crappy Lightnings with American sourced springs, but they're just improved Chinese knockoffs of the Microtechs. Go ahead and buy one, but when, not if, they break remember that you paid for what you got.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

What you're looking to find in that price range isn't out there.

Many assisted blades in that price range which I would do, also have the gain of not being a possible legal issue and are more PC. Also, most will be better than a $100 OTF which will fail at the worse possible time for you.

 

[Speedo66]

Lots of OTF knives here in lots of price ranges: http://www.bladehq.com/cat--Out-The-Front-Automatics--41

 

[ugaarguy]

The Kershaw Launch series autos have CPM-154 blades, and some models come in under the $100 price point.

Lots of OTF knives here in lots of price ranges: http://www.bladehq.com/cat--Out-The-Front-Automatics--41

Yes, but none of the sub $100 models are of high enough quality to bother buying. The Kershaw Lauch series side openers are good quality, and just within the OP's price range.

 

[hso]

If your heart is set on an OTF, but your budget won't let you drop the bucks on a Paragon or H&K, get the Schrade (they're at least a U.S. company).

 

[cdk8]

The Kershaw Launch series autos have CPM-154 blades, and some models come in under the $100 price point.

Some of the Launch models in CPM-154 can be found for $70-80. I own several Kershaws in CPM-154 and think it is an outstanding steel that makes considerable improvements over 154CM.



Very reasonable $185 on a recent gen Ultratech that is like-new...short of the older Ultratechs, you will be hard pressed to find an OTF of comparable quality for less IMO
http://www.hdforums.com/forum/gear-...le/1148506-microtech-automatic-otf-knife.html

So/so price on a used recent gen Ultratech, you can probably get the price a little lower with some haggling.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1451769-Spyderco-Benchmade-and-Microtech

 

[AZAndy]

If your heart is set on an OTF, but your budget won't let you drop the bucks on a Paragon or H&K, get the Schrade (they're at least a U.S. company).

Schrade is Taiwan nowadays, or at least that's what's on the blade of one of mine.

 

[hso]

Schrade is Taiwan nowadays, or at least that's what's on the blade of one of mine.

Shrade, a Taylor Brands brand, had your knife made in Taiwan for them. Taylor Brands was a Kingsport Tennessee company until Smith & Wesson bought them for $85,000,000 this year. S&W is ...

 

[AZAndy]

Shrade, a Taylor Brands brand, had your knife made in Taiwan for them. Taylor Brands was a Kingsport Tennessee company until Smith & Wesson bought them for $85,000,000 this year. S&W is ...

Ahhh. Thank you. My, what a distributed world we have.

 

[AK103K]

I have a couple of "cheap" Chinese Microtech OTF knock offs. Got them off Blade HQ when they first had them on sale for $20.

I know they are cheap, and not anywhere near the quality of the better made knives, but they do work, and work well. Ive used one pretty much daily now for 5 years or so. Never had any issue with them firing (in either direction), and they take and hold a decent edge.

These are pretty much exact duplicates of the Microtechs, and not those cheap OTF's you used to see in the 90's. Not saying they are made of the same quality stuff, but the design seems to be the same. Blades are a little shorter than Id like, but they are what they are.

These are the knives in question.

 

[AZAndy]

I have a couple of "cheap" Chinese Microtech OTF knock offs. Got them off Blade HQ when they first had them on sale for $20.

That's interesting. What's the brand name on those?

 

[AK103K]

They have no markings what so ever on them. At least not any I can see.

Last time I was on Blade HQ, I didnt see them listed either, so I dont know if it was a "one and done" thing or what.

Ive got some other similar deals off them, on things they do still carry, like the cheapie S&W side openers that I also paid $20 for.

If you get on their mailing list, they send things like that to your email every now and then. Of course, they send other things too, and Im such a sucker for stuff like that.

 

[AZAndy]

They have no markings what so ever on them. At least not any I can see.

Last time I was on Blade HQ, I didnt see them listed either, so I dont know if it was a "one and done" thing or what.

Ive got some other similar deals off them, on things they do still carry, like the cheapie S&W side openers that I also paid $20 for.

If you get on their mailing list, they send things like that to your email every now and then. Of course, they send other things too, and Im such a sucker for stuff like that.

Thanks!

 

[Tirod]

As a starter for learning about OTF's, Lightning isn't so bad. They do lack the fit and finish of the expensive knives, running powder coat metal handles and the lesser alloy blades. Owners who have them report that in many cases they have EDC'd them for years and they work just fine.

Any knife needs to be kept clean, my side opening liner locks collect a lot of lint and grit. The OTF's closed handle only allows entry by being either on the blade contaminating it, or by slipping into the dime sized slot where the blade exits. Using a pocket clip point down, very little gets into it, and if you retract a dirty blade into the mechanism, you deserve to clean it out when it grinds to a halt.

So the comments about "crappy" Lightings are mostly based on price - the actual issues they might suffer are UNIVERSAL to any OTF, even the high end knives. Using them as sheet rock cutters or leaving packing tape on the blade will mess up any knife, OTF's aren't excluded.

The significant advantage they have over a switchblade or other side opening knife is that you activate them with a closed grip pushing the operating button with your thumb. That is a much stronger grip with higher security than any side opening one hand knife. Conversely, they are usually anything but quiet - they snap open with enough noise it resembles an old country grocery store screen door. Spring noise is significant. That can impact where and when you use it. Some owners have no issue with cutting twine on hay bales in the field, but a guy like me opening boxes on an auto parts counter? I got more than looks, people were inordinately concerned with legality. Most citizens had no clue. It became a distraction to work.

Affordable - ie under $100 - OTF's are a matter of the switchblade law actually protecting the higher priced American made blades from foreign competition. It's also a way to make profit on button lock knives that would otherwise cost half - the Boker Top Lock is a prime example, with spring over $100, without, $50. Because of the legal hoops of selling the same knife but with a $2 spring, the price is double. And the whole point of controlling interstate sales seems to be ridiculous as many can buy them from storefronts located hundreds of miles in another state from the maker, or imported. So far my favorite is a Ganzo 7212 stonewash with OD G10 scales, solid bolster side opening button lock. It found it's way to my mailbox shipping included under $20.

This is what the switchblade industry in America fears and why they do nothing to overturn the law.

 

[hso]

Tirod,

I've seen a lot of Lightnings fail, but then I see more knives a month than anyone outside of a major knife shop. I have seen some last a long time, but I see many more with sprung springs or popped screws.

 

[Yo Mama]

OTF is cool for sure, but all the kids in the know do side opening all the way!

Much stronger and reliable design. In your price range the Boker AK47 is legit. A bit more and Protech all the way.