Folding Knives

Latest assisteds have all you need in swift, sharp folders.

The assisted opener appeals to many who are mechanism oriented and like to fidget with their knives. There’s something satisfying about tapping a flipper tab or nudging a thumb stud and then having spring force kick in and propel the blade open crisply and quickly. It’s sort of like an automatic but it’s not. In fact, in most areas its legality is no different than a standard one-hand folder* because you initiate the opening by manually pressing the flipper or thumb stud as opposed to releasing the blade under spring tension via a push button as done with an auto.

Kershaw Dawnstar

Kershaw was one of the first manufacturers to go all-in with assisted openers in the mid-to-late 1990s. It teamed with BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Ken Onion to make a line of collaboration knives that incorporated Onion’s SpeedSafe assisted-opening mechanism. The knives not only were great sellers for the company, but, more importantly, helped start the assisted-opening revolution in the knife industry. Soon after, other manufacturers began producing versions of folders with mechanisms that closely mirrored the SpeedSafe for both tactical and EDC purposes.

The Dawnstar is Kershaw’s latest entry in the genre. Sporting a hawkbill blade paired with a true tactical handle offering deep, tip-up carry, it is one of the company’s more radical configurations. The hawkbill isn’t seen too widely in tactical folders, so it stands out both visually and functionally. The 3.5-inch blade is 8Cr13MoV stainless steel. 

The main grind is hollow with a swedge, making the blade look a bit aggressive and also following through in use. A flipper tab deploys the blade quickly and is the only opening method. The handle is molded glass reinforced nylon (GRN) with dual skeletonized steel liners for strength. Strategically placed cutouts reduce weight. The handle is textured for a comfortable, nonslip grip.

The knife cuts best in a pulling motion, allowing the hawkbill to gather the material being cut into the blade’s curvature, not unlike pulling a zipper. The hawkbill is an aggressive pattern and goes through a variety of materials with ease. This is where the hollow grind really makes a difference. Cardboard, foam, even wire stripping—the assisted opener sails through it all. If you cut a lot of cardboard or make long, straight-line cuts in any material, the Dawnstar is for you. The handle is easy to hold onto. The large finger recess helps seat your hand. 

Approximate closed length: 4.4 inches.
Country of origin: China.
MSRP: $54.99.

SOG Twitch III

The Twitch III is the third installment in a highly successful series of assisted openers from SOG. It is a slim, stylish EDC capable of tackling a wide variety of cutting chores. It features a 3.1-inch spearpoint blade fully flat ground from 154CM stainless steel with ambidextrous thumb studs and a low-profile flipper tab for an additional opening option. A light press on the flipper and the blade pops out with authority.

The handle is lightweight yet strong aluminum, with dual steel liners providing the backbone. A subtle finger recess forms a bit of an integral guard to prevent your hand from sliding forward. A deep-carry, bayonet-style clip is affixed to the butt and positions the folder as low as possible in the pocket for ultimate concealment. The handle profile is flat and slender, making it extremely comfortable for daily pocket carry. The knife is equally at home in dress or casual clothes.  

For a slim knife the Twitch III performs very well. The blade glides through various materials with surprising ease. The 154CM offers more mileage for edge retention than lesser steels such as D2, 8Cr13MoV and AUS-8. It is the type knife you can carry for a range of varied-use scenarios, from slicing steak to more mundane things such as opening mail, packages, etc.

It excels at cutting open blister packs due to its pointy tip and flat- ground blade. Performance is great and the folder carries exceptionally well, so what’s not to like? However, I would caution against prolonged use due to the slender, flat profile and slick aluminum scales. If your hand is wet or sweaty, grip retention might be an issue.

The Twitch III comes in three varieties: all-black blade and handle, natural finished aluminum with satin blade and gold TiN coated hardware, and gray aluminum handle with black blade and hardware anodized a light blue. All are great-looking EDCs and a welcome addition to your collection. 

Closed length: 3.9 inches.
Country of origin: China.
MSRP: $79.95 for any of the three variants.  

Benchmade PSK 593BK-01

The brawny Benchmade PSK 593BK-01 is a rugged assisted opener engineered for survival use. It exhibits all the hallmarks of what makes applicable Benchmade knives standards in the industry: the AXIS crossbar lock mechanism and advanced materials for the handle and blade, including carbon fiber, G-10 and CPM MagnaCut stainless steel. The 3.4-inch modified drop-point blade has excellent edge retention and superior corrosion resistance—a perfect steel for a knife to carry while hiking, camping, hunting, etc.

An exposed flat area below the thumb stud that resembles a choil serves as a spot to use a ferrocerium rod for fire starting. It’s such a thoughtful touch on the PSK. The ergonomic handle incorporates forward and rear integral guards to prevent slipping and seats your hand well. Black carbon fiber bolsters are mated with black G-10 scales, with the blade DLC coated for additional corrosion resistance and a low-profile appearance—in other words, the knife is “murdered out” in mostly all black. 

The ambidextrous thumb studs are anodized red for an interesting splash of color. A deep carry pocket clip positions the PSK tip up and switches to the opposite side to accommodate lefties. The AXIS Lock Assist is rock solid while remaining easy to disengage by pulling back on the studs, then rotating the blade closed. A sliding switch safety in the handle spine locks the blade closed to help prevent the knife from accidentally flying open in your pocket or during inside waistband carry.

The PSK looks great and performs even better. Grip quality is excellent; the 3D machined grooves in the handle and bolster work great at keeping your hand in place without feeling overly aggressive, and they displace water as well. The blade rockets out via the assisted opener very quick and sure, almost like an automatic. 

The robust build and ergonomic grip instill user confidence in any climate. The PSK handles anything you throw at it, from slicing meat to whittling. The flat grind leaves enough cross-sectional steel on the blade to give it structural integrity, yet thins the edge down to where it has bite. 

Approximate closed length: 4.6 inches.
Country of origin: USA.
MSRP: $450.

Editor’s note: For that matter, in the many states and jurisdictions where bans against automatics have been lifted, neither is an assisted opener’s legality any different than an auto.

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Sleek new factory folders fuel consumer demand.

There’s a lanky breed of factory folder fueling consumer demand, and several notable entries in the genre are turning heads. Accomplished designers have teamed with knife companies to meld form and function with select materials to accomplish a sleek, majestic look exhibiting comfortable carry and easy deployment.

CRKT Stylus

The high-powered combination of BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Ken Onion and Columbia River Knife & Tool has resulted in the Stylus, tailor made for a man or woman on the move who appreciates quality attributes in an EDC knife with great aesthetics.

“The Stylus is made to tackle just about any EDC task you can throw at it,” related Doug Flagg, CRKT vice president of marketing and innovation. “Boxes and letters are, of course, no match, but the blade has some paring knife characteristics so that it excels at peeling and even piercing tasks as well.”

Flagg has carried a Stylus for months and attests to its ability to make short work of straps, clam packaging and even a steak. “We went lean with the Stylus to balance form and function, really,” he added. “It’s lightweight, so it’s easy to carry, but it also has a certain panache that makes a statement any time you pull it out of your pocket.”

The lightweight handle combines strength with minimal weight. Texture adds purchase and control with a ridge line that brings a dimension of safety, preventing the knife from twisting in your hand. Fine 12C27 stainless blade steel and assisted opening with the Ikoma Korth Bearing System (IKBS) add to user enjoyment.

According to Flagg, Onion wanted to create a simple, streamlined pocketknife that could act as sort of an office EDC to be carried in a shirt pocket, fifth pocket or standard pants pocket. “Across the knife world, Ken noticed a movement toward cleaner, leaner, more simplified designs that were a different approach compared to his typically large and more flowing knives,” Flagg concluded. “With the Stylus he was really trying to emulate that and have some fun with something new and unique.”

Coast Products Founder Series

The Founder’s Series from Coast Products is a design collaboration between Todd Ernst and David Goldman, and it hit the mark with the intent to produce an elegant executive knife. “Based on feedback from customers and when looking at our offering, we wanted to design something that would not necessarily look like a knife when in a shirt or pocket,” explained Doug Hutchens, Coast sales operations manager.

“A knife designed to flip open must have a combination of correct geometry, minimal weight in the blade, and ball bearings at the pivot to create minimal friction to facilitate easy flipping,” Hutchens noted. “The tanto blade style is also popular and provides good looks. Then, without sacrificing strength in the frame, we designed the Micarta®, aluminum and titanium handle choices to keep weight at a minimum.”

The variety of handle materials makes buyers checking out the Founder’s Series feel like kids in a candy store. Hutchens noted that each material is attractive, strong and designed to give the customer variety in aesthetics. “That’s so they can choose the style that they like best,” he said. “Another customization was the pin color in the end of the knife handle, which was designed to be visible when carried in a pocket. At purchase, we provide two pin color options for the customer to further choose their own styling. The red pin is a nod to the red Coast ring trademark, which you’ll find on most every Coast product.”

Thin but mighty, the Founder’s Series is up to the rigor of daily use. Hutchens commented, “All knife design is a compromise with purpose. The length of the handle allows the butt of the knife to be captured by the user’s palm easily and quickly. Because of this there is no need for large finger grooves or guard projections. Lock it into your palm and it is very secure in your hand.”

Spyderco Ikuchi

Paul Alexander and the Spyderco design team have created a long, lean gem in the Ikuchi, distinctive with its scalpel-like blade boasting the company’s trademark hole. Alexander looked at a number of traditional knife patterns while scheming the Ikuchi, including the Texas toothpick and French laguiole.

“The Ikuchi design came from two distinct drivers,” Paul remarked. “First, I wanted to explore some designs based on more traditional patterns, but evolving and modernizing. Second, I wanted to create a piece with decidedly different blade geometry than the other collaboration pieces I’ve done with Spyderco. On the latter front, I was looking to design a pocketknife with a much narrower/shorter blade and width/height.

“I decided to take the narrow blade concept to the extreme, working to conceal the entire blade width within the handle scales when closed. The idea was that a knife this size would inherently take up a minimal amount of pocket space, strongly feature the handle shape, and create designs unique among Spyderco offerings.”

The thin nature of the Ikuchi handle makes the knife responsive in your hand while maximizing a user-friendly experience. Alexander explained, “The thin handle, without any features to lock any fingers into a set location, makes the knife more grip agnostic and easily repositionable in the hand. But thin handles can cause some difficulty for folks that may have limited hand dexterity, or lost some of it.

Both are true of the Ikuchi, but seeing as it’s meant for EDC and light-duty tasks, I don’t find myself overly concerned when using the knife appropriately and responsibly. The handle material was Spyderco’s call but I admit I’m a sucker for carbon fiber scales, and the textured, peel-ply carbon fiber [Spyderco uses] is a great blend of aesthetics and grip without adding much mass.”

Spartan Blades Spartan-Nemec

Czech designer Ondrej Nemec joined Spartan Blades to produce the Spartan-Nemec folder, intended to be practical and versatile in the EDC role, a tool for any common job. Compact and easy to carry in a pocket, the Spartan-Nemec is a snap to deploy and makes light work of cutting boxes, envelopes or tape.

Nemec grew up in his father’s workshop, and Ondrej’s steady commitment to quality knives led to the founding of his Acta Non Verba knife company over 10 years ago. “The knives he designed in the past are similar to the quality and size of Spartan models, making him a good fit for Spartan while bringing a new flair to what we do,” related Curtis Iovito, company president.

Looking good always helps says Iovito of the smart, lean lines of the Spartan-Nemec. He adds that the knife incorporates features such as a secure locking mechanism, comfortable grip, and ambidextrous design for easy use by both southpaws and right-handers. “The biggest advantage of the design is that it stays out of your way when in the pocket,” Curtis smiled.

User ergonomics guided the Nemec design, making it ideal for quick and precise handling. The length of the handle contributes to stability and ease of control. In combination, the design elements produce an efficient everyday tool that can act as a backup in special circumstances, too.

“Although made with everyday tasks in mind, the knife boasts sufficient length to serve as a viable defensive tool in emergency situations,” Iovito indicated. “This contributed to our decision to incorporate a flipper mechanism facilitated by caged bearings and a strategically positioned flipper tab, ensuring readiness for such scenarios.”

Iovito also notes that the Spartan-Nemec’s inspiration was a “larger counterpart,” the KA-BAR Ek Models 4 and 5. “Originating from KA-BAR, this larger knife has been scaled down to create our folding version tailored for everyday carry,” he said. “While the concept of a penknife is not groundbreaking, we are confident that our rendition stands out as a well-crafted and reliable tool.”

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