Folding Knives

Assisted open knives that get the job done … quickly.

Although their popularity has leveled off in recent years, manufacturers still embrace the assisted-open genre and continue to produce new models. For those new to the hobby, who may not be familiar with this style of knife, allow us to explain how they work.

Assisted openers are usually EDC and tactical folding knives equipped with some sort of torsion spring affixed to the tang of the blade that aids in propelling it to full open. What results is a crisp and quick action akin to a fully automatic knife. But, and here’s the good part, it remains legal in most jurisdictions.  

There is a downside to the assisted opener; the spring creates a weak link. If it fails, the snappy action is absent. The knife remains usable, but, impetus gone, it’s practically a manual opener. Hence, some enthusiasts shun the assisted opener like the plague. Yet, the design still has its enthusiasts, who can’t get enough of its brisk and fast actions.

No matter where you stand on that spectrum, there are assisted-open knives worthy of consideration. We’ll cover four of the latest and greatest that deliver the thwack users love.

CRKT Butte

The Butte is named after its designer’s—Lucas Burnley’s—hilly hometown of Bend, Oregon. Like this rugged terrain, the CRKT knife is heavy-duty and blends style and function into one package, geared for the outdoors.

The Butte boasts a 3.3-inch blade with a clip point and is constructed from D2 tool steel. The material choice gives the knife enhanced edge holding capabilities and is relatively easy to sharpen. Additionally, the steel has good impact resistance, though it’s not stainless, so plan to exercise more care in its upkeep.

Moving down, the handle is OD green peel ply G-10, with dual steel liners providing the backbone. A bronze anodized aluminum back spacer rounds out the handle features.

CRKT utilizes its Deadbolt lock mechanism on the Butte, a solid choice for a knife meant for rough outdoor work. The system, developed by Brazilian custom knifemaker Flavio Ikoma, is essentially a button lock, but with two actuating steel posts. In the case of the Butte, the button design plays well into the overall streamlined look of the knife. It resides on the blade pivot and melts away into the knife’s lines.

To keep the knife handy, CRKT outfits the assisted opener with a pocket clip oriented in the right-handed, tip-up-carry position. Unfortunately for lefties, the clip cannot be reconfigured.

The Butte’s size makes it very capable of tackling a wide variety of chores inside the home or in the great outdoors. Folding hunter or general work knife are both well within its wheelhouse. Could be an outdoor knife, could possibly be a folding hunter, or could be a general working knife.

Of its assets, I like the peel ply G-10, which is more grippy than regular G-10. The handle is also very comfortable, and the lock release is oriented smartly—it’s out of the way of the hand.

Flat out, I think the Butte is a winner when it comes to a working assisted-open. With an MSRP of $120, it’s also a great value.

Kershaw Raygun

Kershaw’s Raygun offers high utility, a slim form factor and assisted opening in one affordable package. Though it comes in smaller than the rest, with just 2.8 inches of blade to work with; however, a hollow-ground edge gives the compact option aggressive cutting abilities.

As does Raygun’s reverse tanto blade. The profile supplies a gently sweeping cutting edge for maximum efficiency, along with a defined tip for scoring. As to the knife’s steel, it’s 4Cr14 stainless. This is a compromise, balancing solid edge retention and price. Kershaw gives the blade an added layer of protection, stonewashing it to hide any scratches obtained along the way.

Deployment is strictly a flipper affair, which is nice given that it maintains the knife’s sleek look. And Kershaw—like many of its models—makes certain the deep-carry clip is ambidextrous, though strictly a tip-up affair.

Steel composes the liner lock’s liner and Kershaw outfits the handle with glass-filled nylon scale. It’s chamfered, cutting down on hot spots and well textured. The center features a wave pattern of increasing size toward the pivot. This provides the most traction on the handle.

The assisted opening mechanism is a classic, Kershaw’s own Speed Safe. For those who don’t know, this is a design of Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame® member Ken Onion, and is credited with kick-starting the assisted opening trend. It’s fast, durable and a mainstay in Kershaws.

The Raygun cuts efficiently, quickly and its compact size carries easily in slacks, jeans or even clipped to the waist of jogging shorts or sweatpants. I did find the knife’s size a plus and a minus. The downside, bigger hands might find it too difficult to manipulate and use. The upside, its opening is precise and predictable. Given the short, narrow blade, there isn’t a lot of blade mass to move.  

With an MSRP of $38, you get a lot of knife in a small package with the Raygun.

Case Westline

An interesting twist to the Case Knives plot, a few years ago, it designed and manufactured a line of modern folding knives. Finally, granddad’s pocketknife company embraced the EDC theme with blade locks, one-hand opening and high-tech materials. At the vanguard, the Westline series. The line also introduced assisted opening to Case.

The Westline I looked at was outfitted with 3.23-inch modified drop point blade, made from premium CPM S35VN stainless steel with a stonewash finish. This is a Crucible Industries material, one of the super steels, renowned for its exceptional toughness and edge retention.

The blade spine features a run of traction notches, allowing added pressure to a cut with your thumb or index finger. Furthermore, there are notches on the tang behind the cutting edge. Used in conjunction with the blade spine, you can choke up on the blade for more precise control.

As far as the handle goes, it is made from striking blue and black marbled carbon fiber that catches the eye. Underneath are two nested steel liners providing the backbone for the Westline’s handle. It is a liner lock, which engages smoothly and holds the blade secure in the open position. Finishing it off, a steel pocket clip is mounted to the handle to carry the knife in the tip-up configuration.

The blade deploys in either hand thanks to two large ambidextrous beveled thumbstuds. Speaking of opening, the Westline’s action is predictable, controllable and smooth. Case makes this a certainty, outfitting the knife with pivot bearings.

The Westline would make a great working folder where general-purpose cutting chores reign. It carries well, deploys fast and has a blade steel well known for its performance. It cut through a variety of materials with ease for me. My only complaint is the thumb stud placement. Case could have moved the studs back toward the tang more, thus shortening the arc of travel. The MSRP of the Case Westline with blue and black carbon fiber is $197, and it is made in the USA.  

Bear & Son Bear Edge True-Timber Sideliner

The Bear & Son Bear Edge True-Timber Sideliner folder offers a lot of desired features in an affordable package. The clip-point blade is 3.5 inches in length and is made from 440A stainless steel, a lower-end blade steel that is inexpensive but easy to sharpen.

The TrueTimber camo Zytel handle is lightweight, impact-resistant, and impervious to the weather as well as fluid absorption. It incorporates several ergonomic features, such as a primary finger recess with lower hand guard, screw-together construction, checker texturing that helps to improve grip, and there are traction notches all around the perimeter of the handle to aid in nonslip grip as well.

A deep carry pocket clip is attached to the handle to carry the knife in the tip-up position, and it can be switched to the opposite side for lefties.

I would say this Sideliner folder is a very viable option for those who want a good, solid, reliable folding knife at a very reasonable price. The hollow grind makes it easy to slice through any material with ease, but the factory edge out of the box was just OK in my observation. It would cut, but I did notice an improvement in performance once I was able to put my own edge on it.

The Sideliner’s assisted opening action is quick and sure. A firm push out of one of the thumbstuds causes the blade to spring into action. However, whenever there is a flipper option, I prefer using that instead, as it’s easier and faster to get to. A simple press on the flipper will activate the assist, and the blade is opened, locked and ready for action.  

The 440A stainless steel isn’t going to hold an edge like the mid-grade or high-grade stainless steel, but it is easy to resharpen, so there’s that. There’s a trade-off for an MSRP of $60. Still, it really is not a bad price for this piece. Knowing you will generally pay a bit less than this makes it a great buy.

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