If you don’t carry an assisted opening knife, opting instead for a conventional folder with either thumb studs, thumb holes, or a flipper tab, here are some reasons you might want to consider an upgrade.

They’re Faster

An assisted opening knife will open faster than a conventional pocket knife in almost all cases. There are some speed demons out there that can deploy a flipper really quickly, but that takes some practice, and still, most of the time, the assisted opening knife will win.

That’s rarely going to be a material concern, since speed is not usually the determining factor in the quality or utility of a knife, but in those few, rare instances in which it matters, the assisted opener has the edge, pun not intended.

One-Handed Operation Is Easier

This is probably the biggest advantage of an assisted opening knife over a conventional pocket knife. For most users, most of the time, it is a lot easier to deploy an assisted opener with one hand than it is to deploy a conventional pocket knife. Most also find that it takes less physical exertion, too.

Granted, many conventional pocket knives have thumb studs, thumb holes, flipper tabs, or some combination of these three, many of which are actually intended to enable a user to deploy the knife with one hand. But the case is still that some are easier than others.

Some users get pretty good and quick at deploying a conventional knife via these means, but at the same time, it is much easier and much more straightforward to do so with one hand if the knife has an assisted opening mechanism.

Moreover, some users never get fully comfortable with using those deployment methods. For them, it would have been easier in the first place just to have gotten an assisted opening pocket knife instead.

And then, of course, there is also the fact that many conventional pocket knives are not intended to be deployed with one hand and actually require two as a part of their design. In this case, the clear edge goes to the assisted opener.

They’re Cooler

Lastly, it’s worth calling out that effortlessly deploying an assisted opening knife is much cooler than opening a conventional knife, except in a few marginal cases, such as playing with the deployment of a butterfly knife. Otherwise, the assisted opening knife takes the advantage on cool factor. And let’s just be honest; people spend money on what looks cool.

…And One Advantage Over Automatic Knives

After reading this, you might be thinking to yourself that you’ll just skip right past an assisted opening knife and upgrade to an automatic knife, or an auto.

There are a lot of advantages to these, and some even consider them better than assisted openers, but there is one drawback: legality.

There are some states and jurisdictions in which automatic knives are illegal to own, or just to carry.

While there is some red tape surrounding assisted openers, rest assured that they are at least legal to own in all 50 states.

Pick Up a New Assisted Opening Knife at BUDK

Ready to invest in a new assisted opening knife? Check out what’s in store and get some inspiration online at BUDK. They carry a ton of knives and cool stuff, including assisted openers (and some autos, for that matter). This write-up does not do their collection justice. Visit their website to see what they carry.

For more information about Crossbows and Karambit Knife Please visit: BudK Worldwide Inc.