If you were to peruse some popular knife forums, you’d think the invention of the assisted-opening mechanism was the worst thing to happen to the knife world.

The truth is that the average user could not care less whether the knife is spring-assisted. As long as it opens reliably and is relatively cheap, most people barley notice.

So, why do most knife nuts seem to hate assisted-opening knives with a passion? These are the most common arguments against assisted blades.

(Note: I’m being the devil’s advocate and citing some common arguments. I honestly don’t have a preference between assisted-openers and manual folders.)

1. Assisted-openers are dangerous

One of the biggest complaints about assisted-openers is that they’re dangerous. There are stories from people across the internet who say an assisted opener engaged while in the pocket. Those with flipper tabs are likely more dangerous because they can open up pretty easily when some pressure is applied to the edge of the closed knife. (This is a problem that can be mostly prevented with right-handed tip-down carry where the pocket would help keep it closed.)

I’ve carried assisted-openers before and never had one open. However, I have had an unassisted knife open slightly in my pocket. I don’t remember the circumstances that caused it, but any type of knife can be dangerous. Take a look at what could happen with an auto:

A first for me. Boker Kalashnikov opened in my pocket. from knives

Some have even complained that the strength of the assisted open is so powerful that the knife feels like it’s going to jump out of the hand.

2. Safety lock negates any advantages

To combat the first complaint, many knives come with safety mechanisms that keep the blade closed. For example, many Kershaw SpeedSafe models have a little peg that slides behind the blade to keep it from opening up accidentally. While it does increase the safety of the knife, it also counteracts the quickness and accessibility of the knife.

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Reddit is a fascinating place. It is an outlet where people with very specific interests interact with one another and share ideas, memes, images, and whatever else they want.

There are also a few fantastic subreddits dedicated to knives — /knives and the sometimes superior /knifeclub.

After lurking on these subreddits for years, I thought it’d be cool to show some of the best or most creative knife mods people have shown on the site. Check ’em out.

1. Toothpick Mod

One of the best things about the Victorinox cellidor scales is the assortment of tools within the scales, specifically the tweezers and toothpick.  Reddit user zuriel2089 modified the G-10 scales of a Spyderco Tenacious to fit a Victorinox toothpick. I personally find the tweezers more useful, but this is something you can do to many knives.

2. Front Flipper Mod

Front flippers have grown in popularity the past few years. Although Spyderco has yet to jump on the front flipper bandwagon, one Redditer bought a Lil Native modified to work as a front flipper. It looks like the scales were sanded down to only reveal the tang. Seems to work surprisingly well.

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