Out The Front (OTF) knives

[Clusterfrack]

OTF's have to be kept too clean for outdoors use anyway.

I intend to test this conventional wisdom. I have carried and used the OTF on one wet and dirty backcountry day trip, and will continue to use it outdoors. I’m eager to see what it will take to induce a failure.

[Clusterfrack]

Buddy’s Guardian Recon 035

[Up1911Fan]

This showed up today.

[Clusterfrack]

Last night I was hanging out (at a 6' distance) with a few buddies, including a retired federal agent. This guy produced his EDC, a Ravencrest Tactical OTF (see image below), and we had the opportunity to compare it to my UTX-85. He's not a knife guy, and our takeaways were very different:

Him: Microtech... never heard of it. This knife seems too light and flimsy. It's hard to imagine that you could actually use it for real stuff without it breaking. [cuts himself] Ow! This blade is really sharp. I like the blade... wow this is kind of a cool knife... how much was it? $250? No fucking way. That's $100 more than I paid for mine. Fuck that.

Me: Cool knife. Looks like you've used it a lot. Nice to see someone else EDCing a OTF.

What was thinking but didn't say: The action is ok, and it's kind of impressive that even a Chinese knockoff OTF can keep working for years of hard use. That's a good sign for OTFs in general. The knife was of poor quality in some very obvious ways. There was a lot of blade play in multiple axes. It rattled when shaken. The build quality was low, but if you didn't look too close, it wasn't obvious. And the Ravenscrest is incredibly heavy, which makes sense because the handle is huge, and made from zinc pot metal. My buddy likes the weight because he could use it as a Kubotan.

It was like comparing a High Point to a CNCed custom gun, except the Ravenscrest costs an outrageous $150. Maybe $50 is a fair price for this knife, but I wouldn't want one.

[mrozowjj]

Attachment 53550

Hogue Compound
Microtech UTX-85
Microtech Exocet

Double action OTF's for me are primarily utility knives.
I use my UTX-85 constantly when I'm in the office or warehouse. The one handed instant open and close means less juggling and also means I'm less likely to set my pocket knife down somewhere and lose it.
The Hogue is a bit larger but being G10 it's also very light weight, not quite as slick of an action as the Microtechs but the deep carry pocket clip makes it lower profile in a pocket.
The Exocet is a great money clip, I've walked it right through several corporate security checks by placing it "money side up" in the clear plastic tray along with my wallet and keys while I step through the metal detector. The warm body running the screening has never given it a second glance (probably forbidden from actually touching wallets or cash out of liability). The 2" dagger blade isn't much, but better than nothing.

I'm not keen on making any OTF my primary self defense knife, it's too easy to interrupt the deployment.
Give me a small fixed blade any time it's an option.

I was curious how big that Hogue would so that comparison is helpful. Looks more like standard Ultratech size. The UTX-85 is just about the perfect size for me. If it was like the UTX-88 or UTX-90 I think it would be the perfect EDC size for me with my hand.

I keep hoping they'll make them legal in WA state so I can actually buy one and carry it but for now I just fondle them when I go to Portland or Vegas or whatever.

[Up1911Fan]

These things are gonna be an expensive rabbit hole. Recieved my first Ultratech a week ago. Just ordered a Troodon in PF orange.

[Joe45]

Anyone have experience with the Brian Tighe and Friends twist Tighe?

[Clusterfrack]

I was co-teaching a defensive pistol class* last weekend, and my buddy with the Guardian Recon 035 was a student. I got to compare the Recon to my UTX-85, and here are my thoughts:

The Recon has a larger handle, and is good fit for bigger hands. But it's not a monster in the pocket. Quality seems almost comparable to the Microtech, with a little more blade play but not significant. The action is very positive and smooth. The blade is very high quality, but not quite as good as the Microtech.

I could be happy with a Guardian Recon, and recommend it from what I've seen.

Buddy’s Guardian Recon 035

*also present was the girl who shot me in the junk with airsoft at a FoF session. She was a good student at this class, but I have to say I was a little worried at first .

[Up1911Fan]

[Clusterfrack]

For some added grip, I applied Dragon Grips Hexagon decals to the UTX-85:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DD69HKJ



These knives are hard to open for people with limited hand strength. My 24yr old daughter had to use both hands and both thumbs to do it.