How Does an OTF Knife Work? | In-Depth Demo 

I’ve watched 6 videos on this subject today (how does an OTF knife work) but your video has the best explanation, thank you 👍🏼

GREAT vid!! I'm more of a folder guy (just 1 otf) but I've always been curious as to how they work. That was clear, concise, just well explained.. 👍👍🔪

Jeeze, lots of videos trying to explain on here but not one is concise enough to make any sense. Yours however was to the point and super informative. Understood the mechanism. Thank you!

I found a microtech OTF knife in bad shape and wanted to fix it. It was different than the knife in your video but your explanation was so thorough I was able to understand the fundamentals of this design. I was able to dismantle, clean and repair the knife. Thanks to you I have a cool EDC knife. Keep up the good work.

Found a Benchmade OTF on the side of the road a while back, and I loved that thing. I basically used it as a glorified box opener, but it was extremely handy and I used it every day. Then it started getting stuck open. Took it apart, thoroughly cleaned it and hit it with dry lube. Still gets stuck out. Thought about buying a new one, then I saw the particular knife I have is like $400. I was hoping to glean some insight as to why it would close normally, but I'm still stumped.

Very useful video! Thank you! : )

Thanks ! Last video I saw did not explain how the spring works. You have the ability to explain in detail how it works. Thank you.

thank you for the explanation it was very clear and amazing

u really explained it very well

Thanks. I just got a Lightning OTF, the older version, and I was wondering how that works so easily. I guess it doesn't take a lot of force from your thumb to move a blade in and out, but it does kind of seem like magic.

So basically the two springs (some OTF knives use only one spring) are under some stretch tension all the time. Moving the thumbswitch adds some more spring stretch tension and releases the little catcher tabs on either end and the blade slides either forward or backward. Pretty smart idea making a spring do work in either direction. I just wonder how much thrusting force an OTF knife can withstand before the blade collapses back into the handle. Seeing the guts of the OTF makes me think of a glorified utility knife for some reason. I guess it is like seeing the sausage being made. Great job on your video here.

Excellent explanation,thanks.

Excellent explanation

The Lightning OTF is a great knife for the money. I have a Microtech that is impossible for me to retract so I don't use it. Deploying it is no joy either. Lightning for the win.

Nice video you really helped me understand how the knife works. there really hard to get here in canada I was very curious how it works and I don't wanna take mine apart an risk braking it or something

How are the detent springs installed? Are they just wedged between the body and the detent or is there some kind of mechanical connection?

06:02 That's one word is enough to explain the entire mechanism about how it works (*anyway I'm a homemade knife too )

Great video. Would love an explanation of how the blade stops if it encounters an obstacle / resistance while opening though. That’s an excellent safety feature of these OTF knives and always perplexing. Is it because it has forward momentum from the spring while opening but doesn’t reach the detent to “lock it open” so it just stops the momentum?

Assassin's hidden blade mechanism)))

Ok, now how do we customize it to work like the assassins creed hidden blades?

Applying years of gun smithing, race engine building and machine shop experience…….it seems only logical that IF one was to mirror polish the contact surfaces on the plate and the detents, the “trigger pull weight” can be dramatically lessened on these which would provide a much lower amount of pressure necessary to be applied to the thumb switch in order to fire the knife! 🤔🤔

1:36 "when this slides FORD" 1:43 "blade to move FORD"

Out the front more like out “tender” front

I don’t understand how the spring tensions itself when the blade doesn’t get deployed

You cut yourself with the knife? Thats what im worried about...😕