Aah...knives.
I never used to be a big knife aficionado but have acquiring a few lately. I have a bunch of Spydercos I've acquired over the years, but my interest has mostly been in automatics.
I have a couple of "novelty" knives. I say "novelty" because their utility as actual tools is limited IMHO. The Super Squirt is one I bought and assembled recently as a kit from Knifekits.com and converted to an automatic. It's a Darryl Ralph design, 2-inch blade, I made it with carbon fiber grips. It's a hoot...a very cool little knife. Very high quality kit (AUS8 steel, which is...."OK", but it's an easy knife to sharpen). The conversion to switchblade was pretty simple as the bolster was already recessed for the spring. I only had to drill the blade pivot for the spring end.
I have a Benchmade Infidel. It's an out-the-front automatic. Excellent knife for it's purpose, but I haven't figured out quite what it's purpose is.
I have a couple of other Benchmades. The AFO is a beast and a great tool. First tanto I've ever owned. Not sure how I feel about tantos yet, I do know it's a PITA to sharpen. The other one is an old Benchmade Reflex automatic that I've had for many years. A little smaller, but still useful as a tool.
My new favorite though is this Zero Tolerance 350ST. It's not an automatic exactly, it's a spring assist. The thumb button is worthless IMHO, but there's a tang on the blade hilt that lets that sucker out in a blink. It's SV30 steel and the grip is G10. It holds an edge like crazy. Fantastic knife IMHO and a bargain at $120.
