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What is classed as an Assisted Opener? Ones with spring tension to help them open, or even just having a little nub on the back of the blade??

Blackstuff wrote:What is classed as an Assisted Opener? Ones with spring tension to help them open, or even just having a little nub on the back of the blade??

Offensive Weapons Act 2019:
Section 43
Amendments to the definition of “flick knife”
“(a) any knife which has a blade which opens automatically—
. (i) from the closed position to the fully opened position, or
. (ii) from a partially opened position to the fully opened position,
. by manual pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to the knife

Important bits highlighted are what makes an assisted opener now a 'flick knife'....hmmm lets change the definition of a legally owed item to make it illegal....

While I don't think it was the intention to 'catch' all one-handed openers, Spydercos, flippers, thumb studs etc. in the new 'flick knife' definition, I could see an enthusiastic CPS barrister making the case that they are all now illegal - remember that's how locking folders became classed as fixed blades

Also now illegal is any antique automatic knives that have been legally owned since 1959 (but not taken out in public, or been bought / sold / given away since 1959). So any potential thugs, who would now be in their 80's, who've kept their old automatic in a drawer for the last 60 years are now all 'knife criminals'

They haven't updated the definition on the website yet.

https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives

walesdave wrote:

Blackstuff wrote:What is classed as an Assisted Opener? Ones with spring tension to help them open, or even just having a little nub on the back of the blade??

Offensive Weapons Act 2019:
Section 43
Amendments to the definition of “flick knife”
“(a) any knife which has a blade which opens automatically—

. by manual pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to the knife

Does that catch a Stanley knife?

IainWR wrote:Does that catch a Stanley knife?

I don't think so Iain, with the majority of craft knives you have to manually push the blade out with your thumb and there is usually no spring assistance in them.
Unless of course things have changed since the last one I bought!

So is the consensus that the Klecker Cordovan will fall foul of this nonsense? It has a small nub to assist one handed opening. I tried attaching a picture but the forum has gone back to being extremely unfriendly with my computer (I suspect its actually the Kaspersky anti-virus software)

https://www.heinnie.com/klecker-cordovan

This is my work EDC knife. I need a knife I can open with one hand

“Or other device in or attached to the knife”

No, I don’t think for a second that the definition encompasses one hand openers or flippers. Holes, studs, extended choils are not devices. Nor are they attached to the knife. “Devices” is to target the use of torsion bars and the like which is how AOs escaped an import/possession prohibition because they aren’t springs or operated by a button.

50 quid compensation per AO? For a Benchmade Nitrous Stryker? They can fvck off!

The important word for assisted openers is 'automatically'. Flippers etc. open manually, spring assisted knives open automatically.
Whether you can take the spring out of an assisted opener and keep it as a deactivated AO remains to be seen.

While I agree with everyone regarding 'manual' opening not being 'assisted'.....I'm sure most of us own at least one folding lock knife which somehow transformed into a non-folding fixed blade just because a CPS barister managed to persuade a judge it was so!

Interesting stuff, there's still UK sites selling Kershaw Cyros which are assisted opening. Perhaps I should find out how much compensation I get for mine!

https://www.edcgear.co.uk/ProductDetail ... ode=KS1556

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