If you are unsure about which OTF knife you should get; be it single action, dual action, or double action OTF knives. You need to have some information about these types. Let’s enlighten you with the differences between the OTF knife types, to help you make an informed decision.

Double action OTF knives…

Are often confused with dual action automatic knife, though the two are slightly different. The former opens and closes with a slide button or trigger. One of the best examples of this knife is Delta Force CQC Knife. To open this knife, you need to push the slide button on the side of the handle towards the front of the knife. To close it, you must push the same slide button down towards the base of the handle and the blade withdraws.

A dual action automatic knife…

Opens automatically with just a touch of a button. You can also open it manually. You can open this knife by pushing on the button right in the center of the handle. To close it, you just need to push the button that releases the blade and then pull the side that lies on the side of the handle down until the blade locks back into the closed position.

When we compare the single-action OTF knife…

With double action out the front knife, the former only requires the deployment of the blade and makes up for a much simpler design. However, there are weak parts compared to the double action version and can break off. Moreover, they are less likely to fire without any lockup. The latter can work more efficiently especially for heavy-duty jobs and often fire quicker than the single action OTF Knife.

Single-action OTF Knife is a cheaper option as it features a fewer part inside. On contrary, dual and double action out the front knife comes with enhanced quality and multiple features and make it an expensive option.

Where single action OTF Knife is offering ease of usability…

It requires some effort when we need to close it. The double action version makes an ideal EDC, which is easy to carry and convenient to use. Definitely, you would be looking forward to ease of functionality and here double-action is a better choice.

Also, how can we forget, they are more fun to use.

You don’t have to think a lot when using this knife. All you need to do is slide the button on the handle back and forth and the knife will deploy and withdraw repeatedly. Since they are easy to use, they are ideal everyday carry if you are looking forward to going on the OTF route.

Subsequently, the double action OTF knives…

are commonly more expensive and therefore they are likely to be multi-functional and probably fire without lockup.

So, this is the simple breakdown of different types of OTF knives. Each of them comes with certain pros and cons. However, all of them would make great additions to any collection. With a basic knowledge of all these knives, you can determine which type is best for you.