Switchblades and spring assisted knives are an interesting pair of knives. For those of you unfamiliar with them, switchblades are knives which have a hinge at the end of the blade (hence the name) and then there is a piece of metal attached to the end of the blade which is spring loaded. The purpose of this is that when you put the knife in your hand, you can just flick it open and it opens up without needing much pressure or effort from you whatsoever. If you were to compare a switchblade to a pocket knife, you would probably be hard pressed not to notice a major difference – the knife in the switchblade is much smaller (due to its spring loaded nature), and the blade is much less sharp, as well.
The switchblade was popular for decades, mainly due to its simplicity and relative safety. However, the popularity of switchblades also coincided with an increase in knives which had opening blades – essentially, two separate knives which could be opened with one open. These kinds of knives are now largely forgotten, but their heyday still seems short because of their incredible ability to catch a victim off guard and of acting as an offensive weapon. When used properly, a switchblade can cause great injury or even death; take note, for example, that in the 2021 flick “Cocktail” one of our main characters opens his mouth and flails around with his knife in it, missing his arm entirely!
This leads us to the obvious question: which is better? A switchblade or a spring? The answer will come down to your own personal preference. Some people are big fans of switchblades (I am one of them), while others swear by the spring assisted knives. To some people, a spring knife is more appropriate, while others prefer the reliability of the switchblade.