Switchblades

29aholic · Nov 17, 2017

I have long been a knife guy. I mainly collect fighting type knives (mostly Gerber MKII's and the occasional Randall), but I have always had a soft spot for Italian switchblades.

I bought this one at Tulsa last weekend. It is a Frank Beltrame swing guard 11" open with horn handles. These are very well made knives and the spring is stiff enough if you arent careful it will flip out of your hand when opening it.

Show me yours.

crazyphil · Nov 17, 2017

The downside of switchblades is if the spring breaks when you need to
deploy the blade, you are screwed. Never the less, I like them too.
Here, left to right:

Piranha
S&W
Boker
CRKT
Benchmade (assisted)
Junkyard Dog II (Flipper)

29aholic · Nov 17, 2017

I have a Boker similar to yours but with an orange handle and a black blade. It keeps a reasonable edge and is my EDC knife

les.b · Nov 17, 2017

Great thread!! I'm at work now, but when I get home, I have some "switchblades" that I can photograph. In the meantime, here is one that I have carried on and off over the years, and find to be a good modern iteration of the concept:

Best Regards, Les

Old cop · Nov 17, 2017

I took one off a car thief in a parking lot many, many years ago. After the judge convicted him he (the judge) gave the knife to me but sadly I lost it.

6518John · Nov 17, 2017

I think Piranha’s are the best kept secret in the American made knife market and we have several. My son and I also both really like these new automatic offerings from Kershaw. Extremely well made and very reasonably priced.

Flattop5 · Nov 17, 2017

Here's a Bonsa (made in Germany) switchblade with mother-of-pearl handles. Bonsa went out of business circa 1982. This is called a "lever-lock" type of switchblade. Very few Bonsas were made in mother-of-pearl. Most were stag or metal handles. This knife has a small crack on the lower front of it (pearl is very fragile).

16thVACav · Nov 17, 2017

"It is a Frank Beltrame swing guard 11" open with horn handles."

My, that's a big one!

Andy Lowry · Nov 17, 2017

I have a few; this is my favorite:

It's a Gerber, with repro autographs from Applegate and Fairbairn.

gwpercle · Nov 17, 2017

Nothing looks as wicked-cool-bad as an Italian Stiletto Switch Blade...
AWESOME !

I've been using several models of Kershaw with the assisted opening (they are legal here ) ...always did fancy auto open, this weekend there is a gun show ...going to go and see if I can find something, a stiletto with horn handles...yours is sweet !
Gary

crazyphil · Nov 17, 2017

6518John said:
I think Piranha’s are the best kept secret in the American made knife market and we have several. My son and I also both really like these new automatic offerings from Kershaw. Extremely well made and very reasonably priced.

That blue Piranha I show is, I think, the sharpest knife I have
ever seen right out of the box.

crazyphil · Nov 17, 2017

29aholic said:
I have a Boker similar to yours but with an orange handle and a black blade. It keeps a reasonable edge and is my EDC knife

My Boker is called a Kalishnakov

KSDeputy · Nov 17, 2017

I have several assist open knives, and one american company's auto knife. I am real particular about blade length, I require a 4" or larger blade. Only one is slightly below that. The tiny blade ones are useless in self defense.

29aholic · Nov 17, 2017

Well I tried quoting you Phil but the forum is screwing up.

My Boker is a Kalishnakov too. AK-74 I paid $20.00 for it new at a gun show from a guy going out of business. I use the **** out of it.

Gary, if you dont find one you can order them online. I prefer to buy in person so I can compare several side by side. I picked this one from three. Even though they appeared identical, this one seemed better.

quinn · Nov 17, 2017

Here is my small collection. The two on the left are recent manufacture, the 3 on the right are from the 1950's.
Left to right:
Unmarked Italian 'Leverletto' lever loock design
Lever lock made in Crete (Greece) as a souvenir knife
"High Class" made in Japan, lever lock
EIG Cutlery, Italy, pushbutton release,"pick lok) close
EIG Cutlery, Italy (Importer), lever lock

Note: The book shown in the photo was a disappointment as it offered very limited coverage.

Flattop5 · Nov 17, 2017

Two Italian F. Beltrames, plus others.

A10 · Nov 17, 2017

Nice knife! I also have a Frank B with honey horn scales, as well as a no name Italian swing guard with stags....I'll try to remember to post them when I get home tonight.

kthom · Nov 17, 2017

les.b said:
Great thread!! I'm at work now, but when I get home, I have some "switchblades" that I can photograph. In the meantime, here is one that I have carried on and off over the years, and find to be a good modern iteration of the concept:

Best Regards, Les

Looks like a Benchmade, Les? Nice!

crazyphil · Nov 17, 2017

29aholic said:
Well I tried quoting you Phil but the forum is screwing up.

My Boker is a Kalishnakov too. AK-74 I paid $20.00 for it new at a gun show from a guy going out of business. I use the **** out of it.

Gary, if you dont find one you can order them online. I prefer to buy in person so I can compare several side by side. I picked this one from three. Even though they appeared identical, this one seemed better.

$20 is a great price for the Kalishnakov. I paid twice that plus
shipping from knife Mart, and that was 10 years or so ago.

les.b · Nov 17, 2017

Ken:

You’re right, that’s a Benchmade...they make some nice autos...I have some more around here that I will try to remember to get photos of.

Here’s an otherwise rather mundane Italian switchblade, not expensive at all.... but it has a lot of sentimental value to me. On my first visit to Moscow back in 1998, I was there at the invitation of the “Chief” of the police force of one of the 40 some “Raion” that make up the Moscow Oblast or region. Partly I was there to study Russian policing. Visiting my friends office, he gave me this knife as a keepsake, “taken from Russian criminal”!!

Well, I tossed it in my luggage, and never thought about it until I was back in the US.

Anyway...not much to look at, but a cool keepsake:

Best Regards, Les

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