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- There is also the Switchblade (airplane) project that started development in 2006, and the older Northrop Switchblade experimental aircraft.
A switchblade (also known as automatic knife, switch, or, in British English flick knife) is a type of knife with a folding blade that springs out of the grip when a button or lever on the grip is pressed.
Overview of designs
There are two basic types of switchblade, side-opening and out-the-front (OTF). A side-opening knife's blade pivots out of the side of the handle (in the same manner as an ordinary folding knife). An out-the-front knife's blade slides directly forward, out of the tip of the handle. There are two types of OTF (out the front) knives: double action and single action.
Double action OTFs allow the user to extend or retract the blade with the press of a sliding button. Spring tension in these knives is actually provided by the movement of the button, which makes them much safer to carry since they will not open accidentally. However, the extra force the spring requires can also make intentional opening more difficult.
Single action OTFs require the user to retract the blade manually and compress the spring. Because they often use a lever to compress the spring, stronger springs can be used. This makes them open more vigorously than the double-action type, and allows them to achieve tighter lock-up.
A wide variety of blade designs may be found on switchblades, but the most common is the Italian stiletto style seen often in motion pictures. However, the switchblade should not be confused with the butterfly knife (balisong), assisted-opening knife, or the non-automatic stiletto.
Switchblades are often cheaply made; however, there are a fair number of knife companies and custom makers who build high-quality automatic knives for military, emergency personnel, and for knife collectors. Some famous automatic knife manufacturers include Microtech, Protech, Benchmade, Dalton, Concord and Piranha.
Because they are illegal in some places, one variation of the switchblade is a dual-action design that allows the user to manually open the knife as though it were a manual (and legal) folding knife. Often, the trigger for such knives is hidden in a grip panel, requires the user to squeeze or twist the handle in a certain fashion, or is hidden in some other manner.
Legality
United Kingdom
In England & Wales, a flick knife is considered to be an offensive weapon per se (in that it is specifically designed for the purpose of inflicting injury), and as such it is a criminal offence to possess one in public without lawful authority or reasonable excuse; the maximum penalty for such an offence is four years imprisonment. Due to the recent high rate of knife-related crime (including many murders, particularly of youths by other youths), it has been discussed that a new law may be passed which would automatically face any person carrying a knife with a 5 year prison sentence.United States
A common misconception is that switchblades are illegal throughout the entire United States. In actuality, switch blades are usually restricted on a state or local level, the one exception being the Federal Switchblade Act, signed August 12, 1958, which concerns the interstate sale of switchblades, aside from contractors to government agencies. In addition, switchblades are also illegal to import into the United States. However, several states freely allow the purchase and/or carry of switchblade knives.References
"Switchblade"