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    You are at:Home»Gear»Lightning OTF Knife Review: Out The Front Switchblade Knife
    Gear Knives Reviews

    Lightning OTF Knife Review: Out The Front Switchblade Knife

    This is the best automatic out the front budget knife available. The quality is what you get for the price but it works as advertised.
    avatarBy vinja18/10/20221 Comment3 Mins Read
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    Lightning OTF Knife Review
    Lightning OTF Knife Review: Out The Front Switchblade Knife
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    The Lightning OTF is an automatic out the front knife clone / knockoff of Microtechs but it’s also the “Microtechs of cheap OTF knives”.

    The ‘Lightning OTF’ is a budget automatic knife copied directly off of Microtech’s Scarab in design, function and mechanism.

    This is the best automatic out the front budget knife available. The quality is what you get for the price but it works as advertised.

    View Details

    Tech Specs

    • Out The Front Knife
    • Double Action Method
    • Weight: 3.90 Ounces
    • Made in Taiwan
    • Hollow Grind Drop Point
    • Blade Length: 3 1/4″
    • Handle Length: 4 3/4″
    • Overall Length: 8″
    - Lightning OTF Knife Full View -
    Lightning OTF Knife Full View

    The Lightning OTF is the best of the cheap automatic knives. Perhaps it’s due to being engineered off the best of the best in these types of knives.

    These “Lightning” OTF knives are the real deal. They feel solid in the hand and they come out of the handle fast! I’ve had mine about 10 months and it works just as well today as it did on day one. I recommend these “Lightning” brand OTF’s over anything else in the price range. – TMost

    “OTF” stands for “Out The Front”. That means the blade rests inside the handle like a folding knife but the blade comes out and locks by moving forward instead of sideways.

    This action is actuated by pressing on the button, ejecting the blade by a powerful spring. As a “double-action” automatic knife, pressing the button again will return the blade the same way it came out.

    A wide range of Lightning OTF models with different colors are available from $34.99 at Gearwox.com

    - Lightning OTF Knife Disassembled -
    Lightning OTF Knife Disassembled

    Due to the extremely high cost of out-the-front automatic knives, most end up being collector’s items or show pieces. But the low cost of these and the surprisingly rugged build of them are great for EDC.

    So the Lightning OTF could be the knife you go for in needs of light to medium cutting tasks for everyday tasks. A blade you won’t mind dulling or fear breaking.

    A tool you can have fun with and a novelty with a utilitarian purpose. A man’s toy with manly uses.

    - Lightning OTF w/ Microtech Troodon -
    Lightning OTF Next to the Microtech Troodon

    A side-to-side comparison with a $300 Microtech Troodon knife and the $35 Lightning OTF knife. You get what you pay for for each of those knives. But the Lightning OTF still manages to be a formidable and reliable knife even at tenth of the the price.

    - Lightning OTF Knife Blade -
    Lightning OTF Knife Blade

    The blade is a low-end but proper 440C stainless steel with a very impressive and unique profile. All Lightning OTF knives come in drop point blades styles in plain or partially serrated. They’re factory sharp and hollow ground with an acceptable amount of blade-play.

    - Lightning OTF Knife Full View -
    Lightning OTF Knife Full View
    - Lightning OTF Knife Locked View -
    – Lightning OTF Knife Locked View –
    - Lightning OTF Knife Side View -
    – Lightning OTF Knife Side View –

    Despite being a “cheap knife”, the Lightning OTF models are an excellent value for their cost, especially since they’re automatic knives.

    Conclusion

    It’s been 11 months since I’ve acquired the Lightning OTF Taiwan. Although I’ve only used it periodically, each time was for heavy and aggressive use. Even to the extent of using it as a pry. I’ve “fired” the blade over 500 times and the mechanism still works perfectly fine with no misfires.

    View Details

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    avatar
    vinja

      American patriot, former covert operative and active operations consultant, living globally as a vagabond.

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      1 Comment

      1. avatar
        Lyle D. Yates on 17/10/2022 1:39 AM

        The Lightning line of knives are well worth the the small investment, and then some. I’ve had a Lightning OTF automatic drop point in my EDC for 3 years now and it’s still reliable and the blade play is still extremely minimal. The action is strong, fast and reliable. They are real knives that perform real tasks and can take a real beating. I have found that the newer models have higher tolerances with much less blade play than the older models. Though they do still have just a bit of play both side to side and edge to spine which is acceptable when you’re considering the reliability of blade deployment and retraction out in the field. In fact, it’s the tolerances of these knives that helps prevent them from misfiring and jamming as a result of the infiltration of dirt, sand, pocket lint, and other debris. This misfiring and jamming out in the field is common among many of the higher end, high tolerance and expensive OTF-DA knives abound. I know this from first hand experience. The blades hold their edge quite well and are relatively easy to touch up and resharpen. The finish on the handles will eventually wear down in the areas that constantly get rubbed on, but this is to be expected. The handle texturing and jibbing is a definite plus. The pocket clip is strong and keeps these knives securely in place. I have several and would highly recommend the Lightning line of knives for EDC to anyone looking for a practical, tough and reliable OTF-DA knife design at a very affordable price.

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