What is a Stiletto Style Knife?

You must have seen a stiletto style knife popping out in all its pointy glory in Godfather and other gangster flicks of the 70s. Stiletto style knife is awe inspiring in its design and lethal looking blade. 

But you need to get your technicalities right. There is a small but crucial difference between what you think is a stiletto knife and a stiletto style knife. Actually, a stiletto style knife is an upgrade or evolution on the original stiletto knife. So what's the difference between the two?

Stiletto Knife vs Stiletto Style Knife

As you must have seen Don Corleone wield out a stiletto gracefully and menacingly, you are witnessing a stiletto knife in action. A stiletto knife is an Italian knife which has some distinctly characteristic features. 

The tip or blade point of a stiletto knife is a slender point, like in the stiletto heel we can all observe today sharper than that. The original stiletto knife had a fixed blade. Which means its blade can't be folded.

The modern rendition of this stabbing weapon is a stiletto style knife, which is a switchblade knife. All switchblade knives are essentially concealed knives whose blade is not fixed.

This minor adjustment turns a stiletto style knife into a pocket knife that can be closed and opened with a push of a button. Super slick right? Now imagine the same lethal blade popping out of the front with all its deadly grace. This makes stiletto style knives extremely popular and cool to carry.

Features of a stiletto style knife

The features of a stiletto style knife overlaps those of most switchblade knives because of similar opening mechanism. These two features determine if a knife can be considered a switchblade or an automatic knife.

Firstly, a stiletto style knife must have the blade folded inside the handle, carefully embedded and not easily distinguished from the handle.

Secondly, the blade of a stiletto style knife would only be ejected out with a switch or an activation button. There can be another device on the handle to assist this ejection.

Now, if a stiletto style knife does not have both these features in it, then we can't call it a stiletto style knife which is switchblade. The other types of knives may have some assisted opening mechanism (spring assisted knives)or they are the original stiletto knives (fixed blade).

The key difference to be noted here is that there is a knife with assisted opening mechanism such as spring assisted knives, which are not the same as automatic or switchblade stiletto style knives.

A spring assisted knife is also a folding knife like stiletto style knife, but it has an assisted opening mechanism which sets it apart. 

When there is a thumb stud or lever on the rear end of the blade, which assists in the opening of the knife by pushing back against the tension of the spring in the handle, then a knife cannot be called automatic. Stiletto style knife is not spring assisted but has an automatic opening mechanism.

Final thoughts

Now you know the crucial difference between a stiletto knife and a stiletto style knife. You can also figure out which knife is a switchblade and which isn't.  

Knowing these key distinctions will go a long way in your journey as a blade connoisseur and help you distinguish and pick out a stiletto style knife without much confusion.

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Spring Assisted Knives Types, Features & Blade Deployment

You are just out taking a stroll; it's just another day in a year full of days; until it isn't; no one can tell when a seemingly normal day or activity can turn on its head and turn into a life or death situation. You never know if the stranger coming towards you or the one following from behind, will just pass by or it will turn into a scene from a Quentin Tarantino movie.

Your fears and general paranoia about safety isn't unwarranted. The times we live in-with skyrocketing street crimes, escalating stabbing accidents, or general violent attacks- force us into a state of constant caution.

In such circumstances, imagine an item- a tool- that is the only thing that will stand between you and a deadly attacker. It better be reliable right? Spring assisted knives are your best bet. Forget the discomfort of carrying a knife of your own, a spring assisted knife, which is superbly designed to remain disguised and provide you with timely protection.

Opening mechanism of spring assisted knives

It is important to know the inner workings of a spring assisted knife to determine whether these suit you more than automatic or switchblade knives. Here is how a spring assisted knife works.

The blade of a spring assisted knife opens when you begin to apply some force or pressure on the thumb stud or lever attached to the rear of the blade. This causes the stored tension in the spring to let go of the resistance that was causing the knife to remain closed and the blade pops out. open only after the blade is slightly pushed open with force.

Because there is no locking mechanism that holds the blade in when the knife is in closed position, spring assisted knives require little pressure to open up-with minute resistance from the spring. The time taken to overcome this resistance however makes spring assisted knives a little slow to be deployed as compared to automatic knives. But this has also led them to be carried around legally in most states.

The convenience afforded by the spring assisted mechanism males the spring assisted knives quick to wield out, safe to carry around and legal in the United states.

Different kinds of spring assisted knives

Butterfly knife:

The most popular out of all folding knives, butterfly knives are composed of two handles enclosing a blade. The bite handle faces the sharp side of the blade and the safe handle is on the dull side. 

Because of little resistance needed to transform the knife from closed to open position, the spring assisted butterfly knives are favorite of many knife truckers who play around, rotating, flipping and spinning the butterfly knife with an athletic skill and enthusiasm.

Survival knives

Most spring assisted knives have a multi-purpose ensemble of features that can come in handy in various situations. If you are on an outdoor activity-be in hunting, camping or even just on a scenic picnic, the survival knife is your best friend. 

It’s mostly a cheap knife because the steel blade is not super strong, but the knife is built to carry out menial everyday tasks like cutting, slicing through thin layers or ripping cloth. Handle is usually constructed with nylon giving it a good grip.

Heavy-duty combat spring assisted knives

These types of spring assisted knives are frequently used by the military and police. They are built to do the tough job. A typical knife would feature a glass breaker tip with a razor sharp clipped blade which has an indent. These spring assisted knives are bulky but carry out heavyweight tasks maintaining their sharp edge for a very long time.

Bottle opener knife

This kind of spring assisted knife is unique because it also acts as a bottle opener. This feature is due to a drop point blade allowing you to flick open bottle caps. The tough blade makes the knife sturdy but it is usually made of carbon steel that tends to corrode quickly. 

Blade may have serrations but they don't interfere much in the bottle opening task. The serrated blade will easily tear but doesn't usually cut which you should keep in mind if using this knife as a self defense weapon.

Final thoughts

Looking for a perfect spring assisted knife can be tricky given the humongous amount of options available out there. The size, blade design and durability of a spring assisted knife, are things you need to keep in mind when you are about to purchase one.

Read Also: History & Uses of Brass Knuckles!