5 Factors to Consider When Choosing OTF Knives Online

Though we like to believe we’re safe in the United States of America, the facts don’t lie. It’s a wild world out there; you never know when you’re going to run into a worst-case scenario. These scenarios can be with other humans or fighting against the element. To remedy this, people are driven to all sorts of solutions. Some take martial arts classes. Some stop going outside. Some choose to arm themselves — with knives or guns — to fight back against any threat, human or otherwise. One of the most effective and common types of knives is the OTF knife. But choosing OTF knives isn’t as easy as figuring out what to eat for dinner.

You have to make sure that your knife is going to keep you safe. 

An OTF Knife — out-the-front Knife — is also known as a sliding knife. It’s a type of pocket knife that doesn’t keep the blad out in the open, like most knives. The blade hides inside of the handle until the user flicks the slide to bring the knife out. 

OTF knives are safe, affordable, portable, and reliable ways to defend yourself. This article will walk you through some of the factors you should take into account when buying knives online. 

1. Size of Blade

The last thing you want is to go searching for the “perfect” knife, take out your credit card, pay for the thing, wait a few business days, open up your package, then find out that the knife you ordered isn’t the size you thought was best. 

Bigger isn’t always better. A long blade is great for expeditions. If you find yourself out in the wilderness, a long blade can help you complete all the tasks you need to survive. 

However, these might not be optimal in every situation. A shorter knife might actually work better for self-defense purposes since you’ll be able to carry it with you at all times. The surprise factor of a small blade might also help you get the drop on your enemy. 

Consider our TacKnives OTF Double Action Safety Knife Out-The-Front MTUB1. Though the blade is only 3.5 inches long, it comes equipped with a pair of brass knuckles. This provides anyone defending their lives options for defense that are both lethal and non-lethal. 

However, long knives are nothing to scoff at. If you’re in a state where it’s legal to carry long knives in public, consider our 11-inch Italian stiletto. The blade is almost half a foot long, and its lightness combined with the compact nature of all OTF’s makes it a great tool for anyone in close-quarters combat.

2. Durability 

When looking for OTF knife providers, it’s important to consider how they are making their knives. You don’t want a blade that’s going to break on you when you need it the most. 

OTF blades are usually made out of stainless steel — but stainless steel varies in quality. Consider the amount of carbon and chromium that’s being put to use. 

Luckily, you don’t need to worry about quality when it comes to our knives. They’re put through humidity tests, to make sure they won’t degrade; strikes tests, to make sure they stay useful; and heat tests, once again for degradations-sake. 

Our knives come with customer guarantees that they will last you a long time and work well outdoors. 

3. State Legality 

While we’re all for taking your personal safety into your own hands, it’s important to make sure you’re not breaking any laws. Breaking the law will wind you up in jail, where you won’t have any weapons — OTF knife or otherwise — to defend yourself. 

The American Knife & Tool Institute has published a helpful guide to help you understand whether or not automatic knives are legal in your state. However, the American government works a lot like a Russian nesting doll. You have to make sure your county, city, municipality, and police force don’t have their own bans on knives. 

Do some further research into your state’s legislation. See if they’ve made any legislation that stops the local ban of automatic weapons. If this is the case, then you’re safe when it comes to your OTF knives. 

In addition to this, states have their own exceptions to certain rules.

In Kentucky, you can only carry a knife if you have a weapons license. In Maryland, you can possess the knife if you don’t keep it concealed. In New York, you can only have one for the purposes of hunting, trapping, and fishing. 

3. Price

OTF knives will keep you safe — but certain retailers. . . they can really murder you with the price. There are knives out there that can run you close to five hundred dollars. 

While we’re all for quality and don’t believe you should choose a knife simply because it’s cheap, there’s a limit. At a certain point, there’s just no reason why a knife should be so expensive.

Our most expensive knives, such as the TacKnives OTF Double Action Safety Knife Out-The-Front MTU7G, will only run you around $130. We provide high-quality OTF knives without the high price. 

In addition to this, you can search for many low-cost options that still pack a punch. The TacKnives Firecracker Mini OTF Double Action Safety Knife Out The Front MN1RDP costs under thirty dollars and assures a high-quality last line of defense. Its blade is under two inches long, so you can be sure that this knife will fit in any pocket you have, no matter how small. 

But the deals don’t stop there. 

Our Scratch and Dent section features knives that have cosmetic blemishes, for a much lower price. They still work just as well as their undamaged counterparts, however, they don’t look quite as new. You can think of this as saving money by going to a used bookstore, instead of Barnes and Noble. 

The current two knives we have in there are both brass-knuckle knives. Their price is cut by over half of their original price. We’re always updating this section, so be sure to look again to see if there are some blemished weapons that you can find a home for. 

4. Shipping 

Legality doesn’t just come down to whether or not you can own a knife. . . it’s also about whether or not you can ship it. Shipping a weapon across state lines is a big no-no in the United States.

No matter who you are, no matter where you are in the country, no matter how experienced or inexperienced you are with knives, know this: Never (and we mean never) ship a knife through the U.S. Postal System. The U.S. Postal System has a lot of rules and regulations, and you can get into big trouble by disobeying this law. 

Breaking this law can get you up to a year of jail time. 

In addition to this, you should never trust an online retailer that ships through the USPS. This person is most likely very inexperienced and unreliable. 

Always ship knives through a private mail service, like Fed Ex or UPS.

Travel

While we’re here, we might as well warn you about the dangers of traveling with a knife. You are in fact allowed to travel across state lines with a knife you possess. You’re even allowed to take a knife with you in checked baggage. 

However, there are restrictions upon this. Make sure you understand what specifications you need to go through to carry your knife through the skies. Make sure you always check the legality of knives in any state you depart from and any state you arrive in. 

5. Aesthetic 

This is far from the most important part of choosing a knife. However, when you have such a wide variety of knives to choose from, why not try to buy one that suits you both aesthetically and ergonomically? 

On our website, we have knives for people of all different aesthetics: We have knives for women and we have knives for men; we have knives for people who like all sorts of different colors and we have black knives; we have knives for those looking to show off and knives for those looking to conceal; we have knives for the flashy and knives for the austere; we have knives for the patriotic and we have knives for the rebellious. 

If you’ve already taken the steps to assure quality — why not consider the aesthetic of your knives? 

Choosing OTF Knives

While America is much safer than many other countries, we’re still not immune to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. We may wind up in a worst-case scenario at any moment. This is why it is important for us to arm ourselves. 

Choosing OTF knives is never easy. Thankfully, our site makes sure you always have many options to choose from. 

For more information, contact us today.