Best Value in Automatic Knives? Axial Shift Gen 3 Review

This is a review of an automatic knife. Automatic knives are subject to a variety of legal restrictions. Check your local knife laws or consult with a local lawyer before purchasing an automatic knife. Here is the American Knife and Tool Institute website for more information.

There is an undeniable thrill in firing an automatic knife, especially one that’s well-made. The feel of the mechanism, the slide of the trigger, and the sound of the blade snapping into place are both visceral and engaging. 

And while autos aren’t appreciably faster than a well-tuned flipper, they offer an experience every knife enthusiast should have. Axial, a relatively new name in the knife world, launched the Shift (its marquee offering) with a very attractive price that undercuts major competitors like Benchmade, Microtech, and Kershaw. 

But can a budget knife from a recent comer in the industry — especially on such a provocative blade as an auto — really measure up? I tested the Axial Shift Gen 3 to find out.

In short: Axial Shift Gen 3 is a knife that stacks up with the very best production dual-action OTF autos out there at a significantly lower price point. Just be mindful that, as with any automatic knife, it is subject to a variety of legal restrictions. Check the American Knife and Tool Institute website for more information.

Background Info: Automatic Knives

Automatic knives (aka switchblades) are a part of the knife industry that, for largely legal reasons, developed its own jargon and conventions. Here is some info to help you acclimate to automatics.

OTF vs. OTS, Single vs. Dual Action

To start, automatic knives come in two varieties: OTFs and OTSs. An OTF is an “Out the Front” knife. An OTS, meanwhile, is an “Out the Side” knife. 

When you think about autos, you almost always think of the classic Italian stiletto design where the knife blade pops out the front of the knife. This is an OTF. 

Quite a few manual folder designs have coil springs that interact with a button lock to make deployment automatic. So the knife deploys from the blade just like a manual, but does so with the push of a button. That is an OTS.

Additionally, the deployment can come in two forms: single and double action. In a single-action knife, pressing the button deploys the blade. But pressing it again will do nothing. In a double-action knife, the blade deploys and retracts with each button push or move of a slider. Most OTFs are dual-action, while most OTSs are single-action. 

Key Players

Typically, knife companies will specialize in automatics. The two “Techs” are the most famous of the auto-makers: Microtech and Protech.

Microtech makes mostly dual-action OTFs, while Protech makes mostly single action OTSs. Both make extraordinary knives. The Ultratech by Microtech is widely considered the benchmark for all OTF knives, in the same way that the Chris Reeve Sebenza is seen as the bar for manual folders. Protech’s lineup is a bit more complicated, but many consider its knives the yardstick by which other OTS blades should be measured.

Quality and Construction

Autos tend to be more expensive than manual folders with similar materials and build quality. OTFs, especially dual-action ones, often have considerably more blade play than manual folders. This is both normal and acceptable in the market. 

The reason owes to the deployment mechanism. The blade rests in a carriage suspended between two sets of counterbalanced springs. When the slider moves, the carriage moves and one set of springs compresses while the other un-compresses. 

If there was no blade play in this design, the friction would make deployment and retraction difficult and clunky. But this play generally does not impact lock-up.

There is one exception to this: Hawks produced the world’s first blade play-free, dual-action OTF. It is exceptionally expensive — more than $1,000 — and not readily available. Given that autos have been around for centuries, the solving of this design dilemma remains an impressive achievement. Autos tend to be more expensive than manual folders with similar materials and build quality.

Assembly, Care

Generally speaking, end consumers should not disassemble their auto knives; they contain spring-loaded blades stored under tension. Almost all auto-makers count opening up the blade as an act that voids the warranty, and some make special screws that cannot be opened without a custom driver bit.

Some knives are “conversion autos.” That is, they are made outside the U.S. as button lock manual folders, but are designed so that once they arrive in the U.S., customers can modify the knives to accept a coil spring and become fully automatic OTSs. 

Finally, because an automatic knife is completely enclosed by the handle, many OTFs carry double-edged blades. This includes dagger blades with two sharpened edges, and even knives with a straight edge on one side and a serrated edge on the other.

Axial Shift Gen 3 Knife Review

Autos are a world unto themselves. So, if you aren’t familiar with the form factor or lingo, it may prove difficult to convey just how cool they can be to hold, carry, deploy, and use. 

At the most basic level, the Shift looks and feels like a high-end tool, and the action matches. 

Limitations and Carry

I have used and carried this knife almost exclusively for 2 months since it arrived. When testing knives, there are a few tasks that I normally do with my folders that I won’t do with an OTF auto. First, because the blade is entirely enclosed, I am more careful about food prep tasks — anything sticky or crumbly (like cheese), I avoid.

For similar reasons, I am not a fan of chopping into very dirty or very dusty materials. So I avoided something cutting used visqueen vapor barrier in the dirt (which my Spyderco Para 3 chewed through in the past) or garden fabric. 

One of the very nicest parts of an OTF is the carry. The sleek handle with a fully enclosed blade goes in and out of the pocket with surprising ease. There is nothing to snag or get hung up on, and the simple shape allows for flawless retrieval. 

Real World Tests

I did use the knife around the shop as a marking knife. Because the blade sits enclosed in the handle and Axial committed to keeping a slim package, the blade stock itself is wonderfully thin. 

This thin stock was made even thinner with an expert grind, resulting in a supremely aggressive edge. Hitting lines and making precise marks was easy, even in very hard material like maple.

In building-grade wood like pine and fir, the Shift sliced through the grain almost like paper. And the easy, one-handed deployment made a real difference: I could hold down the work piece and retrieve, open, close, and stow the knife in seconds. It makes me wonder why there isn’t a serious OTF marking gauge, like one with a chisel grind (inventors, take note).

Outside the shop, the fast and fidgety deployment was fun, but didn’t make that much of a functional difference over a manual folder. For most other EDC tasks, the auto is more entertaining, but not a more functional design. 

In the food prep I did with the Shift — cutting bread dough for campfire bread, chopping veggies like broccoli and carrots — the Shift operated very much like a paring knife, thanks to its thin stock and supremely sharp edge. 

Because my complex bag-and-bin municipal trash rules, every knife I have at some point does box and waste processing. So I conscripted the Shift to try and remove some grown-over edge trimming in my yard, but it was simply too thick and dirty to cut through. 

In fact, the chore proved too tough and floppy for a traditional handsaw, a pair of tin snips, and even a Sawzall. As a result, I don’t think this was a failure of the Shift.

Locking and Finish

Throughout the testing period, I was genuinely surprised at how strong the lock up was here. I did not have a chance to handle the Gen 1 or 2 versions of this knife, but Axial focused on upgrading the lock for Gen 3. 

To the Axial Shift’s credit, it excelled at tasks, like edge trimming, that would have forced lock failure in other OTFs I have owned. I was also impressed by the flawless, smooth firing of this knife. 

While it is uncommon, almost all OTF knives I have used had some misfires, especially when you deploy and retract the blade quickly multiple times. The Shift never failed to fire or retract once.

Finally, the Shift feels tight, tuned, and luxurious. The finishes on this knife are excellent: the blackwash on this blade is even and consistent, and the handle is brushed and anodized a beautiful bright blue (there are may colors available). 

Conclusions

If autos are legal in your area, the Shift represents a tremendous value. It isn’t just cheaper than a lot of the competition; it’s also better than most of it. 

Only the very best on the market can hang with the Shift, and most of those will cost more. Until we see a mass-market Hawk auto, the Axial Shift is probably as nice a knife as you will find in the OTF space for the money.