Lightning Black D/A OTF Automatic Knife - Satin Plain

Best deal for your first otf knife, in my opinion. Works fine, operates as designed. You can spend a whole lot more for the same type of knife. There are higher quality otf knives out there to be sure, but don't you just need a one handed opening cutting tool?

Bought this as my first OTF knife I love quality and durability, I'm a knife user, sometime abuser . Showed a couple friends and they ordered next day . You can't go wrong at this price, I normally carry SOGS and am still a fan, but my SOGS lay in the safe since I bought this one. I have since bought a comparable priced OTF and was sadly disappointed in quality and feel. Try one you will like it.

This is my first OTF and I’m pleasantly surprised by how well it’s made. Feels very well built and comfortable in the hand. The mechanism is snug, but not uncomfortably so. It wouldn’t accidentally go off in your pocket, so that’s a good thing. Another surprise was how sharp this thing is. You would have no problem shaving with it straight from the package. Grindworx also shipped it to me lightning fast. For the price, I don’t think you can beat it anywhere. Grab one now without hesitation. You’ll be glad you did.

I have had mine for a month. It deploys great, a nice sharp action. Just a good all around knife and a bargain. Mine was sharp and I find it fun to use.

I purchased the Lightning OTF about a week ago and I can't put it down! It's my first OTF knife and it's been pretty awesome so far. It has failed a few times since I started using it, but I ended up taking it apart and adding a bit of lubricant and it's been firing perfectly since with no misfires. It came relatively sharp out of the box and I've been using it for light everyday purposes. I had a couple of questions before buying this knife and sent Grindworx an email looking for some info and I received a quick informative response. Can't beat the Lighting OTF for the price. I will definitely be buying more knives from this site. \m/

I just purchased this knife after watching the video reviews and because of the very reasonable price. I really wasn't sure what to expect for $34.99. I am extremely surprised with the quality and action of it. I needed a new knife for general work, something in my pocket that was hefty enough to do the job without needing to run back to my toolbox every time I needed to make a cut. This knife is solid, basically no play in the blade, sturdily built with an aluminum frame AND it came out of the package with a Sharp blade. It's not a thing of beauty that you show off to your friends or put in a frame (although it's not ugly) but it gets the job done when a sharp edge is required. I highly recommend this knife. And I also have to say Grindworx has been great. My first time ordering from them and the communication was excellent, shipping was fast, and you can't beat their prices. Even the cheesy videos they have demonstrating their products and how they work are fun. I've already ordered two other knives and have a stack on my Wish List!

It’s way better than you would expect at this price.

This is a great deal! Mine has NEVER misfired after 2 years. And I have tried to make it. Will not disappoint. If I win a gift card for reviewing it, I am going to get another one! HA

Been carrying this knife for three years out on the ranch, and I can guarantee this is the most used and abused Lightning out there. Its like the Mars lander - lasting WAY past its expected life. I have hacked down trees, gutted hogs opened beers and everything else you can imagine on a daily basis. This knife really likes to be cleaned and sharpened every month or so to keep its action crisp. Never use any oil or it collects dust and gums up. If you keep it in your pocket it will collect lint and eventually need to be cleaned out. The one handed action is a lifesaver on the ranch. Don't waste your money on expensive knives, just take care of this one and spend your cash on beer and babes.

This is my first "OTF" knife and thus far am quite impressed. As most have stated, the blade play is somewhat disconcerting but I do not see where it would be a problem for light tasks. I am a paramedic and carry a couple blades with me for various reasons and will be carrying this one for a few shifts or so to see how she does. I am satisfied.. as well as a bit impressed with this purchase. I believe OTF knives may be the perfect carry option. Came sharp.. hasn't misfired despite firing it hundreds of times already, and the pocket clip is sturdy and keeps it right where placed (which is a HUGE plus)!

Picked up two of these; One Red, One Black, both plain satin blades. They both fire every single time, very little blade play, and really a fun, handy knife to have around. And at $40 bucks, people can stop obsessing over blemishes like they do on their Microtech's and Benchmade's.

Will be buying a few more of these for sure.

This is a great knife for the price. I would highly recommend the Lightning for a starter OTF knife. Bladeplay is a great place to order quality cutlery. I actually made a mistake on my address, it was automatically corrected for my shipping address and my order arrived one day early. Excellent service.

The Lightning line of knives are well worth the the small investment, and then some. 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 jimping is a definite plus. The pocket clip is strong and keeps these knives securely in place. I would highly recommend the Lightning line of knives for EDC to anyone looking for a practical, tough and reliable OTF-DA knife design.

I've had my Lightning for 4 years now and never has it misfired unless I made it. Great OTF for light/everyday tasks. Really cannot be beat for a budget or first time OTF knife. Only problem I EVER had with it was the pocket clip breaking, which I fixed with 2 part epoxy putty. Still going strong.

Like it. Just wish it was made out of more better materiel. Knife is very sharp.

My friends all think it's cool. I know that's nerdy but you gotta take it where you can get it. Lol

It broke after several openings and closings. But they are giving me a full refund. They been super nice about it. Great place to buy and great customer service.

Ordered two of these knives. One day after I received them one of them broke. I took it apart to see what was the problem. One of the spring hooks had sheared off. Called Blade Play to return the knife and was told taking it apart voided the warranty. Very bad policy. Did I mention the knife was one day old.

Amendment: Called Blade Play back and they have agreed to send a spring assembly to fix my issue.

Great knife for the price. Always wanted an otf and this is an a knife that fits my budget. Listed as 440 stainless but if it was aus8 or d2 the price would skyrocket. Fun to play with and passed all my edc light duty carry tests. You can't kill the action. Had it one day and already have fired it hundreds of times. Buy it.

I've been collecting knives for over 40 years. I've got some high dollar Italian, and OTF knives. The Lightning is my everyday carry knife. I've carried it well over 2 years, and it's never failed me. Holds an edge great too. Mine is missing a lot of paint, but I think it gives it character. I could shoot it with some spray paint and it would look like new again if I wanted to.

Unlike my other lightings this one deploys slow and has miss fired a few times. Unusual for the lighnings. The rest of my collection is super fast.

I've been carrying this knife for 2yrs and have not had even one issue. Great knife for the price and the price is a bargain. You won't be disappointed.

This is a $20 knife at best. It misfired about 15 out of the first 50 times (doesn't catch when when retracting.) It also makes a gawd-awful spring "boing" when opening. On the plus side, it was pretty sharp and seems sturdy enough. I would recommend spending a little more on something of quality.

I've had this amazing automatic blade for about a year now. I can account for its' durability, usefulness, and the "cool-factor" that it brings to the table. It has been used for everything from cutting open boxes to cutting food. The belt clip is sturdy and the mechanism is reliable. I've pushed and pulled back on the sliding lever with my thumb over and over rapidly many times to show others how great it is. I've read reviews about misfires... I honestly wouldn't even know how it looks to misfire because not once has it happened on me. It's possible there may be a few slightly defective ones in the batch, but nothing to be concerned over. Nowhere else on the Internet will you find a better price for a better auto dual action OTF blade

My Lightning magically appeared in my mailbox the very day they became legal here last year--imagine that!

Eight months later, it is still going strong. Yes, I also have a MicroTech Combat Troodon, but that is for other purposes. The Lightning sees use daily for opening boxes, etc.

I can't remember it ever mis-firing, unless I made it. Even if it does, a quick flip of the wrist and it's back on track.

It fires WAY easier than my MicroTech, but there is NO WAY this could ever fire without your intending it to. I'd never buy a single action OTF--I wouldn't trust it w/the safety off in my pocket, and having to mess with a safety sort of defeats the purpose of an auto, IMHO.

For the price, the build quality is good. Yes, there is a bit of blade play side-to-side (minimal) and a lot downward (about an eighth of an inch, which is slightly annoying) but any OTF will have some play--just the nature of the beast.

The blade seems "440ish"--takes a wicked edge fast, but also loses it pretty fast as well (I do admit that cardboard is hard on any edge).

The paint on the handle will wear. I keep mine in the same pocket as my keys, so the front end is pretty bare now--who the HE Double Hockey Sticks cares?

The clip did loosen up a bit, but a little Loc-Tite fixed that right up.

Bottom line: Even if you have the scratch to afford a MicroTech, get one of these as well. You always need a "beater" and this one will take a beating and keep on working.

I've really enjoyed this knife, it rarely misfires and is fun to use. My only complaint is that it is rather loud when it is closed due to the blade rattling around in the handle. I would highly recommend it nonetheless, it is a great knife for the price.

This thing is better than described it is made to be used every day I don't leave my house without it it's super sharp and tough this by far is the best knife I have ever owned!

This knife is awesome. Right out the box it was razor sharp. It hasn't misfired once.

The knife seemed flawed at first, constant misfires, but after several hundred opens it works almost perfectly now. Less than 10 misfires in 100 approximately. Fires hard and fast. The paint is perfect.
Blade is dangerously sharp, it can sliver newspaper into ribbons. Very solid when open although there's some play.
Would buy another with black serrated blade definitely.
8-17 -UPDATE - spring has 'calmed down' a little and it only misfires once in every 100 openings or so, very rarely. Still real sharp and easy to sharpen.

great buy, but it does misfires

I had been thinking about getting an otf da since my state passed the law last year, and finally plunked down for this one to start with. Very nice. Did a lot of research first. Extremely sharp, nice blade, consistent and strong action. Big blade but actually lightweight. The dual action is much safer and more handy then the assisted which we have had legal for years now, as it is much safer to close. The button is not easy to pull, so effectively is like having a child lock or safety. But easy enough for fast action.

The action is FAST. the blade is SHARP! and the fit and finish is great. just an occasional misfire keeps this from five stars.

Had to edit my original review. After examining the knife, I found out it was just a misfire, and I was able to fix it. Therefore, the product performs well at the price. I would recommend it.

I use this as a work utility knife and the thing just keeps on trucking. Holds an edge really well and shows no signs of tarnish or scratches despite the abuse. Definitely suggest for a cheap OTF

This, for the price point, is an excellent knife.
I've been carrying one daily for some time, with daily use.
No ... it was not a "razor" out of the box, yet with very little work on my sharpener it sure is. Maintains it's edge fairly well, even with hard service.
A man would be hard pressed to find a better value in a one hand EDC.

I've own this knife now for a year and I never had any problems with it, came off track but easy to fix, came in razor sharp, and blade pops right out, has a good edge, like it supposed to, and this is a must have worth for the money, and this is a Microtech knock off, I love this knife and I'm happy with my purchase.

This is such an awesome knife, that I got mine three days ago,and have already ordered another, just to have a back-up. You cant go wrong with this purchase.

Excellent knife for the price. Mine does misfire once or twice out of every 100 firings, but when it does, all I have to do is then inertia-open it and it goes right back on track every time. I don't know what the blade steel is but I can assure you that after a few strokes on the ceramic it's razor sharp, one of the sharpest knives I own. There is definitely blade play in all four directions but it's not too bad .... it'll still cut. This knife is great for impressing your friends who have probably only seen OTF automatics in the movies and don't even know where to get one. They'll love playing with it, flicking it in and out over & over like a tattoo needle.