Lightning Black D/A OTF Automatic Knife - Satin Serr

Updated/Edited Review - 11/15/2019: 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 love this knife I have quit carrying all my other knives. I’m about to order 2 more as backups.

I believe in giving honest reviews, including both the pros and cons of the product. First the cons: the knife wasn't sharp at all when I got it, so I had to put an edge on it and sharpen it myself. It did take an edge and sharpen up nicely, though (not sure this is really a con since it was easily remedied). Second, several of the case screws were loose. You'll want a T10 Torx driver/bit on hand to tighten them back up. Now the pros: Wow, this knife absolutely ROCKS! Very snappy, fun, heavy duty, feels good in the hand, very little blade play when deployed, great action. For the price, I'll give this knife a 5-star rating all day long. The cons were so minor they pale in comparison to the pros. A must have for any knife collection. Highly recommend! Thanks, Blade Play!

Time to order another for a friend! If he loves it I will be back for another one! Haha! As far as durability, do NOT send it through a nuclear reactor core ^_^; otherwise, it will hold up as a perfect EDC!

This is a great knife in the OTF category. Feels good in the hand. The mechanism is "lightning" fast.

Easy to carry. Personally… I'm not fond of the pocket clip.

Bought this one and the Dagger red version. Love this black one more. It's significantly heavier then the other which I like. Both were very sharp. This one is also not as loud as my Dagger

Love this knife!!!! Gonna be my EDC. Great quality. Opens and closes super fast and smooth. Highly recommend.

This is one cool knife. I bought one for my brother as a gift. Upon it's arrival I immediately bought two more to give as gifts. Feels good in the hand and the blade comes out so fast your eye can barely register, but if the point hits something while deploying it stops immediately. Won't even punch a hole in a piece of paper unless you anchor the paper in place, but once fully deployed it locks in place firmly. Definitely safe to carry.

I used this knife for my edc for a few months, it was very nifty working in a shop where I may only have one hand available to open a knife, and having it double action was a bigger plus. Very nifty, fun to play with, easy to show off. It fires very strong and fast, but if it comes in Contact with something while firing it falls off the track easily, will barely go through a piece of paper. However, after 3-4 months of hard use and wear, it finally gave out on me. I tore it open (which I do NOT recommend doing if it still works, a lot of small parts) and a piece of metal in charge of firing the blade had bent, but what can I expect from a 40 dollar knife. I don't recommend getting the black blade, as it scrapes a bit when fired and that finish would wear off easily. The blade also rattles in the handle, but no worse than someone who keeps their keys clipped on a belt. Overall a decent knife for the price, if you want a budget d/a otf this is the one you should get.

This knife feels very durable in my hand, it doesn't feel cheap, which is awesome. Nice sharp blade. I was able to shave with it. No misfires yet. Shipping was fast.

Excellent knife, functions flawlessly, well worth the money.

I really like the Lightning. Mine is the plain blade, not the serrated.

As Bladeplay notes, there were a few spots of finish missing. Who cares? If this was a couple hundred bucks, that is a different story.

The blades fires very hard and fast. Mine has never gone off track. It was reasonably sharp out of the box. A few seconds on the leather belt on my belt grinder and it easily shaves hair off the arm.

I've been using it for EDC until I get a pocket sheath for my Godfather done (I carry keys, etc. in my front right pocket and they will scar up a knife--don't care if they take the finish off the Lightning, DO care if they damage the Godfather).

The one and only complaint I have with the Lightning is the upward blade play. 1/8" as close as I can measure. Downward and side-to-side play is minimal. One would think this could be improved.

So, yes, this knife is well worth the money and I recommend it for those who want a nice OTF and don't have the Benjamins for a Microtech.

The guy's at Bladeplay were great and I got this knife very fast. For the price you cannot believe how nice it is, if you're thinking about getting one stop thinking and get one.

I purchased my first Lighting when they originally came out, and they were selling with a "two for" discount, and I'd still be using it, if I hadn't give it away, but the guy I gave it to "is". I've purchased at least a dozen of these for gifts, and I guarantee you, that everyone of them are loved by their owners! It's my EDC, and will remain so. FYI, I own two Microtech OTFs and the look great on the shelf! LOL!

This knife is razor sharp out of the box. Fires hard and fast, blade locks tight in and out with no blade play to speak of. No misfires at all.

It has a nice weight to it as well. Being a collector and outdoorsman this is destined to be my new EDC. Thank You Bladeplay

BAD TO THE BONE. I AGREE WITH THE REST OF THE 5 STAR REVIEWS. GO AHEAD AND BUY ONE YOU WILL LOVE IT!

This is my 2nd Lightning and this time I got the serrated edge. This knife is lightweight, FAST and very SHARP!! For the price of $30, this is a smokin deal.

Have had mine for over four years its my edc I use it for work in a assembly plant and for any other task I have its rugged and reliable still fires and locks up perfect love this knife

Two years ago I purchased a
Lightning for a good friend of mine. He wanted an OTF, and I told him all the cheap ones were junk. He works in the food service industry ,and I know for a fact that he put his Lighting through the wringer. He lost it recently, and asked me to get a new one for him. I got two. One for him, and one for me. Two years of constant abuse with no problems is a great record in my book. I got him the custom Linos kydex sheath too. I bet he doesn't lose this one. = )

A small handy quick firing edc knife that gets the job done every time. A must have edc for jobs big and small. A real nice knife. I cant say. Enough good things about this knife. Just buy it.