The Italian switchblades have been the favorite of most knife collectors for decades ever since it was released. There are two variations to the Italian switchblades. First is the referred as picklock. Picklocks are stiletto-styled knives where you have to pick the blades locking collar with your thumb and index finger in order to close the blade. The second variation is the one where you no longer have to break your fingernails for trying to close the blade. There was actually a third variation but it was discontinued. The third variation was called button open/button close mechanism.
Italian switchblades are classified into two: side-opening/folding switchblades and out-the-front (OTF) switchblades.
The side-opening knife has its blade pivot out of the handle’s side. On the other hand, the out-the-front’s blade slides out of the tip of the handle. There are two types of the OTF: double action and single action. The double action OTF provides easier control of the blade by just pressing a sliding button that extends or retracts the blade. Meanwhile, the single action OTF requires manual retraction of the blade and compression of the spring.
The Italian switchblades are the all-time favorite of collectors because of its unique blade extraction and retraction mechanism. This feature also adds to the portability of the knife and thus a favorite among people who’d want to bring knives as a self-defense weapon. It may be simple in style but this is just as deadly as any other knives that you can find in any knife shop.