By South Summit Team. Updated November 5, 2026. Every pick was in stock at the listed price when this was published.
Side opening vs OTF comes down to what you do once the blade is out. Get a side-opening automatic if you cut with it every day, since it costs less here. Get an OTF if you open and close it all day with one hand. The knife we would hand most buyers is the Midnight Highway Heritage Stiletto ($16.99). It is second in 30-day order dollars among our automatics, behind a $62.99 knife whose listing leaves out blade length. It ties for the lowest price of the top four and has a full spec sheet: a 3.875-inch blade, 5 inches closed, a safety switch and a pocket clip. Skip it if you want to close the blade with your thumb, and get the Kawaii Quickdraw OTF ($36.99).
Side opening vs OTF at a glance
Both are automatics: a spring opens the blade when you press a button or push a slide. They differ in which way the blade travels and how it goes back in.
| Side-opening automatic | OTF (out the front) | |
|---|---|---|
| How it opens | A spring at the pivot swings the blade out of the side | The blade runs along a track and out the front of the handle |
| How it closes | Release the lock and fold the blade by hand | The same slide pulls it back in (double action) |
| Holding open | A blade lock; the picks below do not list the lock type | The blade locks at full extension, per Microtech's support guide |
| Upkeep | Fewer moving parts | Keep grit out of the track |
| Price range in stock today | About $7 to $66 | About $12 to $83 |
Every OTF in this store is double action. In the owner's words: "Every OTF knife we sell is double action. We do not carry single-action OTF knives." For the track and springs inside, read OTF knives explained.
What is on the shelf today
Our OTF knives collection has 259 models in stock. By listed blade style, 103 are daggers, 70 are spear points, 43 are tantos (42 listed as American tanto, 1 as tanto), 28 are clip points and 7 are drop points. The other 8 are three talon karambits, two trailing points, a bowie, a wharncliffe and one straight blade.
The automatic knives collection, home of the side-openers, has 137 models in stock, and 54 of them list Stiletto as their theme. If you want a classic stiletto, the side-opening shelf has far more of them. If you want a dagger blade, the OTF shelf has the most.
The eight picks side by side
| # | Pick | Type | Price | Blade | Closed | Clip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spectrum Shift Push-Button Automatic Knife - Assorted Colors | Side-opening | $62.99 | Not listed | Not listed | Yes |
| 2 | Midnight Highway Heritage Stiletto Automatic Knife - Black Marble | Side-opening | $16.99 | 3.875 in | 5 in | Yes |
| 3 | Heritage Roadster Bolster-Release Stiletto Automatic Knife - Ivory | Side-opening | $16.99 | 3.875 in | 5 in | Yes |
| 4 | Godfather Presence Italian Stiletto Automatic Knife - White Marble | Side-opening | $18.99 | 4.25 in | 5.5 in | No |
| 1 | Kawaii Quickdraw Front-Slide OTF Knife - Pink Aluminum | OTF | $36.99 | 3 in | 4.5 in | Yes |
| 2 | Kawaii Click Confidence Mini OTF Knife - Hello Kitty Pink | OTF | $15.99 | 2 in | 3.25 in | Yes |
| 3 | Kawaii Rebellion Front-Switch OTF Knife - Pink Dagger | OTF | $36.99 | 3 in | 4.5 in | Yes |
| 4 | Vector Surge Front-Switch OTF Knife - Blue Damascus | OTF | $39.99 | 3 in | 4.375 in | Yes |
How we ranked these
Each list is sorted by 30-day order dollar volume across our store network, highest first. These are the knives buyers paid for with their own money, and every one was in stock at the listed price on the day this was published. Nothing was hand-tested and nothing is sponsored. The descriptions use each product's listed specs and nothing more.
Side-opening automatics, ranked by orders
1. Spectrum Shift Push-Button Automatic Knife - Assorted Colors
At $62.99, this knife leads the automatic knives collection in 30-day order dollars. The listing gives a drop point blade with a partly serrated edge and a pocket clip. It leaves out blade length and handle material, so check the product page before you order.
View the Spectrum Shift automatic knife
2. Midnight Highway Heritage Stiletto Automatic Knife - Black Marble
This is our pick for most buyers. It lists a 3.875-inch steel stiletto blade, 8.875 inches open and 5 inches closed, an acrylic handle, 4.52 ounces, a push button, a safety switch and a pocket clip, all for $16.99.
View the Midnight Highway stiletto
3. Heritage Roadster Bolster-Release Stiletto Automatic Knife - Ivory
Its listed numbers match the Midnight Highway: a 3.875-inch blade, 5 inches closed, 4.52 ounces, a safety switch and a clip. It differs only in its polished ivory-colored acrylic handle, and the price is the same $16.99.
View the Heritage Roadster stiletto
4. Godfather Presence Italian Stiletto Automatic Knife - White Marble
This is the longer stiletto. It lists a 4.25-inch spear point, 9.75 inches open, 5.5 inches closed, 5.4 ounces and a plastic handle. It has a safety switch but no pocket clip, so it suits a bag or a collection better than a pocket.
View the Godfather Presence stiletto
More side-openers, ranked by orders, are in best automatic knives under $50.
Out-the-front picks, all double action
1. Kawaii Quickdraw Front-Slide OTF Knife - Pink Aluminum
It has the highest 30-day order dollars of any OTF in stock. It lists a 3-inch steel spear point, 7.5 inches open and 4.5 closed, an aluminum handle, a slide button and a pocket clip. At 2.75 ounces it is lighter than any of the stilettos above.
2. Kawaii Click Confidence Mini OTF Knife - Hello Kitty Pink
For $15.99 you get a 2-inch dagger blade in a handle that is 3.25 inches closed, with a pocket clip. The listing does not give the blade steel or handle material.
View the Kawaii Click mini OTF
3. Kawaii Rebellion Front-Switch OTF Knife - Pink Dagger
It is the same size as the Quickdraw: a 3-inch blade, 4.5 inches closed and 2.75 ounces. The listing gives a matte black dagger blade, a plastic handle and a switch button.
4. Vector Surge Front-Switch OTF Knife - Blue Damascus
It lists a 3-inch blue spear point with a Damascus etch finish, a 4.375-inch closed handle, 2.85 ounces, a front switch, a clip and a deluxe sheath. The listing does not name the blade steel. Its draws are the finish and the included sheath.
Side-opening automatic or OTF: how to choose
Start with the job. BladeMag puts it plainly: "If you need utility, an OTS is the way to go." (OTS means out the side.) The stilettos here measure 8.875 to 9.75 inches open.
Pick an OTF if you open and close the knife many times a day. Knife Depot says to choose one "if you want the cleanest one-handed operation." BladeMag also notes that with a side-opener you first move your fingers out of the blade's swing, while an OTF fires out the front with no change of grip.
After that, compare the listings:
- Pocket clip: the Godfather Presence has none, and every other pick does.
- Closed length: the OTF picks are 3.25 to 4.5 inches closed, against 5 to 5.5 inches for the stilettos.
- Weight: the 3-inch OTFs list 2.75 to 2.85 ounces, and the stilettos list 4.52 and 5.4.
- Safety: all three stilettos list a safety switch, and BladeMag notes that a safety adds "a second or two" before the blade is out.
- Upkeep: Black Country Outdoor says an OTF has more moving parts and needs its track kept clear, while a side-opener is simpler to maintain.
Rules on automatic knives differ from place to place, so check your state and city rules before you order either type.
Questions buyers ask
Is an OTF knife a switchblade?
Both are automatic knives. In everyday speech "switchblade" usually means the side-opening kind, and Knife Depot uses the word that way when it compares the two.
Does an OTF blade lock open?
Microtech's support guide describes its OTF blades locking into place when fully open. It adds that most of its OTFs have a fail-safe that stops the blade from locking if it hits something before it is fully out, and that pulling the blade fully open by hand locks it again. If a knife still slides loose or misfires after cleaning, follow the maker's service guidance.
Which is cheaper, side opening or OTF?
Side-openers. Three of the four side-opening picks cost $16.99 or $18.99, and the automatic knives collection runs from about $7 to $66, against about $12 to $83 for OTFs.
Do I have to push an OTF blade back in by hand?
Only on a single-action OTF, where the spring fires the blade and you reset it yourself. We do not carry those. Every OTF here is double action, and the slide that opens the blade also closes it.
Which needs more cleaning?
The OTF. Black Country Outdoor says grit in the track can stop it running smoothly, and a side-opener has fewer parts to look after.