REVIEW – I have reviewed my fair share of great EDC knives here at the Gadgeteer but for the most part they have all been fancy pocketknives. For this review, Tekto Gear has sent me one of their automatic knives with a blade that snaps in and out the front of the handle with a flick of the thumb. While Tekto Gear offers many automatic knives, the Amber is one of two variants recently released made from hardwood and steel creating an excellent old world look and feel.
What is it?
The Tekto Gear Amber is an Out the Front (OTF) automatic knife, where the internal mechanism ejects the blade out the top of the handle and locks it into place and retracts it with the opposite motion. The Amber is made from a reddish hardwood and high-quality steel giving it a classic look and feel compared to other lightweight, high-tech knives (aka carbon fiber or titanium).
Before I write a knife review, I consult several of my friends who are knife aficionados who educate me on the nuances of what I am looking at more often than not. In this case, this is the feedback I received on the Amber…
A switchblade swings out from a folded position and needs to be manually reset. A stiletto is spring loaded straight out and can be retracted automatically. Much faster and efficient… The heels ? on the shoes were named after the knife.
…cause I totally thought/assumed that an Out the Front (OTF) automatic knife was a switchblade but apparently not.
Design and features
Craftsmanship and build quality:
As I stated above, the Amber automatic knife is made from two pieces of reddish hardwood that sandwich five plates of stainless steel. The seven layers of the handle are stacked and held together by six hex bolts. The build quality is very good though not as precisely machined as most other knives I have reviewed. But that is just fine with me…the Amber has an old world, Game of Thrones’ vibe to it.
The two-tone blade is 3.8 inches long and very sharp. Tekto Gear uses chrome in their steel blades that adds greater rust resistance, strength, and durability. In this case, they powder coat the blade, then machine it giving a great metal and black color scheme. When deployed, the blade has a slight wiggle in all directions. I believe that is due to how the spring mechanism is engineered. The movement isn’t bad but noticeable when you jiggle the knife.
Specifications:
- Colors: Black, Red
- Total Length: 8.9″ (228mm)
- Blade Length: 3.8″ (97mm)
- Blade Thickness: 0.06″ (1.6mm)
- Weight: 0.58lbs (263g)
- Material: Chrome Steel
Feel & function:
The Amber knife has an excellent weight and quality feel to it. The contoured handle holds very well in the hand with the wood exterior giving it a smooth, natural feel. At over half a pound, the Amber has a nice heft to it when held but is definitely heavier than your typical EDC knife.
I say this with a bit of hesitation, I recognize the Amber automatic knife is dangerous and could be lethal in the wrong hands. That said, as my first automatic knife, it is surprisingly fun to use. When I was a teenager I received a Safeway bag filled with M-80’s and for a month I blew stuff up…no one was hurt and I still have all my fingers. But it was some serious (destructive) fun nonetheless. Even with more than 3 decades under my belt since then, this automatic knife is just as much fun to flip in and out. Silly as that sounds.
The switch is firm and takes a decent amount of force to fire/retract the blade, making accidental deployment less likely. Since I received the Amber OTF automatic knife, I have flipped it in and out countless times. The spring mechanism seems very solid and does not give any indication of failure. Though the system does need to be maintained, Tekto has a page dedicated to walking you through how to clean and lubricate mechanism.
The Amber automatic knife has an integrated window breaker and a rigid, well-made belt clip on the butt end of the handle.
What I like
- Excellent build and material quality
- Made from hardwood and stainless steel
- Chrome steel blade
- Great weight and old world feel to it
- Smooth action and easy to use
- Integrated window breaker and belt clip
What needs to be improved
- The blade does not lock perfectly into place, has a slight wiggle in all directions
Legal or not legal:
Tekto Gear does a good/solid job trying to keep buyers on the straight and narrow road. One of their forums is dedicated to helping you determine if it is legal to own an automatic OTF knife based on where you live. This page goes state by state on the legal details of ownership.
Final thoughts
The Tekto Gear Amber automatic knife is very well made with an excellent old world feel. Its OTF and hardwood/steel design would certainly add a bit of uniqueness to your EDC gear. The stainless, chrome steel blade is extremely sharp and nicely machined. It cut through paper, wood, meat, etc. with relative ease. If this sort of knife is legal where you live, it is definitely worth considering.
Price: $165.99
Where to buy: You can buy the Amber automatic knife direct from the Tekto Gear.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Tekto Gear.
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
I bought one of these from them for around $169.00. Super cool until it broke after about 12 uses. Sent back. Really wanted it to be good but it also seemed unreliable. I wouldn’t want my life to depend on it. (1) didn’t lock out consistently. (2) wiggly.
WARNING Tekto Gear will steal your money and never deliver the product you ordered!!! They are a scam site!!! When you ask for a refund, they will stop answering your emails!!! DO NOT TRUST TEKTO GEAR!!! THEY WILL STEAL YOUR MONEY AND NOT DELIVER YOUR THE PRODUCT YOU ORDERED!!!
Your review was great until I read the line “I say this with a bit of hesitation, I recognize the Amber automatic knife is dangerous and could be lethal in the wrong hands.” A knife ? Dangerous in the wrong hands? How odd I would never thought that a knife that has a certain opening mechanism would be more dangerous than a knife without. I guess the cold steel espada I carry or the Zt 301 thats in my pocket isn’t as “lethal” as my microtech halo 2 otf. Hmm guess I need to carry that more, just in case I need to defend myself more lethally. I guess the same is true for my edc revolver, probably not as lethal as my sp01 since its less scary looking. Guess my bolt action .300 win mag isn’t good enough to take a deer or pig, cause it isn’t a baby killing ar15. Smh
It’s probably more of a reaction to the fact that this style of knife is actually illegal in a lot of areas.
Well maybe im blessed to live in a free state, but come on it’s just common sense that certain tools are dangerous as group not just as individuals that deserve demonization. It bothers me that some individuals think that a otf is more dangerous than any other type of knife, thats just fear mongering.
OTFs almost always wiggle in the open position. It the nature of the beast. Some are better.
3knives.com offers Italian and Asian made otfs along with many other style knives.
The blade when deployed will not push through skin. It could give you a tiny tiny pin prick, but non of my otfs have ever cut me. I’ve tried many times and my Italian and Asian made knives can not stab upon deployment. They can penetrate through a sheet of thin paper.
These knives I’m more of a novelty then a useful EDC.
Oh boy. “Gee I blew up a bunch of M80’s when I was a kid and I didn’t blow off any fingers so….”. Perhaps we need more contributors who had blown off their fingers using M80s and dangerous fireworks to balance that?
Pretty irresponsible statement in a review of a knife, isn’t it?
Tekto sucks! Ordered a new knife recommend by The Chive…4 weeks later they have my money, no knife and BS response from them. DO NOT TRUST A COMPANY THAT WILL NOT PROVIDE A PHONE NUMBER. run away from TEKTO.!
I’ve had the same experience with them. I ordered a knife, now I’m on day 21and still no knife. When I finally did contact someone they said it was on the way, but still no knife. I will not do anymore business with these idiots, and I recommend that others don’t waste their time with Tekto!
First, a stiletto does not even have to be an automatic knife. Stiletto is the shape, for piercing. Many ‘switchblades’ and stilettos are side-opening. This knife style is known as an OTF, double action. It is also a switchblade. An OTF switchblade. The blade configuration is spear-point. I have 3 of these ‘Amber’ knives, from dhgate. com. You can search for (BM 3300 McHenry) I paid about 24 dollars each. Shipping was free. From China.
I agreed with the above comment about Tekto Automatic knives, I’m getting ready to return my second otf knive ! Bad company or something is wrong with them. And I have to pay to return it and wait 4 to 5 weeks for results.
I want you to openly publish Tekto’s phone number. I bought the “Amber” knife based upon the pictures on their website. The knife arrived and is NOT the same as the pictures on the site. Multiple emails have been sent with no reply. If you are going to give good reviews for a company that thus far has NO CUSTOMER SERVICE then at least give the contact information for the rep at the company that you are dealing with.
Greg, I’ve emailed the PR person who arranged the sample and have asked him to contact you. Please let me know if you don’t hear something in the next couple of days.
Still no reply from Tekto. I’m curious if the “PR” person ever replied to you?
Yes, he replied on the 8th and thanks for the heads-up and CC’d a couple people. Send me an email and I’ll share his email address with you so you can contact him directly.
I’m not critical of Tekto Gear knives as a product or sales platform. They sell generally good dependable knives. They are providing convenient access to products of uncommon availability for a profit. They satisy a convenience niche to less adventurous consumers (fear of Asian product websites).
From my experience, most of the Tekto Gear OTF knives appear to be rebranded replicas from Asia (Benchmark clones, etc.). Most models can be found on various Asian websites for a FRACTION of Tekto’s price (80% or more).
The “new” and improved Amber simply has a stripe of abalone-looking material added. These identical-looking models are found all over some notable Chinese websites ($20’s – $30’s plus shipping).
When we review these products, I believe sourcing, availability, and pricing are also important quality metrics. In my opinon Tekto Gear misrepresents or grossly overstates the quality of their products. Profit markup is extreme. But as long people are willing pay (and feel good about their purchase), Tekto is definitely within their right to charge what they charge.
Im in agreement about the custoner service. Im on day 14 after order and still dont even have a shipping confirmation. No reply to emails or direct messages via the website “contact us” messanger. I cant even get a reply to cancel my order. Could i get the pr persons email address also?
what size are the handle screws?