REVIEW: Earlier this year I reviewed the Amber automatic knife from Tekto Gear. It was my first Out the Front (OTF) knife I had ever held. The Amber’s hardwood and stainless steel construction give it a great old world, Game of Thrones feel to it. Tekto recently sent me their TAKT automatic knife to take a look at for this review. It’s vibe is the polar opposite from the Amber, with a no nonsense, Special Ops air about it.
What is it?
The Tekto Gear TAKT is an Out the Front (OTF) automatic knife, where the internal mechanism ejects the blade out the top/front of the handle and locks it into place then retracts it with the opposite motion.
Design and features
The TAKT is made from an aluminum alloy and high-quality stainless steel giving it modern, tactical look and feel. When the blade is deployed, the total length of the TAKT is approximately nine and a half inches in length.
Like the Amber, the TAKT isn’t a switchblade but a stiletto knife where:
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 ? Supposedly the shoes were named after the knife.
Specifications:
- Blade Length: 3.93” (100mm)
- Blade Thickness: 0.11” (3mm)
- Total Length: 9.44” (240mm)
- Gross Weight: 0.94lb (385g)
- Material: Aluminum Alloy / 440 Stainless Steel
As I mentioned above, the handle is made from an aluminum alloy that is powder/spray-coated giving it a slight rubbery feel to it. The two side plates are held together by six hex-head bolts. The handle’s length is approximately 5.5 inches with a total weight of just under a pound.
The blade switch is located on the upper, front edge of the handle (vs the side like the Amber). The switch triggers the blade to deploy/retract and requires a good amount of force to move. So much force, it is unlikely to accidentally be actuated in your bag or pocket. Since I received the TAKT OTF automatic knife, I have flipped it in and out many, many times. The spring mechanism seems very solid and does not give any indication of issue or 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 quality of the TAKT is good but not great. There are several minor imperfections in the machining and finish of the handle, as you can see here and the picture above.
The serrated blade is made from 440 stainless steel. The blade is painted and nicely shaped. It is very sharp (as you would expect) with an extreme point on the end. The two-tone blade is 4 inches long and pretty scary looking. Tekto Gear uses chrome in their steel blades that adds greater rust resistance, strength, and durability. In this case, they paint the blade, then machine it giving a great metal/steel and black color scheme. When deployed, the blade has a zero wiggle or movement.
The TAKT has an integrated window breaker and a rigid, well-made belt clip on the butt end of the handle.
What I like
- Good material quality
- Special Ops, tactical styling
- 440 stainless steel blade
- Great weight and feel to it
- Smooth action and easy to use
- Integrated window breaker and belt clip
What needs to be improved
- Illegal in many states
- Build quality could be better
Here is a pretty good YouTube video showing several of the Tekto knives in action.
Legal or not legal
Tekto Gear does a decent 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.
The Tekto TAKT has a nice weight, size, and feel to it. Unlike the hardwood and stainless steel of the Amber, the TAKT’s coated aluminum and knurled handle give it a modern feel to it. The handle is very grippable and easy to maneuver in your hand.
Final thoughts
While not perfectly finished, the TAKT works well and gets the job done. I have actuated the automatic OTF mechanism many times and it operates flawlessly but does need to be maintained over time. For me, both the Amber and TAKT are a bit big and heavy for my EDC bag though with its window breaker end would make for a great in-car or Carhartt pocket utilitarian knife. Sadly, the TAKT isn’t legal in Washington State so I won’t be packing it around with me much, if at all.
Price: $164.99
Where to buy: The Takt automatic knife is available directly from Tekto Gear.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Tekto Gear.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiletto
the heels garnered their appellation thusly
I have a small collection of pocket knives (but far from being an expert). Other than ‘uniqueness’ I’m missing the point of these ‘OTF’ designs (and especially the additional required mechanism). What problem does this address over a traditional ‘swing out’ style mechanism?
The high price for a knife that will jam up more easily than a conventional hinged blade and need to be disassembled for cleaning makes this a total non-starter.
Couldn’t agree more. It’s a gimmick at best. And the last thing I want is that opening up into my thigh (And I don’t care how much they’ve tested it; it’s NOT worth the chance).
In IT, Henry Bowers pushed a small chromium button and a six-inch blade popped out of the slit at the end of the handle. – it’s a stiletto Stephen, not a switchblade! 🙂
I hope if you do buy from tekto that you never need any replacement parts or an honest answer from customer service. After 5 weeks trying to get nothing more than a replacement pocket clip, I finally told them to forget it. Was told several times it would be shipping out tomorrow or that week and it wasn’t. Don’t buy from these guys, overpriced and no appreciation for the customer
The products are crap and the service is worse. While the amber OTF at first appears high quality many parts are made of exceptionally low quality materials (cheap plastic) and even the body screws aren’t sufficiently long enough and lose thread near immediatly.
Customer service there is non-existent. I literally had to file a fraud complaint with my credit card provider because there trash product didn’t work for even 3 minutes.
Whoever told you that an OTF isn’t a switchblade is wrong. The legal definition is opens due to pressure on a button on the handle. Another giveaway that you’re not dealing with an expert is that they fail by saying an OTF = “stiletto”. This demonstrates a lack of knowledge since a stiletto is a narrow bladed knife made for thrusting and were originally fixed blades. Subsequent folding knives with the same blade shape led to switchblades with the same blade shape. Eventually OTF versions came about and these were what a lot of people encountered, along with the folding “stilettos”. And THAT is how the current misunderstanding of OTF being synonymous with stiletto. Hope that clears that up.
I’ve seen these types of Chinese switchblades for years. There are good ones and there are bad ones and it can be difficult to sort them out if you haven’t handled enough. I started collecting OTFs by Mircrotech and Dalton before I ever saw a cheap Chinese OTF. I’ve seen a lot of the latter and a very few good ones. Understand that all Chinese OTFs are smuggled into the USA because current customs laws prohibit import.
I bought one of your OTF knife from touch of modern and some band broke and it won’t work anymore. Had it for almost 2mons I paid $80 for a 6inch product of yours.. I just want it fixed please.
Rodney, you will need to contact Tekto Gear. We don’t sell or service products here on The Gadgeteer. We just write about them.
U have one but the bracket that the locks and sping set in the peace the button sets on broke off can I get a new peace if so how much is it.