Things about Switchblade Fin - Speedo USA

Even if the button is pressed spring tension holds the knife open. To pull back the blade the button is again pushed so that its slot lines up with the blade. Extremely-Sharp is pulled in reverse which itself pulls the blade backwards. When the blade is fully retracted the spring mounted button rests in the forward notch and once again pops up and locks the blade in the cocked position.

Because the primary spring is constantly acting upon the blade and is extended by a far greater amount and is cocked by the whole hand and arm rather than by thumb the force it can exert on the blade is higher than with a double action knife. This will quickly allow the tip of the blade to break skin when released and possibly penetrate a couple of millimetres or to travel through light clothes.

Legality [modify] Austria [modify] Starting with the Austrian Arms Act of 1996 switchblades, like all other knives, are typically legal to buy, import, possess or carry, no matter blade length or opening or locking system. The only exception are minors (specified as persons under the age of 18) and people who have been specifically prohibited from owning and bring any weapon (Waffenverbot): both groups may only possess knives which are ruled out "weapons" under the Arms Act, defined as "items that by their very nature are meant to reduce or eliminate the defensive ability of a person through direct effect".

In Austria the regulatory laws of specific states and the Assembly Act might restrict knives from being brought into a public structure, school, public assembly, or public event. Australia [edit] In Australia, switchblades are prohibited by the Customizeds (Prohibited Imports) Regulations as a Prohibited Import. Australian customizeds refer to the automatic knife or switchblade as a flick knife.

At a state and local level, most jurisdictions declare flick knives to be prohibited weapons in their particular acts, codes and regulations. Persons residing in states that do not have particular weapons legislation covering switchblades (such as Tasmania) are still covered by Federal Customs legislation, but in conditions where the state has no legislation versus such items, an exemption might be requested and gotten if approved by the chief supervisory officer of the police service in that state.