Quality everyday carry and in-case-of-emergency knives are important tools. An often ignored option are switchblades and out-the-front knives. One-handed operation and quality construction can go a long way.
On August 27,2024, Massachusetts passed a law allowing the possession of switchblades. Switchblades have various names, and this class of knife includes automatic knives and out-the-front knives. During a visit to the Great American Outdoor Show, we stopped at the Helly Tec Knives booth and were able to get a couple for testing and evaluation.
The models
The folks set us up with two models, the Large Hellion Tactical by Helly Tec and the Letter Opener by Hillbilly Hero, their sister company.
Large Hellion Tactical
The Large Hellion Tactical comes in dagger and tanto style blades. The blade finish options are polished and not polished. The handle is 5 ½ inches. The blade is 3 ½ inches. The Large Hellion is 9 inches overall.
The Letter Opener
The Letter Opener has a polished blade with a handle that is thinner and lighter than the Hellion. I carried the Letter Opener for several months as an everyday carry. The handle is 5 inches. The blade is 3 ⅜ inches. The Letter Opener is 8 ⅜ inches overall.
Features
The blades are both made from 440 stainless steel. The handles are made from titanium or cast aluminum.
Both knives have thumb buttons to open and retract the blades. The Hellion is heavier and feels more solid in your hand. It comes with a tactical pouch to carry the knife in. The Hellion and Letter Opener both have window breakers on the pommel of their handles.
Each of the knives have strong and sturdy metal pocket clips on them. The clips are ambidextrous–can be removed by unscrewing them, and switched for left or right pocket carry. I carried the Letter Opener in my right front pocket but not clipped to my pocket. I switched the clip and made the Hellion configured for a left front pocket carry. Personally, I don’t like advertising that I’m carrying a knife, so I seldom use the pocket clip in a conventional manner.
Window breakers
I was excited about the window breakers. We went to a junkyard and inquired about testing them out. What we found out is that after one or two hits, the tip became dulled. We also found out that the best place to break a window is on a corner or near the frit of a window or windshield.
The center of a window is hard to break. To break the windows, you do need to punch through the window, not just into the window. Of course, we wore gloves while we did this–I don’t think I was hitting through the window.
The extra weight of the Hellion made window breaking easier, but you still need to hit the window very hard. It was harder to break windows, overall, with the Letter Opener.
A good emergency tool?
We also cut seatbelts with the knives. I was a little surprised how easy it was to cut through them. It’s good to know that both models can easily slice through a seatbelt if needed.
Some issues
A couple of issues I had with the knives revolve around a safety feature that I didn’t know about. I tried to open the Letter Opener onto the side of an empty plastic soft drink bottle. The blade came off the track and didn’t go through the bottle–I was hoping it would. But this is a safety feature so someone cannot open the blade against or into a body part. Both knives have this feature.
There were also times when I would open the knife and it would feel like there could have been lint or dust inside the handle. Sure enough, the blade would pop off the track. Getting it back on the track is pretty easy. I’d hold the blade carefully and pull it to full extension. After that, it could click onto the track, and then I could retract the blade. I would follow up by blowing into the handle to remove any built up lint or dust.
A couple of the screws on the Letter Opener started to work their way out. But the screw heads are not the traditional Phillips or flathead, they’re Torx bits. I haven’t been able to get those back in because I don’t have the right sized bit. Applying a low grade Loctite is something to consider when dealing with screws that habitually back out.
The thumb switch on the Letter Opener was a little harder to manipulate than on the Hellion. I had a female friend who has smaller hands practice opening it and it was difficult for her. The Hellion was easier for her to open.
What’d Helly Tec have to say?
I did reach out to Helly Tec via email and inquired about the blade coming off the track and the screws that were backing out. They got back to me promptly and stated that a local Walmart would have a small tool kit that would have the correct Torx bit. They suggested using canned air to blow out the knives. Then they recommended using either fishing reel oil or some gun oil to lubricate the mechanisms of the knives to assist the blade during opening.
The quick and dirty
Pluses: Affordable. Overall, easy to use. Stout construction and well-made.
Minuses: Blades would come off the track easily. Glass-breaking pommel tip wears out after minimal use.
Both Helly Tec and Hillbilly Hero have affordable knives. Prices for the majority of their knives run between $50 up to $130. Some of their Mini Hellion models are as low as $30. They have a wide variety of knives on their website, with various handle shapes, sizes, and colors and styles.
Hillbilly Hero came be found online at:https://hillbillyhero.co and you can check them out on Instagram.
Helly Tec came be found at https://www.hellytec.net and on Instagram.
