......and barring all other opinions of different knives altogether, what would you pick over the other and why?

H&K Benchmade 14430

Kershaw Emerson Launch 5

Both made in the USA, price point is almost the same, about the same size, both have thumb jimping I like...........

I would say the HK. I like the D2 steel

I'm not into automatic knives...  having said that, I think the Emerson is the better choice.  I like the blade steel more, the handle shape more, the handle material more - than the H&K Benchmade.  The only thing I like more on the Benchmade is the blade shape (although the D2 isn't bad).

I have one of these and it's a slick knife
http://www.bladehq.com/item--Meyerco-18XRay-Automatic--2347


....that's all I got

I'm leaning towards the HK...

But....


Then I saw this:  Turmoil

I love OTF's and that's a Benchmade OTF for $200

Now my decision is harder.....and more expensive

I know that you said "between these two", but ...  Look up Benchmade Mini Auto Presidio 5500 (or the full size 5000).  Has the axis lock design, is very well constructed,  and is the best dang auto folder that I have used on a daily basis.  They are basically auto Griptillians with aluminum scales.

I have a Launch 1 (which is a bit different than the 5) and I'm quite pleased with it.  

I don't think you'll find a tremendous difference in build quality, so it really depends on which steel is better for your use.

Well thanks for the opinions and advice gents.  I ended up going with the HK.  I don't have anything made by Benchmade already and I wanted to check out the D2 steel.

It's very light and came very sharp though the grind is kinda ugly.  Fit and finish are very nice.  This aint no show piece for sure, but it's put together well.  Brass bushings are nice to see.  The button is pretty "gritty" in that it sort of catches a few times on its way down.  To me, this is a pretty common and annoying aspect of most autos that aren't a kabillion dollars.  Hopefully it will wear in as time goes on.  My only complaint is that the spring seems pretty weak......that said it did jump out of a coworker's hand so maybe that's in the eye of the beholder.

You chose wisely "Grasshopper"


Thinking I need one.