This is a liner lock assisted opening knife. The knife opens easily and smoothly with one hand operation, using either the thumb stud or with the small extension on the blade which sticks out of the spine of the knife (see photos). The blade is stainless steel with some stylish cutouts. I bought the blade that is partially serrated. The pocket clip is oriented for point down carry, which works well for me. The thickness of the handle is an eighth of an inch thicker than a comparable Gerber knife, but the blade is a quarter inch longer. The metal parts have good fit, although you can wiggle the blade a little bit more than the Gerber. The liner lock functions as it should and has a tight lockup, but is easily manipulated for one hand closing. The blade is hollow ground and sharp. Overall, this is an excellent knife for the money