Best OTF Knife Under $100: the SideKick

If you searched “best OTF knife under $100,” the answer on this page is the SideKick. Lightning is about $35 aluminum. CobraTec Lightweight is about $90 D2. SideKick is $50, in stock, double-action, reversible clip, and a glass breaker.

This is a buying pick, not a catalog dump. Out-the-front automatics are state-and-local. This is not legal advice. Read Are OTF Knives Legal? and confirm your own rules before you buy or carry.

What under $100 actually gets you

A double-action OTF deploys and retracts with the slider. That is the mechanism worth paying for at this price: one-hand open, one-hand close, blade fully enclosed in the handle when it is shut.

North of $200 you are in Benchmade / Microtech territory. Under $100 you are in mid-market steel and a simple chassis. That is fine for boxes, tape, zip ties, and daily pocket work. It is not a $400 collector piece.

The pick: SideKick

The SideKick OTF is the house double-action at this price.

• $50
• Side slider, double-action
• About a 3-inch blade (ships as a serrated dagger)
• Reversible pocket clip
• Glass breaker in the handle
• In stock

Uppercut-branded knives are covered on the warranty page. That matters more at $50 than a spec sheet.

If you already like a front-facing slider, the FrontKick is also $50. This page still picks SideKick. One knife. Not a pair.

The field, not the buy

Lightning, CobraTec, and Viper-Tec show up on this query. They are the field. This page is not their roundup. SideKick is the knife we keep on the shelf.

3Cr13 is not better than Lightning 440C. SideKick wins the reversible clip, the glass breaker, and stock we can ship. There is no steel-winner crown on this table.

CobraTec Hornet is a different knife than the house Hornet Nano. Do not mix those two.

Viper-Tec’s zinc 3Cr13 mini stamped “Cali legal” at 2.00 inches is not a reason to be on this page.

Templar keepers still exist on this store. This page is not their roundup.

Best OTF for EDC under $60

• Reversible clip
• One-hand close (double-action)
• In stock

That is the SideKick.

What this page is not

It is not a short-blade / 2-inch shopping list. Nanos are a different job. Do not treat a 2-inch knife as a California hall pass. Measure the blade. Check the statute.

It is not a zero-stock roundup. If a product page cannot ship, it is not the under-$100 pick.

How to decide in five minutes

1. Confirm an automatic is legal to own and carry where you live.
2. If you want a daily-size double-action under $100, get the SideKick.
3. If you wanted a front slider instead, look at FrontKick. Still one knife.
4. Practice deploy and retract on a clear bench before it goes in a pocket. Retracted, clip on, switch not mashed against a seat.

If you want a double-action under $100 that we actually keep in stock, the SideKick is the house pick.