I am a big fan of the Benchmade mini Barrage and the Kershaw speedsafe knives. You can’t go wrong with any of the axis-assist. I have the non-assist of the BM tanto 913. The axis-assist has a solid lockup and can be made so that it can be manual opening.
I have the discontinued large Kershaw speedsafe Speed Bump, this is a first generation of the Ken Onion speedsafe design…very smooth opening. It fits nicely in my hands with the contour handle and there is a flipper to open the blade quicker than any thumb stud assist opening knives.
The smaller Kershaw are available at the Kershaw Store:
Both are pricey but will worth it.