The changes I made to kyle's THA otf knife was the shape of the thumb actuator, and I added a snap-in ledge to top and bottom, so that it would stay closed without screws or glue.
The key to the reliability is:
1. Printing the spring and slide in ABS, this gives the knife better stability, as ABS is less likely to change shape with use, as PLA does. I noticed the slide distorts under pressure, so ABS is better able to resist that distortion, as that distortion makes the slide rub against the blade
2. I printed the top and bottom with all top surfaces ironed for smoothness, as this affects reliability
3. I printed the blade and slide on a smooth PEI bed, again for smoothness
4. The rubber band only needs to be light band (I used a rubber band from a bunch of asparagus)
5. The snap-in ledge improved kyle's THA otf knife, as it kept the top and bottom closed, kyles knife the top and bottom separate with use
Note:
1. If the blade does not catch every time, try bending the spring slightly to increase catch tension
2. lightly lubing the blade and slide may help also
Printing details:
The author remixed this model.