Am I The Only One Who Can't Stand Thumb Studs?

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My EDC rotation used to have a lot of knives with thumbstuds and I liked them just fine, but now my EDC rotation has only one knife with thumb studs, all of the other knives are Spyderco with the blade hole.

I fully embrace the usability features of modern knives and the opening devices are at the heart of this. I found that with thumb studs they are questionable in use. My thumb has to find the stud and that takes time and concentration, and I have to push on the stud just right or my thumb will slip off. So the thumb stud isn't very efficient. The only exception to this that I've found is the Kershaw Blur- its thumb studs are larger and sharper than normal, with much lower chance of my thumb slipping. Spyderco blade holes are much more reliable- the holes are easy to find and the larger ones with sharp edges give good traction and I don't ever slip. Some of the knives with smaller holes aren't so good for me. Other brands with blade holes don't do as good of a job- my only one has rounded edges around the opening hole and my thumb will slip off of the edge before I can open the knife.
 
Do you know how to get to Carnegie Hall?

PRACTICE!

I occasionally fidget with/flip my knives while I'm sitting, but while I'm standing or walking and no one else is around, I sometimes practice deploying my knife from my pocket and moving it into reverse grip - then closing it and replacing it - all using only one hand. Regardless of whether it's a flipper, thumb stud, Spydie/BM Hole (gotta love that one!) or whatever... Do that enough and it becomes second nature, don't even have to think about it - even when you are carrying different knives a lot, with different opening mechanisms and different locks. I find that even if I forget what knife I have in my pocket, when my hand pulls it out of my pocket, it instinctively knows by touch how to open it. I keep my eyes elsewhere - so that nothing to do with deploying or closing the knife and replacing it in my pocket has any visual association.

I'm not a 'knife for self-defense' proponent, but this way I can carry and enjoy all my knives with no inconvenience or worries about opening, closing, etc. And I'm not getting any younger, so I'm hoping it helps me keep my hands and fingers dexterous and relatively nimble, for my age.

bdmicarta said:
My thumb has to find the stud and that takes time and concentration, and I have to push on the stud just right or my thumb will slip off. So the thumb stud isn't very efficient.
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I’ve proclaimed my hatred of thumb studs ever since I used an opening hole and my first wasn’t a Spydie hole. It was the oval on a Buck Odessey back in the 1900’s.
 
I dislike knives without a thumb stud or hole. I like the option of manually opening the blade all the way to lock without using two hands. Flippers and automatics are loud, the slightest interference can prevent the blade from locking open and flippers are highly dependent on a good detent. It is easy to remove a thumb stud, but adding one isn't and I'm not interested in drilling holes in blades that have already been heat treated.

Off the top of my head knives that I like other than the lack of thumb stud: ZT 0452CF, Ferrum Forge Crux, TOPs Scandi Trekker Folder, Civivi Wyvern. Also, most WE knives and Bestechs, a lot of Kershaws. I would prefer to see fewer flippers and more thumb opening knives on the market.
 
Different strokes.... Personally I don't care for holes or flippers.:eek: I know they are piling up the wood and getting the stake ready now. I have never had a problem operating a knife with a thumbstud. What I really like though is a knife with a thumb disk...
 
The
James Starr said:
I was wondering if perhaps it was just the thumb studs I've had experience with. I've always wanted a Benchmade, but I never could find one I like without thumb studs. Maybe I will try the one you suggest, but it's a lot of money to spend on an experiment. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion.
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griptillian with the sheep’s foot blade has a hole in it. I think the problem is how you are thinking of the stud as a wart instead of a clitoris. It’s all in the mind.
 
rje58 said:
If you can meet up with some local knifeknuts, or have a decent knife store nearby, maybe you can check them out that way - before you part with the money.
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Ew, that would require real people. I think I'd rather just spend the money. Lulz.
 
Bastler said:
Actually, that's a reasonable solution, or better still, just unscrew them. I still open old-school lock backs by pinching the blade between my thumb and middle finger to start the motion and finishing with just my thumb pressing against the blade. Quite easily done with an axis-lock Benchmade. Of course, you will still have a hole in your blade.

And by the way, I don't much care for thumb studs, either.
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Yeah, I do sometimes use friction with my thumb to open blades with nail slits too, or I just pinch the blade and drop the handle. But I don't actually mind opening a knife with two hands usually. I just don't like the purchase I get with studs or the difficulty I have trying to sharpen blades with studs. And I feel like the studs might get in the way when slicing up near the choil, but that's not actually been a problem. I just feel like it could be. I wouldn't really mind a hole. I'd just think of my knife as a Spiderco, lulz. I didn't know they unscrewed! I guess I shoulda tried that before giving that knife to my brother.
 
I can't stand them when they're in the cutting path. It screws up through cuts. Ontario RAT knives have it figured out, most others don't.

True flippers don't have them, and neither do Spydercos.
 
Triton said:
Different strokes.... Personally I don't care for holes or flippers.:eek: I know they are piling up the wood and getting the stake ready now. I have never had a problem operating a knife with a thumbstud. What I really like though is a knife with a thumb disk...
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Witch! You know, I actually like opening a knife with a thumb stud. I just don't like using a knife with thumb studs. I didn't know a thumb disk was a thing. Maybe that wouldn't bother me.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions and recommendations. Sincerely. I do actually realize that Spiderco makes a lot of good knives sans thumb studs, and so do a lot of other makers. I was actually mostly curious if other people have issues with thumb studs or if I am just odd in that regard. The rest was actually mostly hyperbole to illustrate that it feels like maybe it's just me. Don't stop the recommendations though. There have been some really good ones that I really hadn't considered. I just wanted to clarify my actual question. I can see that I actually wasn't real clear, and it did sound like I was asking for advice, but I really was curious to see if many others share my dislike of thumb studs.
 
I'm old, had my own knife in my hand since I was 15. Studs were probably one of the best Inovations to come along back then. Chris Reeve knives made a whole lota mulla using studs and thier customers don't seem to mind. I actually will purchase a thumb stud knife over a flipper any day.
Flippers make the user hold the knife very unnaturally to open and how many times has a flipper been impeded by to much pressure on the lock bar. Anyway, think I might start a thread "Am I the only one who hates clips on knives" .
 
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unwisefool said:
Have you ever tried Google? I bet you could find some without thumb studs....
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What's google? Yes, I've found some other knives without studs, but they seem to be the exceptions that make the rule. Have you tried reading? I asked if anyone else disliked thumb studs, not help me find a knife without thumb studs. But thanks for the "help" smart ass... If anyone has any actual suggestions, I do appreciate them, but don't feel obliged. I'm really more curious to see if anyone else dislikes thumb studs. I can see that there are a few who do so far, and I appreciate the replies.
 
You could always go the balisong or automatic route. I do agree that with thumb studs placement is everything. I've handled some that are so poorly placed that it's almost impossible to extend my thumb properly to open the knife. Usually those are too close to the pivot. Somebody with smaller/larger hands than mine may find that perfect for them- and no, I have normal sized hands, not insanely huge or tiny ones.

EDIT: lest I forget, the really small stud that doesn't protrude enough past the scale to be of any use without being double jointed in your hands- those are the worst. If it's too small and too close to the scale they may as well have not bothered. it shouldn't take two hands to open a knife with a thumbstud.
 
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