Before the Button, the Disk, and the Spyder-hole

[SC_Steel]

I have been fortunate enough to have been raised mostly around one-hand openers. The influx of "tactical folders" over the last 10 years has been overwhelming. I do, however, remember when they were not the rule, and not every company produced such knives.

When in the Boy Scouts I fitted out a clip-point Camillus folder with a "one-armed bandit" from Smokey Mountain Knifeworks.

When my father was younger he put a nail into the blade of a cheap folder and ground it into a primitive one-hand opener. Later, he used a cut hex nut to epoxy to the blade of a Cold Steel Shinobu.

How about you guys?

 

[WayLander]

Just for the hell of adding a post to my numbers... I fitted my wife's and I's Gerber Gators with Bandits too. She still "turns" hers with it. I flip. I carry mine as an edc, she carries her's in the purse. She prefers the Kershaw Blackout with speedsafe for edc. She is a small lady. She likes both. I prefer fixed blades.

WayLander

 

[SPHayes]

I never modded a knife into a one hander but we did fool around with our Buck 110s or copies. We would take a small pry bar and bend them open to where the blade would flick out very easliy.

 

[Gollnick]

Balisongs: celebrating over 200 years of one-hand opening knives.

 

[SC_Steel]

Yeah, I guess I should have mentioned that, despite all modifications I listed above, my father still preferred balisongs for carry in the 70's to mid-80's.

 

[Danbo]

Before there were holes, discs and thumbstuds, I used to buy those green and black handled Puma lockbacks. They came fairly smooth and easy opening from the factory, and I could open them one handed with my thumb, using the nail nick. Of course, I still have slices on my thumb from occasionally missing the nail nick.