Can there be an improvement over the Hole?

I prefer the Spyder-hole over all other opening devices with the possible exception of two:
The Ken Onion Speedsafe knives and the Walker Bladelock (stud and lock all in one).

Allen.
 
I enjoyed the "flipper" on my M-16, but for frequent use it was not as easy as the hole. I like the way the hole actually rotates around your thumb as you open the blade.
It's not only a matter of stud, disk, or hole -- it's the fit to your own hand and motion. Positioning. Size and texture. But in my experience the hole always works out about right.
 
The Hole is a great mechanism to open the knife.

The only improvement I could think of would be to put a bezel ring or concave thumb pad in the hole. The ring or pad would rotate in the hole as you pressed to open the knife. Since the ring wouldn't move against your thumb, like the hole by itself does, the ring could be textured or knurled for better purchase.

The only disadvantage to this is ease of cleaning. The round hole only needs wiping out with a cloth every now and then to remove oil and dead skin (common wherever you have a part that contacts and rubs against the skin). With a bezel ring, the ring would have to be removable to facilitate cleaning, otherwise it would be a major pain, and if enough grit got between the ring and the hole, the entire thing would jam, worse than having no ring at all.
 
I don't believe that there really can be an improvement over "the hole", BUT the hole can be improved alot by slightly rounding the sharp edges of the hole...(My thumb sure thanks me when I do that minor modification to my Spydercos, as sometimes those edges can be SHARP.).
 
BENCHMADE AFCK with licensed SpuderHole had pretty decently rounded hole’s edge. Certainly it is gentler on the fingers but I personally like grabby and sure purchase on sharp hole’s edge more.

I thing it is quite personal matter. However it is always possible to customize a knife slightly rounding existing hole but it is close to impossible to do inversely.
 
It's hard to think that there was no hole prior to Spyderco. For me the only thing which is as good is a Bali-Song. Seems that a lot of people like studs but I see them not good when you need to open a folder under any type of stress.
 
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