Here ya go Scott:
I have found 13 different methods for opening the Subcom F into various knife grip positions. If you try to use the thumb stud by pressing it lightly with your thumb towards the middle of the stud you might find it difficult to open this knife, however there are many fast ways to open this knife which I will now discuss in detail. As a side note people often make the mistake of trying to rotate a thumb stud in an arcing motion to open the blade, this is the wrong way to open such a knife. It should always be done with a straight line type push instead. Think linear not circular when using a thumb stud to open a knife. The described openings below are for right handed persons with the clothing clip attached for a blade tip up carry position. Left handed persons can also apply most of these same techniques by flipping the knife over so the visible frame lock faces towards them.
1) The blade opens very well with a Kelly McCann-style "marble shooting" opening. This is accomplished with a quick, snappy flick of the thumb forward against the tip of the thumb stud, near the designers (Chad Los Banos) logo. The technique resembles shooting a marble that sits on top of the forefinger and is flicked with the thumb, which some of you will remember from playing marbles is called fulking. The knife then may be griped in the hammer, sabre or the underhand grip after the opening.
2) Chad Los Banos made me aware of what he refers to as a sweet spot on the thumb stud which can be found on the tip edge of the thumb stud near his logo. Applying pressure with your thumb at this point allows for an easier opening of the blade.
3) A fast and easy way to open the Subcom F is to force your thumb nail down to the blade at the sweet spot between the thumb stud and handle and push the stud in a straight line forward to open. This is one of my favorite opening techniques for this knife and it is very quick.
4) With the black G-10 handle side facing upwards try pinching both the top and bottom studs at the same time between the index finger and thumb and then push on the clothing clip backwards with your middle finger towards your palm as you push the top thumb stud forward to open.
5) Spyderco knife fans will love this one. Grasp the two studs between the index finger pad and thumb pad in the tip up blade position with the butt end of the knife facing upwards. A quick snap of the wrist downwards will open the blade as the weight of the handle swings downward. Spyderco lovers will recognize the technique commonly called the spyder- drop. Readjust the handle in the hand for a hammer or sabre grip.
6) Inertia openings are possible with a lot of practice. Most people will have trouble overcoming the spring tension to accomplish this type of opening with any small knife. However if you like opening a knife this way you can cheat a little by pushing both the under stud and top stud just a little, enough to overcome the tension of the spring and then flip your wrist and knife upwards or flip the wrist and knife over (palm facing upwards) for the inertia opening. With practice an inertia opening can done without cheating. This can be accomplished by grasping the G-10 handle in the middle with your thumb and placing the index finger on the back of the clothing clip. Hold it firmly between the fingers, with the blade spine facing downwards, and your palm also facing down. Snap the wrist downwards hard and fast to overcome the spring tension. Once the blade swings partially open you can either flip the knife upwards to open or flip the wrist over into a palm up position to snap the blade into place. You can also do the inertia opening in ice pick grip. Hold the Subcom F tip up, place your thumb high up on the clothing clip and grasp the black G-10 handle side by pressing it against the side of your index finger. Snap your wrist and hand downwards sharply and stop abruptly. The blade should swing open and lock in place.
7) Try this for a quick opening into the scalpel grip (the index finger pressed alongside the top spine of the blade). Hold the Subcom F sideways with the butt end facing to the left. Have the black G-10 handle side facing upwards. Place the right thumb directly over the top of the O nut of the pivot pin and place your middle finger on the middle of the clothing clip on the metal side and hook the stud (on the bottom metal side) with your index finger. Pull to the right drawing the spine of the blade and point towards the webbing of your hand between the thumb and index finger. Once the blade snaps open move your middle finger into the finger choil and pull inwards and down as the knife handle rotates into the palm. Place your index finger along the top portion of the spine. Although this may sound complicated, it is really easy to do once you get the hang of it.
8) Another opening you can use for scalpel grip is to hold the Subcom F by grasping both studs with the index finger and thumb (tang facing upwards). Push backwards on the side edge of the clip with your middle finger directing it towards the palm. Then use the index finger to hook the bottom stud and pull straight upwards until the knife clicks open and place the middle finger into the finger choil and the index finger into the scalpel grip position described earlier.
9) If you favor the ice pick grip/pikal (blade facing outwards) place your thumb on the middle of the clothing clip with the metal side of the Subcom F facing you, with the butt of the Subcom F facing upwards and index finger on the black G-10 side of the handle. Use your middle finger to push downward on the edge of the stud to open. Readjust your hand position to hold the handle in the ice pick grip. If you reverse the knife position so that you now place your thumb on the G-10 handle and the studs face back towards the palm you can use the same technique to open the Subcom F into reverse ice pick /reverse pikal (blade facing inwards). Just a word of caution when pushing the thumb stud in this direction the blade tip will pass closely to your palm, be careful not to let the tip of the blade come in contact with the palm. If this method is not to your liking you can open the knife with the first method and then roll the knife handle in your palm towards your thumb into the reverse ice pick grip.
10) If you want to open the Subcom F and have it ready to go into action but hidden from view try this technique. Do the exact same technique as described in the first part of technique #9 except use your ring finger instead of the middle finger to open the knife. You will notice that the knife now sits nestled into the hollow of the palm. Place your index finger around and over the top of the butt jimping and hold your hand down at your side palm facing backwards and the Subcom F disappears from frontal view.
11) Heres a unique opening and interesting grip position you may want to try. To use the Subcom F in a push dagger grip hold the knife so that the top portion of the handle sits on the palm so you can see the knife spine and tip (blade tip points towards you). Place the thumb over the O nut of the pivot pin. Using your middle finger nail hook the stud on the metal side and lift it towards the front to open as you apply pressure to the side of the knife with your thumb. Next wrap your middle finger into the finger choil and place the index finger on the left side of the handle and grasp the rest of the knife handle into the palm forming a fist. The blade will now extend outwards from between the index and middle fingers. Now the Subcom F can be used to thrust with like a push dagger.
12) Two Handed Openings: This type of opening may seem very obvious to most knife handlers but I thought I would mention them anyway. There is absolutely nothing wrong with opening a knife with two hands when time permits. They are simple methods that anyone who has ever owned a pocket knife will be familiar with. Use the left hand fingers to grab the studs on the Subcom F and while the right hand holds the handle in place the left hand will open the blade. This technique is good for hammer or sabre grip positions.
13) You can also grab the Subcom F by the studs with the left hand fingers and use the right hand to open the handle as the left hand keeps the blade stationary until the blade locks into place. This technique is good for ice pick/pikal grip position.
As you can see there are many ways to practice opening the Subcom F, making opening this knife very fast, functional and fun. Once the Subcom F is already in the open position it is very easy to change from one grip position to another. I recommend you place a small piece of fine grit tape (3M-Outdoor Thread Tape) on the clothing clip so that it will help facilitate changes in grip position while providing a gripping surface for the finger tips. It should also be noted that most of these Subcom F opening techniques will work even if youre wearing cold weather leather gloves. ....Doc
reprinted in part from original review by Sifu Dr. Jan Miller called the "Subcom F Review"
