Compression Lock...lefty friendly?

Ken C.

Ken C.

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Most of the Spydies I carry are Back Locks. Some of the new stuff coming out that I like utilizes the Compression Lock. These models also sport the 4-Way clip. But I am wary of the Compression Lock as being easy for a lefty to close with one hand. Any of you lefties have any experience you can share with the Compression Lock?
 
When the Gunting was introduced, a number of right handed people expressed their displeasure, saying it was "wrong handed". Others found it odd, but acceptable. So either every other compression lock model Spyderco has built before or since is "wrong handed" for lefties, or those who complained about the Gunting are as stubbornly set in their ways as I am. :D

Paul
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I'm not a lefty, BUT I carry my Para Military in my left front pocket. I can open and close the knife without too much blood with the left hand. :) All kidding aside, I've not yet had a problem closing the knife. I just ping the G10 and the lock and with a little flick, the knife closes.
 
I have a Para and find it easier to close left handed than right handed. I use my thumb on the lock itself and index finger on the blade. With my right hand I push the lock using my index finger and press the blade against another object (such as a leg, left hand, or chest).

An ambidextrous lock like the Axis is a bit more foolproof in the end.
 
I'm right handed and have a Gunting, Yojimbo, and Paramilitary. I have no problem operating any of them with either hand. I think you'll be happy with a compression lock even if you are a lefty.
 
Superhawk's comp lock is incredibly lefty unfriendly for me. Pretty upsetting as I wanted one.
 
For me, it really depends on the model.

The Yojimbo gives me fits, my hands just don't work with the lock. The Paramilitary on the other hand is much better, about on par with a right-handed liner lock in that it takes some getting used to but is doable with practice.

I would not rule out buying another knife with a right-handed comp lock, but I'd have to handle it in person first.

Sidebar: interesting Gunting note; it's a left-handed comp lock so that when the knife is being closed in the normal (right) hand the blade tip points away from the user. As I understand it this was a design intention of Bram Frank.
 
spoonrobot said:
For me, it really depends on the model.

The Yojimbo gives me fits, my hands just don't work with the lock. The Paramilitary on the other hand is much better, about on par with a right-handed liner lock in that it takes some getting used to but is doable with practice.

I would not rule out buying another knife with a right-handed comp lock, but I'd have to handle it in person first.

Sidebar: interesting Gunting note; it's a left-handed comp lock so that when the knife is being closed in the normal (right) hand the blade tip points away from the user. As I understand it this was a design intention of Bram Frank.
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Not sure if that, decreasing the perceived risk of accidental lock release, or something else was his goal, but the location of the Gunting's lock was definitely Mr. Frank's decision.

EDITED TO ADD: For the record, my feelings toward the compression lock are probably colored, to at least some extent, by the fact that none of the knives it has been used on to date appeal to me. If they all came in midlock versions, I can't think of one which would ever find its way into my pocket.

Paul
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My Personal Website ---- Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting ---- Kiwimania ---- Spydiewiki
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twisted up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
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I love and admire the lock. As a primarily lefty knife user, it is probably the lock I find least lefty-friendly.
 
I'm not asking for opinions on the lock itself. Save that for another thread. I simply want to know if lefty users of the CL find it easy to close with their left hand. That's all, nothing more.

Thanks.
 
Not a lefty, but I can close my Yojimbo with my left hand easily enough. Just like a linerlock, with my thumb, except that it's on the top of the knife rather than the bottom. This differs from how I close it with my right hand, which is to disengage the lock with my index finger and than "drop" it closed with a flick of the wrist.
 
Not as easy, or more precisely not as natural feeling, as closing the Gunting. Doing so while keeping ones fingers out of the blade path can be problematic. That might not be an issue on models like the Para with a 50/50 choil, but seems like an accident waiting to happen on something like the Lil Temp. Can I close one, sure. Would I want to do it on a regular basis, no. But, as I mentioned earlier, I have no incentive to, Spyderco makes a bunch of midlocks I really like and no compression lock models I care for.

Paul
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My Personal Website ---- Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting ---- Kiwimania ---- Spydiewiki
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twisted up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
I'm right handed but I often find myself closing my Para with my left hand because I can just pinch the compression tab toward the frame with my left thumb. To me the compression lock almost feels like it was designed for lefties.

I will say that the compression lock (like a back lock) isn't the easiest design to close one handed, but that's the same regardless of which hand you're using.
 
Hm ok. I was trying out the one at Sheares a couple of months back. Tore up my thumb real bad. I was able to get it "half unlocked" though, with a lot of force.

Perhaps I'm doing it wrong?
 
Must be some manufacturing variation. I had a D2 Paramilitary where the lock was very difficult to close. My finger was getting blisters and I hated it so much that I just returned it. I got a second D2 Para a few months later because they were cheap at the time and this one was smooth and easy to operate.
 
Dunno about manufacturing variation. I have a Para and a SH. Neither is easily closed with one hand without getting more flesh and bone under the blade than I am happy with. That is what I meant when I posted above that I find this lock not lefty-friendly. YMMV.
 
If you have problems closing the compression lock with either hand, it means you're either doing it wrong, or are not used to it.
 
I'm a lefty, and find the comp lock very easy to unlock with my left hand, using my thumb. Some fellow lefties disagree, but I think of it as a left-handed lock, and wonder why many righties like it so much.
 
catamount123 said:
I'm a lefty, and find the comp lock very easy to unlock with my left hand, using my thumb. Some fellow lefties disagree, but I think of it as a left-handed lock, and wonder why many righties like it so much.
Click to expand...

That's an easy one Catamount: All the knives that have that lock are very cool and must haves.:D
 
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