Explain the Spyder hole to new guy

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fp627

Joined
Jul 21, 2015
Messages
60
So, ever since I casually tried knives in my teens until today, the one thing that has never clicked with me in any Spyderco medium sized or above is the thumb hole.
- When I reach my thumb down to open the knife, it often doesn't hit the hole quite right and I have move my thumb around a little to get it in.
- When I do hit it right, it sometimes doesn't feel good to/in my thumbs and the thumb movement to move my hands in and upwards is awkward to me.
- Even when both of the above do go right, it feels less intuitive/harder than any other opening system to me. Idk if it's just my hand shape/size doesn't work with the holes, my thumb joints are funky, or w/e. I have large or maybe XL hands in a Mechanix glove but medium (definitely small for my handsize) fingers.

For those of you who are big Spyderco fans or maybe have another explanation, please chime in.

I know not everyone likes Spyderco, but from what I see, it seems like most of the times when people don't like Spyderco it's not for the thumb holes, but a lot of other stuff.

On the other hand, I think this is a shame b/c I actually like a lot of things about their knives, but I have yet to find a medium size or above Spyderco that just "calls" to me because the thumb hole always seems to ruin it. Not sure why, but a lot of their smaller knives on the other hand really appeal to me - thumb hole and all.

EDIT: Problem solved. Post #57.
 
Last edited:
Spydie flick it.

All my Spydecos and Some Benchmades with thumb holes get flicked.

I prefer Spydie holes over studs or disk.


[video=youtube;3ANxAz7wOhg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ANxAz7wOhg[/video]
 
Personally, I tend to catch the edge of the Spyderhole with my thumbnail and flick it, much like flipping a coin. Honestly, I can deal with thumbstuds just fine, but I much prefer a Spyderhole.
 
I bought my first in the early 90's, and have never once had a problem with the hole.
If you can't get the hang of it you may want to give up on them and stick with what works best for you.
We're lucky we have so many good brands out there to choice from, and can avoid those we don't like or find awkward to open.
Good luck.
 
video = tfw when mind is blown. i've never seen it done that way... but it seems so obvious now.

this how everyone else does it "correctly" too?
 
Sometimes aesthetically the hole is undesirable on some models but as soon as you get the opening down it's just simple.
For me they're the quickest openers of any other than the waved models in my collection. No fumbling to find studs, flippers or buttons, the hole is in a natural position for opening as the knife comes out of my pocket.
There are a few models that don't fit me well or the hole is obscured and hard to use but there are so many models, there's one that'll fit. :thumbup:
 
fp627 said:
video = tfw when mind is blown. i've never seen it done that way... but it seems so obvious now.

this how everyone else does it "correctly" too?
Click to expand...

Practice with thumb studs too. You can middle finger flick all kinds of knives.
 
fp627 said:
video = tfw when mind is blown. i've never seen it done that way... but it seems so obvious now.

this how everyone else does it "correctly" too?
Click to expand...

No. Many do, but I and many others seldom flip. Something about the tang slamming the stop pin makes me want to avoid it most of the time. That's just me though, and many do flip every time they open their knife.

Every since one handed openers came out I've been using the same method. Thumb movement only with zero movement from your wrist or arm.
 
benchwarmer380 said:
This is my method as well.

If I'm going to open it slowly I will use the meat of my thumb and rotate.
Click to expand...

Ditto. I have large hands and I find it a bit uncomfortable to do the middle or index finger flick. I have to contort a bit for that one, but the thumb flick clicked with me pretty fast.
 
I have always found the hole easy to use. I like that as long as my thumb contacts the hole edge somewhere I can open the blade. That's especially useful with gloves hands (although not so much with bulky or poorly fitting gloves)

If you like Spyderco but haven't quite got the hang of the hole maybe consider an after market screw-on thumbstud.
 
I have XL-XXL glove hands and I find the hole to be much more preferable than studs.
Studs are the only thing that have kept me from buying a CRK.
 
I thought it looked weird at first... Then I got a Spydie and now I get it.

Not sure if it saves on weight or not but the hole is definitely appreciated now...!
 
For me it's just the easiest way to open, fast or slow.

When they say Spydercos are ugly but "handle one" that's what it was for me.

I just catch to hole with the edge of my thumb and rotate while pressing into the hole, usually in a leisurely way as I bring the knife up.

I dislike thumbstuds now.

YMMV though.
 
As far as Spyderco holes go I can only speak for the one that I have a Yojimbo 2, it gets the middle finger flick only it feels amazing every time
 
Just listen to Ken and barman, sound advice and two solid perspectives. I like the hole as its a no fumble way to open it in a controlled manner much like a sebenza. Except the hole doesn't hurt your thumb the way a sebenza does. Lol. The thing about Spydercos is you have to try a bunch it's impossible for at least one or more models to not fit a person's hand like a glove.
 
I like it ;)

[video=youtube;TpNwWMrxbNI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpNwWMrxbNI[/video]

[video=youtube;sxWuPaHzTKg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxWuPaHzTKg[/video]
 
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