Holes are too big.

Walking Man

Walking Man

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I was playing with my new Viele Spydie, which has a very small hole, and I just thought about how much I don't like large Spyderholes. My Calypso jr, which is bigger than the Viele still has a fairly small hole, and I find this comfortable. My rescue has a slightly larger hole, and I find this easy to open as well. On my military, it has a big hole, but I don't have any problems with it either, although I would prefer it to be smaller.

My real issue is with the Salsa. Why the heck does it need a hole that big. I'm also worried about other models too. On the Salsa, I really don't need the hole at all, I just push my thumb up against the hood and it opens right up, but when I try using the hole, my thumb sinks right it and catches against the hood. It's just not what I like. So, let's take a vote, or say whatever you want. Do you think the biggest spydie holes are too big?
 
I was just looking at a picture of the Scorpious.
And thought that "that big hole ought to make it easy to open". Also looked at a Calypso (I think) at gun dealer and thought that the hole was too small. Of course, I haven't handled either, but it seems that the more thumb that you can get into a hole, the easier that it would be to open.
 
Not really a problem for my smallish hands with the Salsa.
In fact I wish I had increased the Renegade's thumb hole. I might have kept it instead of selling it and then regret it.
 
The Military (or the Chinook) has a bigger hole so it can be opened when you wear gloves. That's why they also put those traction ridges on the spine, to improve grip.
The Salsa, OTOH, was made for people with bulkier hands (at least this is my impression after handling it for a while). Indeed, the cobra hood is a great addition and you may open the knife even without the hole, but the hole adds to funcionality (not to mention it's a Spyderco defining feature).
I have noticed that it's not necessarily the size of the hole, but how much it is exposed. For instance, the Delica, with its exposed hole, could do even with a smaller one. The Zowada, for instance, could have a bigger hole, but it won't improve much because it would be mostly "hidden" in the handles.
The size of the opening angle radius is also important. For my hands, the Chinook (for eg.) has the radius too big and does not allow a comfortable continuous movement of the thumb (like the Delica or the Calypso jr. does).
 
I have fairly small hands, yet if I had the equipment to do it, I'd enlarge the hole in almost every Spyderco that I own. One of the main reasons I favor the Pegasus over the Dragonfly is the larger hole, and yet I'd still make the one in the Pegasus bigger if I could. Have yet to find one I thought was too big.
 
I think the size of hole should be in proportion to the knife it is on.I don't like the Cobra hood,for me it makes it hard to draw and put back in the pocket,seems like it all ways wants to catch my pocket.
 
I have a Standard and a Delica. They are very close to being the exact same shape. Standard is like a Delica on steroids. The handle is thicker and the blade is too. But their shapes are the same. However, the Delica has a larger hole. I can open the Delica a whole lot easier. So I accredit it to the hole being larger. I wish there was a way to enlarge the hole in the Standard but I can't think of any. Can any of you?
 
I much prefer the larger holes.

When opening the blade, your thumb is a little less likely to slip forward and out of the hole. Plus, you can fit more of your thumbnail into the hole if you want to flick the blade open.

I guess there's a limit on how big the hole can be though. If the hole is really wide and the blade is narrow, it might be a significant weakness. :eek:
 
Originally posted by cerulean
you can fit more of your thumbnail into the hole if you want to flick the blade open.
Click to expand...
Man, I guess we are different. I HATE IT when my thumbnail falls into the hole. IMO you have less control over the opening because you nail is slippery, I think it also just feels funny.
 
I can flick a blade open using the pad of my thumb, but it's harder (at least for me). The joint beneath your nail doesn't bend, so you have to use more of a wrist snap.

If you put your thumbnail in the hole, you can flick the blade open with a motion like you're shooting marbles. That seems to work best on knives with a big thumb hole, but there also can't be a lot of resistance keeping the blade closed. For instance: the Military is really easy to flick open without wrist movement because it's a liner lock, but the Chinook is harder since it's a lockback. (It might also be easier to flick a knife open if the hole is closer to the pivot? I don't know...)

When doing a slower, more deliberate opening, I definitely prefer to use the pad of my thumb, rather than the nail.
 
I like my Titanium Salsa quite well, but I am not a fan of the cobra hood. I do like large opening holes. One of the nicest things about the new Salt is that it is a Delica-sized knife with a Military-sized hole. It is amazing how easy that thing is to open, even with wet hands or when wearing gloves. Great design!

--Bob Q
 
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