How important is one hand open and close?

I prefer being able to one hand open and close for my primary knife but then often have a sak or slipjoint in the other pocket.

One note about Cold Steel knives; once the triad lock breaks in and you get the movement down, they are all one hand close. You just have to make sure to keep a finger far forward as a blade stop or you have a nice finger guillotine.
 
Every folding knife I carry as a "main knife" opens one handed. Those are the bigger folders I think of as defense options. Sometimes they close one handed, sometimes not. For those deployment speed is paramount, closing speed not so much. I also usually carry a smaller folder and it may be anything from a little one hand opener to a slipjoint and that sees far more use than the big defense folder with thankfully has yet to see any. I carry a couple different size flashlights too so maybe I'm just goofy that way. I used to carry a small fixed blade but got out of the habit because of warm weather concealment options but if I'm running the woods that's different.
 
For me, the convenience of one hand open and close for a main EDC is a must.

JDRanger said:
Hey. Here’s some but not all- Ladybug, Endura 4, Tighe Stick, Chaperral, Meadowlark, Civilian, Delica, Rescue, Manning, Caly, Atlantic Salt...

I’m not positive about these but I’m pretty sure they all have backlocks.

There’s more but I already stressed my brain thinking up the list and can’t think of them.

I’m certainly not an expert on Spyderco.
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All the spyderco lockbacks I've owned have been one hand open and close.

Hickory n steel said:
Besides at work the things I need to cut aren't usually crucial enough that I can't just set it down and open my knife with both hands.
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Are you now allowed to use your knife at work again?
 
If I can open it with one hand, I can close it with one hand. But being able to do so is merely nice, not essential. That said, some are a lot more fun to flick open and closed one-handed, ala the OTF Microtech Cypher or the button-lock Boker Kalashnikov.
 
Like most things, it’s not important until you have an experience that shows you why it’s important. Yes I don’t always need a one hand open and close but the times I’ve been caught with a two hand knife and still needing to hold or secure an item and cut something made me consider to always have a one hand open knife. Now I do!
 
Very.

jaseman said:
One hand open/close is pretty high on my priority list for an EDC blade. Too often I’m underneath a car, on a ladder, holding something in my other hand, or in some other situation where one handed open/close is a bit more than just a convenience.
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Couldn't say it better.
 
Being able to hang on tight to whatever needs cutting has always been a top priority for me.

My first work knife was a Buck 112 and I added a thumb stud for one-handed opening.

Along came Spyderco and I purchased an Endura because of the "Spydie hole" easier way of opening.

Now, forty years later with arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome I have switched to a ZT "flipper" so I can still use one hand to open my knife.
 
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One handed operation to open and close a folder is essential for me. That means a good flipper. Otherwise I'll have a fixed blade at hand.
 
I like both, but one handed opening as a function is really only neeeeeded needed whenever I'm out camping, or working in the garage. Any other time, I don't have really feel particularly underknifed if I've just got a slipjoint with me. At work, I sit at a desk behind a door with my name on it, so immediacy in opening a knife isn't something that's a priority, freeing me to carry other things. Most week days, I don't even have any real opportunities to cut anything at all.
 
I like traditional knives quite a bit these days and could survive with only a traditional slipjoint, but it is a significant handicap if I need a blade open quickly. I usually find myself carrying a modern folder in addition to whatever else.
 
Not too long ago, I read that falling off ladders was the number two cause of death for men in my age bracket. I quit going up on ladders before I even heard that.

If I think I might have need for a one-handed-opener, I will take one along. Otherwise, they sit on a shelf or on my desk as fidget toys. The knives that go in my pocket every day take two hands. One-handed openers typically take too much pocket space and announce their presence with an unsightly, uncomfortable clip.
 
I have to admit that the “fidget factor” plays a big roll in my infinity for folders that can be opened and closed with one hand.
 
For an EDC folder, I would say very important.

IMPORTANT
/imˈpôrtnt/
adjective
  1. of great significance or value; likely to have a profound effect on success, survival, or well-being.
 
Sadly, I ignored convention and carried switchblade knives since I would often walk through unlighted streets in my old neighborhood. I slipped the knife into the right pocket of my jacket and placed my hands in these side pockets. Even if I was the victim of an intended mugging, I would have made the first cut.

Now that I'm a "respected older adult" those automatic knives are still with me. Yes, Wisconsin has a CCW provision for firearms. My wife and I carry 24/7 just make sure we are comfortable with item(s).

But I must admit this, I have carried a stiletto since 1964. Yes, if you do the math you'll discover I was 14 years old. Milwaukee and the outlying 'burbs had a very strange custom of "ranking and privilege." But consider the times. Usually it devolved into a stand-off, for example, I never bloodied a knife, but it was clear I owned one.

DSC03039.JPG
 
I like and have one handed open/close and more traditional two handers. If I know I am going to be working in tight spaces where I can't get two hands on a knife or if I will be doing a lot of ladder work, I try to bring something I can work with one hand. Frankly, if I am using my head, I can do 99% of my work with a two handed knife. I just have to compensate a little (like getting the knife ready first and then grabbing the work). So one handed is a useful option for me, but not required.
 
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Reason more for me to use a fixed blade... I just have to pull it out...

But if I wanted a folder I'd definitley choose something I can open with one hand.
 
aussiejon said:
Absolutely pivotal for survival, either instantly available with one hand operation, or fixed blade. There is no reason to have a blade that does not meet that level of acessabbilty, unless it is a tool.
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Knives are tools, not toys.
 
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