How Many Ways Do You Open a Slipjoint?

[QJerry]

Now more importantly how do you all close your knives?

Open right handed, to close, I pinch with the fingers of my left hand. Maybe a a little push in the end with the fleshy part..

 

[Rockon75]

I've been carrying my TK Cuban daily, and she is now "broken in". I'm right handed. I hold the knife in my right hand, use the nail nick, with my left, and open it about half-way. Since the knife is in my right, and it will be used in my right, I then engage the "kick" with my right hand-thumb's finger nail, and apply pressure, the spring pulls it open, and my hand has the knife in a usable position.

 

[pmew]

That's really funny Paul. I thought the same thing when i saw the thread, "if my girlfriend saw this one she'd be rolling her eyes." But I'm game. Where else would such a question be discussed?

Haha where else indeed!

Now more importantly how do you all close your knives?

Thinking about it, I normally fold it against my leg to be honest.

Paul

 

[Lemmy Caution]

Haha where else indeed!



Thinking about it, I normally fold it against my leg to be honest.

Paul

A man after my own heart. I do the same it I know theres no risk of the blade hitting the backspring. Some knives have huge backspring and not enough leeway such as my Laguioles and certain toothpicks. Them I ease into the well.

 

[5K Qs]

...
I just asked my wife to look at this thread to prove a point and she said it was the most absurd thing she'd ever read!
...
Paul

But, Paul, hasn't your wife been through quite a lot recently?? In her recovering and exuberant state, can her opinion be trusted?

I'm a close against side of right thigh guy.

- GT

 

[pmew]

But, Paul, hasn't your wife been through quite a lot recently?? In her recovering and exuberant state, can her opinion be trusted?

I'm a close against side of right thigh guy.

- GT

very true. The poor girl must be suffering a severe case of Baby Brain bless her, she has been through quite an experience

 

[5K Qs]

very true. The poor girl must be suffering a severe case of Baby Brain bless her, she has been through quite an experience

All 3 of you have been through quite an experience! Congrats on earning the right to modify your sig line

- GT

 

[black mamba]

To close one, I grasp the handle firmly with my right hand, fingers well clear of the blade well, tip down and to the left, and with my open left hand on the blade's spine I rotate the handle down toward the blade until it snaps shut.

 

[Peregrin]

Whoda thunk there are so many ways to open a slip joint knife?
I'm right handed. I open the knife holding it in my right hand and pulling the blade up with my left. If I can pinch it open I do.
I hold the knife in my right hand to close. I usually rest my fingers on the spine, closing it to the half open position, then I hold the blade by a pinch or nick and ease it into the frame.

Paul, that quote from your wife is worth framing.

 

[abcdef]

Lefty here.

What I do is, get a life guys/gals.......

 

[5K Qs]

Whoda thunk there are so many ways to open a slip joint knife?
...

My feelings exactly, Gary! I'm amazed by the variety of techniques reported here. As the OP, I'm a little sorry I brought it up, not because the responses aren't fascinating, but because I spent too much time trying to figure out exactly how DO I open a knife. I think it's one of those automatic skills that's done purely by "muscle memory", like buttoning a shirt or tying a shoelace or shooting a basketball. When I tried to write down the steps of how I open a knife, I found it very difficult to articulate. And I STILL wrote it incorrectly! I always hold the knife in my right hand and use my left thumbnail on the blade, as I originally claimed. But I said I held the knife with the blades UP and pivot to my right, but further observation indicates that I actually hold the knife almost vertically with the pivot at the top and blades to the left (sometimes almost blades DOWN), which results in the open knife having blade edge down and extending forward from my right hand in ideal cutting position. Maximum efficiency! On a pen behind jack, in order to see the pen blade and its nick, I have to turn the knife so that the pivot is down and it opens with blade edge up, requiring Cory's "half barrel roll" (and sometimes a grip adjustment) to put the open knife in optimal cutting position. Actually thinking about this stuff is confusing, and way too much work I think I only want knives I can pinch open (with my left hand) from now on!

- GT

 

[incision]

Usually I hold the knife in my right hand and either pinch it open with my left or use my left thumbnail. Sometimes I do it the opposite depending on the condition of my thumbnail and how the arthritis is flaring at that moment. For closing I hold it in my right hand and close it with my left or on the outside of my right thigh.

 

[syco1138]

I'm a southpaw so, Traditional: hold in left hand, use right hand to open blade. Moderns: open using thumbstud/flipper, flick wrist, let gravity do the work for me.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Whatever the pattern dictates, is what I do; not a big deal either way.

I'm right-handed, and ordinarily I'd hold the handle in the left hand and use my right thumb's nail to open the blade, then transfer the knife to the right hand. However, being that my favorite pattern is the stockman, and most-used blade the sheepsfoot, I'll 'switch up' everything when turning the knife around to get access to that blade, holding the handle in the right hand and opening the blade with the left thumbnail (most of my sheepsfoot blades pivot to the left, with knife turned around to access them).

(My thumbnails are deliberately maintained at longer trim. Nail-nicks on pocket knives are primarily responsible for that, though I've since discovered many more uses for longer thumbnails, which can be great 'tools' in their own right. )


David

 

[Will Power]

Nobody using their teeth here....??

 

[Arugess]

I'm a lefty and hold the knife with my left hand while using my thumb on the nail nick and forefinger on the backside of the blade to pinch open it.

 

[MrFixIt]

Dang it! I've been opening and closing my knife for the last several minutes...all different ways!

 

[dpowers311]

I am right handed, if the knife is small I hold it in my left hand and use my right thumbnail to open with pivot to the right. If it is a large knife or easy open I hold the knife in my right hand with the pivot to the right.

Dave

 

[arizcowboy]

A two handed affair where I hold with left hand, open with the right thumbnail. I came over from modern folders where I'm used to one handed openers with Spyderco holes, thumbstuds, flippers and the Emerson wave.

 

[davek14]

A two handed affair where I hold with left hand, open with the right thumbnail. I came over from modern folders where I'm used to one handed openers with Spyderco holes, thumbstuds, flippers and the Emerson wave.

Welcome home.

If you're a lefty you'll find it hard to go back.