Recommendation? Manual Folders That Can Be Open/Closed Single-Handedly?

I open and close my Spyderco Gayle Bradley 2 and Hogue Ritter with gloves on.
 
To the people that have been kind enough to participate in this thread so far, how were you able to overcome analysis paralysis when you couldn't decide which knife was right for you out of bunch of equally good choices?
 
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Pick an online vendor that offers a points program so when you end up buying several good knives they start giving you gift certificates for all the awesome knives you've bought.
 
Count Zero said:
To the people that have been kin enough to participate in this thread so far, how were you able to overcome analysis paralysis when you couldn't decide which knife was right for you out of bunch of equally good choices?
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I think sometimes you just have to jump in. Of the models you are thinking about, none of them are bad choices. You can talk yourself into and out a knife half a dozen times, but at the end of the day, any of them are going to serve you well, each with their own pros and cons.

Here's a trick I was taught that serves we well when I can't decide between two things: Flip a coin. However, keep your mind and feelings open when you do so. Whatever it lands on, immediately check to see if you feel disappointed or something along those lines. If you do, go with the other choice. It's what you really wanted anyway ;)
 
In case the OP is thinking along the lines of the Presidio 2 or the Hogue RSK, here are a few photos with gloves (a la luethge luethge ):

The Presidio 2 is pretty easy to operate with a medium weight glove on your hand. I have XL size hands, btw.

I don't have an issue with same using the RSK, but it is slightly shorter in the handle. Food for thought.PXL_20241203_153821108.jpgPXL_20241203_153837158.jpg
 
Count Zero said:
To the people that have been kind enough to participate in this thread so far, how were you able to overcome analysis paralysis when you couldn't decide which knife was right for you out of bunch of equally good choices?
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Bought everything i was interested in, did a bunch of cut tests and found what I like and dislike in a knife.
 
Count Zero said:
To the people that have been kind enough to participate in this thread so far, how were you able to overcome analysis paralysis when you couldn't decide which knife was right for you out of bunch of equally good choices?
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An optimal solution I have heard is to visit a store to get some hands-on to verify it works for your hands and not just someone elses hands. I didn't have that option and had to risk shipping. But, after having avoided Spyderco for so long just because the spydie hole seemed odd, I liked my first Spyderco enough that I got interested in trying more. I wanted to try different handles, different blade shapes, different edges, and different steels. So far, I'm up to 37 different Spyerco including a few of the small kitchen knives. 😂 Only one of those was the same model I already had. I added a Delica 4 K390 Wharnecliffe to my Delica 4 Super Blue Zome. I have not yet received one I really hated. It was only with the Manix 2 I felt the CBBL less than optimal for my hand as the spring seems slightly stiff and I didn't want to modify it. When closing it one handed, pulling the lock release pushes the other end into my palm just a bit, which risks a snipe when the blade end comes into the handle.

Count Zero said:
And in the end, I end up w/ a Spyderco Military 2 in S90V. Thanks Blade HQ.... :)
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Great choice! I got quite a few of mine from them also along with the Sharpmaker, which is almost required for the SE blades. I have the Para 3 and PM2, which I like, but have not had a chance to try the Military 2 yet. I'd like to try it and and the Bodacious also.
 
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Excellent choice. Everytime I think about picking up another Spyderco, the Military 2 is at the top of my list.
Spyderco is one of those brands I don't generally gravitate toward, but the ones I have I love. I might fret and dither on what to put in my pocket rotation of my "user" for the day, but if it's an evening involving a long walk and dark a potential dark alley, I do not leave the house without my Civilian.

I dunno. I've got the itch for something new, and maybe a Spyderco Military 2 fits the bill.
 
I don't get the dislike for the CBBL. I have a Manix 2XL and I love how easily that blade is to open or close precisely because of the lock. The spring might be a bit stiffer than on a ballpoint pen, but unless you're a child or office worker, it shouldn't be a problem to pull it back without any effort at all. The blade geometry and length are great for all tasks cutting and slicing.

If you don't like it, that's fine, but consider it, to me it sounds exactly like what you need. It's a big knife thats extremely secure in the hand and the lock is perfect in my opinion, especially when you're wearing gloves all the time.
 
Ikhnaton said:
I don't get the dislike for the CBBL. I have a Manix 2XL and I love how easily that blade is to open or close precisely because of the lock. The spring might be a bit stiffer than on a ballpoint pen, but unless you're a child or office worker, it shouldn't be a problem to pull it back without any effort at all. The blade geometry and length are great for all tasks cutting and slicing.

If you don't like it, that's fine, but consider it, to me it sounds exactly like what you need. It's a big knife thats extremely secure in the hand and the lock is perfect in my opinion, especially when you're wearing gloves all the time.
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For me, the pressure to unlock with the thumb and index finger pushes the other end of the handle out of my palm. That makes a one-handed close difficult. This is with the FRCP handle. Perhaps a different handle material would be less prone to slipping out of my palm. But, the handle is still rounded at that end. So, I'm not too hopeful on that. If I work at it, I can do it, but having to struggle a bit takes the fun out of it compared with how easy the other lock types are for me.

It's possible that a hand with a wider palm could get a better grip on it than I can. With some, the end of the handle may be closer to the center of the palm. With me, the end of the handle is over on the edge of my palm. I wear a size L glove, but that's mostly due to finger length and not palm width. It's not a finger strength issue either. As a software developer, I have multiple decades of 8+ hours per day typing on a keyboard. My fingers should be plenty strong enough for this. I suspect it's a palm width issue and where the end of the handle is when the thumb and index finger are on the lock.
 
TimButterfield said:
For me, the pressure to unlock with the thumb and index finger pushes the other end of the handle out of my palm. That makes a one-handed close difficult. This is with the FRCP handle. Perhaps a different handle material would be less prone to slipping out of my palm. But, the handle is still rounded at that end. So, I'm not too hopeful on that. If I work at it, I can do it, but having to struggle a bit takes the fun out of it compared with how easy the other lock types are for me.

It's possible that a hand with a wider palm could get a better grip on it than I can. With some, the end of the handle may be closer to the center of the palm. With me, the end of the handle is over on the edge of my palm. I wear a size L glove, but that's mostly due to finger length and not palm width. It's not a finger strength issue either. As a software developer, I have multiple decades of 8+ hours per day typing on a keyboard. My fingers should be plenty strong enough for this. I suspect it's a palm width issue and where the end of the handle is when the thumb and index finger are on the lock.
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The problem is the angle in which the button has to travel in order to retract it. This isn't a problem on a Benchmade, as their actuator buttons travel rearwards in a straight line, but on the Manix, you have to pull it slightly upwards, which in turn forces the handle to "scooch" out of your palm.
 
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Count Zero said:
The problem is the angle in which the button has to travel in order to retract it. This isn't a problem on a Benchmade, as their actuator buttons travel rearwards in a straight line, but on the Manix, you have to pull it slightly upwards, which in turn forces the handle to "scooch" out of your palm.
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Here is my hand position when closing the Manix 2. And, as you mention, the close button pressure is not quite in line with that end, which contributes to the end sliding off of the hand.
54184608641_9601e8e958_b.jpg
 
Count Zero said:
And after coming down from a three day on-line research sperg-out, I ended up ordering a full-sized Benchmade Adamas w/ a Cruwear blade. 🤷‍♂️
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Get the Demko as a back-up!

I'm a Benchmade fan and my first thought for a recommendation was the Super Freek or Presidio, but I have say I'm super-impressed with my Demko AD20 20CV/milled titanium. It's my new favorite.
 
desmobob said:
Get the Demko as a back-up!

I'm a Benchmade fan and my first thought for a recommendation was the Super Freek or Presidio, but I have say I'm super-impressed with my Demko AD20 20CV/milled titanium. It's my new favorite.
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I got my eye out for a MIA Demko atm.
 
TimButterfield said:
For me, the pressure to unlock with the thumb and index finger pushes the other end of the handle out of my palm. That makes a one-handed close difficult. This is with the FRCP handle. Perhaps a different handle material would be less prone to slipping out of my palm. But, the handle is still rounded at that end. So, I'm not too hopeful on that. If I work at it, I can do it, but having to struggle a bit takes the fun out of it compared with how easy the other lock types are for me.

It's possible that a hand with a wider palm could get a better grip on it than I can. With some, the end of the handle may be closer to the center of the palm. With me, the end of the handle is over on the edge of my palm. I wear a size L glove, but that's mostly due to finger length and not palm width. It's not a finger strength issue either. As a software developer, I have multiple decades of 8+ hours per day typing on a keyboard. My fingers should be plenty strong enough for this. I suspect it's a palm width issue and where the end of the handle is when the thumb and index finger are on the lock.
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I must say I've never held a regular size Manix 2 and I wear size XL gloves with large palms :) I've never experienced what you describe with the handle scooching out of my hands - but, as said, I'm on a Manix 2XL and have quite large hands.
 
DaveHS said:
What did you end up getting? (Sorry if I missed the post!)
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A Spyderco Military 2 in S90V w/ carbon fiber scales, which, Fed Ex is now telling me, is sitting about 10' away from me this moment in my mailbox. So pics and first impressions in a couple of mins.

And so, some 41 mins later....

It would appear as though I've won the Spyderco lottery this time out, as the knife seems for all intents and purposes to have received the requisite amount of TLC before it left the factory. As a result, the knife comes to me seemingly dead centered and atom-shavingly sharp.

The compression lock survived the whack on the spine test w/o failing as well.

The carbon fibre scales though? Well, at first, I really didn't think of them as a selling point, just something particular to this run, but upon actually holding them in hand I can see why they'd be a big deal. To the touch, they feel like a much refined version of the G10 scales. As such, they will not need to be replaced, assuming they never themselves fail.

As for the S90V blade steel? Guess I'll have to take this little bugger to work and find out how long it can keep its edge in the cardboard jungle.
 
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