One hand openers are overrated

Chocula

Chocula

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2005
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I thought traditional knives were ugly, overly priced, unergonomic, and outdated, so I never bought them. WRONG :thumbdn:

Recently I saw a case seahorse whittler in stag. :eek: That baby caught my eye. I am extremely impressed by the design and it has become my edc, knocking out my fancy one hand openers (bradley alias, BM710, or Boker Exskelibur). What set it apart in my eyes from the other traditional knives is the short blade and long handle combined with beautiful curvature and taper of the main blade. In hand, it screams "use me!" So far, I have cut open a few boxes and dissected a pomegranate :D

I like it so much I ordered another in gray jigged bone. I also ordered a sway back jack and sway back gent, another design that caught my eye. I think it is the wharncliffe blades that resonate with me--the other blade shapes dont make as much sense to me. Especially the spey blade. I dont understand the spey blade.

There are a couple other models i might pick up (barlow and toothpick), but the Seahorse is a very satisfying knife. I am a bit disappointed that I found out about it so late (it was discontinued this year) but I guess my timing has saved me a lot of money ;).

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Everything has it's purpose and our needs change. So, at any given time something may suit us better than another and become more important to us while others lose their value, just as you moved to traditional knives from tactical ones. It doesn't mean what we are moving from is bad...
Anyway, didn't mean to wax philosophical, glad you found something that works for you.
 
I see your point, but I don' tthink OHOs are overrated. I have a Delica that a friend put ironwood scales on - you'd love it still :)
 
you know I've never liked the searhorse until these pics, now I kind of want one as a backup knife.
 
I was mostly joking about one-hand openers being overrated. I say mostly because, in my experience, one hand opening is a convenience rather than necessity. I still like the idea of carrying this with a BM710 or some other folder though.

These days everyone wants things faster, more convenient, easier to use, more durable. Human technology has come a long way but humans have not; we are still the same, simple critters that like to eat and sleep and play. We tend to make our lives complicated and rely on technology to simplify, but the only real way to simplify is from the inside out.

This kind of knife makes me slow down and think about what I am doing,a very superficial simplification in a way.

Thanks for the replies :)
 
Nice to see converts as their taste in knives grows. Some of us guys started with slipjoints because it reminds us of our dad or grandpa's knives. Welcome to the fold.
 
Chocula said:
We tend to make our lives complicated and rely on technology to simplify, but the only real way to simplify is from the inside out.

This kind of knife makes me slow down and think about what I am doing,a very superficial simplification in a way.
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Very, very well said, Chocula!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Carl.
 
Disagree.
Depends on the intended use.
I've cut down a few hang ups in our Jail while holding the person up with one arm.
Open your traditional then.
Depends on use.
 
Congrats, Chocula, on finding the joy in carrying a simple pocket knife. There's lots of variety in pocket knives that will make collecting and using them fun. I'm a big fan of the whittler patterns too.

mrbear said:
Disagree.
Depends on the intended use.
I've cut down a few hang ups in our Jail while holding the person up with one arm.
Open your traditional then.
Depends on use.
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Yikes!!!.... sounds like your job gets nasty sometimes. Actually, If all you had in your pocket was a whittler similar to the one in the OP, I'm sure you would figure out how to use it. ;)
 
Indeed, one hand openers are sometimes very handy. Some people may get injury or illness that affects their hands (muscle or nervous system) making opening traditional slipjoint very hard or near impossible. For them one hand openers are heavent sent.

But generally its matter of taste. I prefer slipjoints. Traditional slipjoints are great but I don't mind modern slipjoints like what Spyderco makes (though it would be nice to get some of their slipits with more traditional handle material... umm jigged bone would be nice :) ). Some like apples, some oranges. But we all in this forum love knives :D
 
One hand opening knives can make certain tasks easier. I went on a fishing boat trip with a SAK and thought it performed great. However, the next trip had much choppier water and it was pretty difficult to hold onto my gear and the railing while opening my SAK to cut line. I carried a OHO on the next trip.
 
Nice Seahorse, Chocula! I happen to have one in my pocket at the moment. Not a fancy stag rig like yours, but pretty awesome nonetheless. It's such a cool pattern, it really is too bad Case is discontinuing it. I love that big fat master blade! :thumbup:

Case is discontinuing a lot of patterns this year. I'm hoping that's because they're planning on releasing a whole slew of new ones next year, not because they're having financial troubles or anything like that.
 
I hope Case will make Canoes (That was surprise) and Barlow's more next year. I still want yeller handle CV Canoe :) That sea Horse is very pretty and is almost making me want one too. I just have to stay firm. :D
 
Congrats, Chocula, on seeing what makes our traditional knives so rewarding to own and use.

It may not be the perfect tool for every occasion (which is why there are fixed blades, one hand openers etc) but for most applications on any given day it's not only more than enough, it's a joy to carry and use.

No need for anyone to get their panties in a twist as nobody here in this forum is telling folks to chuck their other knives over the side of the boat. I know I haven't and I know most others here haven't either.

When I was still an LEO I carried one handers and a neck knife daily. Now I have the luxury of carrying what I want when I want. YMMV and that's just fine.
 
thejamppa said:
I hope Case will make Canoes (That was surprise) and Barlow's more next year. I still want yeller handle CV Canoe :) That sea Horse is very pretty and is almost making me want one too. I just have to stay firm. :D
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Jani, I think if you get a Seahorse in your hand, you might just question your loyalty to the canoe pattern. The master blade on the Seahorse is the beefiest Case makes. The joints are all sunken (well, almost totally sunken on the secondary blades) so the knife is smooth and pocket-friendly. If you think you might want a Seahorse someday, they're not going to get any easier to find than they are right now. The Canoe pattern isn't going anywhere. :p

BTW, I want a yeller handle CV Canoe too. AND a yeller CV Barlow! :D

One hand openers ARE overrated. They have their place, but they certainly are not the end-all-be-all of knife evolution. With a one-hand opener, you can have either a beefy, tough blade OR a thin, slim, delicate blade. With a slipjoint like the Seahorse whittler, you can have BOTH in the same knife! :thumbup:
 
There are some nice crossovers, too. Case and Boker both have several such offerings.
 
i too am a fan of this model and it is new to me as well. i have totally phased out the carrying of the "non traditional" type knives just because i have come to love slipjoints so much, though i do still own many. the seahorse doesn't have a spey blade it is actually called a "coping" blade and it is intended for whittling as is the knife. one thing you might like about the coping blade is that it is a straight edge blade and can be sharpened about as sharp as one can sharpen a blade. happy to see another seahorse lover and congrats on your new knife.
 
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