One-handed opening: does it matter?

johnnywizzo said:
If you have ever spent time on the salt water or on a large lake or fast water, you appreciate having a knife that opens with one hand, leaving your other hand to hang on with. When you need to cut a line it is often an emergency. And a lanyard loop is nice so you don't lose your knife overboard.
Click to expand...
I prefer a fixed blade in these cases. My most common situation is in a kayak and there is always a potential where you need to cut something very quickly.
 
22-rimfire said:
I prefer a fixed blade in these cases. My most common situation is in a kayak and there is always a potential where you need to cut something very quickly.
Click to expand...
Point taken. I was responding to the OP's statement that he couldn't think of a practical situation where a one-hand opener had any advantage over a nail nick.
 
90% of the time I don’t need to open with one hand. The other 10% of the time when I do need to open a knife with one hand because of convenience due to having my other hand holding something, it makes it useful. It’s that 10% that I think about 100% of the time when I choose which knife to carry for the day.
So, yeah, one handed opening is important for me.
 
johnnywizzo said:
Point taken. I was responding to the OP's statement that he couldn't think of a practical situation where a one-hand opener had any advantage over a nail nick.
Click to expand...
As my previous post indicated, I can definitely see situations where the quick one hand opening knife could be considered important. Generally speaking, I seldom am in those situations. But that is me and not "everyone". As I said earlier, it's nice to have legal options.

I don't carry a knife for self defense. If I did, it would be a much different knife than my usual and quick deployment could be the difference between life and death. But it has never happened to me and I purposely avoid areas where it is more likely to happen.
 
Not important to me at all, to the point that I don't even own a one hand opening folder. I do have one hand knives, they are called fixed blades.

I've been carrying pocket knives for 67 years now. Yes, I'm almost 80 years old next winter. Dad gave me a scout knife when I was 12. In all that time I've had two one hand folders. I didn't carry them long as they were just too limited for real world use. The blade was either too long, or too wide, or I needed a screw driver or other tool the scout knife/army issue demo knife gave me. in 1969 I got my first SAK and have been hooked ever since. Even with a dedicated knife, I find I want multiple blades like on the Buck stockman I carried for 25 years. Loved having main clip blade with fine point and shorter sheep foot and spay blades as backup/auxiliary blades.

If I need a one hand knife, my sheath knife will be on my right hip. I very frequently carry my old Buck 102 woodsman or a Finish Puuko going fishing or woods walking with my wife of 49 years, and she carries her little Swedish Mora sheath knife. So when outdoors we both technically have a one hand knife on us.

I also don't believe in lock blades for the same reason. If I need a knife that I know absolutely positively won't fold up on me, then I carry a sheath knife. I won't call it a fixed blade because its not broken in the middle like a folder.
 
Barman1 said:
Hackneyed rhetoric aside :rolleyes: I always carry a modern one hand opening knife.
It's just convenient.
And, I always have something "traditional" floating around in my pocket...somewhere...gimme a minute, I'll find it...;)
Click to expand...
That is a good combination if you carry two knives routinely. For the last 6 months, my quick access knife has been a practical fixed blade and it is not intended for self defense. The small fixed blade is my latest venture into the world of sheath knives. Years ago I bought a number and many were handmade. Then I stopped and now I'm moving back to that approach. I never routinely carried a fixed blade up until about 6-8 months ago.
 
Mandatory for any knife I carry. Also they must lock. The only exception is if I am going somewhere a locking knife is not allowed.
 
In my early years the slip joint was the EDC, so I can and have used 2 hand opening knives-or when needed 1 hand and teeth opening when absolutely necessary(as I said-youth). I do however prefer 1 hand operation and most my knives adhere to this in some way. I still have a couple slip joint. Is it absolutely necessary-no, but it is what I prefer.
 
As Barman1 says, it's just convenient to carry a modern one handed opening knife.

The ability to hold onto what needs cutting at the same time I can quickly open my knife, works best for me.

In 33 years of forestry work I carried a folding knife everyday, first a Buck 110, and then a Spyderco Endura for the fast one-handed opening ability.

I'm now a retired old fart with arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome, so I switched to a flipper, ZT 0770 for rapid one-handed opening.

So, yes it does matter to me for my EDC folding knife. When fishing / boating I only carry fixed blade knives for cutting line, bait, and cleaning fish.
 
Either a fixed blade or one hand opening pocket knife only. I can’t even count how many times if had to cut something with only one hand free .
 
One-handed opening for me is almost purely a fidget. I don’t really like having a knife clipped to my pocket, for reasons that outnumber and outweigh the reasons for having it. When I first became a knife knut, I only had Opinels and SAKs. OHOs were a novelty and I bought a few. I still buy one every once in a while, but they mostly sit.

I have one part-time summer gig where I need one-handed access, but a small fixed blade will usually work for me. I might carry an OHO there just for a change of pace.
 
Peter Hartwig said:
In my early years the slip joint was the EDC, so I can and have used 2 hand opening knives-or when needed 1 hand and teeth opening when absolutely necessary(as I said-youth). I do however prefer 1 hand operation and most my knives adhere to this in some way. I still have a couple slip joint. Is it absolutely necessary-no, but it is what I prefer.
Click to expand...
Fixed blade is the original one hand opening knife.

Swampdog said:
As Barman1 says, it's just convenient to carry a modern one handed opening knife.

The ability to hold onto what needs cutting at the same time I can quickly open my knife, works best for me.

In 33 years of forestry work I carried a folding knife everyday, first a Buck 110, and then a Spyderco Endura for the fast one-handed opening ability.

I'm now a retired old fart with arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome, so I switched to a flipper, ZT 0770 for rapid one-handed opening.

So, yes it does matter to me for my EDC folding knife. When fishing / boating I only carry fixed blade knives for cutting line, bait, and cleaning fish.
Click to expand...
I have an ZT 0770 too and it's a very good knife. It was actually my first ZT.
 
One hand openers for me, please, as much of my knife use is called for when my other hand is occupied. I like having a folder clipped to my pocket for convenient access. A second-carry knife could be one- or two-handed opening--a beater for working or hard-use situations or a smaller slip-joint for more discreet use.

I also just enjoy the construction and variety of one-handed openers and their various locking systems.
 
For me, it's like the difference between a motorcycle with a suicide shift vs the modern hand clutch/foot shifter configuration. I would assume the suicide shift can give you a lot of joy and it works, but it isn't what I want for the daily commute.

Fixed blades are superior in use, but attaching the sheath to your belt every day is bothersome, some sheaths are easier to attach than others.
 
johnnywizzo said:
If you have ever spent time on the salt water or on a large lake or fast water, you appreciate having a knife that opens with one hand, leaving your other hand to hang on with. When you need to cut a line it is often an emergency. And a lanyard loop is nice so you don't lose your knife overboard.
Click to expand...
Oh I see. Thanks for the clarification! That’s interesting to know.
 
In construction/EMS one hand opening is a necessity. Always holding or clamping with the other hand.
 
To me it matters so much that I carry a fixed blade.

I mostly hold something that needs to be cut with my other hand
It's more convenient
God forbid, but if self defense situation ever occurs in a way that I have to use my knife as a weapon - every second is crucial.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top