Please help me find the perfect one-hand opener

Locutus D'Borg said:
FYI, if you ever get into customs you will find many are liner locks (both sides can be made with exotic materials unlike framelocks) and unless you are batoning, liner locks are plenty strong these days.
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No I would not baton with a folder. A stronger lock may be desirable for a tactical/first-responder folder, where the knife may need to be used for tasks above and beyond cutting (stabbing, prying, twisting, cutting through car doors etc), but the hardest thing my knife will need to cut is wood, maybe some carving/feathersticks. Mainly cutting open bags of ice or firewood, cutting cordage, cutting down cardboard, slicing up sausage -- pretty light use.
 
running bird said:
I just moved out of central NJ to Kentucky, I understand. Check for knife shops near you that you can stop in and handle some knives, quick google search should pull up a few. I used to live relatively close to the Flemington Department store, they used to have a decent selection of knives.

If I remember right theres a relatively big knife store somewhere in central-northern NJ. They have spyderco, benchmade, and a few other big name brands. I’ll see if I can find/remember the name of the place

There is also a custom leather shop in New Hope PA, owner is a knife guy, sells knives made by local makers. They also have a decent selection of production knives, little small but they’re helpful there and good people.

Kevin
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I live in Hudson County (10 minutes outside of Manhattan). The closest sporting goods stores to me are in Paramus (Campmore, REI) and their knife selection is both limited and marked up...

I would be willing to make a trip to a cutlery store with good selection -- I always like doing my homework beforehand so I don't rely on a salesman to make decisions. Much better for a knife Karen to consult other knife Karens 🤓
 
Rat is a great classic.
Cold Steel is stronger and very sharpenable on common stuff if you do not pick a CPM steel. Not that you need to "work" on it. Pick your favorite model. Nothing too long like a SR1. The Air Lite is indestructable if you don't beat it with a sledgehammer.

Ummm, consider any strong Spyderco in BD1N, easy to sharpen. I think they make a Manix in the USA for 100, pinned, in the steel.

I must say I love my CS GRIK, Shaman in M4 by Spydie, and my Douk Douk or a Mercator as a backup cause those are tough for real despite slipjoint construction of the Douk
 
I know it's not the sexy answer, but I do love the Svord peasant knife.
No thumb stud, so it doesn't hit that criteria, but it's really a great knife for less than 20 bucks.

Get it all filled up with Cheeze Wiz one day on a dare from your functional alcoholic friends? No problem; get out the screw driver on your SAK, take it apart, clean it, put it back together.

I've been very impressed with mine, and I use it like I hate it.

Just playing devil's advocate for the fun, quirky third party nominee.
 
I tend to avoid replying in these types of threads because often there will be as many suggestions as there are responses, and none are necessarily right or wrong.. but since the OP seems to have it narrowed down a little bit..

Can't go wrong with a RAT, it's popular for a reason. That said, if ease of opening is a primary concern (I'm assuming it is based on thread title), the Tenacious is a better knife.. "perfect one hand opener" and "Spyderco thumb-hole" are pretty much synonymous. I'd go with the Tenacious over the RAT 1.. Resilience if you want somthing larger. I think either only benefit from the S35VN upgrade..
 
EngrSorenson said:
I know it's not the sexy answer, but I do love the Svord peasant knife.
No thumb stud, so it doesn't hit that criteria, but it's really a great knife for less than 20 bucks.

Get it all filled up with Cheeze Wiz one day on a dare from your functional alcoholic friends? No problem; get out the screw driver on your SAK, take it apart, clean it, put it back together.

I've been very impressed with mine, and I use it like I hate it.

Just playing devil's advocate for the fun, quirky third party nominee.
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I love old-school carbon steel knifes -- especially the way they smell when you sharpen them. Weird, I know. My heart goes aflutter at Great Eastern Cutlery barlow knives -- especially with a sheepsfoot blade.

The reason I'd be a little gunshy about pocket carrying a Svord is because, I have an Opinel #8 -- the older model without the slot in the pivot ring that locks the knife closed. Normally, friction keeps the blade in place. However, in the winter, when the wood shrinks from the temperature and dry air, the blade can pop out just a bit. This once gave me a nasty surprise when I reached into my pocket for it. Obviously you'd carry a Svord tip-down, but I want a positive close when it's in the pocket without a sheath, and locked open when in use.
 
ricklikesknives said:
I tend to avoid replying in these types of threads because often there will be as many suggestions as there are responses, and none are necessarily right or wrong.. but since the OP seems to have it narrowed down a little bit..

Can't go wrong with a RAT, it's popular for a reason. That said, if ease of opening is a primary concern (I'm assuming it is based on thread title), the Tenacious is a better knife.. "perfect one hand opener" and "Spyderco thumb-hole" are pretty much synonymous. I'd go with the Tenacious over the RAT 1.. Resilience if you want somthing larger. I think either only benefit from the S35VN upgrade..
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I am most likely going with the Tenacious in S35VN. Checks pretty much all my boxes (although if it were D2 or VG10, that would be ideal), ergos look good, I like how you can use that blade portion right above your hand for power. I liked the Endura, but I didn't like the lack of metal liners which made it feel a little flexy -- that's taken care of on the Tenacious. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the price -- but, buy once, cry once.
 
rjc149 said:
I love old-school carbon steel knifes -- especially the way they smell when you sharpen them. Weird, I know. My heart goes aflutter at Great Eastern Cutlery barlow knives -- especially with a sheepsfoot blade.

The reason I'd be a little gunshy about pocket carrying a Svord is because, I have an Opinel #8 -- the older model without the slot in the pivot ring that locks the knife closed. Normally, friction keeps the blade in place. However, in the winter, when the wood shrinks from the temperature and dry air, the blade can pop out just a bit. This once gave me a nasty surprise when I reached into my pocket for it. Obviously you'd carry a Svord tip-down, but I want a positive close when it's in the pocket without a sheath, and locked open when in use.
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well I can guarantee that, when it's open and you're using it, the Svord won't close on you.
While it's in your pocket? there's a small chance it could open on you.
Most of the time I find that it actually closes down harder when it's in my pocket and I'm doing my normal activities.
 
I can one handed open and close a shaman, meets some of your boxes, feels substantial in hand—check
Easy to sharpen-check s30v
Quality control action, lock up, and release can all be done with one hand. Great knife.
 
rjc149 said:
I love old-school carbon steel knifes -- especially the way they smell when you sharpen them. Weird, I know. My heart goes aflutter at Great Eastern Cutlery barlow knives -- especially with a sheepsfoot blade.

The reason I'd be a little gunshy about pocket carrying a Svord is because, I have an Opinel #8 -- the older model without the slot in the pivot ring that locks the knife closed. Normally, friction keeps the blade in place. However, in the winter, when the wood shrinks from the temperature and dry air, the blade can pop out just a bit. This once gave me a nasty surprise when I reached into my pocket for it. Obviously you'd carry a Svord tip-down, but I want a positive close when it's in the pocket without a sheath, and locked open when in use.
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The only way a Peasant opens in your pocket is if you completely neglect it. It's just a matter of tightening the rear screw until you are comfortable with the effort it takes to open the knife. While I agree there is room for operator error, the same can be said for knives with weak detents.
 
dogstar said:
The only way a Peasant opens in your pocket is if you completely neglect it. It's just a matter of tightening the rear screw until you are comfortable with the effort it takes to open the knife. While I agree there is room for operator error, the same can be said for knives with weak detents.
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I really enjoy your taste in budget users, but the Svord peasant is definitely an acquired taste.

The profile takes up a whole lot of space too, although the grind is probably more condusive for wood than other suggestions.

Tenacious in the better steel is not a bad choice at all. Neither is the Rat1.
 
fishface5 said:
The only issue for you with the s35 tenacious might be the thin handle?
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My issue with the Endura was that it was thin, but the scales flexed under pressure which made it thinner and a little uncomfortable to use for things like wood carving. I think those scales were more intended for something like the Delica, a light EDC knife. The larger Endura blade wants to do beefier noif tasks, but the handle doesn't (with the exception of food prep -- where it excelled).

The RAT 1 seems to have a more rounded, hand-filling handle, which I'd prefer.

The Tenacious has thinner handles, but it has metal liners which appears to keep it more sturdy and solid in the hand. The thinner scales is of course a compromise for easy pocket carry. I'm thinking the thinner scales, but with the metal liner, is an acceptable marriage of ergonomics, rigidity during use, and ease of carry.
 
dogstar said:
The only way a Peasant opens in your pocket is if you completely neglect it. It's just a matter of tightening the rear screw until you are comfortable with the effort it takes to open the knife. While I agree there is room for operator error, the same can be said for knives with weak detents.
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The other thing about the Peasant is the blade is secured open by keeping the tang in place by your grip during use. While that's not inherently unsafe any more than a slipjoint is (I've never had a slipjoint close on me during use), I like the security of a positive lock into the open position.
 
The Endura HAS liners. They’re just nested. The reason the handle flexes is it’s FRN. If you get some aftermarket G10 or micarta scales it feels rock solid and will cut circles around most other knives.
 
AntDog said:
The Endura HAS liners. They’re just nested. The reason the handle flexes is it’s zytel. If you get some aftermarket G10 or micarta scales it feels rock solid and will cut circles around most other knives.
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I didn't realize that. But the flexing was just a turn-off for me. At the time I owned it, I wasn't considering making modifications to the stock assembly. I did like how easy the VG10 was to sharpen, however.
 
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