SAK alternative for someone who can't use nail-nicks?

[gomipile]

I'm looking for something to recommend to an acquaintance. Let's use the Victorinox Spartan as a point of comparison.

This person can only open the corkscrew and, with difficulty, the main blade on a Spartan. For the purposes of this discussion, they cannot use their fingernails for anything practical, and their fingertips are a little weaker than average, and a bit on the small side. I'm looking for something equivalent to a Spartan in general size, weight, and capabilities, corkscrew optional. For legal reasons, it still has to be all slipjoint tools and blades, nothing can lock open. For cultural reasons with the police in their area, one-handed-opening is also frowned upon even for slipjoints, so avoid that for the pen blades too, if possible.

One absolute must is that all recommendations have to be in current production and more or less readily available.

 

[Danke42]

 

[Hashishiin]

Dang... a slipjoint multitool, that you can open easily without a nail-nick, but not OHO... hmm. I would check out Leatherman, maybe the Leatherman Bond, that doesn't lock... they have some other non-locking models. While the knife is "One hand opening", it is the least OHO of all the OHO knives. You slowly roll it open, no flicking, even when I try to do it fast, it isn't that fast. That also has tools. There might be a better option than the Bond, so... look at the non-locking Leathermans, man. That is probably the closest you can get. It really is not flicky, at all. Just hard to meet those requirements and be NOT ABLE to open it with one hand. It is usually the "fast, flicking" motion that freaks people out though, not OHO all on it's own. They're fine with "slow" knives, these types.

For just a pocket-knife, a Douk-Douk is a very strong slipjoint that needs no nail-nick to use. They have the regular one in three sizes, they have it in a spear-point if you don't like the Scimtar shape (The Squirrel model) and they have it in a stainless.

 

[Hashishiin]

I want it now.

 

[EngrSorenson]

Someone around here once was really pumped about the CIVIVI Crit.
I don't know what happened to that guy though.
it's a flipper style.

Where did that guy go? He was just wild about it- wouldn't shut up about it.
Haven't heard anything since.

 

[mitch13]

Have a look at the leatherman K4, all 1 handed action. I have the smaller T2 which is easy to open.
Good luck

 

[Hashishiin]

Someone around here once was really pumped about the CIVIVI Crit.
I don't know what happened to that guy though.
it's a flipper style.

Where did that guy go? He was just wild about it- wouldn't shut up about it.
Haven't heard anything since.

I think he was halfway trolling.

 

[EngrSorenson]

I think he was halfway trolling.

oh really?

In this particular case, it might be just what the OP is looking for.

 

[Hashishiin]

oh really?

In this particular case, it might be just what the OP is looking for.

Indeed, I am just wondering in the case of Leatherman OHO and a flipper-tab OHO... the Leatherman is "slower". A ludicrous topic, but, guess it be that way some places...

 

[afishhunter]

The steel fingernail (see post #2) might be your best option.
I think Rough Rider currently makes one with jigged bone covers/scales. I think they are under $10.

 

[jackknife]

I'm looking for something to recommend to an acquaintance. Let's use the Victorinox Spartan as a point of comparison.

This person can only open the corkscrew and, with difficulty, the main blade on a Spartan. For the purposes of this discussion, they cannot use their fingernails for anything practical, and their fingertips are a little weaker than average, and a bit on the small side. I'm looking for something equivalent to a Spartan in general size, weight, and capabilities, corkscrew optional. For legal reasons, it still has to be all slipjoint tools and blades, nothing can lock open. For cultural reasons with the police in their area, one-handed-opening is also frowned upon even for slipjoints, so avoid that for the pen blades too, if possible.

One absolute must is that all recommendations have to be in current production and more or less readily available.

gomipile, it sounds like we're talking a person with some serious disabilities. If they have trouble opening even the main blade of a SAK, then maybe a whole different approach is needed. Like forgetting any SAK or Leatherman.

If this person has that much trouble opening a slip joint like a SAK, then maybe a lightweight slim built folder knife is in order. Add a few keychain stool to the keyring, like a Victorinox quatro and a P-38 for screws and can/bottle opening, and go with that. Knife like a Japanese Higonokami, Sardinian resolza, Svoid peasant knife, or a number 7 or 8 Opinel would take care of most cutting jobs. The Opinel can be easily modified with some sandpaper to remove some wood and make the blade open by pinching. I have some pretty good osteoarthritis in my fingers and the Opinel is my go-to pocket knife many days. Easy open, and the twist lock is easy to do with disabled fingers. The few keychain tools in my wallet take care of the whole opener layer of the SAK, but they are one piece tools that require no opening. The Sear's 4-way keychain screw driver is still around on the great bay.

 

[Hashishiin]

gomipile, it sounds like we're talking a person with some serious disabilities. If they have trouble opening even the main blade of a SAK, then maybe a whole different approach is needed. Like forgetting any SAK or Leatherman.

If this person has that much trouble opening a slip joint like a SAK, then maybe a lightweight slim built folder knife is in order. Add a few keychain stool to the keyring, like a Victorinox quatro and a P-38 for screws and can/bottle opening, and go with that. Knife like a Japanese Higonokami, Sardinian resolza, Svoid peasant knife, or a number 7 or 8 Opinel would take care of most cutting jobs. The Opinel can be easily modified with some sandpaper to remove some wood and make the blade open by pinching. I have some pretty good osteoarthritis in my fingers and the Opinel is my go-to pocket knife many days. Easy open, and the twist lock is easy to do with disabled fingers. The few keychain tools in my wallet take care of the whole opener layer of the SAK, but they are one piece tools that require no opening. The Sear's 4-way keychain screw driver is still around on the great bay.

Do not forget the Coup de Savoyard!
Knocking an unlocked Opinel blade forward some by hitting the butt of the knife against a hard surface like a table, making it very easy to simply grab, pull out and secure, even easier than normal. +1 on Higo, can get various steels and sizes.

 

[jackknife]

Do not forget the Coup de Savoyard!
Knocking an unlocked Opinel blade forward some by hitting the butt of the knife against a hard surface like a table, making it very easy to simply grab, pull out and secure, even easier than normal. +1 on Higo, can get various steels and sizes.

Right! I can't begin to guess how many times I've used the Coup de Savoyard to open my Opinel one handed. A tree trunk, boot heel, table edge, my skull, (A certified hard surface!) and them just putting the point against the tree or table or whatever, and pulling the blade open. Most times if its just a cut, like opening a box, cutting a piece of twine, I don't even bother with the locking ring. With the Higonokami, its just thumb open like a strait razor.

 

[gomipile]

Points taken and will be given consideration.

However, do you have any more ideas that fit within the scope of the question I asked, as I asked it?

 

[Hashishiin]

Points taken and will be given consideration.

However, do you have any more ideas that fit within the scope of the question I asked, as I asked it?

I think a non-locking Leatherman is your best bet. I will do some more looking, though.

 

[gomipile]

I think a non-locking Leatherman is your best bet. I will do some more looking, though.

Part of "equivalent to a Spartan" the way I mean it is "not much more weight and faff than a Spartan. Anything with pliers is beyond what I'm considering for the purposes of this thread. Anything with much more or less features than a Spartan minus the corkscrew is out of consideration. Also, the price should be within a factor of 2.5 of a Spartan. Within a factor of 1.5 for preference. So, street price absolutely less than $50 USD, preferably less than $35, or close to $20.

 

[jackknife]

Part of "equivalent to a Spartan" the way I mean it is "not much more weight and faff than a Spartan. Anything with pliers is beyond what I'm considering for the purposes of this thread. Anything with much more or less features than a Spartan minus the corkscrew is out of consideration. Also, the price should be within a factor of 2.5 of a Spartan. Within a factor of 1.5 for preference. So, street price absolutely less than $50 USD, preferably less than $35, or close to $20.

I fear you are looking for the golden unicorn. You're looking for a multitool for someone with some severe handicaps, can't use nails to open and has limited use of finger rips, and has very limited hand strength. There is nothing in the SAK lineup that can fill this order.

Can you tell us a bit more to be of help in finding a solution? Is this person very aged, or severely injured?

 

[gomipile]

I fear you are looking for the golden unicorn. You're looking for a multitool for someone with some severe handicaps, can't use nails to open and has limited use of finger rips, and has very limited hand strength. There is nothing in the SAK lineup that can fill this order.

Can you tell us a bit more to be of help in finding a solution? Is this person very aged, or severely injured?

I wouldn't call them severely handicapped. They have average or slightly below average strength, and good dexterity in their hands. Their fingertips work fine for normal devices that aren't made with a fingernail in mind. I won't tell you exactly what their condition is, but you can just pretend that they don't have fingernails for the purposes of this discussion.


Update:

Over the past few days I've attempted to use small pry tools to operate my SAKs as though I had no fingernails. With a Hiker, this ranged from passable, to frustrating, to somewhat terrifying depending on the tool. I'd say that it was within the realm of acceptable for someone with average finger dexterity and above average grip strength for everything but the small blade. That one was hard enough to do that I wouldn't want anyone who isn't a knife person to have to go through what it would take to learn to open it safely.

That all given that I have above average grip strength and no complaints about my hands' dexterity.

No way would I want to recommend a Spartan and a small pry tool to the person I'm thinking about. And like I said, they're not severely handicapped, they just don't have the use of fingernails.

I admit that a lot of midsize and large pliers based multitools would be operable by this person, but something like that just couldn't fill the lightweight EDC role I'm looking for.

At this point, all I've got for ideas that I could almost recommend to them is a cloth or leather pocket organizer and several separate small tools. But I feel like that's denying them the pleasure of carrying something like a 2-layer SAK. I can imagine how something that would work for them would be designed, but I'm not a slipjoint manufacturer, and I don't have the ear of any. I'm just shocked that nothing like this with accessibility in mind exists. OR if it does, that it's not well-known enough to have been recommended in this thread yet.

Update²:

If I were forced to go down the pocket organizer route, I've got ideas for every tool but one: The Victorinox awl/reamer. Even in my workshop toolboxes, I don't have anything bench-size that does quite what that tool does. Does anyone know an EDC-able "fixed blade" awl/reamer with sewing eye that isn't any fatter than the Vic one? The only alternative that comes to mind is buying a Victorinox awl from an Ebay parts seller and crafting a handle for it. That seems a bit far-fetched, though. A big consideration I give to recommendations like this is picking products that will be easy for the person to source and replace. Something that has to be hand-made every time with parts that aren't even sold directly at retail goes against that philosophy.

 

[Wild Willie]

As far as the awl goes, heat up and pound a 16 penny nail flat, then drill a hole through the end, put a crude edge on and then re-heat to critical followed by a quench.

 

[Rupestris]

I wouldn't call them severely handicapped. They have average or slightly below average strength, and good dexterity in their hands. Their fingertips work fine for normal devices that aren't made with a fingernail in mind. I won't tell you exactly what their condition is, but you can just pretend that they don't have fingernails for the purposes of this discussion.


Update:

Over the past few days I've attempted to use small pry tools to operate my SAKs as though I had no fingernails. With a Hiker, this ranged from passable, to frustrating, to somewhat terrifying depending on the tool. I'd say that it was within the realm of acceptable for someone with average finger dexterity and above average grip strength for everything but the small blade. That one was hard enough to do that I wouldn't want anyone who isn't a knife person to have to go through what it would take to learn to open it safely.

That all given that I have above average grip strength and no complaints about my hands' dexterity.

No way would I want to recommend a Spartan and a small pry tool to the person I'm thinking about. And like I said, they're not severely handicapped, they just don't have the use of fingernails.

I admit that a lot of midsize and large pliers based multitools would be operable by this person, but something like that just couldn't fill the lightweight EDC role I'm looking for.

At this point, all I've got for ideas that I could almost recommend to them is a cloth or leather pocket organizer and several separate small tools. But I feel like that's denying them the pleasure of carrying something like a 2-layer SAK. I can imagine how something that would work for them would be designed, but I'm not a slipjoint manufacturer, and I don't have the ear of any. I'm just shocked that nothing like this with accessibility in mind exists. OR if it does, that it's not well-known enough to have been recommended in this thread yet.

Update²:

If I were forced to go down the pocket organizer route, I've got ideas for every tool but one: The Victorinox awl/reamer. Even in my workshop toolboxes, I don't have anything bench-size that does quite what that tool does. Does anyone know an EDC-able "fixed blade" awl/reamer with sewing eye that isn't any fatter than the Vic one? The only alternative that comes to mind is buying a Victorinox awl from an Ebay parts seller and crafting a handle for it. That seems a bit far-fetched, though. A big consideration I give to recommendations like this is picking products that will be easy for the person to source and replace. Something that has to be hand-made every time with parts that aren't even sold directly at retail goes against that philosophy.

If one hand opening and locking blades are frowned upon, I don’t think an awl with a handle affixed to it is going to go over well.

My best suggestion, with such tight parameters, would be to check out a British Navy Knife.

Use a Dremel to make the easy-open cutouts a bit deeper and maybe add a thumb stud to the can opener. Otherwise you’re opening the blade fully, opening the can opener to half stop then close the main blade.

For an awl, grind two or more sides of the Marlin spike flat and have a hole drilled in it?