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

Fred Sanford said:
How about the Leatherman Free? You can open everything one handed. Great little tool.
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Over stated budget. Also, don't the blades lock?

For the stated "street price absolutely less than $50 USD, preferably less than $35, or close to $20" budget, a steel fingernail/knife pick (see post 2) is pretty much the "best" or only realistic option. The one by Rough Rider (RR2197 with Micarta covers) is $11.97 plus tax and $4 shipping.
(If OP isn't in North America shipping may be higher, plus any Customs fees and VAT taxes.)
Are used Leatherman/Gerber/SOG multi tools that meet the no blade lock requirement (if they exist) available for under $50?
 
This is a really tough question. The requirement of no nail nicks and no one-handed opening basically eliminates almost all pocket knives from consideration, and certainly all SAKs and SAK-like knives. The best that I can think of off the top of my head is pairing a small Opinel (the size that doesn’t have a locking ring) with a Craftsman 4-way keychain screwdriver.
 
hsherzfeld said:
This is a really tough question. The requirement of no nail nicks and no one-handed opening basically eliminates almost all pocket knives from consideration, and certainly all SAKs and SAK-like knives. The best that I can think of off the top of my head is pairing a small Opinel (the size that doesn’t have a locking ring) with a Craftsman 4-way keychain screwdriver.
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Or one of the non locking MAM friction folders.
 
What about using the back of the toothpick to open the nail nicks? The flat edge of the nub on the end of the toothpick will hook into the nail nicks of all the tools. You just push it down into the nail nick and pull back to get the tool open.

It's not my idea. I saw it in a youtube video. I think it might have been on Felix Immler's channel.

It works pretty well, but if grip strength is a problem then I don't know how effective it would be.

Give it a try and see what you think.
 
Guy McVer said:
What about using the back of the toothpick to open the nail nicks? The flat edge of the nub on the end of the toothpick will hook into the nail nicks of all the tools. You just push it down into the nail nick and pull back to get the tool open.

It's not my idea. I saw it in a youtube video. I think it might have been on Felix Immler's channel.

It works pretty well, but if grip strength is a problem then I don't know how effective it would be.

Give it a try and see what you think.
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How do you extract the toothpick without using your fingernails? I just tried it, and I had to press really hard to get the flesh of my fingertip into the gap between the toothpick and the scale to get the toothpick out.
 
hsherzfeld said:
How do you extract the toothpick without using your fingernails? I just tried it, and I had to press really hard to get the flesh of my fingertip into the gap between the toothpick and the scale to get the toothpick out.
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I keep my fingernails super short for hygiene purposes, and I have never had any issues removing any of the scale tools except for one time when I had replaced the scales with a new set that weren't fully pressed down tight enough. The scales looked fine but they actually weren't quite down all the way. Once I put the knife in a bench vice and I got the scales properly seated, the issue went away.

I really don't know what else to say. It's just never been a problem except for that one instance. I wish I could be more helpful.
 
Rupestris said:
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?

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If that had something like the Victorinox combo tool on the Waiter/Compact and, like you said, a more appropriate awl, it might be okay if the backspring tension is appropriate. For now, though, since it doesn't come like that from the factory, it doesn't really fit the philosophy of what I'm going for. Also, FWIW, I've had a few rigging knives like that, and they had monstrously strong backsprings.
 
Maybe you could get somebody to agree to modify a SAK to reduce the strength needed to open the tools. It may only require a little bit of grinding to remove a small amount of material where the tools initially contact the backsprings. Maybe a little bit of adjusting in the peening as well, to keep it a little more loose than normal. It's iffy 'cause you definately don't want it to be too loose.

Yeah, I know... SAK customization is not cheap. But under the circumstances, maybe you can find someone who will agree to do it at little to no cost? Maybe it's worth asking around.
 
I recently saw something which reminded me of this topic. It was a youtube video about a simple modification which makes opening folding knives easier.

I am not a fan of embedding or directly linking to youtube videos within forum posts, but I will give you the channel name and the video title so you can easily find and watch it yourself.

Easy Open Notch Mod, Do It Yourself knife Modification!

by Messer HQ

One of the best things about this type of modification is how absurdly easy it is to do. It doesn't require disassembly of the knife, and it doesn't even require any particularly special tools. You could do this yourself with nothing but a round file, a little bit of sandpaper, and a suitable amount of free time.

If you look at the old Wenger Swiss army knives, before they were bought by Victorinox, you will see that they incorporated a similar notch above the awl to make it easier to open.

You could take a 1 or 2 layer Swiss army knife, such as a Waiter or Spartan/Tinker, and add these notches at appropriate places to it so that the tools can be accessed more easily. This modification could theoretically also be used on 3+ layer knives, since many of the middle tools could also be opened by pinching them if the outside tools are moved out of the way first.
 
I'm just tossing these in as ideas, pretty sure someone can make them better.
For the Awl in a pocket kit, you can get speedy stitcher needles without the handle, and make some sort of low-profile handle that would allow easy carry and better use. There might even be a small collet handle available on the market.

I think something like a Vic card might sort some of the tool use concerns, there is another brand, I believe now discontinued called toollogic that had some other designs, scissors, knife, very basic screwdrivers. One of those might hit some of the marks.

Even though the cost is well above your goal, the opening method of the Spyderco Roadie is as close to "two hand, no nail nick" that I can think of, so it's worth a look, even just for ideas that might fit a similar shape.

If a bottle/can opener is not a likely need, or can easily be added with a bottle opener keychain, then a swisscard lite is probably a pretty safe bet. Though I'd almost be tempted to try a small kit based around a ritter RSK and all in a small card-slip wallet. The cost would be greater, but a lot of custom utility could be created.
 
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