Spyderhole - less efficient way to open a knife?

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so i mean, how difficult is this ?


[video=youtube;KZTmewlK3pU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZTmewlK3pU[/video]
 
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So, I read posts that say they hated the Spyderco spydie super hole due to the looks. But other posters say they hated how it looked UNTIL they decided to buy one, and then the utility outweighed the aesthetics. Did anyone actually like how the hole looked before ever owning a Spyderco? I'm talking about a situation where you had never even heard or seen one before, then hopped online and browsed a knife retailer, came across a Spyderco spydie hole for the first time, and thought "dang, that's a fine hole in the blade"?

I have had this reaction when I first browsed overpriced knives for the first time, and came across the Marfione Sigil. Disregarding price, online, it looks pretty sick.
 
marcinek said:
But, incorrect use of "choil" is neither here nor there.

Is the Spyderhole inefficient?

No. Inefficient designs aren't long-lasting, industry changing, and wildly popular.
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Agreed.

Now I'm gonna be a linguistics nerd for a second.

I think there's a pretty strong argument to be made for either definition of choil. The original definition was unquestionably the one you and Mr. Russell are pointing to, but it has been so frequently and widely used to describe a contoured cut in the handle or blade that I think we're to the point of that being an acceptable definition simply because it's so broadly understood. Much like the fact that awful and awesome were once essentially synonyms I think we're looking at a case of the language evolving, which seems to happen even more easily in niche hobbies and communities.

I, personally, think another example is detent. I will, without really thinking, refer to the detent on a backlock or Axis lock knife despite the fact that neither of those actually HAS a detent. It's just become a useful catchall term for me to refer to how strongly the knife is biased to stay closed.

Okay, digression over.
 
I was very late to purchase my first Spyder. Partially because of believing the bias of others, and partially because of my own uneducated opinion of the plastic looking FRN material.

I'm one of those crazy abusive people that enjoy flipping/flicking constantly. A little ocd in me enjoys the act when not doing anything else with my hands. Sometimes watching tv I'll flip a knife hundreds of times.

I finally decided to try a Spyderco, and my first was the Domino. That was a really bad choice because it is an amazing flipper and very flickable by the Spyder hole. I was hooked. I've since discovered what others have said about the lock type being the biggest factor in smooth flickability.

I now really appreciate the Spyder hole for its smooth positive functionality whether flickable or not. But the most amazing flicker I have (without having to loosen the pivot to the point of blade play....think BM Axis), is my PM2. Rock solid free floating blade that flies to full lockup with very little effort.

I simply don't expect lockbacks to fly open, but compression/liner/frame locks do very well. But all of my Spyderco's are amazingly smooth and positive for their respective design's.

Now I feel they are one of the most natural, efficient, and intuitive one handed openers available on the market. I can hand a thumb stud (or even a flipper) opening knife to a non-knife person, and they will usually take a second or two to figure it out, if not simply use two hands. But hand a spydie hole knife to someone, and they instinctively thumb it open smooth and quickly. It's been very interesting.
 
Cutlover said:
So, I read posts that say they hated the Spyderco spydie super hole due to the looks. But other posters say they hated how it looked UNTIL they decided to buy one, and then the utility outweighed the aesthetics. Did anyone actually like how the hole looked before ever owning a Spyderco? I'm talking about a situation where you had never even heard or seen one before, then hopped online and browsed a knife retailer, came across a Spyderco spydie hole for the first time, and thought "dang, that's a fine hole in the blade"?

I have had this reaction when I first browsed overpriced knives for the first time, and came across the Marfione Sigil. Disregarding price, online, it looks pretty sick.
Click to expand...

I had no strong opinion either way about the appearance of Spyderco knives, and bought two more after the first one was given to me. My opinion comes from owning them and a fair number of other one hand folders.
 
I have no problems with the look of spyderco knives, to me they're like the glock of the knife world. They're not exactly a 1911 ( the buck 110 is the 1911 of the knife world ).
Honestly ( and I know that most people will disagree ) for a utilitarian edc knife nobody needs their blade to move quickly, and doesn't need to be able to open their knife any faster than a one handed lockback will allow.
So I have no problem with the spyder hole ( though they could be a little less wide )
 
RX-79G said:
I had thought the flipper was part of the blade.
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It is. Part of the blade past the edge and tang. And it's not a cutout.

I mean, if you wanna call what it forms in the handle a choil instyead of a guard, go nuts. Cutlover certainly agrees with your usage.
 
I like the look and the functionality of the Spyderco hole. It's simple and it works. International Harvester used to have a saying that simplicity is the key to reliability. The Spyderco hole doesn't break, catch dirt/debris, doesn't strip out, require a trip back to the factory, doesn't get loose and doesn;t scratch stuff in my pocket. It just works!

I am not a flicker, although i can flick most of my Spydercos and do wave my Emersons but generally have no reason whatsoever to flick a knife open.
 
The Spydiehole works exactly how it should, it doesn't hurt your fingers like a thumb stud will and doesn't catch in your pocket either like a thumb stud. Aesthetics are personal, but you can't deny that the hole does the job quite well. I've never struggled to open a Spyderco, ever; I have struggled to open a cold steel with a thumb stud. It might not be as 'fast' to open, but it works all the time every time.
 
RX-79G said:
I've owned 3 Spydercos for many years, and found them all tedious to open. I've seen the videos of all the funny ways to open one, but two of mine have so much drag that they won't flick, so the stainless handled Endura was my default favorite because I drew it by the hole and shook the handle open.

On the other two, you just open the knife the old fashioned way - put your thumb on the hole and push it in a long arc. Thumbstuds, even when they have a fair amount of opening drag, just seem easier because your thumb ends up traveling . Tonight I measured a few knives, and it was dramatically obvious that your thumb must travel a larger arc and further distance from the blade pivot on most Spydercos than most thumbstuds. About 1/2" in arc diameter.


Spyderco is a fine company that makes excellent products, so this is not an anti-Spyderco thread. And several other companies use some variation on the thumbhole, which almost always requires a larger thumb arc to open. Yet, this never seems to be a topic of conversation.

Does anybody else find thumbholes long, slow and requiring more dexterity? Or do liner lock versions flick so well that most Spydie users never have to trace the full arc?
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If the spyder drop isn't easy enough to open, bust out the dremel, cut that hole in half, and boom! spyderwave!
 
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I really disagree. I think the spyderhole is the easiest manual opening method. My sister has a hard time opening my paramilitary 2 only because her hands are small, but she has no problem with my Delica 4 even though it's a lockback.
 
While I wasn't sure about the spyderhole when I was first shopping for a Spyderco, I bit the bullet and bought one - Manix 2 LW with S110V steel. Ends up being the best and easiest opening knife I own (or have tried at the store). I had been really concerned prior to purchase because I have severe peripheral neuropathy (due to diabetes) in both hands. So some knives can be a real hassle, and/or near impossible for me to open. And while I see so many opening a Spyderco with their thumb from the top of the blade, I use my middle finger from underneath the blade - smooth, fast and efficient - every single time.

manix2.jpg
 
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