"swiss army knife" for one-handed person

C

centikel

Joined
Apr 10, 2001
Messages
4
Hello,
My 14 year-old godson was born with one hand. Because of that he frequently needs cutting tools, for example, scissors to open chip bags and such. After seeing him run downstairs to grab a scissors to open a lemonade packet, I realized how handy a Swiss army knife would be for him. I love my Swiss army knife, but I have trouble opening it with even two hands. Is there a similar tool, perhaps with a button or slide thing, that a one-handed person could use and carry safely in his pocket? I know he would be thrilled.
Thanks for your time.
 
Boy, you came to the right place for advice on that subject. Check out www.spyderco.com for a wide variety of high-quality, variously sized cutting tools, mostly operable one-handed. You can purchase these via www.1sks.com, and help support this site as well. Good luck, and I hope you find something that makes your godson's life easier.
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Wow, this is the first time I have ever loved the web! I will go right to these links and will be happy to support the site as a consequence. Peter will be so psyched to have tools he can use! Again, many thanks.

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Burke:
Boy, you came to the right place for advice on that subject. ..... Good luck, and I hope you find something that makes your godson's life easier.</font>
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You're very welcome. Lots of good people here; let us know what you decide to get and how Peter likes it. I would suggest the Delica, probably serrated, for a fairly inoffensive, high-quality knife, but there's lots of other good ones for a little more or a little less money. Part of it, I would guess, is what is easiest and safest for your godson to close one-handed.
 
If you are looking for some nice scissors for your godson, you might want to take a look at the Leatherman Micra. It is fairly easy to open with one hand, and the scissors are excellent (as are the other "tools" of the Micra).

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Dann Fassnacht
Aberdeen, WA
glockman99@hotmail.com
ICQ# 53675663
 
I recommend a Spyderco Dragonfly, and a Gerber Multi-Plier. It'll take some practice, but I can operate both of mine with one hand. SOG has a new tool out, that may be one hand operated, I have no experience with it. RKBA!
 
You might want to consider the Leatherman Wave, it has knife blades that can be opened one-handed, as well as a good variety of tools, including scissors.
 
I also believe that one-handed people qualify to carry automatic knives. AG Russell makes a small one hand knife for about one hundred dollars. Good luck and welcome!
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Which hand does he have? Something that most people forget here is the difficulty of closing some types of knives with only one hand, especially if you are left-handed. This is because many liner-locked knives are orientated for right-handers and you'll be hard pressed to find a left-handed model. They are out there, just that it is harder to find.

My own personal recommendation is for the SOG Vision range of knives because they have an ambidextrous thumb stud and a strong locking mechanism which is allows for ambidextrous closing (not that I can't close my Spydie back-locked knife with either hand). The shape is a geometric tanto which means easier sharpening since the edges are straight. The only thing is that half the blade is taken up by serrations, which I dislike because I don't really cut that much rope anyway.

But if your godson has his right hand, then practially any good knife with a thumbstud and a liner lock/ Walker lock will do. Spyderco, Benchmade both make good knives. Another one to look at is the A.G. Russell one hand knife, which can be opened and closed one-handed with either hand.

Of course you could just go laterally from this and buy a good pair of Fiskars scissors and have Normark (one of the forum members) build a nice little sheath to carry it in. Might actually prove to be the best solution for everyday stuff.

BTW, if there is some jargon you don't understand, please let me know. I sometimes don't realise how much jargon there is. And how lost we can make a newcomer feel because of it. And one more thing, WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!
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[This message has been edited by Steelwolf (edited 04-11-2001).]
 
try a MT H.A.L.O. III
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welcome to the forums!

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A genius learns more and more about less and less until he/she learns absolutly everything about nothing

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~Daniel a.k.a. DeLightsabor~
 
Centikel,
Welcome to Blade Forums. There are a lot of interesting pocket knives out there that can be opened and closed one-handed very quickly by pushing an extension (called a thumb stud or thumb disk) or hole in the blade with your thumb and rotating the blade out. Many of these pocket knives have a mechanical locking mechanism to help keep the blade open and prevent accidents. There are several very popular locking mechanisms that can closed one handed.

Liner locks are ones which are very popular, and they are one which uses a liner in the handle to prop itself against the back of the blade and stop it from closing. These are usually made for closing one-handed with right hand use, but some are available for left hand use as well.

Some also are made with serrations in the blade to help with sawing. Some say that serrations make cutting more efficient, but my experience is that its harder to sharpen, so I personally avoid them, but if you plan to get them professionally sharpened when it dulls, you might as well go with a combination edge of plain (normal sharp edge) and a serrated edge.

What hand does your godson have? And what price range of pocket knife are you looking at? There are many good ones available at different price ranges.

[This message has been edited by Chang (edited 04-11-2001).]
 
Not sure what your budgetary limits are. On the lower end of the spectrum, you might give a thought to the Timberline Valloten Discovery. Shootist16 can provide as good a price as there is out there, I believe.

I was able to handle this knife for a minute last weekend. I was very impressed with the fit and finish. It did not at all seem like a knife one could buy for under $50, since it wasn't a CRKT. The assisted opening is very strong, tho not startling with a resounding THWAK! I believe I closed the knife one-handed but can't believe. I liked the feel of the opening much better than that of my Kershaw Whirlwind. Felt the overall quality was quite a bit higher also.

Woops, should have said at the beginning, this is a right-handed knife. If your godson has only his left hand, look elsewhere.

All I can say is that this knife joined my "Gotta get" list in a big hurry after handling it.

My $.02 worth.


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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
Folks, remember, this is a 14 year old, who needs to open a bag of chips! Some of the suggestions were way out of line in terms of price and size. For the uninitiated, giving an adolescent some of the suggested pieces would be unthinkable.

I think the Multitool ideas, the Micra, and the Dragonfly suggestions are more in line.
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">For the uninitiated, giving an adolescent some of the suggested pieces would be unthinkable. </font>
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So initiate him.

Age has little to do with ability. I know adults to whom I wouldn't hand one of my knives, but my 3 nephews as well as my own children can see my knives whenever they wish.
 
4th, I don't want to get in a spitting contest here, I was just pointing out that this was a very specific request, not a request for a wish list.

1) The gift giver and the kid's parent(s) are neither likely knife enthusiasts, or they would have hooked the kid up sooner.

2) The recipient is:
a) a godson, a.k.a - someone else's kid, not your own
b) a 14 yr old who needs a little help with daily 14-yr old tasks, like opening a bag of chips

One of the knives suggested has a 3.75" blade and retails for $189.00.

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Do you really think that was an appropriate suggestion given the parameters (1&2) above?

 
I gave my brother, who is effectively one handed, a left handed CRKT Mirage. He likes it and can use it without any problem. Also, it was inexpensive and non-offensive.

Chris

[This message has been edited by mtnbkr (edited 04-12-2001).]
 
So go for the Fiskars scissors or Leatherman Micra with a belt/clip-to-pants sheath from Normark?

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Personally, I would go for the Spydie Delica plain edge. IMHO, it can't be beat for price, useability, durability and simplicity. And it's not very threatening either. To add to that, I would say that because it is light and has a pretty good and durable clip it can go on practically anything. Shirt cuffs, shorts, jeans, dress pants, whatever. A properly made neck sheath might increase its ease of carry too.
 
RH-

I'm sorry, was I spitting again? I tend to do that when I'm excited. I spent a lot of time in tent revivals as a youngster. Blame the evangelists.

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
1) The gift giver and the kid's parent(s) are neither likely knife enthusiasts, or they would have hooked the kid up sooner.

2) The recipient is:
a) a godson, a.k.a - someone else's kid, not your own
b) a 14 yr old who needs a little help with daily 14-yr old tasks, like opening a bag of chips

One of the knives suggested has a 3.75" blade and retails for $189.00.

Do you really think that was an appropriate suggestion given the parameters (1&2) above?</font>
Click to expand...


If #1 is a factor, then some of the suggestions have the possibility of scaring the sheeple.

Does #2 matter? Not really. I still say initiate him. I have initiated plenty of youngsters and adults in knife safety as well as firearm safety and shoooting instruction.

My nephews aren't my kids either, but I'll take a belt to their butts if they screw up or I praise them when they do well just as fast as I would one of mine. I would hope someone close enough to be a Godfather would have some pull with the family. This is the guy chosen to take care of the kid as his own if something happens to the parents.

"We" send "our" kids off to other people for all kinds of training. Swimming lessons, horse riding, driving lessons, SCUBA, reading, archery, cooking classes, etc.

Yeah, I'll agree that a 3 3/4" blade is overkill for a bag of chips. Then again, the beautiful thing about "overkill" is that you've still killed it.

By the way, the Micra is a great suggestion as far as portable scissors go.

Centikel, send me your e-mail address. I have a suggestion / possible solution for you.

[This message has been edited by the4th (edited 04-14-2001).]
 
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