Vintage Knife Easy Opening?

[TripleB67]

When did they start making knives that open in some other manner (hole/flipper/thumbstuds/etc) than with just a nail nick?

I would like to purchase a vintage (30+ years old) knife (at an affordable price of course) that I could use for an EDC if I wanted to...but due to 40 years of biting my nails I'd prefer it open in some other manner than a nail nick. Not knowing very much about knives I'm not sure when they started offering a good number of knives with various opening options.

So, any specific knives you would recommend?

I appreciate your time and the help!

TripleB67

 

[Insipid Moniker]

Spyderco Worker in, if I remember correctly, 1981 was the first.

 

[The Aflac Duck]

I believe Spyderco pioneered the "one-hand opening knife". Same with the pocket clip.

 

[craytab]

Yes, I believe it was spyderco. Not quite as old but BM has the 710. The originals were in ATS-34. They come up on the bay or the exchange every so often.

 

[jimmyd1982]

Peasant knives have been around for a couple thousand years, they are pretty easy to open one handed. There are also the one armed traditional patterns that (I believe) originated after the civil war when there was a genuine need for a knife you could open one handed.

 

[A.L.]

Something like easy open jack slipjoint like above in picture. You can pinch it open, no need for nail nick. These go way back.

 

[ConBon]

As AL said, an easy open slot, will let you easily open a knife by pinching it. You can buy one with a slot already, or grind and sand one into a knife. I pinch open blades on other nail nick knives without an easy open slot because enough blade sticks out.

Connor

 

[knarfeng]

When did they start making knives that open in some other manner (hole/flipper/thumbstuds/etc) than with just a nail nick?

Spyderco Worker in, if I remember correctly, 1981 was the first.

That sounds correct. One handers appeared in the early 80's.

If you want something older that opens easily you could get a lockback. Those proliferated after the appearance of the Buck 110 in 1964. Those take little effort to open, even though they have nail nicks.

Also traditional linerlocks (not modern Walker liner locks) were made as early as the 1930's.

 

[eisman]

This is a traditional "Easy Open Jack". They have been making them for over 150 years in this pattern. GEC, Schatt & Morgan, Queen, and even Rough Rider make this today in stainless and carbon steels and dozens of scale materials.

This is a traditional "Push Button" easy opening knife of a pattern that phobic morons made illegal in many places back in the 1950-1960's. You can find these or have one custom made if you're able to carry one in your area. They are priced like anything else that's hard to come by (thanks to the realities of a market economy).

Here's a modern version (made by GEC and marked as Schrade). They made 18 in this run.

Another version of a traditional knife pattern you may want to consider is the friction folder. You can Google that and find everything from customs to really cheap work knives. This style has been popular (especially in Asia) for hundreds of years. Case makes them under the "Russlock" pattern.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I would go with a buck 110 and attach a kwik stud to it ( it's a thumb stud that slips onto the spine and locks worn with a set screw ) or a vintage push button knife ( I would say that even if it's not legal the cops will never know as long as you stay out of trouble, so who cares )

 

[RX-79G]

One handed folders starting in 1896:

Higo no Kami

 

[onojoe]

Traditionals with a lock back are easy. The buck 110 is probably the most well known. Great eastern cutlery wall street pattern is a nice traditional easy open knife and very slim. Of course there is Opinel, svord peasant, Higo no kamis, but these may not be the traditionals you are thinking of.