What knives do you find easy to open? No traditional or assisted opening please.

C

csisland

Joined
Aug 8, 2013
Messages
979
For hands that take a beating and looking for knives that are easy to open, modern knives that is.
 
Pretty much any Spyderco, but I would gravitate towards the Military or ParaMilitary.
 
Spydercos, your thumb doesn't have to move with a stud or disk or flipper. It can just rotate within the hole.

My Chokwe is stupid smooth and easy to open.
 
Depends on just what you mean. I love the Spyderhole as an opening method, but my Spydercos have also all had a very strong detent, something I like but which could be annoying to overcome if your worried about something like arthritis in your hands. I would look at the Axis lock if this was a concern for me. You apply less force with your thumb to deploy the blade, but you have to push for a bit longer than with a traditional detent to get past the Axis lock bar. Hogue is another one to look into as they make some button lock models that deploy and close quite easily.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Depends on just what you mean. I love the Spyderhole as an opening method, but my Spydercos have also all had a very strong detent, something I like but which could be annoying to overcome if your worried about something like arthritis in your hands. I would look at the Axis lock if this was a concern for me. You apply less force with your thumb to deploy the blade, but you have to push for a bit longer than with a traditional detent to get past the Axis lock bar. Hogue is another one to look into as they make some button lock models that deploy and close quite easily.
Click to expand...

True for spyderco back locks, but I think their frame locks are amazingly smooth and easy to open.

Can you depress the lock on a button lock and swing it open?
 
(Spyder)hole, thumbstud or disk, doesn't matter for me personally. What is important is the opening effort and the radius the hole/thumbstud is travelling at. It's uncomfortable to fully extend your thumb when deploying the blade.
 
Great point on the lock type. I find the lock type has as much effect on how easy a knife is to open as anything else.

Most of my liner locks are nice and easy to open, both the thumb stud and spyder hole. The Spyderco ball bearing lock is easy too. Higher friction locks, like lock back designs, are more difficult even with the similar blade design.

The bearing design also has an effect. I find knives with cheaper bearings can be stiff unless they are set to loose there is blade play. Better bearings make the knife easy and smooth to open even with the blade properly adjusted.
 
If your thumb has arthritis, an Axis lock can easily be opened by pulling back on the bar with the tip of your index finger and simply moving your hand in a slight arc (to the right when right-handed) and it opens right up.

I use this method on my 710 M390 every time. Do the opposite to close it and it doesn't even bounce off the bottom.

Use a different technique on my PM2, use tip of index finger in the hole and quickly extend it, opens right up. When closing, in right hand, hold it with index finger in the groove for the compression lock and other fingertips on the handle/clip area for good grip, depress the compression lock tab and once again a simple arc to close. Same thing, doesn't even bounce with a little practice.

Impresses non-knife people too when you do both actions quickly and easily. Flick them open, make your cut, flick it closed quickly without bounce. At least it has every time where I work.
 
ALLHSS said:
True for spyderco back locks, but I think their frame locks are amazingly smooth and easy to open.

Can you depress the lock on a button lock and swing it open?
Click to expand...

Yup. The button lock functions as the detent. I was actually thinking of the compression lock Spydies I own with the detent strength. My Para2 and Superleaf both have a very positive, crisp detent. I love it, but it does take a bit of force to overcome. I've not used one of their frame locks, so I really can't comment on those.
 
Spyderco, SOG Arc-Lock (same as Axis type), and flippers for me. I think the easiest of the 3, although all easy, would be the flipper.
 
Spyderco, easy AND fun to open.

My easiest knife to open is matriarch 2 with wave, but my Southard flipper is also very easy to open.

I actually a bought a 2nd Southard because it open so easy (great for working in freezers).
 
The Spydie Hole on my ParaMilitary 2 might as well be an automatic deployment button.
It flies out as soon as my thumb makes contact with the circle.

I also had a chance to fondle a ZT 0560 recently, and that's one of the smoothest flippers I've ever felt.
Just a pleasure to open.
 
If you have to open a knife a lot, you grow a massive appreciation for flippers.
 
I only own three knives, but the easiest to open (that is not an AO) is my CRKT Foresight with the flipper.
 
Emerson waaaave :D Manix 2 XL w/ zip tie mod (basically a wave), Zt560 fires open
 
Kirby lambert snap ikbs. best flipper i have owned thus far.
spyderco manix / paramilitaries are very good with their spydie hole
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top