When was the last time that you NEEDED one hand opening?

S

spydercobenchmadekai

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Sep 26, 2013
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I always prefer knives that I can open one handed and close one handed. However, I have never actually needed to use that feature. Just out of curiosity, have you ever needed one hand opening/closing?
 
Several years ago when I broke my left wrist and the whole arm and hand were in a cast, yes, it was rather a nice Feature. Oddly, I was still putting a slip joint in my pocket during those weeks, just out of habit. :)
 
Let's see...

- When a rope with weights on the other end became tangled around my left wrist, cutting off circulation and beginning to cut skin. (Stage work can be dangerous when you're working in an old, poorly-designed theater)
- When I had to pin down a rabbit using both hands, hold it in place with one hand, and open my knife with my other so I could surgically remove an abscess. With a tenacious. (Things like this are why I always have one extremely sharp slicing blade in addition to a more utilitarian beater.)
- Same as above, but with a patch of matted hair that had developed a fungal infection. Different rabbit. Working at a pet store can be interesting.
- Any of the dozens of times I have gotten a large object stuck in the skin of one of my hands and needed to use a knife to remove it. Splinters, metal shards, bits of sharp plastic, etc.
- Any time I have needed to prop something up with one hand and use a knife on it with the other. Lots of bags of seed, dog food, fertilizer, etc.
- The (clearly) numerous times my left or right hand has been too injured to operate a two-handed folding knife.
 
Almost every time I've cut something away from a work bench or table.

Beats the hell out of setting the object or the knife on the ground. Especially in the dark.

I also used to do construction and work on cars. Working on cars is where it really shines.
 
Lots of everyday reasons - opening large bags of dogfood, packages, etc. where I need my offhand to support the item. Lots in theater work (cutting rope, etc). But most importantly, I had to cut my seatbelt when trapped in the car after a wreck. I only had one hand available to find the knife and open it.
 
One hand openers are very helpful when working with both hands. Sometimes you can't just drop what your doing and open a knife with both hands. I guess if you didn't have a choice you could, but the convenience factor is a major plus. The one hand close is also just as nice. Spyderco lockbacks are good, but take some technique to close one handed.
 
I was tying rope yesterday. I needed to keep pulling on the rope with one hand to keep tension on it and draw my knife with the other hand to cut it, super CQC-7 wave feature worked great for this.
 
Boxcutters to pocket knives at my job, I dont NEED it per say but it would add a significant amout of time to get the work done. Its essential, Im working with blades constantly.
 
Any time over the past 8 days. Cut the end of my right thumb off. Big bandage and sore. Opening left handed, easy, closing left handed not so easy. The sebenza and XM are staying in the drawer right now. The manix wins the one handed left hand duty right now.

The cut was a chefs knife that my wife left in the sink edge up. I didn't know it was in there and reached in for the brush. On the positive side paper wheels do give really clean sharp edges........
 
When I got my arm stuck in between a boulder and canyon wall and was forced to amputate it with a dull Multi tool to survive. Wait... that was the true story of Aron Ralston as told in 127 Hours.

Our stories of acrobatically buttering biscuits seem so mundane now
 
When a large dog has suddenly attacked me and I throw my left hand out to hold it back and it clamps down on it, I can get my one hand opening folder out and cut it's throat? Hasn't happened yet, but if it does I'm ready.
 
About the only time I can use a TWO-handed knife (e.g. Swiss Army) is when I'm in the office, and have plenty of time to anticipate its use, such as opening that stubborn Starbucks Via package.

When I'm out and about it seems one hand is always on the workpiece so I only have one hand to deploy and use the knife! So I would say 95% of the time I "need" a one-hander.
 
Comeuppance said:
Let's see...
- When a rope with weights on the other end became tangled around my left wrist, cutting off circulation and beginning to cut skin. (Stage work can be dangerous when you're working in an old, poorly-designed theater)
QUOTE]

liamstrain said:
Lots in theater work (cutting rope, etc). QUOTE]

You guys gotta watch those old poorly-designed theaters. Baaad places. My injury, in an old school-house/theater in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania... during rapid set construction, and put a big gash in my thumb-web with my dad's old hand-saw...."The Show Must Go On."
:)
Sonnydaze
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Maybe the question should be, "when was the last time you didn't need a knife that opens with one hand?" :)
 
The last time I truly needed one handed opening was when I didnt have it. I was using a SAK to put up the thick plastic on the outside of the porch getting ready for winter and I was on a ladder, holding plastic with one hand, the stapler in the other and needed my knife. Very inconvenient.
 
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