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

Absolutely Needed? It's been so long that I can't remember....
Probably back when I was managing a rock climbing gym.
Now I carry a fixed blade, so I guess it has become a moot point.
 
link2derek said:
Absolutely Needed? It's been so long that I can't remember....
Probably back when I was managing a rock climbing gym.
Now I carry a fixed blade, so I guess it has become a moot point.
Click to expand...

Had to get all the way to post 61 to see fixed blades mentioned.

I haven't NEEDED a one-hand opening folder in years as I carry 2 small (less than 4 inch) fixed blades everywhere, everyday.
Still, I have one-handed opening knives and carry 2 of them, again 1L and 1R, primarily as back-ups for my fixed blades, e.g., for those situations where a "shorter than my smallest fixed blade" knife is needed.

My philosophy is that one should ALWAYS have, at a minimum, 2 knives - 1 on the left and 1 one the right - because you never know when you will need one and on which side. Guaranteed "Murphy's Law" situation if you only have 1. Both should be fixed or one-handed opening.
 
Wouldn't carry one for years as I thought it was mall ninjery.

I am a general contractor that still does a lot of the work with the boys and the only assisted openers (one handers for me) are my larger work knives that I carry when at work or when outdoors.

I have a bit of arthritis in both hands and they don't work well in the cold. Clicking a blade open quickly and easily is great. Clicking it open and having it lock when I have a pair of work gloves on is even better!

I like being able to shave a piece of sheetrock while holding it in place without setting the sheetrock down, opening the knife, trimming it, placing it, then nailing it. If I trim it more than once that can be time consuming. Holding it in place and cutting to fit once is great. Same with insulation and other materials. It is nice to be able to use one hand to hang onto a pipe or the ladder when I am working on a roof and need to cut shingles, cut out some old caulk when painting, trim a splinter or something like that. I like hanging on with one hand to keep my balance.

At 57, I used to be with the crowd that snorted with derision at the thought anyone but a ninja wannabe would find any use for a one handed opener. However, in my line of work, it is a blessing for someone that uses their knife all day long. I have carried larger work knives for decades (like the Buck 110), and won't carry one that I can't easily deploy for work. I have only carried my one handed openers for a few years now but love 'em. I have three or four (compared to about 80 traditional patterned knives) and they rotate in and out of the pocket as they get dull until I can sharpen the lot on a weekend.

Robert
 
Have'nt read the whole tread but I believe Spyderco beats them all. GC
 
at work Im frequently climbing on scaffolds and pipe racks. It's an essential. Just don't let the safety nazis see it.
 
One handers does help big time. Love the Spydie hole. Never miss a beat. Gary
 
I like the spider hole too, just not on my civilian. Too small for my thumb. I'll probably end up trading the civi for some goldens anyhow.
 
At work, sometimes I have to do things quickly and efficiently. The OLFA razor they provide is ok, but if I need to cut something quickly, then get the blade safely out of the way of both hands, a one hand opener comes in very handy. An Axis lock is so very handy for this, as well as the Spyderco compression lock.
 
Cereal_killer said:
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.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a third hand would have been even more useful! ;)
 
I have never needed to personally. But I can envision situations where you only have one hand available (or lost the other one... :D ) and want to open your knife. Situations might be woods survival with an injury, rock climbing, personal defense (where the fast presentation is important), working where you are hold something with one hand and need to cut with the other without re-positioning your hands to deploy your knife, or similar kinds of situations. But generally, I see the one hand knives more of a novelty, a fun one, but still un-necessary for me.
 
Not very recently, but for decades on a pretty regular basis, maybe half the times that I've needed to use a knife aboard a sailboat. One hand is keeping you attached to the boat- rigging, railings, whatever, and that's keeping you out of the water, or worse, aloft. That hand is keeping you alive. In weather, no, you do not even have that one second to use both hands, you HAVE to hang on. It's a world of rope (lines) and fabric (sails) and if things go seriously wrong you may need to be able to cut with some urgency.

A sheath knife works, but pretty much no one wears them anymore, at best you get way too many raised eyebrows around the marinas. Back in the '60s and '70s there was a fair amount of demand in the small boat world for.. well, automatics, though they weren't called that. Those were pretty much the only one-hand folders then. The quality was generally lousy, and they were considered highly illegal and almost impossible to get, but sheath knives were more accepted back then, in the days before Mrs. Grundy ruled absolutely everyone and everything with an iron fist.

On pretty much any sailboat with a crew the rule was that no knife went aloft without a lanyard, one attached to your body, not just a rat-tail. There were people working below you. Even when you're alone, in that world anything you lose hold of, anything you drop, is usually gone forever. I really hate lanyards on knives, but aboard it's the lesser evil.

Knives are a constant need for doing serious work on the water. Fishing nets are a threat not only to those on fishing boats where the damn thing may be trying to pull you overboard and then pull you under, but to divers. Getting seriously fouled in a near-invisible net underwater without a knife is not a good way to go, you may be struggling there until your air runs out. In any of those scenarios you may have only one hand for the knife because the other is what's caught.

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned it.
 
Need is a relative concept, but one hand opening is great when I'm on a ladder. It's also great when I'm holding something with my left hand and want to cut it without letting go of it. It really is a *handy* feature.
 
I will not EDC any knife, folding or fixed that I can not fully use with one hand. How often do I need it? Every time I use it in my opinion. I use the same logic with my flash lights. And I usually only carry multi-tools that I can access at least one feature one handed. Leatherman Charge is my usual EDC as I can access 4 tools one handed.
 
The old timers always told me, that the reason switchblades were made illegal was because back in the day a person in a fight that was losing, could hold his opponent back with one hand and open his auto with the other to stab the other guy. I always found this interesting but I certainly have no idea if there's any truth to it. I do know that back years ago sometimes they would hold the blade so only a very small amount was exposed, to cut the other person up without killing them. (As a courtesy I suppose :D ) Because I know a man that said he was in a fight back in the 1960's and had that done to him.
 
I cut (HA!) My thumb on a pocket Bushman, which had lead to 18 months of rehab therapy. Can't use three fingers of my left hand. That's when I started looking at one hand opening knives, and went nuts buying them.
 
I'm serious about this question, and have no agenda, just want information: there is a lot of talk in this section about SD. I am 65 years old, and have spent most of my life in either Washington DC or Venice CA. Both considered high violent crime areas. I have never felt the need for any weapon at home or when traveling for self defense. I have never been threatened at home or in the woods when hunting. I own long guns and hand guns, knives and axes for work or hunting, and for the love of the tools.
Has anyone here actually ever needed a weapon for self defense? Not including miliitary or police.
 
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