Which thumb nail do you use to open your slip-joint?

[GE Jr]

I use my right thumb nail to open slip-joint knives because the left thumb opposes.

 

[MolokaiRider]

Most of the time I hold the knife like this, and use my right thumb and pointer finger to pop it open.

 

[Ernie1980]

I put right, but actually will switch depending on the blade since most of my knives are twin blades with nicks on opposite sides.

 

[btb01]

I use the Force. Thumbs are for scruffy-looking nerf herders.

 

[MililaniGrown]

Interesting thread, I never thought about whether there was a right or a wrong way. I'm right handed, hold the handle in my right hand, and use my left thumb to swing the blade open with the edge facing down when fully opened. I tried the opposite with the edge facing outward when fully opened and it's a little awkward but most likely because I'm just not used to it. Curious though, what makes this method more safe?

 

[Old Engineer]

I just use my right thumb unless the knife is very tight then I will use the left thumb . The left just seems to have harder nail . This is not rocket science .

Harry

 

[Spaten]

I’m right handed, and I typically hold the knife with my right hand, and open it with my left. There have been times when my left thumb was injured, or I ripped the nail and had to do otherwise. And when I eat dinner, I hold the knife with my right hand and eat with my left. I generally prefer not to pass utensils between hands if I can avoid it.

 

[CelloDan]

Interesting thread, I never thought about whether there was a right or a wrong way. I'm right handed, hold the handle in my right hand, and use my left thumb to swing the blade open with the edge facing down when fully opened. I tried the opposite with the edge facing outward when fully opened and it's a little awkward but most likely because I'm just not used to it. Curious though, what makes this method more safe?

There is no wrong or right way and they are both safe, we are just being silly to have a little fun .

(although the "right" side is winning now )

 

[TheJon]

I was actually thinking about this the other day. Basically anything with a stronger spring I use my right thumb with the knife in my left had tip up like this GEC 54 big jack I had today.

But on knives with particularly weak springs like my buck 301, I'll sometimes just leave it in my right hand. So the strength of the spring is more of an indicator than anything.

 

[TheJon]

This brings up another interesting point, do you all have a way you normally close a knife? Two handed, one handed, do you guide it gently home, or do you let the spring drive it down?

 

[MililaniGrown]

There is no wrong or right way and they are both safe, we are just being silly to have a little fun .

(although the "right" side is winning now )

Ahhh ok, I was genuinely curious. If it was safer opening the knife opposite of what I'm doing now then I'd switch.

 

[Sacto]

You guys open your knives? I just leave them in my pocket or take them out to look at the covers.

But seriously, I do it the way John and Charlie do it, knife in left hand, open blade up with right thumb nail. I’m a lefty though (write, throw, shoot lefty), but I do a bunch of things righty (guitar, drums) and I use a knife in either hand. So I’m probably a left doing it wrong, but who knows. I never thought about it much, just figured everyone did it the way I do.

 

[HEMI 49]

Hold knife in left hand and use right thumbnail to open blade........

 

[Sacto]

All you left thumbers probably eat corn on the cob from end to end rather than round and round.

 

[EngrSorenson]

This is not rocket science .

haha, for what it’s worth, Harry- I don’t think anyone’s really worried about science at all in this thread. I think we’ve mostly counted up to 2; the number of thumbs the average person has to choose between. Let the glorious tomfoolery continue.

 

[huntnfishin]

This brings up another interesting point, do you all have a way you normally close a knife? Two handed, one handed, do you guide it gently home, or do you let the spring drive it down?

I fold it closed on my pants holding it with my right hand. Or use my left palm while holding the knife in my right hand. Either way.

 

[Texoma]

Hold knife in left hand and use my right thumb

 

[000Robert]

I voted for right but only because there's only two choices. I open them with both thumbnails, it just depends on which hand that I pick the knife up with.

 

[BrotherJim]

I never use my green thumb. That would just be wrong

 

[Jack Black]

But then you have the wasted motion of moving the knife to your right hand to use it. That's almost as silly as the American formal dining method of switching ones fork between hands with every bite, rather than just leaving the knife in the right hand.

I'd honestly never given it a second's thought before the last time we discussed this!