Spyderco Forums

I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised to check back and see the majority of folks aren't the YouTube flick-a-holics that have turned me away the past few years.

Nothing beats the sound of a slow roll on a Spyderco back lock. Maybe not as lightning fast as a compression lock, but that feel and sound of lockup is unmatched.

I don’t do it. The slow thumb roll works reliably every time. I have a few waved Spydercos for when I want fast deployment, but slow is generally fast enough for my low-speed, high-drag lifestyle.

Basically never. It's never felt practical to me and I don't really enjoy doing it for the sake of fidgeting. I just thumb open which I can do pretty fast anyway.

I never do. I have done it maybe three times. I think my hands are too big to do it right on most models. I started a bread about this a few years ago.

I do flick the blade with my thumb, if the knife has a smooth enough action.

sup3rnaut wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:34 pm

mikey177 wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:41 pm

^ And I thought I was the only one who practiced opening and closing a folder with my off hand. You know, because arthritis is real.

Interesting that you should mention that.

I used folding knives as part of my physical therapy this past spring. Due to an unfortunate accident; I dislocated my shoulder and suffered a traction injury to my brachial plexus nerves.

So… my right arm and hand were pretty paralyzed for awhile, and feeling only gradually returned, (still not 100%, ~9 months later). My right hand had been my dominant one, so I use folders to help exercise it and regain some dexterity.

I became more interested in folding knives right around that time, (and as an indirect result of the accident), and now I have 22 Spydercos. So, I guess there’s a slight silver lining there.

That's an amazing story, sup3rnaut.

It's good to hear that Spyderco played a pivotal role in your recovery.

mikey177 wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 13, 2022 11:23 pm

sup3rnaut wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:34 pm

mikey177 wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:41 pm

^ And I thought I was the only one who practiced opening and closing a folder with my off hand. You know, because arthritis is real.

Interesting that you should mention that.

I used folding knives as part of my physical therapy this past spring. Due to an unfortunate accident; I dislocated my shoulder and suffered a traction injury to my brachial plexus nerves.

So… my right arm and hand were pretty paralyzed for awhile, and feeling only gradually returned, (still not 100%, ~9 months later). My right hand had been my dominant one, so I use folders to help exercise it and regain some dexterity.

I became more interested in folding knives right around that time, (and as an indirect result of the accident), and now I have 22 Spydercos. So, I guess there’s a slight silver lining there.

That's an amazing story, sup3rnaut.

It's good to hear that Spyderco played a pivotal role in your recovery.

Yeah, I don’t know how amazing it is, but it’s something that happened.

I’m not sure that Spyderco “played a pivotal role in my recovery”, (I’ll take the majority of the credit for that), but it was cool rediscovering the brand during my recovery. The first “modern” Spyderco I bought was a satin BHQ M4Carta Shaman, and the collection’s just grown from there.

Never. Fun factor doesn't enter into my knife use. I open and close all my knives in a controlled, safe manner with my parts out of the way. No flick open, drop shut or anything resembling it. After carrying using the same size knife/lock design for 30 years my muscle memory allows very fast and smooth opening or closing ( one hand) and I can get my Enduras into use faster than I can any auto. It's always controlled and inertia really doesn't enter into it.

Nearly always (80%).
To train the muscle (memory) and because it's fun.

If I am around people in public using a Dfly I use my thumb and a slow motion.
More reliable snd less intimidating.

The Mastiff wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 14, 2022 12:28 am

Never. Fun factor doesn't enter into my knife use. I open and close all my knives in a controlled, safe manner with my parts out of the way. No flick open, drop shut or anything resembling it. After carrying using the same size knife/lock design for 30 years my muscle memory allows very fast and smooth opening or closing ( one hand) and I can get my Enduras into use faster than I can any auto. It's always controlled and inertia really doesn't enter into it.

Same

Never….still close with two hands out of habit half the time.
Rarely need to open a knife quick or even close it quick.

I am graduating to fixed blades more and more now there are so many EDC smaller fixed blades.

Everyday

Thumb roll 90 percent of the time myself. I was always worried that it was hard on the hardware, but I guess not!

Quite often with my PM2, but other Spydercos I have not so much. It is somehow an intuitive thing to me how different knvies sit in my hand.

TkoK83Spy wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:56 pm

I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised to check back and see the majority of folks aren't the YouTube flick-a-holics that have turned me away the past few years.

Nothing beats the sound of a slow roll on a Spyderco back lock. Maybe not as lightning fast as a compression lock, but that feel and sound of lockup is unmatched.

Especially they ones with the full liners and metal backspacers. The lock engagement sound on those is particularly prodigious.

Not at all.

I used to do it occasionally, getting it out and open quicker than an automatic knife, so I'm perfectly capable of it. But it serves no purpose for me. And it causes unnecessary premature wear on the lock mechanism. Maybe more on some locks than others, but slamming a small precision mechanism open and shut over and over again is creating more accelerated wear than opening it with a basic, controlled thumb roll.

However, if others like to flick their knives, have at it.

I recall seeing one guy in person dramatically flicking his knife open, and it went flying out of his hand onto the floor. Luckily, no one was standing or sitting in that direction. And that guy had always flicked his knives open. Imagine if he were in an emergency situation where he needed his knife to cut something (or whatever), flicked his knife out of habit, but with the accompanying adrenaline surge, and it flies out of his hand when he needs it the most. Sometimes, slower is faster.

Jim

The “never” crowd was surprisingly large.
Or maybe not. Maybe I just expected a larger percentage of people interested enough to join a knife forum to be more curious about the operation of a knife.
As I said, I mostly slow roll with my thumb for actual use, partly because it feels more natural with the small backlocks I normally carry, and it also feels more respectful to my surroundings. However, when I get a new knife, and especially my first ones, I sit and manipulate them in a million different ways just to familiarize with it.
Somehow I feel like this ties into the arguments about the (mid) backlock somehow being less safe and/or harder to operate with one hand. After that familiarization process I can open and close most of my backlocks safely in like a dozen different ways - one handed.
It’s not hard to see how viewpoints on these topics can vary wildly, when the approach to familiarization is so different.
Not saying it’s wrong, just different. I should probably have used more of that time sharpening and familiarizing with that aspect of my knives.

James Y wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 14, 2022 10:03 am

I recall seeing one guy in person dramatically flicking his knife open, and it went flying out of his hand onto the floor. Luckily, no one was standing or sitting in that direction. And that guy had always flicked his knives open. Imagine if he were in an emergency situation where he needed his knife to cut something (or whatever), flicked his knife out of habit, but with the accompanying adrenaline surge, and it flies out of his hand when he needs it the most. Sometimes, slower is faster.

Jim

I first heard the following quote from Jackie Stewart in a television interview many decades ago. Some say Navy SEALS originated it, but whatever the source it makes sense in many situations. "Slow Is Smooth; Smooth Is Fast."

Flicking is for fun, slow roll for need.

James Y wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 14, 2022 10:03 am

And it causes unnecessary premature wear on the lock mechanism.

Is that actually true of a Spyderco knife, or is it just urban legend and forum fallacy?

I've seen plenty of pictures on the interwebs of Spydercos that look as if they were sharpened on bench grinders and cleaned in a rock tumbler. I'm not talking about those. Considering the purported weakness of Spyderco locks, the opportunity is ripe for some YouTube Jockey to flick and click his Spyderco until the lock flops... and becoming the next social media sensation... the next Like Nastya.

Once in a while but not that often. I’m one of the old curmudgeons that doesn’t get off on fidget factor. I’m not a fidgety person. I also don’t find that speed of deployment is ever a concern of mine.

I open my knives like I live my life, slow and deliberate.

To each their own though. Flick away my fidgety friends.

My first Spyderco, a para 3 lw I was flicking a lot to open once I learned. Eventually I grew out of it and developed a standard slow thumb roll for all knives I open.

I think I Spydie-flick (using the middle finger) my knife open somewhat regularly when I have to cut something open in a hurry while working, but I haven't really given this question much thought. I know I almost always do the slow-roll with the thumb when I'm being deliberate in opening a knife, but when I have to open a knife rapidly, I think how I open it is almost a reflexive, automatic motion and what that motion is depends largely on starting hand position: If the initial hand position has my fingers pinching/holding the handle by its "spine", I'm probably more likely to Spydie-flick it open with my middle finger (or if I'm using a compression lock or CBBL knife, I am just as likely to actuate the lock & use centrifugal motion to deploy the blade). If the initial hand position has my fingers gripping the sides of the handle (or if I'm wearing thick-ish work gloves), I'm probably more likely to open it with my thumb. So I guess how I open the knife depends on what opening method is most expedient at the time.