Spyderco Forums

For all of those Military and Paramilitary users out there, would you want a version made with an Emerson Wave Opener feature, or not? I am interested in your reasons for both yes and no.

Would it get in the way of overall function and cutting or would it be a good addition as a viable option?

I like the Spyderhole too much to give it up for a Wave.

The Wave is cool and all, but I don't think I'd want to be limited to tip up carry.

Tdhurl1103 wrote:I like the Spyderhole too much to give it up for a Wave.

The Wave is cool and all, but I don't think I'd want to be limited to tip up carry.

^ I'm with him! I have no desire for anything with the Wave feature.

I like the wave feature, but no thanks.

I'll pass. Zip ties are too easy to use when I need a wave action.

On that note, if Spyderco were to come up with some kind of attachable wave hook that attaches to the hole and looks better than a zip tie, I may be interested in that but I don't see that happening.

No thanks

Evil D wrote:On that note, if Spyderco were to come up with some kind of attachable wave hook that attaches to the hole and looks better than a zip tie, I may be interested in that but I don't see that happening.

I've seen an aftermarket accessory available that (IMO) looks much nicer than a zip tie. Unfortunately, it takes up the entire hole making it virtually useless. I suppose you can use the accessory itself to deploy the blade but it still looks a little wonky to me. Not for me anyway.

The addition of flippers and Emerson openers makes the knife become a gimmick instead of a tool IMO. They solve a problem nobody has and introduce new issues (messing up ergos and pants, becoming illegal to carry in many areas, etc)

I am a tip down kind of guy...

Millie's tip down anyways, so a wave's not going to help

Provided they still make the unwaved/normal version for luddites like me, then sure- why not? :)

I prefer the simplicity and utility of the Spyder hole.

Really, Emerson wave opener it´s not very nice and it does not bring nothing for me. I like Millies and Para´s, as they are now, with the spyder hole.

It's a no from me :)

No, sorry. I would not be interested. Good idea, but not for me.

Never understood why some would want their knife opening as they pull it from pocket.
I sure wouldn't want to have to pull my knife out a certain way to keep it from opening every time I reached for it.
Love the hole, hate the wave.

Cujobob wrote:The addition of flippers and Emerson openers makes the knife become a gimmick instead of a tool IMO. They solve a problem nobody has and introduce new issues (messing up ergos and pants, becoming illegal to carry in many areas, etc)

Next to the SpyderHole, a flipper if implemented properly can be a very reliable opening method, and that can be useful to some people in some applications. I don't like assisted openers, but I also know some people like an assisted flipper because the tab is very easy to access and with the assist provides essentially flawless one-hand opening reliability.

Ken44 wrote:Never understood why some would want their knife opening as they pull it from pocket.
I sure wouldn't want to have to pull my knife out a certain way to keep it from opening every time I reached for it.
Love the hole, hate the wave.

It's for self defense mostly. Any folder is by nature slower in deployment for self defense than a fixed blade, but the wave can compensate for almost all of that delay. I have no need for it, but I know people who love having it on their SD knife.

As for the original idea of the post: I don't know if it would be economically viable for Spyderco to make such a thing. I do know that I have a friend that ground a wave into his PM2 and loves it.

dplafoll wrote:

Cujobob wrote:The addition of flippers and Emerson openers makes the knife become a gimmick instead of a tool IMO. They solve a problem nobody has and introduce new issues (messing up ergos and pants, becoming illegal to carry in many areas, etc)

Next to the SpyderHole, a flipper if implemented properly can be a very reliable opening method, and that can be useful to some people in some applications. I don't like assisted openers, but I also know some people like an assisted flipper because the tab is very easy to access and with the assist provides essentially flawless one-hand opening reliability.

Flipper tabs are in the way both when closed and open. Front flippers are my preferred method if going that route, for that reason. Assisted knives break. Fairly easily, too. My Blur's assist broke in less than a month and without it has no detent so isn't safe to carry.
What problem do these solve, though? Is the Military difficult to open? Do users commonly run into situations where they need to open their knives a fraction of a second faster (if at all)? Most flippers also run on bearings which either can break (ceramic) or deform (metal). Statistically speaking, you are more likely to have a gun stolen from your home than be used to defend your home. Now that's a gun. Imagine how often people find themselves using a knife to defend themselves and going even further, how often the initial moment the knife is withdrawn being critical to that use.

Adding these complexities to a knife adds cost, hurts the ergos, makes them more prone to accidents, and really doesn't improve the performance at just about anything. If someone is worried about SD, get pepper spray. Requires little training and is far less likely to get you killed.

I like the para and millie the way they are. I wouldn't buy a waved model as i think it would ruin the looks of the knife while adding limited functionality. If i need something to deploy quicker than a folder i would use a fixed blade. It's much quicker and never fails to open under high stress or awkward angles.

I prefer the Spyderco Military and Spyderco Para Military just the way they are... so, "No" to an Emerson Wave Opener.

Have no need for the Emerson Wave Opener on either of these knives... the Spyderco Round Hole is simple and effective, and it opens these knives fast enough for me. I'm not a fan of having "clipit" knives with wave features or thumb studs clipped to my pockets... hate it when the blade on these knives inadvertently deploy when not pulled out of the pocket in a certain way. I also love the current looks and lines of the Military and Para Military... they are both works of beauty, and adding a wave feature would detract from that look.

I sold my waved Delica because I found it difficult to draw from my pocket without engaging the wave. My PM2 opens easily enough with the hole so that I don't feel the need for improvement.