The Open

I use generalizations in this and other posts. A lot. There are exceptions, which is going to be the focus of this blog after all the introductions and explanations are done.
Once the knife is in your hand, you need to be able to use the blade. If it's a fixed blade go directly to USE. For folders, there are many ways to get the blade open. Commonly, there is something on the blade to make it easy to open. In Case and Swiss Army knives as well as most folders until the 80s, this was the nick, a small groove your fingernail snagged to get the blade started out the handle. This was so hard, companies made tools to do this.
Then came the 80s.

Spyderco cut a round hole in the blade, and you place the pad of your thumb into it, and rotate the blade open with the rest of your hand gripping the handle. The one hand opener. Spyderco patented it, so other companies had to invent different methods, like the thumb stud, the thumb disc (mounted on the spine of the blade), or holes of different shapes like oval or square. There's even a product today that clamps to a nick blade making it a one hand opener.


Your knife is now ready to USE.