Opening Speed: Thumb Stud vs SpyderHole?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

I didn't see this one brought up and I was curious: The standard Spyderhole vs a Thumb Stud on the blade: which one would most likely enable faster one-hand opening and use in an emergency situation?

In my own personal experience (Spyderco knife vs unnamed brand that uses a thumbstud), the Spyderhole seems to win out, but this may not be the same for all users.

Also, the thumbstud seemed to be a little more "wearing" on my finger, whereas the Spyderhole felt more comfortable to open the blade with. Again, that may just be my own experience.

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

I'd say that there are too many variables to definitely say. To try and find out you'd need the same lock type, same amount of pressure on the blade from the lock, same length,weight and shape of blade, the distance from the pivot to the thumb stud/hole would have to be the same...and that is just off the top of my head.
But I would say that the knife that you open a thousand times is likely to be faster than the knife you have opened a dozen times because your muscle memory knows exactly how to get the thumb onto the opener and get that blade out as optimally as possible.

[Blerv]

Stud vs hole has no impact on speed assuming the knife is made properly for that goal. What a hole does provide is more contact surface for your thumb, which ultimately provides more control in varied situations (wet hands, gloves, adrenalin, etc).

[Trout Hound]

If we could get two the exact same knife made, one with a hole and one with a stud, and put a timer on someone like Michael Janich, Kelly McCann, etc., I bet the difference would come down to hundredths, if not thousandths of a second. But, there are things a hole can do that a stud cannot. It feels much more secure to me, especially under stress or with wet, gloved, or cold hands. It feels A LOT better for ring finger openings into reverse grip. Plus, you can't Spyder drop a thumb stud, unless you have on steel-toe shoes.

[bdblue]

Stud vs hole has no impact on speed assuming the knife is made properly for that goal.

I agree, but this is real world and many knives are not properly made for that goal. I have a lot of knives in my EDC rotation, plus some older knives that I no longer carry. I've noticed that some of them are much more positive to open than others. This affects the speed of opening, and also the reliability.

As for blade holes, a knife like the Para2 or Manix2 is quick and positive to open. The hole is easy to hit, provides good traction, and is easy to maintain contact through the entire opening arc. I have other Spyderco knives such as a Tenacious and a Delica. They have smaller holes that are harder to hit and maintain traction with. I have some older Benchmade knives with small blade holes and they have rounded edges on the holes so they are hard to hit and especially hard to maintain traction with.

As for thumb studs, the problem is always getting traction on the studs. I have plenty of knives with thumb studs and some are easier to hit than others. The biggest problem I have is that some of them might take several attempts before I get enough traction on the thumb stud to open the blade, or at least I have to spend a lot of time positioning my thumb just right before I attempt to open. And then there is that CRKT safety system where you have to press the thumb stud in before the blade opens. This is very slow. On the other hand I have a Kershaw Blur with its sabertooth thumb stud. It will slice my hand if I'm not careful when trying to reach into my pocket, but it is very positive when trying to open the blade.

So overall I will say that most thumb studs are slowest, good blade holes are faster, even faster than a thumb stud knife with assisted opening, except that the Blur is the fastest to open.

[Evil D]

I have to agree with Blerv on this one, but I'd add that consistency is likely better with a hole vs. a stud, since your thumb is much less likely to slip out of a hole than it is to slip off of a stud. In high stress situations, or where your hand may be gloved, greasy, or even injured, I would trust a hole over a stud every time.

[Noah]

I absolutely prefer a Spyderhole over a thumbstud, to the point I only own, buy and carry knives with thumbholes, read: Spydercos. Not only is the stud a smaller target that is more particular with how you hit it, once you are using it, there is a lot less traction/security. The Spyderhole is a bigger target that is much less picky about the angle/direction/timing of hitting it, and your thumb sticks in it until the blade is locked open and just naturally continues moving right to the thumb jumping as your fingers wrap around the handle. It's perfection. Not only that, but a thumb hole adds zero parts, removes weight and does not impede cutting, all unlike a thumb stud. The full manual, thumb in and push until it locks approach beats flicking a stud or manually pushing a stud by miles, to me.

I got a popular thumb stud knife in a trade a week ago, and only carried it a day, and drew and opened it hundreds of times, to get a feel for it. The stud was just harder for my thumb to find, and then I had to hit it at the right angle, or my thumb would slip off of/away from the stud while pushing the blade open. No thanks.

[RanCoWeAla]

I don't think either one is very fast on small knives. To achieve full efficiency of either one you have to go to a larger knife that gives you a large handle for better purchase and positions the hole or stud farther forward. Personally I prefer an assisted opener with flipper to either one. I think with a tactical the presentation acts as deterent effect and if you have a polished razor edge on a Black blade that reflects light well then unless the other guy has a gun you might not even have to use it

[Doc Dan]

The thing about flicking open a knife is that a person must position his or her hand properly in order to get this done. This requires fine motor skills and often a bit of fumbling, even if for a minute amount of time. It is fun to do, but I do not think it is practical. I much prefer to simply grasp the knife and open the blade in a controlled fashion as this actually takes less concentration, less fine motor skills to lose under stress, and less effort to place one's hand properly. Therefore, though I prefer the hole for other reasons, I do not see any real difference as far as opening.

[Water Bug]

I'm a fan of the Spyderco Round Hole. I do have knives utilizing thumb studs by reputable companies and like these knives a lot, but I find the Spyderco Round Hole to be the most consistent and reliable to use in deploying the blade no matter the stiffness of the action or the position of the pocket clip.

I also like how the Spyderco Round Hole doesn't catch on articles of clothing and prematurely deploys the blade when you least expect it.