imitation is the sincerest....

[ZrowsN1s]

Lately, as I look through the various offerings from the different knife outlets, I've been struck by how many knife companies seem to be taking their design cues from Spyderco. In particular the "hole in the blade" opener. I'm not trying to call any of them out or put any of them down, that's not my intention. But I think it speaks volumes that Spyderco is the company that so many others choose to imitate.

[MichaelScott]

I noticed that too, like with the CRKT Pilar. It is an oblong rather than a circle. I wonder where the patent infringement line is?

[Daveho]

I think it’s one of those things where as long as people know where the idea is from and pay due respect, it’s nice to not get all bent out of shape about it.
Take the flipper, Randy Gilbreath is credited with teaching it to Mel Pardue and i don’t know of one prior but to my mind CRKT (with Kit Carson) and Ken Onion are responsible for really popularising it, where I only able to get a flipper from CRKT or Ken Onion I wouldn’t have a flipper.

[sal]

Some history:

The original OHO patent was not on a hole but on a dent in the blade that had a ridge on the edge of the dent that one could "catch" the ridge with the fleshy part of the thumb and use it to "urge" the blade open with one hand. We had to make the dent large enough to push your thumb into so it ended up with a hump on the blade. A dent on both sides of something as thin as a blade, became a hole, but the "ridge" was still on the blade. The original patent was in 1981 so the patents are long since expired.

Blackie Collins was the first to "loophole" the patent by doing away with the hump. He designed his own designs with oblong holes and no hump and sold them to a couple of companies. That was in the mid to late 80's. Once the "word" was out that you could get around our patent by not having a hump on the blade, many other companies jumped on the bandwagon and made hole openers with no hump. I think Outdoor edge was one of the next.

In the 90's, Benchmade decided to make hole openers with round holes and a hump (AFCK) and actually paid us royalties until the patent expired.

Since the other companies were making knives with other shaped holes to avoid the hump, Peter in R&D / Legal realized that the "round hole" became identified with only Spyderco so we were able to trademark the "round shape" of the hole as an identifying trademark, which doesn't expire. The round hole had to be on a certain part of the blade so it "looked like" a Spyderco. Kind of like the shape of the grill on some cars (Jeep, Volvo, Acura, etc.).

FYI, We were also the first to make knives with clips attached to the knife itself so it could be clipped to the top of a pocket. (1981) We offered our first serrated pocket knife in 1982.

Our early literature (1981) introduced "Clipits" as the "next generation of folding knives", which proved to be prophetic.

sal

[Bladewacked]

Thanks sal good read on my lunch break

[ZrowsN1s]

Thanks for the History lesson Sal! Most appreciated. I always forget about the pocket clip.

[ThePeacent]

yes, nowadays most big knife companies have at least one OHO folder with a hole :o

Outdoor Edge, BM, Buck, Boker, Cold Steel, KaBar, SOG, Victorinox, FOX, Emerson, LionSteel, CRKT, Olamic, Strider, Hinderer, Maxace, WE, ThreeRivers, Schrade, Gerber, BladeTech, Coast, Boye Knives, SRM, Navy, Ganzo, CKF, Viper, QTRM5TR, Rough Rider, 5.11, Vagnino knives, J.Robertson,

all these have at least one model, others have up to 5 :rolleyes:

and I am sure I am leaving some out. If Sal didn't set a precedent with his first creation I don't know what he did :D

[Evil D]

It's one of those significant contributions to an industry that I think will eventually become standard on many brands, one way or another. Volvo invented the 3 point seat belt and gave the patent away to every other maker because it was so much safer than just a lap belt. I understand protecting your designs but I also see plenty of other features that set Spyderco apart from the competition, I don't think they'd lose sales if everyone else used a thumb hole. I certainly haven't been more inclined to buy a BM just because they had round holes, though I probably would own a Sebenza if it had one.

[MichaelScott]

I agree with Evil D, Spyderco Knives are much more than merely about the Spyder hole. I have been a knife afi since I was in grade school, and that’s almost seventy years ago. I’ve had many knives but over the years I have landed exclusively on Spyderco (except for my lovely Helle Eggen) because of the design, innovation, variety and quality. Once I learned how integrated Spyderco is with the community, their employees and customers that sealed the deal for me. I spent years in a huge corporate business dealing directly with customers. Spyderco is one of the best businesses in that regard.

So, I like the Spyder hole but that’s only a small part of the story.

[tvenuto]

Absolutely. There’s no question where it came from and it’s the destiny of all great innovations to become commonplace. Take the pocket clip for example.

Plus the trademarking of the hole definitely puts it into some interesting legal space. Patents expire for a reason, and trademarks are defined as non-functional. Just something to think about.

[The Deacon]

...

[zhyla]

It's one of those significant contributions to an industry that I think will eventually become standard on many brands, one way or another. Volvo invented the 3 point seat belt and gave the patent away to every other maker because it was so much safer than just a lap belt. I understand protecting your designs but I also see plenty of other features that set Spyderco apart from the competition, I don't think they'd lose sales if everyone else used a thumb hole. I certainly haven't been more inclined to buy a BM just because they had round holes, though I probably would own a Sebenza if it had one.

The thumb hole is one thing I’m kind of married to. I do own a couple flippers that aren’t Spyderco. There are tons of great knives out there if you’re willing to give up the spyderhole. I think it’s more of a business advantage than you are thinking.

Genius move making it a trademark. And it’s a legit trademark, nothing says Spyderco like a half in hole in a blade.

[ZrowsN1s]

Walker liner locks, RIL's, Flippers, Waves, everyone takes inspiration from what has come before. I was just struck by how many holes in blades I've been seeing lately. The 'blade hole' seems like the hot new thing for the industry this year much like the flipper was last year.

[jpm2]

The hole is a major draw, much more functional than studs or tabs for me.

[Doc Dan]

The holes do not get caught in the things I am trying to cut. The hole makes sense to me. It is a big draw for me, but not the only reason I buy Spyderco. I love the ergonomics of most of the knives and I like that Sal is so responsive to us. That is very different, indeed.

People will put out there $500+ knives and I will smuggly pull out my Spyderco and it does a better job with better steel. Just sayin'.

[murphjd25]

The hole and pocket clip were genius. That is why I prefer Spyderco day in and day out. I wear gloves at work a lot and their is no knife that is easier to open with gloves on then a Spyderco. Plus they spoil us with all the Sprint runs and different steels! What’s not to love! Thank you Sal.

[ChrisinHove]

I agree with Evil D, Spyderco Knives are much more than merely about the Spyder hole. I have been a knife afi since I was in grade school, and that’s almost seventy years ago. I’ve had many knives but over the years I have landed exclusively on Spyderco (except for my lovely Helle Eggen) because of the design, innovation, variety and quality. Once I learned how integrated Spyderco is with the community, their employees and customers that sealed the deal for me. I spent years in a huge corporate business dealing directly with customers. Spyderco is one of the best businesses in that regard.

So, I like the Spyder hole but that’s only a small part of the story.

Nicely put.

[ABX2011]

The Spyderco opening hole is unmatched.
The oval holes don't work as well. Thumbstuds often need to be removed for sharpening.
Cold Steel came up with a silly inlay for a round hole they call the Hollow Thumb Ramp ( HTR). Terrible design. Adds cost, complexity and doesn't work well. I removed a couple of them but with the tiny screw it tends to strip. Just awful.

[jmh58]

I cant say that I favor one over the other.. Each has their pluses/minuses.. A blade with the hole is taller and takes up more pocket space though.. And I can open a thumbstudded blade a lot quicker.. JMO... :D John