Knife Features: Openers

Automatic Openers feature a spring-loaded mechanism that enables the rapid deployment of the blade with a press of a button or switch. This automatic action distinguishes it from manual-opening knives, providing quick and convenient one-handed operation.

Butterfly also known as a balisong opener, is a folding knife with two handles that rotate around a double pivot on the base of the blade. This unique design allows for intricate flipping and manipulation.

Button Openers are spring-loaded openers, that lock the blade in place until pressing the button. Button locks are often found on automatic knives, but have been commonly used on manual folders.

Emerson refers to a patented feature designed by Ernest Emerson. It is a small, integrated hook on the blade's spine that catches on the edge of the user's pocket during deployment, allowing for swift one-handed opening as the knife is drawn from the pocket.

Flippers are a modern and popular design choice. These blade openers feature a tab or protrusion on the back of the blade that serves as a lever. By applying pressure to the flipper, the blade smoothly opens.

Hidden Openers are a discreet mechanism integrated into a knife’s design that conceals the opening mechanism from plain view, providing a subtle and sleek appearance while maintaining the knife’s functionality.

Nail Nicks are a simple and traditional method of manually opening a folding blade knife. It is a small groove or notch located on the spine of the blade, providing a grip point for the user to use their fingernail to open.

Thumb Discs are a manual folding knife mechanism featuring a small, flat disc located on the blade near the base. To deploy the blade, users simply press their thumb on the disc, using it as a pivot point to smoothly and intuitively open the knife with one-handed ease.

Thumb Holes are a practical and ergonomic feature on a folding knife, consisting of a hole in the base of the blade that allows users to open the knife using their thumb. By placing their thumb in the hole and exerting pressure, users can smoothly and efficiently deploy the blade, making it a user-friendly and accessible design choice.

Thumb Slides are designed for quick, one-handed deployment using a sliding mechanism operated by the user's thumb. By sliding a lever typically located along the spine of the handle, the blade swiftly and automatically opens, providing a convenient and efficient way to access the knife.

Thumb Studs are small, protruding knobs typically located on the side of a folding knife's blade. It serves as a manual opening aid, allowing users to easily and quickly deploy the blade with one hand by applying pressure to the stud using their thumb.