The spatha is an extremely light weight little knife (plastic handle weighs next to nothing). I find that it is perfect for situations were extra weight is undesirable, however it is not easy to get open, does not lock, and is by no means a one hander, also does not fit some brands of carabiner.

I've found this knife to come in handy quite a few times. It's super light weight makes it easy to carry and doesn't weigh you down. It is also easy to open one handed which is a plus. Great bang for your buck.

The trick to opening this knife withe one hand is to use your fingers to rotate the coloured knob/bearing of the blade. Not a problem if you have some finger strength. Nice easy racking knife for climbing or canyoneering.

Excellent knife for climbing, mountaineering. Small, light, sharp serrated blade for cutting through most rope efficiently. Nice 'biner hole for carrying.

Like another reviewer said, it doesn't open easily with one hand, but it will using one hand and say, pressing the bottom of the handle against some part of your anatomy or clothing. Anyways, I'm glad it doesn't open easily since I've had other one hander's that open by themselves while banging around on your gear loop (now that is dangeous) the spatha wont do this. Its not that sharp, but is sharp enough. Its tough, and fulfills its usage parameters.

I bought this knife and put it in a small survival kit that I have. Awesome knife. Recommend the smaller Spatha as well as this one. Both great knives.

the blade on the short knife is just great. The little serrations are done a little differently from most other knives I've used but I'd say it's an improvement from traditional knives. Love this knife.

I have had this knife for about two years now. Its is a nice light utility knife that holds a decent edge and can be clipped to nearly everything.
I will say though that i have yet to find a biener that fits the "biener hole" and I have never found a way to safley open it with one hand.
Its a good knife though and I would reccomend it to anyone.

The Petzl Spatha Knife (small) has a unique and handy concept with its carabiner hole and circular ridge that is used to open the knife. Despite Petzl's claims, I find the knife difficult and dangerous to open one handed, and it is even more difficult to try this with a carabiner in the hole. A neat knife, but there are better one-handed openers for climbing.

I bought this item as a gift. My friend loved it and said he had been eyeing it for quite some time. He brought it out skiing 2 weeks ago in Vermont and loved the carabiner feature and the convenience. Always great stuff from Petzl as well as this site.

Knife is light hangs well on a biner, it's sharp (cuts through salami & cheese nicely) but it does not lock out and cannot be opened with one hand. Right out of the box and freshly oiled it was more than a struggle to "one hand" it and after a little trail dust forget it.

Thanks for getting it to me so quickly though. You do a great job.

I love this knife. It's a great all-purpose climbing, camping knife. It even cut through tomatoes like a charm. It really doesn’t open one handed well, but you can be assured that it won't accidentally open while moving around on your harness. (I would rather open with two hands than have it flop open randomly.)

I bought this knife because it was cheap, lightweight and it had a certain coolness factor. It's comfortable in my hand and fits nicely in my pocket (it has a rounded handle). The knife seems to be resistant to water and can be attached a hundred different ways to the same amount of clothing or gear. However, it is nearly impossible to open with one hand and gets grit inside that makes it harder to open.

I generally need knife for cutting string or rope, opening meal packages and doing all sorts of little things in the camp. The small Spatha definitely ain't the easiest for one-hand opening but face it: how often do you really need one hand opening anyway? In a tight spot I can one-hand it open by sticking the end of the handle into a pocket or through carabiner loop or belt. It also works in full gear, in sub-zero temperatures and with heavy gloves on. Trust me. I've tried.

The light weight and easy carrying when clipped into one of my spare carabiners overshadow any little hindrances with the opening. Besides it is cheap so I can buy a few, carry one and not feel that bad if I accidentally lose the knife somewhere in the glacier. It is not the best knife in the world, but it’s definitely worth the money.

I use this knife for backpacking and i bought the large cause i hate sharpening serrated blades. without the carabiner in the middle of it the knife and as long as its clean it's really simple to open with one hand if you have strong fingers and the knife doesn't lock in the open position so its even easier to close. if you tie a piece or cord through it instead of using a carbiner you can secure it to yourself and still open and use it easily. great multi-use knife i would recommended adding it to you gear collection.

This knife rocks man! It's got a hole in it for a biner to run through, making it easily accessible when you're on a wall, or hook it onto anything else you may need to. The blade comes super sharp (it even splits a hair.) Great tool to have in your first aid kit, or any kind of adventure backpack. I take it everytime I go hiking, fishing, and climbing. All around great investment! (Ya never know when you'll have to cut your arm off.)

Great knife, only downfall is the hole for the biner is a bit small so most biners will a larger lock off will not work.