Camper/Scout knife can openers

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I have always been amazed at the bewildering variety of designs that have been used by knife manufacturers to produce can opener blades on pocket knives. Seems like everyone thought they had invented a better mouse trap. There have been openers that have looked like hawk bills, potato diggers, lobster claws, hatchet heads, mini knife blades, one piece, two piece and others. Some worked good, some hardly at all. Some manufacturers started with one design, then later changed to another. Since I have quite a wide assortment of camper/scout knives on hand, I thought I would try to see which design was the most efficient. I am sure others will have pictures and comments on these as well as other styles of can openers.
The most common one I have is the "hawkbill".
L-R, Case, Remington, Western, Kabar, Ulster, Hammer, Forest Master, Rodgers

L-R, Sabre, No Name, Atco, No Name 619, Robeson, 114OT, Craftsman, Jowika

L-R, Camillus 99, Camillus Mil., Camco, Imperial Kamp King Custom, Imperial IMPC4D, No Name, Imperial Kamp King, Imperial Scout

The potato digger style
L-R, Veritable Sauzede, C. K. Co., Enderes, Henry Sears, Camillus, N.Y.Knife, Buster Brown, Ulster Scout

Blade type.
L-R, Winchester store, L. F. & C., Kent, Utica, Colonial, Kutmaster, No Name

Variation on the hawk bill without the sharp point
L-R, Colonial Hobo, Ideal

Pal had at least two different styles, two piece, and a one piece "lobster claw"

In my opinion probably the best can opener, the Swiss Army Knife

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In testing the different types on an actual can, the Swiss Army Knife and the hawkbill self pierced the can with the same motion as opening. Others required that you give the knife a bump with the heal of the hand for the initial piercing, then revert to a different motion for cutting.
Swiss Army Knife

Potato digger type

Blade type-Utica style

Hawkbill

Winchester store

Pal lobster claw

As you can see in the photos, the SAK and the hawkbill have a hook that goes under the outside edge of the lid to leverage on. This results in cutting by lifting up on the knife handle. The potato digger, blade type and lobster claw types use the knife handle turned over and cut by pushing down on the knife handle. In my opinion, the SAK is the best, least effort, with the cleanest cut and the least chance of a piece of metal getting into your food.

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Whoops, that's my bad in that last paragraph, I should have said that the lobster claw openers and the potato digger styles both cut the can lid on pulling with an upstroke of the knife handle. The Winchester Store blade type and the Utica blade type cut by pushing the handle on the downstroke.

[tongueriver]

An excellent treatise on the 'scout' type canopeners. Thank you, Jim! Somewhere in the past threads there was some info on dating these types but I don't remember now. I have used the hawkbill type found on modern scout knives; it is ok but not great. I have found that the old military thingies are really good, but one has to put them into some kind of slippie in the pocket or it will cut one's pants and one's legs.

[jerryd6818]

An excellent treatise on the 'scout' type canopeners. Thank you, Jim! Somewhere in the past threads there was some info on dating these types but I don't remember now. I have used the hawkbill type found on modern scout knives; it is ok but not great. I have found that the old military thingies are really good, but one has to put them into some kind of slippie in the pocket or it will cut one's pants and one's legs.
P-38001.jpg

It's a viscious little critter if you don't do something to keep it closed. I had a paper clip on my P-38 and it stayed on for a while but eventually came off so I slid a section of shrink tube over mine and hit it with the hair dryer to shrink it down to fit. Now I'll let it ride in my pocket for a while to see if it stays on. This is not an original concept. Someone else did something similar and I just now got around to testing it.

[woodwalker]

I have always been amazed at the bewildering variety of designs that have been used by knife manufacturers to produce can opener blades on pocket knives. Seems like everyone thought they had invented a better mouse trap. There have been openers that have looked like hawk bills, potato diggers, lobster claws, hatchet heads, mini knife blades, one piece, two piece and others. Some worked good, some hardly at all. Some manufacturers started with one design, then later changed to another. Since I have quite a wide assortment of camper/scout knives on hand, I thought I would try to see which design was the most efficient. I am sure others will have pictures and comments on these as well as other styles of can openers.
The most common one I have is the "hawkbill".
L-R, Case, Remington, Western, Kabar, Ulster, Hammer, Forest Master, Rodgers
IMG_2054.JPG
L-R, Sabre, No Name, Atco, No Name 619, Robeson, 114OT, Craftsman, Jowika
IMG_2055.JPG
L-R, Camillus 99, Camillus Mil., Camco, Imperial Kamp King Custom, Imperial IMPC4D, No Name, Imperial Kamp King, Imperial Scout
IMG_2056.JPG
The potato digger style
L-R, Veritable Sauzede, C. K. Co., Enderes, Henry Sears, Camillus, N.Y.Knife, Buster Brown, Ulster Scout
IMG_2057.JPG
Blade type.
L-R, Winchester store, L. F. & C., Kent, Utica, Colonial, Kutmaster, No Name
IMG_2058.JPG
Variation on the hawk bill without the sharp point
L-R, Colonial Hobo, Ideal
IMG_2059.JPG
Pal had at least two different styles, two piece, and a one piece "lobster claw"
IMG_2060.JPG
In my opinion probably the best can opener, the Swiss Army Knife
IMG_2061.JPG

Thanks for taking the time to show us this! I am sure you spent a considerable time on your effort for our benifit! I use the Swiss Army type often and it works great. I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work on this project. Folks like you make this site such a great place to visit! Nice collection of scout knives too!!

[RobesonsRme.com]

Robeson's prewar can-opener was also a cap-lifter.

I've never tried to open a can with one.

Charlie Noyes

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Robeson's prewar can-opener was also a cap-lifter.

I've never tried to open a can with one.

Charlie Noyes

That is a real nice one Charlie. I only have the one Robeson, it is a 642214. I have not seen one like yours before. It is an interesting dual purpose tool, having the can and bottle opener together.

[woodwalker]

Robeson's prewar can-opener was also a cap-lifter.

I've never tried to open a can with one.

Charlie Noyes

Always nice to see your Robesons Charlie! That one is very nice!

[SteelMyHeart85420]

Good, informative thread, with some fine knives to boot.

[knife7knut]

If nobody has any objections I would like to add a few more to the mix. My interest was piqued when I started to read this most informative post. I went back through my collection to see just how many I could come up with. Never realized there were so many variations.
As an aside;the Robeson that Charlie posted was an early version;the later one was shaped slightly different and I have enclosed a pic of both styles.
The Pal opener pictured was obviously a holdover from the Remington years as the later models were changed to the hawkbill style.Pics are enclosed of both.
I've also added some pics of French style openers that came in the champagne pattern and similar utility knives from other countries in Europe as well as a few military pieces. The varieties are mind blowing.

[Pablo]

I agree the swiss army knife can opener is the best and easiest to use... but I don't always have it on me. I do however have a couple p-38's. Jerryd I have one on my keychain as well. My brother was in the Army right at the end of c-rats and so they still issued the p-38 and he gave me one when I was a wee lad and my Deddy passed recently and I inherited the one he was issued during Vietnam War. They sure do come in handy. Mine has not been too much a problem but it does occasionally bite the leg. Thanks for the shrink tube idea, will have to give it a try.

[knife7knut]

Couple more

[woodwalker]

If nobody has any objections I would like to add a few more to the mix. My interest was piqued when I started to read this most informative post. I went back through my collection to see just how many I could come up with. Never realized there were so many variations.
As an aside;the Robeson that Charlie posted was an early version;the later one was shaped slightly different and I have enclosed a pic of both styles.
The Pal opener pictured was obviously a holdover from the Remington years as the later models were changed to the hawkbill style.Pics are enclosed of both.
I've also added some pics of French style openers that came in the champagne pattern and similar utility knives from other countries in Europe as well as a few military pieces. The varieties are mind blowing.

Awesome!! Thanks for adding all your fine knives!! You guys sure have nice collections!

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Thanks for all your comments on the can opener types and the excellent additional pictures. I too learned something from this, the one that I was referring to as "a potato digger" style is actually called a French opener. Makes sense as my Veritable Sauzede French knife has this type. I referred to it as a "potato digger" type because growing up on the farm as a kid, we had one farm field that came right up to the buildings, so we planted a huge garden behind the garage. We had an old single row potato planter that my dad would pull behind the tractor while my older brother would sit on the seat of the planter with the bucket of seed potatoes. My mom had cut the seed potatoes so that each piece had an "eye" which was the seed. As my dad pulled the planter, my brother would look straight down as a wheel in the middle turned and drop the seed potatoes for the wheel to take down and plant in the furrow. Later in the summer my brother and I would take the "potato digger", which was a long handled shovel like tool out to dig up some of the potatoes. It had a working end that looked much like the can openers, but was of very heavy construction to be used as a lever. My brother would push it into the ground beside the potato row and pull sideways to lever them up and I would shake off the dirt and put them into a pail. I was probably 6 or 7 years old then (so in other words this was about 60 years ago).

[Mumbleypeg]

Thanks to all who contributed to the thread. A fine treatise on the varied styles of can openers deployed by various knife makers!

The quest to "build a better mousetrap" yields wonders.

Ken

[ken98k]

An excellent treatise on the 'scout' type canopeners. Thank you, Jim! Somewhere in the past threads there was some info on dating these types but I don't remember now. I have used the hawkbill type found on modern scout knives; it is ok but not great. I have found that the old military thingies are really good, but one has to put them into some kind of slippie in the pocket or it will cut one's pants and one's legs.
P-38001.jpg

I've been carrying the same p38 daily since 1978. For first couple years it hung around my neck with my dog tags, after that it's been on my key ring.

[tongueriver]

Thanks for all your comments on the can opener types and the excellent additional pictures. I too learned something from this, the one that I was referring to as "a potato digger" style is actually called a French opener. Makes sense as my Veritable Sauzede French knife has this type. I referred to it as a "potato digger" type because growing up on the farm as a kid, we had one farm field that came right up to the buildings, so we planted a huge garden behind the garage. We had an old single row potato planter that my dad would pull behind the tractor while my older brother would sit on the seat of the planter with the bucket of seed potatoes. My mom had cut the seed potatoes so that each piece had an "eye" which was the seed. As my dad pulled the planter, my brother would look straight down as a wheel in the middle turned and drop the seed potatoes for the wheel to take down and plant in the furrow. Later in the summer my brother and I would take the "potato digger", which was a long handled shovel like tool out to dig up some of the potatoes. It had a working end that looked much like the can openers, but was of very heavy construction to be used as a lever. My brother would push it into the ground beside the potato row and pull sideways to lever them up and I would shake off the dirt and put them into a pail. I was probably 6 or 7 years old then (so in other words this was about 60 years ago).

My gosh- You just described a couple days in my life. Do you remember the smell of that fresh-turned earth? My brothers and I would squabble about who got the baked potato skins. I have just experimented with roasting turnips. I did not like them in 1955 but I have given them another try. Good.

[eveled]

Great thread guys. Nice to see them all together. Only thing I'd add is in my experience the SAK one works best going backwards around the can otherwise the screwdriver gets caught under the lid, and the hawk bill works best going forward.

This is my solution for the p38 bite.

I gave up on the p38's and put the opener from a broken demo knife on my key ring. I actually works really well.

p38 story. I had a buddy who had one on his key ring, one night he told me that he got up to pee, in his skivvies and a mortar landed on his hooch, and destroyed everything he owned. So all he had was his skivvies and his p38 with his dog tags.

He said he kept the p38 as a good luck charm from then on.

Fast forward to a camping trip with both our families and one morning I wake up to a pounding noise outside. His wife was trying to open a can with his p38 by smashing it with a rock!