Do you like/use Letter Openers?

[plistumi]

Oh goodness! I use my left index finger. It is not too sharp, but does the job...

[BeachBum]

I have a Dartington Crystal letter opener given to me by my other half. It has a handle which is a piece of glass, with a silver plated ferrule holding the silver plated blade. Sadly I rarely use it since it lives in my office (back of the house, upstairs) and the post comes in the front door and is usually stacked in the lounge by the aforesaid other half, who hasn't yet been able in over 50 years of life to comprehend the concept of an in-tray... hence has a tendency to use the whole house as an in-tray. Also a pending tray. And an out-tray. And a 'shake it all about' tray...

 

Look, there are stacks of mail and paperwork dotted all around a six bedroom house, ok?

 

Sigh.

 

It's a nice letter opener though!

I started reading this and laughing like crazy. Then, my demeanor changed and I slowly started shaking my head, because of the familiarity of the stacks of mail all over the house. Not so funny when it hits that close to home! :bonk:

Edited March 25, 2010 by BeachBum

[bwnewton]

Sometimes I use a letter opener and sometimes just my left thumb. On my wish list is a letter opener from Seldom Seen Knives of Montana. I bought one for my dad for Father's Day and one for a friend as a retirement gift. I ordered both from, I believe, from PenCity.com. I have no affiliation with either company other than being a satisfied customer. Here are a couple of links:

 

http://www.seldomseenknives.com/ourknives/letteropeners.html

 

http://www.pencity.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/SeldomSeenLetterOpeners/SeldomSeenLetterOpeners.htm?L+scstore+fqro6109+1269606769

 

http://www.pencity.com/SeldomSeenLetterOpeners/images/Letteropeners.jpg

 

Image taken from PenCity.com website.

Edited March 26, 2010 by bwnewton

[dvorak]

For me, I always carry a knife, so it's a no brainer. It is so extraordinarily convenient to carry a knife at all times.I confess I don't understand why it's not as ubiquitous as a wristwatch or money clip...

 

Brent

[declanh]

For me, I always carry a knife, so it's a no brainer. It is so extraordinarily convenient to carry a knife at all times.I confess I don't understand why it's not as ubiquitous as a wristwatch or money clip...

 

Brent

agreed - i always carry a leatherman squirt like this

 

http://www.trunkoutlet.com/system/product_images/0000/1885/leatherman_squirt_1_standard.jpg

 

Its so small you can keep it in the change pocket of your jeans - and its always there - knife scissors file and tweezers are all very handy

[Journaleur]

I am currently using a "bone" (plastic) handled paring knife with about a 2 3/4 blade as a letter opener. I will see if I can get a photo -- need to speak to my granddaughter. I find it very "handy": fits comfortably in my grip, sits easily on a crowded desk, and is within easy reach (all puns intentional). I got it from a thrift store for about a dollar or less a few years ago. I had been looking for something like this in the tableware section and lucked out.

 

Some years ago in a far,far away magazine, I seem to recall reading something about grinding table knives down into letter openers. The person stated that s/he finds flatware with interesting handles at thrift stores or the like and then reshapes the blade into letter opener style. Does anyone know anything about this, especially the shape that the blade would need to be for this purpose. I have gathered a few "fancy" handled table knives for this purpose, but have no idea about how to go about doing it. Any ideas appreciated. Thanks.

[ehoh]

I rotate between two letter openers, one is a duck made of wood and the other is a vintage leather and metal one (in a 'Florentine' style). The duck is my preferred opener, but on occasion, I've had to use the metal one to open some really thick/heavy envelopes. I don't bother with letter openers when I'm opening junk mail or credit card statements, just when I am opening letters.

 

Everyone else has such pretty photos, so here is my attempt at a pretty one, too!

[GreenVelvet]

I rotate between two letter openers, one is a duck made of wood and the other is a vintage leather and metal one (in a 'Florentine' style). The duck is my preferred opener,

 

I love the duck! It just makes me want to quack.

[Miranda]

I mainly use what I had always believed was a Japanese letter opener that my father had as a souvenir of World War II when he fought in New Guinea. It is an elegant curved knife in a wooden case with ivory on the part where the knife comes out, about six inches long and 1cm wide. There is some coloured engraving on one side, and a brass-fitted hole at one end. Lately, it has occurred to me that it was unlikely that men in the Japanese army would carry letter openers, so maybe it is actually a weapon. And maybe dad just got it somewhere quite benign, like when he was travelling with his parents, or maybe it belonged to them. I'll never know now, as he died 18 months ago.

 

Still, I've been using it for over thirty years, so I am very attached to it.

[Blade Runner]

A dear friend gave me this cool Scandinavian letter opener that I believe was from the Museum of Modern Art store in New York.

http://www.ameico.com/cart/products/DE30611.jpg

Any old blade works just as well, but this thing feels extra sophisticated, like my Pilot M90.

Supercool... are you certain any old blade works just as well? because that, to me, looks like the perfect tool for the job.

 

I tend to use one half of a broken pair of scissors, also used for opening parcels and sowing seeds. I used to use the tail end of the letter "om" of my Ganesh-in-a-letter-om keyring, until said tail end broke off.

 

I see some Parisian designers had the same idea: http://www.mcachicagostore.org/main/item_detail.php?pid=1076&cat=8 On sale $28! :ltcapd:

It looks very cool, but I find it uncomfortable as the edge digs into the palm.

[Blade Runner]

My favorite openers are made of varnished wood, parts of desk sets I bought at Crane and Co. Except for the pointy end, they are quite safe as the edges cannot cut skin.

[Tweel]

I have a handful of letter openers (not used that way...), including a marbled brown plastic Fuller Brush letter opener with a Fuller Brush Man in a 40's suit and hat, sample case in hand, as the handle.

 

Here's the one I almost always use, "front" and "back":

 

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w88/Tweel6510/Stationery/Letter%20Openers/besley_overall.jpg http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w88/Tweel6510/Stationery/Letter%20Openers/besley_blade.jpg

 

It does dual duty. When it's not opening a letter, it's pushed halfway through the strap on the bottom of a round, shot-filled leather paperweight, and acts as a book weight.

 

-- Brian

Edited April 1, 2010 by Tweel

[Dace]

I use my Opa's (grandfather in German) WWII dress bayonet. I figure it's better then sitting in the safe with all the other memorabilia I have of his.

 

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n262/poohbigb/IMG_0052.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n262/poohbigb/IMG_0061.jpg

[Rena]

Great topic! There are some very, very cool letter openers in this thread. I finally took some photos of mine. I've used the first one for over 40 years. It was my mother's. Since I'd always admired it, she gave it to me when I left the nest as a young person.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k313/Cankapopa/ElephantLetterOpener.jpg

 

And this was a gift from my sister a few years back. I always use a letter opener and can't stand a mangled and torn envelope for some reason.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k313/Cankapopa/MetalLetterOpener.jpg

[pen2paper]

Damascene? nice shape:)

[Bo Bo Olson]

Heres mine;

 

http://www.ronniesunshines.com/images/Opinel%20Knife.jpg

 

Next to my pens and my guitar one of my prized possessions, the one I use was given to me by my uncle when I was an early teen and holds great sentimental value as well as functionality (much like a pen, I suppose)

 

 

I was always going to get one of those, but I don't do enough real work, to use one, and I had always had 6 or more pocket knives. My other pocket knives are adequate for most tasks, in that I am not cutting something for long periods of time.

 

If I was going to be cutting anything; other than boxes, for even 15 minutes a day at a stretch. They would be perfect, in there are no sharp corners, to gouge or wear on a hand.

It would be perfect to have three sizes in a tool chest.

It is a wonderful tool.

I should buy one for my God child; but he'd not appreciate it until grown.

 

 

Letter openers...I got rid of many, some were nice with alabaster type stone handles, that sat in the bottom of drawers. I used one from my desk set, yesterday, because I didn't want to destroy the envelope. It was written by someone with a great hand and the fine flexible nib'ed pen to show it.

 

I have a small 8x4 1/2" mahogany desk set with brass inlets of circles and lines, and front corners. It has a separate pulpit, also brass accented, stand for two ball points and two squares in a box for this and that, where I store my rotation pens. It has a thin brass outlined pen holder in the front shelf. Just in back of that is the brass bladed wood handed letter opener with the brass lined and circles wood handle.

I'm surprised I had enough sense to buy that. at a thrift shop. It polished up nicely.

 

Not quite worth bragging about, but too pretty to take to the Flea market.

Edited May 12, 2010 by Bo Bo Olson

[farseer911]

Spyderco Endura for me! This is my Multi Tool....

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Dv6e-XzkL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[vickiehof]

I use the steak knife that sliced open my finger (= many stitches) when I was a teenage waitress in too much of a hurry in the 1970's. It reminds me to slow down and be careful.

[Fuddlestack]

I use my thumb, when it's resting from its usual duty, viz. obtaining transport.

Edited May 12, 2010 by Fuddlestack

[Fuddlestack]

Heres mine;

 

http://www.ronniesunshines.com/images/Opinel%20Knife.jpg

 

Next to my pens and my guitar one of my prized possessions, the one I use was given to me by my uncle when I was an early teen and holds great sentimental value as well as functionality (much like a pen, I suppose)

 

The lower one is in a dangerous state. With age, the hinge on one of mine has become very loose, and when the lock ring is not rotated it can flop over on a whim. Mine are rather older models with carbon steel blades, and they take an edge like a razor. I use an ordinary kitchen steel on them - another disappearing skill, perhaps, outside a butcher's shop.