The Dark Side of Oyster knives -

Oyster knives are indeed more or less an elegant tool, and many people do
tend to develop personal attachments to them (much like trowels).  At the
same time there are few that really use them often that haven't driven one
most of the way through their hand.  Oyster shells are slippery, and you
have to hold them in your hand with the hinge end of the bivalve against
the palm.  As the blade is then forced through to cut the hinge it
sometimes has a tendency to go too far or just plain slips out from between
the shells.   The end result here being that the force being placed against
the handle then plunges the blade into the palm of your hand.  Most people
that open oysters for a living have driven at least a blade or two into
their hands, and casual gourmets that open their own oysters also sometimes
suffer the same fate.  Maybe the lesson is to buy an oyster knife to look
at, but order your oysters on the half shell.   As a number of folks have
pointed out, libations do seem to go with eating oysters, and that will
also will ease the pain of the misdirected knife.

J. Dent