Carry: Tip Up / Down & Left / Right

[RamZar]

How do you carry your folders most often?

From the factory, Spyderco positions them mostly with Tip Up Right Hand but ParaMilitary2 & Military2 are Tip Down Right Hand. Para3 is Tip Up Right Hand. Is it designer preference or the size of the folder or even the type of lock?

Should the factory default for ParaMilitary2 & Military2 instead be Tip Up Right Hand?

[Wartstein]

- Tip up right hand over 90 % of the time
- Sometimes iwb when pants have non pockets (running shorts) or when I am afraid of loosing the knife while being active (uphill running, mountaineering) - but generally iwb never worked well for me.
- Sometimes not clipped, but loose inside of zippered pockets (ski touring pants - preferably small, light models (Salt 2, Chap))
- Sometimes in a small front pouch of my pack (= those packs that have such pouches), knife is still easily accessible

[Wartstein]

...

From the factory, Spyderco positions them mostly with Tip Up Right Hand but ParaMilitary2 & Military2 are Tip Down Right Hand. Para3 is Tip Up Right Hand. Is it designer preference or the size of the folder or even the type of lock?

Should the factory default for ParaMilitary2 & Military2 instead be Tip Up Right Hand?

I think it has been said quite some times that this is Erics designer preference.

And don´t know - but from a practical point of view perhaps the factory default should be tip up for the PM2, since it really seems most people switch to this anyway - ?

[Coastal]

I didn't vote, because I'm an outlier.

I know I'm in the minority here, but by far the most important factor for clip placement is how that particular knife feels in hand. I don't care about tip-up or tip-down, or right-hand / left-hand carry, per se. When I get a new knife I try every clip position available, and pick the one that feels most comfortable in my left hand because that's where I hold a knife most of the time.

Tip up is almost always the most comfortable. Which side the clip ends up on depends on the knife, and I'd say it's about equal, right and left. For me, clipless is usually feels the very best. I seldom pick this route because I don't want the knife to fall out of my pocket, and I also don't want it falling to the bottom. I usually carry right-front, but pretty often right-rear or in a cargo pocket.

I don't care how a knife comes from the factory, since I'm going to experiment no matter what.

[aicolainen]

As time goes by I become less obsessed with these things.
For clipped carry, tip up, right hand side is my preference most of the time, but I sometimes choose to carry tip down, right hand side for safety and on just a knife or two I’ve positioned the clip for tip down, left hand side, so I can clip it to the outside of my belt on my right hand side.

Mostly I just carry a clipless DF2 or one of the gender conforming bugs loose in my backpocket

[bearfacedkiller]

I am right hand tip down but that is because I carry in my right rear pocket. If I carried in my right front pocket I might like tip up more.

I have probably been carrying in my back pocket for twenty years now and it works for me. I used to work on cars a lot and moved it to my back pocket so I did’t scratch the paint. Now my other pockets all have other stuff in them. I carry too much stuff.

[jwbnyc]

Mostly depends on the lock.

Compression locks, tip down lefthand.

Backlocks, mostly tip up lefthand.

Larger knives, tip down, if that’s an option, regardless of lock type.

Left rear pocket carry on most occasions, but that depends on circumstances, and sometimes I don’t switch the clip from factory position at all.

I do like to have the spine against a seam if possible.

Dragonflies often get carried clipless or iwb.

Didn’t vote in the poll. Nothing really applicable there.

[Evil D]

Tip up right hand mostly.

I have always been a big defender of tip down for larger knives like the Military, but after carrying a stainless handled Police for a while I came to the conclusion that the clip plays a big part in finger grip and placement during opening, so I switched it to tip up for that reason. I don't mind tip down as far as carrying and drawing and all that but the aid that the clip provides during opening is more beneficial to me than the other pros and cons of this debate.

[Manixguy@1994]

I usually carry in pockets two knifes . Primary is left hand tip up with two exceptions. In right pocket 99% of time right pocket is tip up . MG2

[Makunochimaster]

Tip up right hand style, but in left pocket (old pic)

[wrdwrght]

Tip up, right hand. And I’m left-handed.

[Zipper]

Tip up, right hand. And I’m left-handed.

Same …. Although in use I am ambidextrous in most things.

[wrdwrght]

Tip up, right hand. And I’m left-handed.

Same …. Although in use I am ambidextrous in most things.

Actually, so am I.

[zhyla]

Long knives: tip down.
Short knives: tip up is way faster to deploy.

[rangefinder]

RH/TD

I have a few knives that are tip-up only, but I don't carry them much.

At this point, I ignore probably 99% of the new knives introduced by different makers, because they only support tip-up carry. One of the reasons I like Spyderco is they are the only major company (that I know of) that still has a wide selection of models that support tip-down carry.

[RamZar]

I found an interesting and informative article from 5 years ago expressing the views of Michael Janich and basically how no one type of carry covers all situations.

Tip-Up or Tip-Down Carry? Self-Defense Expert Weighs in

[bdblue]

There are a lot of aspects to this.
Some people like tip up for security- tip up righthand allows the blade to be against the side of your pocket where it should not open during carry.
Some people like tip up because it is more comfortable when holding, it is essential if you are using a lanyard and/or fob, and it is essential if you wish to use an opening notch on the blade.
I have noticed that drawing the knife is quicker and more positive for tip down than tip up, although with a short knife it doesn't matter. I don't carry short knives. It also depends on the type of clothing- if you have large pockets you can get your hand down in the pocket on the bottom end of the handle, if you have tight jeans then you are restricted to grasping the part of the knife sticking out of the pocket.
I am less concerned these days about clip position than I used to be. I used to ignore knives of one position preferring knives of the other position however I realized that this kept me from enjoying some good designs so I started buying them both ways and I learned how to use them.
If you go back in history, at least if I go back in my history to the first Spyderco knife I owned with a clip, it was tip down. Tip up came about when they started molding handles such as the Delica- the clip had to be on the butt end so it wouldn't interfere with the pivot.
This really is just a matter of personal preference and people have their preferences, there is no reason to fight about it. I've noticed in past polls, and there seem to be a lot of them, approximately 75% of people vote for tip up.

[dan31]

I prefer RH/TD for Military, Native Chief and Endura. I can’t make up my mind on the PM2. Smaller is RH/TU.

[RamZar]

I’m surprised Tip Up Right Hand is only 73%. Still, with Tip Down Right Hand at only 19% shouldn’t the Spyderco factory default for ParaMilitary2 & Military2 instead be Tip Up Right Hand?

[bobnikon]

Does this still count as Tip-up Right-Side?