Low rider pocket clip comparison: test subject Dragonfly Nishijin

[jlomein]

I picked up a titanium low rider clip to try and have my Dragonfly Nishijin carry deeper. I thought about getting a more expensive custom STR clip, but this one I found happened to be $7. It will work on many different Spydercos and other knives that use a standard three screw clip.

I don't know if I can post links, but you can find it by googling "titanium low rider clip".

Haven't carried it yet, but here are some immediate impressions (specific to Dragonfly Nishijin):

Pros
-deep carry, although still not fully concealed
-thin, shows off more of the Nishijin scales
-cheap, $7

Cons
-has some lateral flex
-quite flexible, not much tension for gripping pocket
-sits ~0.5cm further away from the scale than original clip (also affects grip on pocket)
-fold over point sticks out past end of Dragonfly handle
-blocks ~40% of the lanyard hole

Not sure if I like it yet, a lot depends on actual use. I imagine it will work well for jeans or other thicker pockets, but may have terrible grip on thin summer shorts.

[paladin]

I love threads like these...I also love the looks of this knife and would like to EDC it when I need a small pocket-clipped blade ( when I don't have a good pocket for my Manbug )...but the clip is making me hesitate...it just seems out of place. Lomein, your replacement clip looks a lot more elegant to my eye than the original...in fact, it looks real good. But thanks for the advice about the lost tension, and I can see that as a big issue with a slick scaled knife intended for EDC. The way you broke down the Pros and Cons is always appreciated!!!

[appliancejunk]

Interesting, so are the scales on the Dragonfly Nishijin G10 or something else?

[Evil D]

If the clip was made wider at the bend area and then narrowed down to allow access to the holes, it would probably have more clipping force. Either that or just make it out of thicker metal in the first place.

[revolvergeek]

Thanks for posting this! I was just looking at that exact clip and wondering how it would work.

[paladin]

Interesting, so are the scales on the Dragonfly Nishijin G10 or something else?

the Nishijin scales are quite slick in a plasticy kind of way...they feel similar to a highly-polished Corvette fender...the texturing you are seeing is the woven fibers "below the surface."

[jlomein]

Carried it for a few days now with thin, lightweight summer shorts. It stayed secure for the most part, until I would try to remove my wallet or keys from the same pocket. At that point it almost gets knocked out if I'm not careful.

Also noticed it's not as thin on my side, since the clip material is twice as thick, and the clip stands off from the handle scale at twice the distance.

Overall I'm sticking with it for now as it's a decent clip and I like the low ride height.

[Brock O Lee]

I once sanded down the peel-ply CF scales on a knife. After that the clip failed to grab the pocket sufficiently, even tough the clip tension was good, because now the scales were too smooth to provide grip. So I modified the clip to grab more securely on the pocket fabric.

I used a hacksaw to cut 3 or 4 shallow horizontal grooves on the inside belly of the clip where it would grab onto the pocket fabric.

I had to play around a bit to get the balance right between too slick and too aggressive, by smoothing out the grooves with the SM stones and some sandpaper.

Now it works like a charm. It is not aggressive enough to damage my pocket, but it holds the knife securely despite the smooth scales.

[einstein2001]

Even though I prefer the wire clip, the spoon clip on the Nishijin D'fly doesn't bother me any more. It is truly a beautiful knife. :) :spyder: :)