Emmett's Low Rider clip

[STR]

Yep that was me with the ATR clip. They grip entirely too much for my tastes. It is the same on the new black one I have now.

I have been looking at my favorite pocket clip on the BenchMade 420 Resistor. I really love this clip and I think the next ones I do are going to be a similar set up to that one. I don't personally care much for what people think that see my knife so the issue of the knife being concealed is not something that bothers me personally but it would bother me if one I made got someone in trouble if you catch my drift.

Thanks to all for the kind words. Keep an eye on my forum in my homepage link as there may or may not be more later that I experiment on.

My thanks to Sal and Carlos for being very 'tolerant' here with this thread. Speaks volumes about you guys IMO.

STR

[flipe8]

The clip really does look awesome. What a big difference with that mod. Would you be able to post pics of knife in pocket? Perhaps one with original clip as well.Again, really sharp!

[STR]

Thanks But I do not have any pictures of that one in the pocket. I have since sent the knife back to its owner. I do have a pic of a similar one I just finished though. Note how low it sits. It does hide away your carry knife.

One problem I am running into with the low rider clips is getting enough satisfactory retention on the pocket for my own tastes. They are very easy on the pockets but I fear they may not have enough grip to them. I'm working on that though. Unfortunately the only solution requires that they sit up higher off the knife which can mean they are in the way a bit.

One of the ones I bought from knife kits says that best in this pic. Notice how high it sits off the handles. Trust me you can feel it there in your palm when you are holding the knife compared to the original clip. This is a draw back to the low rider clip IMO. It isn't painful in the hand but you do notice the clip more when using the knife. However, if the benefits of how deep it rides outweigh the additional feel in the hand for the user then the ends justify the means. The first one I made in this thread was one for a customer of his own design. I just copied it based on his drawing. It is invisible to the hand for the most part but it does not have the spring retention of the original clip by any stretch of the imagination.

Keep in mind on this pic of the knife riding in my pocket that I took this myself while looking in a mirror. Everything is reversed. It is the right pocket. Ignore my other EDC companion there in the pic. :D

Steve

[moonlight]

yeah it's a nice work. But the clip is as visible as a mirror with this satin finish. Black clip would be better for a more discreet carry in low riding.
Almost all the :spyder: i know are better in tip down carry for a lower fit in the pocket.

[STR]

I tried several ways of making a black one and nothing stuck well to titanium. The best I could do aside from bead blasting would be to anodize it purple or blue to help subdue it or match it better to blue jeans maybe.

[naggalowmo]

sorry it took so long but here they are.
your ordinary pmilie

and like magic it disapears!

[bell]

Great Work STR!! Also I agree with Steel Vader regarding a little deeper ride in the pocket. Benchmade has a super clip on the economical Pika model that is black and rides just below the top of the pocket. Spyderco continues to ignore this issue with the exception of the Meerkat.

[redhawk44p]

I wish I could make a nice clip like yours.
Perhaps we should petition Sal for a low ride clip. A few hundred request might get it done.

[STR]

I don't recall the issue of a low rider pocket clip being brought up that much around here or to Sal. Based on the way he listens to his ELUs I'd say he will be all ears though if the general consensus is that this is what the public would like to see. I never gave it much thought actually but then BenchMade came out with the 420 Resistor that I bought. Which I then Waved for my own carry. I love that knife so much for so many reasons but the pocket clip that comes with it is the best factory clip I have ever encountered. It rides so deep the knife literally disappears. The whole knife is a well designed and well thought out product but the overall thickness of it makes it hard for me to carry all the time. I really prefer a thin knife on my pocket most of the time. That is why I am loving this Native I've been carrying since buying it at Wal-Mart the other day. It is so thin and light you don' t notice you have it on you. This is one of the best things about David Boye's Boat knife folder also. Very light weight, thin and convenient as well as bulletproof for design. It could ride a bit deeper in the pocket though.

Hey nice pics there Emmett. I really should have done that. Hope you don't mind me posting those on my forum/homepage.

[silverback]

Very good, I'll keep that in mind when I want to personalize a knife.
Also, this kind of clip might well be sold as an aftermarket accessory by Spyderco, I'd buy a couple. :)

[argyll]

I don't recall the issue of a low rider pocket clip being brought up that much around here or to Sal. Based on the way he listens to his ELUs I'd say he will be all ears though if the general consensus is that this is what the public would like to see.

Oh, its come up before:

http://spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17411

http://spyderco.com/forums/showthread.p ... eep+pocket


http://spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14833

http://spyderco.com/forums/showthread.p ... eep+pocket

http://spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5209

How about it Sal?

Best regards,

Argyll

[LJK]

High riding shiny clips have always been my only beef with Spyderco. I'd love to convert all my spydies to low ride dark colored clips. The Dodo is my current EDC. It rides low but could even be lower. Nice work STR.

[STR]

Thanks. I'm afraid the best I can do for a subdued finish at this time would be to anodize it a dark brown.

I did another clip for a favorite AlMar knife that comes from the factory tip down. The Nomad is the model. Great great knife if any of you guys have missed it. VG10 blade and super handle and ergonomics. Such a super knife I just can't say enough good about it. Everything about this knife screams quality. Now it is a step above though. This one was converted for tip up carry with another custom made low rider clip out of titanium, then bead blasted.. Turned out great.

[LJK]

STR:
How well does anodizing hold up on a clip for EDC? As compared to Spyderco's painted clips? The more I think about it the more I think Spyderco could really improve the design and finish on most of there clips.

[STR]

Anodizing does ok on titanium. The oxide layer created when you anodize ti is very hard; ceramic like in hardness so it is a tough coating but it can be scratched. Most of the reason makers heat or anodize the locks of their titanium liner locking folders is to put this super hard surface on the lock where it meets the hardened steel blade so the lock wears better. It works.

What I like is that it is a snap to reanodize a scratch and fill it in to cover it up although I have not had to do that much on the ones I've done that I carry a lot. (see my upgraded Salt 1 clip in this pic). I do the titanium liners and some pocket clips that way. Most of the clips I have been making I've been bead blasting though. I rather like the feel of the bead blasted clip and the look of them also. For that matter a bead blasted body is pretty darn cool looking also. Look at my Stinger since bead blasting it. The before pic is with another Pro-tech. Sorry that is the only pic I have. I wish I could find the one I took of the clip side showing all the scratches.

Anodized titanium seems to be more durable to me than anodized aluminum.
My anodized aluiminum knives have not held up very well at all and wipe off pretty quickly. My latest bead blast project was this Protech Stinger that looked like crap from the original black coming off the body of the knife and the clip and I don't really carry this knife outside of my own property. (not legal here) I imagine if it were a EDC it would have really taken the black off then. It makes you wonder why the companies that do that even bother because the finish is not very durable at all.

Nothing I've tried has stuck well to titanium except anodizing. About the best bet would be to shoot for the deep dark brown from running 24volts through the titanium. You can see from the Mr. Titanium chart of colors here in this pic what you can expect depending on the voltage you run. Note that it looks pretty dark but not black right there between 20 and 30 volts. Still I think this would be more durable than the black finish anyway but the jury is still out on that. My purple clip that I did as an experiment has surprised me at how well it has held up. I carry this knife a lot.

[argyll]

Just discovered a thread in the Other Spyderco forum lobbying Sal for low-ride clips. If this is something you are interested in, now is the time to speak up.

Best regards,

Argyll