Spyderco Forums

xceptnl wrote:That GB STR looks terrific. Do you have trouble getting the fasteners into the modded Para 2 clip? It looks like they are concealed almost.

I did have to do some grinding with the dremel to get enough room to get the screws in on the para 2 clip. It's tight.

I love the way the Ti clip looks against the CF scales. It's like they wuz made for each other.

They say you don't know how good you have something until you loose it. Well, it'a also true you don't know how bad you have something until you exchange it for something good or better. I carried pocket knives all my life about every day in my pocket with whatever else was there. Then I started getting knives with a pocket clip. What I have discovered is how inconvenient it was to have to lean to one side and back and straighten a leg to get my knife out of the bottom of my pocket when sitting down. When it is clipped to the top of my pocket I rarely need to change my posture at all to get the knife out. People who have never carried a knife with a clip and had access to it at the top of the pocket just don't know how bad they have it. I say, "if you try it, you'll like it".

This is basically how I feel about clips. I like them a lot. It took me a while to think this way. I bounced back and forth for a while. I was thinking it was just lazy to like clips so much and not carry a knife because of that. If I don't carry a knife clipped, it is usually in a pouch on my belt. For larger knives (GB, Sage4) I use a pouch. I have two Case knives I really like for that type of knife. I carry them sometimes but when I do I seldom use them. I will grab the one that is easiest to get to which is either clipped or the D'fly in a neck sheath I wear. The neck sheath is usually under my shirt when in public. This complicates access to it so I rarely use it then but I know it's there. I carried my Sage4 in the bottom of my pocket for a few days. I have to say I liked it more than smaller knives in the pocket because of it's size. It was much easier to grab the larger knife than a small one because of no telling what may be in that pocket.

The appearance of the clip is not important to me. The size is a little important on a few knives. I say "a few" because there are probably other knives out there like the Dragonfly Nishijin that have really beautiful scales that are covered by a clip. I guess there is a reason but the clip (wire) on my regular D'fly is much shorter. I don't know why the D'fly Nishijin couldn't be smaller. The only thing that makes sense is if Spyderco was already set up to make that clip and it cost less just to use it instead of making a new one just for that model. Of course I don't know anything for sure. I do like wire clips on knives with attractive scales.

Jack

I'm used to carry my folders only during my outdoor activities (hiking in the Alps) and I don't keep the knife inside the pocket because it is annoying for some movements.
I usually keep it clipped to the belt because I don't need to keep it hidden. So yes, the clip is important for me: it has to be confortable and very strong because bringing the knife that way I can really lose it.

sharpguitarist wrote: To me, an ugly pocket clip can be a deal breaker, but regarding Spydercos clips, that's never been an issue.

+1
I carry almost all of my EDC clipped. I prefer low riding wire clips on most of the knives for several reasons, but this is not a deal breaker. I would love to have wire clip on standard Native5, but it will not look any good on Titanium variant. Small gents knives I prefer without clips.

mrphotoman wrote:I wear dress pants to work every day so a pocket clip is a must due to the terrible pockets in dress pants that cause everything to fall out when you sit in a car or at a desk.

That and pocket material gets trashed and holes get poked by keys and such, so that one day (if you're lucky) you feel your knife sliding down your pants leg to land on your foot. If you aren't lucky, you dont feel it and bye-bye knife.

I wear cargo shorts most of the time, and the ones I have from Triple Aught Design have little pockets sewn inside the main pockets so that when I don't want the knife exposed, i can clip it into the little pocket and it stays put instead of floppin around at the bottom being hard to reach and scratching or being scratched.

senorsquare wrote:I find this to be especially true with smaller knives. I found me dragonfly to be especially hard to open without a pocket clip to give the fingers something to push against.



I am with you on this one. I have a STR on my Gayle Bradley and Dragonfly, and I managed to fit a wire clip on my Native 5. In my mind, the wire clip transformed the Native 5 from a really good knife into a really great knife. I usually switch the STR between the PM2 and GB depending on which one I want to carry that day. I thoroughly mangled two spoon clips with a blowtorch and a pair of pliers trying to fold them over to make a deep carry clip for the paramilitary. It looks pretty bad up close but it is functional. I will likely get an extra wire clip or a STR for the Paramilitary.


Clips by senorsquare, on Flickr

That bent clip on the Para 2 isn't a bad idea. You could easily go back and sand that down to give it a uniform texture and even buff it if you wanted. Looks like it could use some grinding on the sides to allow better access to the screws though. I may have to give this a try. I'm still having a hard time coughing up the ~$30 or so for an STR clip, even though they're really nice.

Clips are a wonderful, wonderful invention - thanks, Sal - Even if I throw a knife right into a pocket (rarely, but some NKP environments call for it), the clips stay on. You can get them out easier, and you don't have that stupid wear mark on your pants from the knife. Bigger knives'll fit in your poket with a clip... I can't go back. I even rarely carry a SAK anymore. I do at work all the time, along with 2 Spydies and my old Leatherman Wave (Why'd they change the Wave? It was better the old way.) Anyway, clips forever! :)

Funny. For the last 15ish years I've had a knife clipped to my pocket til about 4 months ago. Now it's a Izula in the front pocket and a Drayonfly salt (no clip) in my watch pocket.

For me, the only thing a clip needs to be is removable without leaving a crater. I'll take screw holes over the trenches left by wire clips, but even those trenches are 100 times better than the hideous crater left when a Kopa's clip is removed. If a knife won't fit comfortably in the bottom of my back pocket, it's not going to get carried. Luckily for me, there hasn't been a single oversize model yet that I'd want to put there.

For me the clip is very important and is the main factor in what I will carry that day. You see I wear a suit every day. I like any Spyderco clip but tend to go to a wire clip. I wish there were more Black Wire clips like on the Sage 1. :rolleyes: It makes a for a very descrete carry and looks so very cool.

Essential, now (thanks Sal).

Clipped inside the opening of my RFP, the Spydie I'm carrying any given day will be quick of access and not marred by keys, Leatherman, or others things I EDC in the bottom of my pockets.

Which clip on which knife? That's something that niggles at me occasionally. I like hourglass clips on bigger Spydies (like Manixes and Paras) and wire clips on smaller ones (like Sages and Calys). But why a wire clip on the Superleaf and the Techno? Both are big, even if one is short. The Native has an hourglass clip and it's a big knife, if stealthily. But these niggles don't compel me to mod. There's something to be said for discovering what the designer intended (I think I have finally discovered my Para).

On many knives, I remove the clip anyway. And I think that the channels left by the wire clips are so f@cking hideous that it drives me to the point of not even carrying those knives much.

I love the Techno, but they really screwed the pooch by changing the clip from the original Ti clip to a wire clip. So much so that I am thinking about trying to get an original custom...yes I would rather spend hundreds of dollars then carry a horrid wire clip or deal with the ugly channels (and blue backspacer)

I will say that the only place I like the wire clips...is on the Caly 3 and 3.5. Other than that, I'd be happy never to see another.

I think that Kershaw/ZT does a far better clip. Their fold over deep carry clips are pretty perfect. They carry deep, they are strong and they are usually relatively short (in comparison to the knife).

clips are very important to me...oftentimes I wear athletic shorts with no pockets. Also clips can help with finger placement and indexing even acting somewhat like a fulcrum to help with opening on some models, like my stretch...just my experience...and great thread! Cheers!

Lovem and needem

A clip is essential for me. Since I discovered knives with clips almost 20 years ago I have not carried a knife without a clip. I prefer clips that are tip-down but I buy knives that offer only tip-up if I like the knife otherwise. I don't pay all that much attention to the actual clip as long as it's there. My other important criteria for choosing a knife is its lock type. I almost never buy lockback knives, I mostly buy liner locks/frame locks and some axis locks. And lastly I consider the blade shape and size and the handle material and shape. It may sound like I'm picky and maybe I am, but I still manage to find a lot of knives that I want to buy.

The clip is essential. So many pants and shorts these days have shallow and poorly designed pockets where loose stuff just falls out when seated. When I got my Southard, I took the clip off because if the sharpness at the end. I missed it enough that I used the Sharpmaker triangles to round off and smooth the edges. It's back on the knife.

I always carry my knives in my pocket, but I like the clips for the extra grip when opening and closing

Very good point, Spencer. Big reason I love them. ^

I changed to tip down carry, so my choices of knives are limited. But the spyderco clips in black work for me.

Clips are THE reason that attracted me to Spyderco way back in 1981. Today, clips are still that important to me. The lack of a clip is a deal breaker. Now I seek deep pocket clips that are discreet.