Spyderco Forums

vivi wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 12, 2026 7:33 pm

silver & black wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 11, 2026 10:44 am

If you carry tip up and slide the knife all the way against the side of your pocket.... I'm not sure how the blade opens??? Even if it does, the side of your pocket will not let it open so far as to cut you, IMO.

Happened to me more than once. Pockets are a thin sheet of very flexible fabric and I'm pretty active. It's not as foolproof of a carry method as many think.

No. It's definitely NOT foolproof, which is why I only occasionally do it, opting instead to carry backlocks or a Manix 2. I have one cross-bar lock (Kunwu Pulsar) that I sometimes carry. It has the optional stiff omega springs and acts much more like a Manix 2 than it does the Bugout I no longer have. I also have an Italian-made cross-bar lock that is too soft, and I no longer carry it at all. As much as I like it, since I don't carry it, I think it may be time for it to go away.

Actinolite wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 13, 2026 5:26 pm

vivi wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 12, 2026 7:33 pm

silver & black wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 11, 2026 10:44 am

If you carry tip up and slide the knife all the way against the side of your pocket.... I'm not sure how the blade opens??? Even if it does, the side of your pocket will not let it open so far as to cut you, IMO.

Happened to me more than once. Pockets are a thin sheet of very flexible fabric and I'm pretty active. It's not as foolproof of a carry method as many think.

No. It's definitely NOT foolproof, which is why I only occasionally do it, opting instead to carry backlocks or a Manix 2. I have one cross-bar lock (Kunwu Pulsar) that I sometimes carry. It has the optional stiff omega springs and acts much more like a Manix 2 than it does the Bugout I no longer have. I also have an Italian-made cross-bar lock that is too soft, and I no longer carry it at all. As much as I like it, since I don't carry it, I think it may be time for it to go away.

Interesting. I have never had a knife come open in my pocket, even if the detent was a bit on the weak side. Yes, pocket fabric is thin but, if your clip is of a proper "grip" and the blade is against the side of your pocket, I really don't see how the blade can force itself open. I'll take your word for it, though.

silver & black wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 14, 2026 5:41 pm

No. It's definitely NOT foolproof, which is why I only occasionally do it, opting instead to carry backlocks or a Manix 2. I have one cross-bar lock (Kunwu Pulsar) that I sometimes carry. It has the optional stiff omega springs and acts much more like a Manix 2 than it does the Bugout I no longer have. I also have an Italian-made cross-bar lock that is too soft, and I no longer carry it at all. As much as I like it, since I don't carry it, I think it may be time for it to go away.

Interesting. I have never had a knife come open in my pocket, even if the detent was a bit on the weak side. Yes, pocket fabric is thin but, if your clip is of a proper "grip" and the blade is against the side of your pocket, I really don't see how the blade can force itself open. I'll take your word for it, though.
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No. I’ve never had one come open when wedged against a pocket edge. It seems unlikely, but I’m more concerned with consequences than probabilities at this point.

I did have a liner lock pop open while clipped into my pocket. It wasn’t a cheap knife, either (Spyderco Sage 1). I wasn’t injured, but I was very lucky. The idea of bleeding my way into an emergency room for stitches because a knife opened in my pocket doesn’t appeal to me.

silver & black wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 14, 2026 5:41 pm

Actinolite wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 13, 2026 5:26 pm

vivi wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 12, 2026 7:33 pm

silver & black wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 11, 2026 10:44 am

If you carry tip up and slide the knife all the way against the side of your pocket.... I'm not sure how the blade opens??? Even if it does, the side of your pocket will not let it open so far as to cut you, IMO.

Happened to me more than once. Pockets are a thin sheet of very flexible fabric and I'm pretty active. It's not as foolproof of a carry method as many think.

No. It's definitely NOT foolproof, which is why I only occasionally do it, opting instead to carry backlocks or a Manix 2. I have one cross-bar lock (Kunwu Pulsar) that I sometimes carry. It has the optional stiff omega springs and acts much more like a Manix 2 than it does the Bugout I no longer have. I also have an Italian-made cross-bar lock that is too soft, and I no longer carry it at all. As much as I like it, since I don't carry it, I think it may be time for it to go away.

Interesting. I have never had a knife come open in my pocket, even if the detent was a bit on the weak side. Yes, pocket fabric is thin but, if your clip is of a proper "grip" and the blade is against the side of your pocket, I really don't see how the blade can force itself open. I'll take your word for it, though.

The inside edge of a pocket is pretty flexible. Between that and being active both at work and off, it can happen. Once a detent based folder has broken past the detent, carried tip up the tip is likely to get caught in the fabric and remain open.

That said I had it happen with tip down liner locks too.

Either way, I found the best solution is to carry lockbacks, fixed blades or slipjoints. Never encountered the issue with those.

vivi wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 14, 2026 7:47 pm

silver & black wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 14, 2026 5:41 pm

Actinolite wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 13, 2026 5:26 pm

vivi wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 12, 2026 7:33 pm

Happened to me more than once. Pockets are a thin sheet of very flexible fabric and I'm pretty active. It's not as foolproof of a carry method as many think.

No. It's definitely NOT foolproof, which is why I only occasionally do it, opting instead to carry backlocks or a Manix 2. I have one cross-bar lock (Kunwu Pulsar) that I sometimes carry. It has the optional stiff omega springs and acts much more like a Manix 2 than it does the Bugout I no longer have. I also have an Italian-made cross-bar lock that is too soft, and I no longer carry it at all. As much as I like it, since I don't carry it, I think it may be time for it to go away.

Interesting. I have never had a knife come open in my pocket, even if the detent was a bit on the weak side. Yes, pocket fabric is thin but, if your clip is of a proper "grip" and the blade is against the side of your pocket, I really don't see how the blade can force itself open. I'll take your word for it, though.

The inside edge of a pocket is pretty flexible. Between that and being active both at work and off, it can happen. Once a detent based folder has broken past the detent, carried tip up the tip is likely to get caught in the fabric and remain open.

That said I had it happen with tip down liner locks too.

Either way, I found the best solution is to carry lockbacks, fixed blades or slipjoints. Never encountered the issue with those.

I feel silly for even asking this, as I just held one a couple weeks ago, but what is the closing bias on something like a UKPK? When I was playing around w/ one, I didn't even notice the closing bias, I was too fixated on how strong the mid stop was and trying to overcome it to close the knife.

I haven't owned one since I gifted my original g10 & s30v run to someone,but they had a nice closing bias. never had issues with them opening in the pocket.

I wasn't wild about the half stop. if safety is a concern I'd rather have a stiffer back spring and smoother action.

This is just one of those topics that everyone needs to say to themselves "just because it hasn't happened to me, doesn't mean it can't or hasn't happened to someone else".

I can say I feel safe carrying tip up with the spine against the outside of my pocket, but I can't tell Vivi that he's wrong for not feeling safe like me. This is never going to be a winnable debate.

Evil D wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 15, 2026 8:08 am

This is never going to be a winnable debate.

It certainly isn't, but it doesn't need to be won? I usually carry IWB, so i have different requirements from the next guy who, for instance, clips it spine-against-seam to his tactical vest or whatever. Different flavors :)

Red Leader wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 14, 2026 10:13 pm

I feel silly for even asking this, as I just held one a couple weeks ago, but what is the closing bias on something like a UKPK? When I was playing around w/ one, I didn't even notice the closing bias, I was too fixated on how strong the mid stop was and trying to overcome it to close the knife.

Do you mean what is the mechanism that provides the closing bias or how strong it typically is?
--> Latter case: slipjoints have one of the strongest closing bias of all mechanisms. The UKPK is no exception although it may be a little more on the lighter side to still be able to be opened with one hand. Mind you, this only pertains to "old school" slipjionts that have a backspring, not to the modern detent-ball based variety.

Too weak is when it opens in your pocket and you had better be lucky otherwise you will be getting hurt. Had this happen more than twice with Para3 and PM2 getting snagged on keys.

I do not trust Compression locks, or liner locks at all when it comes to this. Back locks and SPYDERCO slipits are much safer.

I always clip compression locks in the pocket so the back of the pocket traps the blade.

I am right handed but carry my military for example in my left pocket to trap the blade, the clip placement it comes with is more comfortable in hand this way.

Just about any knife can open when dropped. I dropped my UKPK in the kitchen and even with its excellent walk and talk with solid action and stops along the way it hit the tile floor and sprung open but less than halfway when it hit its stop point in opening so it quit moving, this really surprised me.

As it was falling I thought ah good this knife won’t open until it did. It must have hit just right because it also fell later with my hands full and did not open.

amue wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 15, 2026 11:13 am

Evil D wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 15, 2026 8:08 am

This is never going to be a winnable debate.

It certainly isn't, but it doesn't need to be won?

Sometimes I just like to feel like I'm keeping the vibe civil, whether I accomplish anything or not.

amue wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 15, 2026 11:13 am

Evil D wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 15, 2026 8:08 am

This is never going to be a winnable debate.

It certainly isn't, but it doesn't need to be won? I usually carry IWB, so i have different requirements from the next guy who, for instance, clips it spine-against-seam to his tactical vest or whatever. Different flavors :)

Red Leader wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 14, 2026 10:13 pm

I feel silly for even asking this, as I just held one a couple weeks ago, but what is the closing bias on something like a UKPK? When I was playing around w/ one, I didn't even notice the closing bias, I was too fixated on how strong the mid stop was and trying to overcome it to close the knife.

Do you mean what is the mechanism that provides the closing bias or how strong it typically is?
--> Latter case: slipjoints have one of the strongest closing bias of all mechanisms. The UKPK is no exception although it may be a little more on the lighter side to still be able to be opened with one hand. Mind you, this only pertains to "old school" slipjionts that have a backspring, not to the modern detent-ball based variety.

Thanks, also to @vivi too. Just didn’t look at that aspect. It’s another vote in favor of the UKPK.

Evil D wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 15, 2026 12:06 pm

amue wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 15, 2026 11:13 am

Evil D wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 15, 2026 8:08 am

This is never going to be a winnable debate.

It certainly isn't, but it doesn't need to be won?

Sometimes I just like to feel like I'm keeping the vibe civil, whether I accomplish anything or not.

Nothing wrong with that. It doesn't hurt to have a friendly reminder here and there.

On the topic of detents, I have had a liner lock open in my pocket before. It had thumb studs and I was crawling beneath a car when it opened. This didn't make me afraid to carry it on a typical day, but I learned to avoid carrying if any crawling was going to be involved. When I was working on my house's foundation I opted to bring my Izula instead. I am typically pretty conscious of my knives when I carry them, and I don't consider anything fool proof, I even have to pay attention to my fixed blades because I like to carry them dangler style, which doesn't always mix well with running... So overall I am not averse to detent based close as long as it has OK tension and I am not doing anything that I know specifically might run the risk of causing an in pocket opening.

Oddly enough, so far, the one time a manual-opening folder came partially open in my pocket and cut me involved a SS Spyderco Rookie, a back lock. This happened a long time ago.

It clipped tip-down and was in my RF pocket. It didn't come partially open from jostling or being dropped. I had reached down into that pocket for something else, and as I was withdrawing my hand, the side of my hand must have rubbed against the blade spine, pulling the blade open just enough to expose the tip, which cut the pad of my ring finger as I pulled my hand out. I never was able to recreate how it happened.

I have had knives with detent-based locks come partially open when they accidentally dropped out of my pocket in the closed position and hit the floor. That's never happened when I've accidentally dropped closed back locks or slip joints. Not that I'm a klutz who's always dropping my knives on the floor. These instances occurred over years, or decades. So yes, I trust back locks to stay closed when I want them to over any detent-based lock, or any crossbar lock, by a wide margin.

Jim

James Y wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 16, 2026 12:38 pm

Oddly enough, so far, the one time a manual-opening folder came partially open in my pocket and cut me involved a SS Spyderco Rookie, a back lock. This happened a long time ago.

It clipped tip-down and was in my RF pocket. It didn't come partially open from jostling or being dropped. I had reached down into that pocket for something else, and as I was withdrawing my hand, the side of my hand must have rubbed against the blade spine, pulling the blade open just enough to expose the tip, which cut the pad of my ring finger as I pulled my hand out. I never was able to recreate how it happened.

Jim

This brings up something I didn't mention about how I carry knives. I never carry anything else in my knife pocket other than the knife itself because of this exact reason. I don't like to have my hand sqirming around near my folded knife trying to get at something else and potentionally snagging the blade open somehow. If my hand goes into my knife pocket, I like it to be only for the intended purpose of safely drawing my knife.

Red Leader wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 11, 2026 1:16 pm

I think the initial question is pretty personal. I can shake open every folding knife I have except for a higonokami and my Milwaukee fastback that is locked by a button. This also includes all Spyderco lockbacks, multiple Manixs, etc.

You can really shake open a modern Seki Spyderco backlock? You must have much stronger and snappier wrist than the average population if you can.

I have one compression lock knife that I bought used with a loose detent and that's the one that I can shake open. I don't carry that knife.

I have a Chaparral SE with a very weak back lock and can open by holding the blade by finger and thumb and just a shake and smoothly opens. Some may consider that a design feature

srivats wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 16, 2026 12:57 pm

Red Leader wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 11, 2026 1:16 pm

I think the initial question is pretty personal. I can shake open every folding knife I have except for a higonokami and my Milwaukee fastback that is locked by a button. This also includes all Spyderco lockbacks, multiple Manixs, etc.

You can really shake open a modern Seki Spyderco backlock? You must have much stronger and snappier wrist than the average population if you can.

I have one compression lock knife that I bought used with a loose detent and that's the one that I can shake open. I don't carry that knife.

With a shake it might be tough, but with a spyder drop motion but holding the handle with the pivot facing down nearly any knife can be inertia opened. Even lockbacks.

vivi wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 16, 2026 3:53 pm

With a shake it might be tough, but with a spyder drop motion but holding the handle with the pivot facing down nearly any knife can be inertia opened. Even lockbacks.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

BeggarSo wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 16, 2026 1:54 pm

I have a Chaparral SE with a very weak back lock and can open by holding the blade by finger and thumb and just a shake and smoothly opens. Some may consider that a design feature

This is really surprising to me, wonder if you got a "lemon" concerning that...?

Apparently usually the Chap seems to be a bit known for a strong closing bias and being hard to open... enhanced by the very light blade (when trying to shake it open held on the handle) and also rather light handle (if one does like you describe).

People have actually been complaining about how hard it is to open (though partly they were probably referring to the thin and thus perhaps a bit more "uncomfortable" lock bar) and some went with relocating the lock spring a bit so that the lock was easier to disengage... I seem to recall though that Spyderco did some CQI so that the spring tension s now lower right from the factory...? Could be wrong though and they "just" rounded of the corners of the lockbar to make it more comfortable in newer iterations of the Chap...

srivats wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 16, 2026 7:26 pm

vivi wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 16, 2026 3:53 pm

With a shake it might be tough, but with a spyder drop motion but holding the handle with the pivot facing down nearly any knife can be inertia opened. Even lockbacks.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

It's easiest with folders that have heavy blades, like the 4 Max and C95.



110's are the only ones I struggle with,but I have gotten them to do it before.

Lockbacks are safer in this respect but just about every mechanism can be overcome with enough inertia.

This is something I think about on hikes / backpacking trips, when carrying IWB, etc. I sometimes toss a lightweight folder like the Pacific Salt in packs on hikes as a back-up to my fixed blade or for food prep. I lean towards lockbacks with stiffer springs and tighter pivot settings, and slipjoints.