Spyderco Forums

The Lil Temp II thread got me thinking this:

Why do people like wireclips,more than "standard" say Delica/Endura/Military/Manix clips?

I see the fact that wireclip makes the knife a low-rider and it doesn't scream " a knife". It might even add the looks of the knife.

but if we leave the looks aside,

which clip does perform better?

My Personal view:

-Both clips keep the :spyder: in place. (standard clip doesn't need any adjusting.)

- The draw is just waaaaay much smoother with a standad clip. No matter, If I'm wearing slacks and Tasman IWB, OR thick workpants, with thick pockets, The knife comes out just so smooth. Try with, say the Dodo, with slacks, ok,but with workpants, I have my pants up my neck before the knife comes out. :D


Let's talk people, "one clip to rule them all" is not an option of course, but let's compare the goods and bads about the clips.

The only reason I prefer the wire is because of how low it rides in the pocket. I could care less if it was a wire or not. I just like how low it is. I can wear it IWB so much easier

SecSpyral wrote:The only reason I prefer the wire is because of how low it rides in the pocket. I could care less if it was a wire or not. I just like how low it is. I can wear it IWB so much easier

I agree.

I prefer the wire clips because when I'm using my knife, the clip is much less noticeable, interfering with ergonomics less than any other clips design I've used.

That said the current standard Spyderco clips (P3 / E4 / D4) are the next best thing in that regard.

In theory I like the low-key look of wire clips, but honestly I've never had an issue with my clips being too flashy. My ATR clip is very "flashy" and noticeable compared to a wire clip, but that's never given me issues.

I find the draw with wire clips to be smoother, and they keep the knife in place well enough for me. Clip tension seems to affect this more than the clip design itself.

Wire clip is the best in my opinion, and I will take it when I can get it. Police 3 / Endura 4 style clip is second best, and I will happily take it mounted for tip up carry on any knife Spyderco makes.

Regarding IWB carry, I actually dislike wire clips here. The low riding wire clip knives like a UKPK are difficult for me to draw from IWB. I keep my Tasman Salt IWB and it works great for me.

Vivi wrote: The low riding wire clip knives like a UKPK are difficult for me to draw from IWB.

It's not about the draw here for me. It's about not digging into my stomach when I'm sitting down

I could see that coming into play if I did IWB carry in the front, but I only do it behind my right hip or in rare cases behind my left hip too. Have you tried that at all?

Vivi wrote:I could see that coming into play if I did IWB carry in the front, but I only do it behind my right hip or in rare cases behind my left hip too. Have you tried that at all?

can't say that I have, but I'm going to stand up and try it out

I strongly prefer the wire clips. Or more to the point, I just don't like Spyderco's conventional clips. The basic clips just tend to snag on everything. They are always getting snagged on stuff, or scraping against furniture. My large Benchmade Griptilian has a different shaped clip, and has none of the Spyderco clip issues. I've never once had to bend my Benchmade clip back into shape, where my Military, Manix, Para, Endura and Delica get bent back into shape on almost a weekly basis.

The wire clip doesn't snag, doesn't get bent, doesn't have paint chipping off, and rides nice and low. It's a no-brainer to me.

I would definitely vote for the wire clip also for reasons already mentioned.

Regardless of whether it's a standard or low-rider, I STRONGLY prefer wire clips. Mainly for two reasons. My primary reason is that wire clips are much less noticeable in the pocket or waistband than other clips. And people often think that it is just a pen clipped to my pocket. Additionally, wire clips do not show their age as much as the standard black coated clips that are used on many models. The black coated clips tend to show chips and scratches soon after they are clipped to the pocket.

Some posts have addressed differences in drawing the knife from a pocket but I've never noticed a difference. Sure, a low-rider clip makes it more difficult then a conventional clip but that goes for any type, wire or otherwise.

Buzzbait wrote:I strongly prefer the wire clips. Or more to the point, I just don't like Spyderco's conventional clips. The basic clips just tend to snag on everything. They are always getting snagged on stuff, or scraping against furniture. My large Benchmade Griptilian has a different shaped clip, and has none of the Spyderco clip issues. I've never once had to bend my Benchmade clip back into shape, where my Military, Manix, Para, Endura and Delica get bent back into shape on almost a weekly basis.

The wire clip doesn't snag, doesn't get bent, doesn't have paint chipping off, and rides nice and low. It's a no-brainer to me.

exactly what i think..Expecially im boring when black conventional clipl loose paint,so i prefer wire, and yes can be the stainless steel natural conventional clip for me..

I prefer the standard clips to the wire. Except on a couple models. It's a weird choice. I've got a T-Mag and a Caly3/CF with wire clips, and I love them. They're my "dressy" knives and the wire clip is less noticable, and enhances the appearence of the knife in the mind of anyone who might be questioning it.

On the other hand, the Tenacious, Para, Millie, Chinook all have metal clips I love. They're strong and very sturdy. Only bent one, and only snapped one.

I think Spyderco has been making some great decisions on which models should have a wire clip and which ones shouldn't. :)

I think I'm going to order a couple of replacement clips and polish those up. I prefer a satin finish to the black in most cases.

i prefer wire

Wire:
+ rides low so the butt end of the knife isnt sticking out of my pocket
+ cleaner looking in my opinion
+ no paint to scrape
- it does have a tendency to flex side to side easier (just the nature of it being a wire and the way it is attached to the knife)

Standard Clip:
+ keeps everything secure just as well
- black paint chips off easy, can be cured with paint remover though
- rides to high with the but end of the knife sticking out to high
+ does not flex like the wire does

i'm sure the argument can be posed: "who cares what it looks like if the paints scraped it shows the knife has been used and as long as it works" etc etc. yea i know but would you rather drive a car with a bunch of scratches in the paint or a car with no scratches. believe me when i say i'm not all about looks, you should see how i dress when i'm in public nothing fancy, but i do like my knives and other items to look good. i mean i'd rather have a clean g10 handle then one dirty as all ****.

BuffaloBill wrote: "who cares what it looks like if the paints scraped it shows the knife has been used and as long as it works" etc etc. yea i know but would you rather drive a car with a bunch of scratches in the paint or a car with no scratches.

I do the same thing with my car as I do my knives. Don't go around bumping them into random objects. Works pretty good as far as preserving the finish goes. :D

I'm really not trying to insult anyone here, but the question posed was "if we leave the looks aside, which clip does perform better?"

I believe nightdog's question (correct me if I'm wrong) was more aimed at the "I need a knife to cut something right now!" crowd than the "I could sure use a knife to open my mail" crowd. I'm not trying to insult the "open the mail" crowd, but the access and draw time requirements for those two classes are vastly different.

I'm still seeing a whole lot of responses about looks or the look in the pocket and very few on the draw. To me, a clip is all about having the knife handy for ready use at a moment's notice. A secondary use is to keep it out of the coins, trash, etc. that accumulates at the bottom of the pocket. Taken together, that means a clip should hold a knife securely for easy access and should be easy to draw and return to that position.

I've had at least one Spyderco clipped to me for at least 15 years and I've bent one clip and broke the integral clip off an old Rescue in all that time. I haven't destroyed or even marked any furniture that I know of within that time. I've had a Military in my pocket almost nonstop for 5 years and when it's not there, it's usually the "pocket shredding, furniture marking" monster clip of a Lil' Temperance. I've never found either to present any problem in beating up the world around me, but they always have my knife where I need it and offer it without playing tug-of-war.

With the Lil' Temp clip, it has functionality beyond holding the knife, it also aids in control of the knife during grip transitions. I'm not a martial artist by any means, but transitioning the knife between front and reverse grips has many uses outside of that. For instance, if you have sufficient control of the knife in reverse grip with your ring and pinky fingers (most Spyderco handles offer this) you can have good use of your thumb and index and middle fingers to grab and position an object to cut. It's handy to be able to transition safely between a forward, cutting grip and a reverse, handling grip in a well controlled manner. Both the Lil' Temp and it's fixed blade big brother are exceptional in this regard.

Regarding the feel in the hand when cutting, I do find the E4/D4 clip to be an improvement over the E3/D3 clips of old. But I must admit that I've never found the Military and Lil' Temperance clips never pose a problem.

Regarding real function, I like a little bit bigger clip in the tip-down position as well due to it giving my fingers something to grip when thumbing the hole open. You don't normally need it, but when you need a knife while doing agriculture work in single-digit temperatures (with or without gloves on) it's almost a must have.

I will freely admit that I probably haven't given the wire clips a real fair chance, but it's due to the ones I do have not working so well. I currently have a Salsa, a Dodo and a new Superhawk that are all rarely used due to the clip material and position (not a fan of tip-up). Perhaps they just need some more adjustment.

I'm thinking about drilling and tapping the Superhawk for a E4/D4 clip. It's such a nice knife to not be used due to the clip.

Another thought for the low-rider, deep pocket clip fans is to get rid of the clip and utilize the lanyard hole. In the past I've tied a loop lanyard with a little ball knot on the end and slipped the ball under my belt so the ball was on the top of the belt with the lanyard between my pants and belt. You can adjust the length so the knife hangs just inside your pocket and with a very gentle tug, the lanyard and ball come out from under the belt. It works especially good for the wider knives like Spyderco generally has and hides extremely well in plain sight.

Regarding function, I haven't had an old style clip function better in any aspect than the wire clips for me.

Comfort during use: Wire
Ease of draw: Wire
Ability to keep knife in place: Both have worked equally as well for me

They're very good and I use them daily (Tasman Salt, P3 etc.), and I'm especially fond of the refined hourglass shaped old style clips, but the wire clip seems like the next evolution in clip design to me.

I understand certain designs need things the wire clip design doesn't accommodate, such as tip down clip mounting and lanyard holes, but I don't use these features on any of my knives.

Well, as someone who normally removes clip from any knife I intend to carry, I prefer the "three screw" flat clip as long as it is not accompanied by a trough in the handle, as on the Kopa. Screw holes, if they annoy me sufficiently, are easy enough to fill. Wire clips, on the other hand, leave two unsightly channels in each side of the handle when removed. In addition most, if not all, of the models equipped with them lack a lanyard hole, a feature I do occasionally use. Finally, on the rare occasions I use a clip, I want it mounted for tip down carry and, as yet, Spyderco has not seen fit to make the pivot bolt do double duty as a clip mount, so all wire clip equipped models are tip up only.

Buzzbait wrote:I strongly prefer the wire clips. Or more to the point, I just don't like Spyderco's conventional clips. The basic clips just tend to snag on everything. They are always getting snagged on stuff, or scraping against furniture. My large Benchmade Griptilian has a different shaped clip, and has none of the Spyderco clip issues. I've never once had to bend my Benchmade clip back into shape, where my Military, Manix, Para, Endura and Delica get bent back into shape on almost a weekly basis.

The wire clip doesn't snag, doesn't get bent, doesn't have paint chipping off, and rides nice and low. It's a no-brainer to me.

+1

I have been a huge fan of the wire clips for these reasons. I also have scratched up my car's paint with the regular clip (my own fault) but I found the rounded wire clips don't damage the paint surfaces of my vehicles that easily

Nothing better that a big and solid clip.
My favorites are the chinook clip and the solid barrel bolt clip.
The high and big wire clips (Dallara, Native3) works ok, but the small wire clips don't.(superhawk, dodo, caly) These are very hard to draw.

"El Tigre"

I like wire clips more, I think if some how they could be blued like some shotguns, revolvers, that blued wire on black G10.... Tuff looking