Spyderco Forums

Since 1990, I've been carrying an Endura or Delica in my pocket, tip up. Lately I've been rocking a Tenacious, tip down. Yesterday, I started to draw it and the beauty opened inside my pocket. No harm, but it got me to thinking.

Typically, I grasp a knife with my thumb in my pocket and middle finger on the outside. In this case, I had inadvertently put my thumb in the opening hole on the draw. The clip did its job holding the knife in my jeans and the opening hole did its job, opening the blade, albeit in my pocket. I promptly relocated the clip for tip up carry.

Yes, it was my mistake, inattentive operator error, but 25 years of muscle memory is difficult to forget. Something about old dogs and new tricks. Just out of curiosity though, how many of you have had an accidental opening in your pocket and was it tip down or tip up?

Until recent years I have carried tip down more than tip up, have NEVER had a knife try to open in my pocket. My knives seem to have a lot of detent that helps to keep them closed. These days there are a lot more knives made tip up than there were in the past and there are quite a few that I can't resist so my edc rotation is about half tip up and half tip down.

When I pull out most of my knives, I have my first finger on the outside at the top of the clip, pushing on the screws for traction, and the tip of my thumb opposite this on the inside side of the handle. I can pinch the end of the knife between thumb and fingertip and pull it out, then my thumb is right where it needs to be to hit the thumb stud or thumb hole.

I have 2 knives that came with deep carry clips so I have to use a different procedure with them- put my thumb farther into my pocket and using the tip of my first finger to pull up on the tip of the clip.

Mad Mac wrote:had an accidental opening in your pocket and was it tip down or tip up?

I have had folders open in my pocket about 2-3 times in the last 30 years, and all have been tip up. I think it occurs when keys, etc., grab the Spydie hole or thumb stud and pull the knife open. Whenever possible, I always carry tip down for that reason.

Never had that happen with tip down. Had a freak incident with a tip up Manix 2 that cut the length of my right leg as I pulled my pants on one morning.

never experienced any of my lockbacks accidentally opening. i only experienced it once with my linerlock resilience, its so buttery smooth- it opens readily at the slightest nudge. due to its size i never edc it but i bring it with me in my gear bag occasionally for food prep primarily. its securely clipped inside the admin compartment of my sling bag. one time i found it opened almost half way when i opened my carry gear. good thing i never reached for anything inside the compartment that time. from that day on, i always make it a habit to secure it with a piece of rubber band if i am to carry it.
btw, i know it could lessen the chance of accidental opening if i configure the clip for tip down carry but the clip seems to come in the way when im holding and using the knife. this is why i prefer attaching the clip somewhere away from the blade.

Only once that I can recall. It was two Christmas-eves ago when my Dragonfly II PE (tip up) decided to inexplicably open up as I tried to draw it from my pocket. It fortunately caught the inside of my pocket before it got me. However, the pants were brand-new and it annoyed me that the blade put a small hole in my new pants, lol.

Believe I've only had that with tip-up carry, also got tips stuck on pockets a few times.
I've felt a blade move sometimes when I grab a tip-down blade by the Spydiehole but not actually open.
(have preference for tip down)

I have had half a dozen or so instances of tip-up knives coming open in my pocket and cutting me, and one tip-down assassinating my wallet when I was fool enough to carry both in the same pocket. I normally draw my tip-down Spydies by grasping the Spyderhole anyway, so I have muscle memory that rotates my grip on the blade in the closed direction as I draw it, holding the blade shut and positioning the knife for a "Spyderdrop" opening.

I have had liner locks open in my pocket several times. The detent is usually not strong enough and is easily defeated. The only lock back I have had open in my pocket was an old Buck 110 I carried loose in my back pocket. It partially opened when I fell down a high hillside and went tumbling.

For knives like Walker style liner locks, with no real "bias to closing" a safer alternative for left handed users might be to mount the clip for RH TD carry (or not move it, if that's where it already is). That way, the spine is against the back seam of your pocket. Downside, for some, would be that it's not great for "rapid deployment".

I have a Resilience that has very little resistance to opening/closing like Deacon referenced.

Never had it open accidentally, but that was due to my diligence in being mindful of it's "hair-trigger" status...

I even carried it with one of those elastic pony tail band things looped thru the lanyard hole, around the pommel, holding against the spine...

It certainly was not rapid deployment, but it got high marks for secure/safe carry...

It's currently in drawer around here somewhere

Are you sure you dont have it backwords tip down how does that open in youre pocket.I can see tip up dpimg this but tip down you would have you would have the knife out before it opened.just a question

Interesting thread, thank you!

Thought until now only tip-up folders would open accidentally in pockets, learned something new again!

My preference is tip up, but spine against the back seam of the pocket like Deacon said. I never had an accidental opening this way. It also tucks the thumb ramp and jimping away, so you can easily stick your hand in your knife pocket without losing the skin on your knuckles.

endgame wrote:Are you sure you dont have it backwords tip down how does that open in youre pocket.I can see tip up dpimg this but tip down you would have you would have the knife out before it opened.just a question

If you pull the knife toward the front of your body as you try to draw it from your pocket, you can overcome the detent of a liner lock fairly easily. The result is a knife that is partially open before it leaves your pocket. The good news is, the blade will be moving with the edge trailing, making it less likely to cut anything.

It is also possible for friction against the spine of the blade to overcome the detent of a liner lock, such as when you reach into your front pocket to retrieve your car key with a tip down knife clipped at the back corner. Your hand rubbing against the spine of the blade can draw the blade open far enough for the tip of the blade to catch your flesh. Luckily for me, the one time that happened to me it was my wallet doing the rubbing and not my hand, so I learned that lesson without bloodshed. That's rare for me.

endgame wrote:Are you sure you dont have it backwords tip down how does that open in youre pocket.I can see tip up dpimg this but tip down you would have you would have the knife out before it opened.just a question

Like yablanowitz said, opens partially as it is coming out of the pocket. Basically, I was pulling it out with the thumb hole and the clip was still clinging to my jean pocket. Foolish operator error. Not the fault of the design.

My front right pocket contains only my Spyder. Keys and stuff go in the left inside a handkerchief for my own comfort and to keep from wearing a hole in my pocket. Besides, a gentleman should always have a handkerchief.

On the rare occasion I carry a pocket pistol, it goes in the right front and the Spyder is clipped in the left pocket where it serves as a distraction. It gives the curious something to look at rather than the bulge in the other pocket.

I find this interesting because the two slight accidents I've had with folders over the years has been with "tip up" Spyderco folders. And it's probably been my fault both times if the raw truth were known :o Now I had another weird accident just a week ago with my 440V SE Native that I so dearly love to use>> as it turns out I have sharpened the PE end of it so much the the apex/tip of the blade now slightly protrudes outward just enough to bite me and Brother it did :eek: >> but I have remedied that by how I have it positioned in my pocket.

Back in the late 90s I had two different "automatics" (switchblades both tip down) open up in my pocket and thank GOD I became aware of it before I might have seriously injured myself :eek: Which is one reason I'm not that fond of automatics anymore even though there is one of Spyderco's I would like to have>> but I probably won't EDC it. Safety is you number one concern when using and carrying any kind of knife. Knives are serious and potentially dangerous tools and are not to be taken lightly. So whatever caused that folder to open up in your pocket I would try to remedy that immediately and be cautious in the future.

JD Spydo wrote: ...So whatever caused that folder to open up in your pocket
I would try to remedy that immediately and be cautious in the future.

Thank you. I flipped the clip for tip up carry to which I am more accustomed.

I carry tip up in my rfp and tip down in my rrp most of the time. That keeps the spine against the seam and it seems to work. I have never had a knife come open in my pocket though.

I just didnt no if he had it backwards cause I have had them open before tip up never tip down.cut my thumb once.nothing bad but I had good pants on destroyed them