Pocket Clip

[Mark2025]

I like the pocket clip on my auto folder to be at the hinge end, so that my hand is already in the correct position when I draw it. Why do all the knives today have the pocket clip on the other end?

[sal]

Hi Mark2025,

Welcome to our forum.

Spyderco was the first company to put a clip on a knife. That was tip down and was in 1981. (Clipit Worker model) Then Spyderco made the first clip that was Tip up. (Endura and Delica) That was in 1990. The controversy has continued for the past 335 years.

sal

[TheHulk]

I think most compression lock spydercos come tip down (the way you're describing you prefer) such as the paramilitary 2, military and others. The paramilitary 3 at least comes tip up though. A good portion of knives can be swapped from tip up to tip down. Typically it's t6 screws holding it in, and you can get a bit/driver for those in a precision screwdriver kit and swap the clip around in about a minute. Tip up vs tip down is a big debate. I used to always see people say tip down is less safe due to if it opens it will be pointed at your leg/femoral artery, or if it manages opening all the way will point up and can slit your wrist. However, I've only ever been cut by a knife opening in my pocket tip up. It opened a little ways, stuck to the back of my pocket, put my hand in and got sliced by the partially open blade.

I prefer tip up, but it's not for any of the reasons people say, it's because I was developing a terrible callous on my pinky knuckle from it constantly rubbing against the jimping of the knife. People argue over which way is quicker to draw, but either can be as quick, it just depends on how you train yourself to grab it. Tip up you have to put your thumb further into your pocket, but you dont have to rotate the knife towards your palm. Tip down you don't have to put your thumb down as far, but you rotate the knife towards your palm as you lift it out.

[Coastal]

I can't even decide for my own use which I prefer. On some knives I place the clip for comfort in use, on others for positioning on the draw, on others, with detents, tip down for safety in the pocket.

[vivi]

I like the pocket clip on my auto folder to be at the hinge end, so that my hand is already in the correct position when I draw it. Why do all the knives today have the pocket clip on the other end?

tip up has advantages over tip down. It's often the more comfortable way to carry a knife, because reaching into the same pocket the knife is clipped too generally feels worse when they're tip down.

With the right technique tip up is just as fast, if not faster than tip down. check out the video below and try changing your drae to how I do it:

I posted this elsewhere but I don't think it was appreciated. Maybe someone reading this thread will find this video beneficial:



I've seen a lot of folks pinch the butt of their tip up knife when they draw it. I propose trying my method and see if it works any better after a bit of practice.

Put your thumb all the way into your pocket so the butt end of the knife is resting against your palm, then wrap your fingers around the clip and draw. Using this method I can draw large knives like a Police, Szabo Folder or tip up Military without having to adjust my grip prior to opening.

Using this method it takes about five seconds to draw, open, cut, close, re-clip. Not bad for a backlock :p

for me there's no question which is better. I only carry tip up knives since the release of the Military 2 let me retire the original Military from my rotation.

[TimButterfield]

Of my compression locks, my PM2 came tip down. I think the Para 3 my brother now has also did. All of the rest of mine came tip up. This includes the (Shaman, Yojimbo 2, Lil' Temp 3), (Watu, Sliverax, Sage 5, Caribbean, and Lil' Native). The first group of three can swap the clip for tip down carry, while the last group of five cannot. I usually leave the clip as it arrived.

[TheHulk]

Of my compression locks, my PM2 came tip down. I think the Para 3 my brother now has also did. All of the rest of mine came tip up. This includes the (Shaman, Yojimbo 2, Lil' Temp 3), (Watu, Sliverax, Sage 5, Caribbean, and Lil' Native). The first group of three can swap the clip for tip down carry, while the last group of five cannot. I usually leave the clip as it arrived.

Strange we have different experiences with that on some. My list is shorter than yours. For me it's pm2, military, and shaman tip down, and pm3 tip up. Every picture I see of the shaman shows tip up though. On the opposite side from your brother, all the pictures I see of the pm3 show tip up. Guess that could be as simple as someone at spyderco having a brain fart, or knife center (or wherever your brother got his) switching it for whatever reason, or being a returned knife that someone switched. I know I've gotten a returned knife from knifecenter before, as you could see abrasions from cutting 1/4 of the way up the blade.

Edit: what is the post count i have to meet to not be moderated? I tried to search but it said I couldn't search at this time.

[jasonstone20]

I have found, that on knives that have blades that are 3.5" and shorter, tip up is a more natural draw and opening for me. If the knives have blades longer than 3.5", I find that tip down is an easier way for me to draw and open the knife. Also, I rarely carry a pocket clip knife in the pocket, 999 times out of a 1000 it is carried IWB in the crease of the groin/leg line, usually one knife on each side.

[Michael Janich]

It's interesting that the OP specifically referenced his tip-down carry preference for auto knives. As a bit of trivia, the only Spyderco knife ever made with a three-position clip (at least to my knowledge) was the Embassy auto. It offered left or right-side tip-up carry and right-side tip-down carry. The reason it couldn't be left-side tip-down is that the clip would interfere with the operation of the firing button. This makes tip-down reversible carry a challenge with all autos, unless their tip-down clip mounting positions are engineered to leave the firing button accessible.

Of the autos currently available, the Hogue SIG K320A models offer deep-pocket four-position carry without blocking the firing button. The BRK ESEE Avispa also provides four-position carry, but with the added advantage of a symmetrical, fully ambidextrous cross-bar firing mechanism/lock. Benchmade's 9101 and 9051 models also offer four-position clip placement, but accomplish tip-down carry by placing the clip mounting holes below the firing button, which makes the knife carry very high in the pocket.

Stay safe,

Mike