A plea to Sal & Co: No more clips like the Lil Temperance!

ThinkOfTheChildren

ThinkOfTheChildren

Joined
Jul 7, 2000
Messages
1,556
I've had my two Lil Temperances for 5 months now and I'm sick of these pocket clips. I still love the knives, and I still carry them, but I'd carry them more if they had better clips.

Drawing the Lil Temperance is more difficult than my other Spydies due to the increased amount of friction that the clip places on my pocket. In addition, the amount of wear being put on my pants has increased dramatically. In a couple months, the Lil Temperance can fray a pocket seam like any other folder would in a couple years. There is no way I would carry these knives in any of my nicer pants.

Also, with the increase in friction and the fact that these clips are far less flexible than any others, I simply cannot carry the Lil Temperances in some of my jeans with thick pocket seams. To draw the knife requires so much force that it takes all the point out of having a quick access one-handed pocket knife.

I must plead with Spyderco not to put any more clips like this on future models.

I love my Lil Temperances, and wouldn't trade them for the world, but clips like these on future models might prove to be deal-breakers.

P.S. - Is there anyone out there who could whip me up a custom pocket clip???
 
TOTC
Have to agree
Recently got the Meerkat & love the Phantom Lock
Hate the clip
Hard as "THE DICKENS" to get out of my pocket
 
Try getting ahold of a guy on here i think his name is Bandyto or something. his web address is www.banditknives.com I haven't seen his work personally other than on the website but a lot of guys on the emerson forum have had knives modified by him. I might get my Military changed from tip down to tip up by him. He seems to have reasonable prices too.
 
I might get my Military changed from tip down to tip up...
Click to expand...
Brandon, don’t do it, please!
Military is very nice knife, one of my very favorites but it is liner lock with quite long and heavy blade. Liner lock doesn’t hold closed position enough firmly to provide user’s safety in tip-up position.
If Military would serve better being carried in tip-up position – Sal probably would design it this way :)
 
>Brandon, don’t do it, please!
>Military is very nice knife, one of my very
>favorites but it is liner lock with quite long
>and heavy blade. Liner lock doesn’t hold closed
>position enough firmly to provide
>user’s safety in tip-up position.

Can somebody explain this to me? I've always heard that tip-up isn't safe with linerlocks because they can work themselves open in the pocket. But for me (carrying my knives in the back of my hip pocket), the blade is pressed against the back of the pocket, holding it closed. On the other hand, I've had a tip-down linerlock work its way open and stab me pretty badly.
It seems like tip-ups might pose some danger if you carried 'em in the <i>front</i> of your pocket...

Sooooo... Anybody ever actually gotten bit by a tip-up linerlock? ;)
 
Sure, I can explain.
  1. Liner lock holds the blade in closed position much weaker than, say, back lock or axis lock.
  2. It doesn’t pull back into the handle the blade opened even very, very slightly, say, for 5-8 degrees.
  3. When you carry a knife with big, heavy blade in tip-up position the weight of the blade works against you tending to open it slightly on violent movements, for ex. jumping.
  4. Drawing slightly opened knife from tip-up position you will do the rest. The tip will “catch” your cloches and the knife will open itself farther cutting - in the best case – your clothes. It’s enough if your tip will stay out of the handle exactly 1-2 mm to cause such situation!
  5. Carrying the knife with blade leaned against pocket back edge causes only false appearance of safety. Nor your knife stays in your pocket completely firmly neither clothes can prevent a tip to exit the handle for 1-2 millimeters.
And welcome to the Forums! :)
 
Originally posted by Sergiusz Mitin

Brandon, don’t do it, please!
Military is very nice knife, one of my very favorites but it is liner lock with quite long and heavy blade. Liner lock doesn’t hold closed position enough firmly to provide user’s safety in tip-up position.
If Military would serve better being carried in tip-up position – Sal probably would design it this way :)
Click to expand...

...and...there's nothing quite like a Spyderdrop opening on the larger Spydies :D

Don't do it Brandon, at least not until you try it out. Hole + Tip-down = Spyderdrop!

Matthew
 
Gotcha. Thanks.

Thing is, my linerlock has the same "slightly open" problem. I never thought of what it'd do if it was tip-up. :)
 
I have a nice scar(seven stitches)just above my right knee where a tip up liner lock (NOT a Spyderco!) came open in my pocket as I was putting on my pants:eek: Don't do it!
 
I've carried mine now every single day since I got it. I carry it in jeans, shorts, sweat pants and dockers and my pockets and waist band are fine.

The day it came in, I bent it just a tad so it wouldn't be so tight in the pocket. I do that on any of my knives if they don't go in and out of my pocket the way I like them to. I really like the clip and like how strong it is.

Just thought this might help.
 
Brandon, it's your knife so do as you please. I have many tip-up liner locks and they are just fine without opening in the pocket. My Temperance is even tip-up carry. Some folks like tip-up best and others like tip-down carry. I even ran a poll here and tip-up was ahead by a handful. All my Emerson's are tip-up carry and none have opened in my pocket nor have my tip-up Spyderco's

There is no right or wrong way in your choice so if you want it done that way then go for it.
 
pretty much all other knives that I have carried have been tip up. i carry them in the back of my front pocket and find that that seems to be very safe since the blade is held in by my pocked. I haven't had a tip up folder ever come out on me. I have had a tip down one open and slice clean through a pair of my work pants (also not a Spyderco) it was a CRKT. the only knife so far that I can accept as a tip down is my favorite work knife my Spyderco Harpy. I do dig the Spyderdrop. I'm just so used to my EDC knives being tip up that i thought i might try the Military like this once I get it. Of course I'll carry it tip down for awhile to see how I like it first.
 
Tip direction is a very personal thing..
I know knives are designed to be one way or the other by the designers..hell we have that personal thing in us when we design it..and some functions are better or worse if its changed around...
for example my Guntting ramp will snag open if tip up..tip down it snags it closed not open..
But you the owner are the ultimate answer to where and how do I want my clip..

If you're used to tip up then tip down is going to feel very strange..no matter how much anyone says ohh get used to it..Mike janich for example lobves tip up.. I personally love tip down...
I'm sorry but I don't see liner locks as any more dangerous than any other knives in tip up or tip down..if the knife has a poor ball detent or poor production..well OK learn to deal with that part of using your knife..ROFL..tighten the pivot..make it stiffer...

I'm sure most Tip ups don't open in people pockets..can they? ,,I guess so..
Can tip down? I guess so..
use common sense and be careful...
I've seen more people do things it would never occur to me to do with knives especially the Gunting..does that make them dumb or bad in some way..(the users that is?) no..its human nature and MURPHY..
hell it happens..
these are edged tools..they cut,,we can get cut...
be careful...

OK if you change your Military for example..its not how it was designed..but it might fit you better I guess..and its in your pocket...the area around the hole might catch and like a ramp help open it in your pocket..
but hey..try it and find out..keep those bandaids handy and if it works,,OK its what you want.it doresn't? put on that bandaid and move on...

As for the thread starter of don't make clips like this..adjust your clip...they can be bent, altered etc to be looser or fit better..
I guarentee that Sal didn't design the clip to be worse than before....He saw good things, improvements...
all change takes time to be accepted as norm and to get things worked out..
and again it might not be your type of clip no mater what I or anyone say..
no problemo..
If the problem is SOLELY it rubs,,then make it looser...

see ya..

bram
 
Let me clarify:
My problem with the Lil Temperance clip is not just one of tightness, it actually grips the pocket in a completely different way that the traditional clips. The only way I can think to describe it is like the runners on bobsleds (leftover olympics images :)). Here's a picture for those that don't know what the Temperance clip looks like:

http://cpm440v.tripod.com/temperanceclip.htm

In the bottom of the photo, you can see what the pocket looks like on one of my pairs of cargo pants. The wear and fraying you see is solely from the Temperance Jr. Other knives have done this to other pairs of my pants, but in those cases it took years.

A regular spydie clip has a large flat area that grips the pocket. Upon withdrawal this part just slides along the pocket. The Lil Temperance clip, however, digs in against the material as it slides since it isn't such a large, smooth surface area.

I have already bent the clips out slightly. I did it as soon as I got them, but I'm not going to bend them to the point of being loose. I want my knife to stay clipped to my pocket unless I'm removing it.

Dman,
Can you enlighten John Frederick and myself on how you've eliminated the problem of extra wear on your pants?
 
My sleds now have a small gap between the clip and the handle and no longer touch the handle like they once did. I can slide some paper between it and I have done the exact thing to all my knives with clips that are hard pressed against the handle. I like them to slide in my pants pocket easy and I have had no trouble with the Temperance or any of my knives working their way out of my pocket. I also don't pull the knife out of my pocket 40-50 times a day :D Most Spyderco's clips are pressed hard against the handle which is too tight for me. I bend mine like how most Benchmade clips come (A tad loose)

Yours if touching your pants way to hard and I'd bend it out enough to slide some paper between it and try it until you get the results you like. If this doesn't correct your problem then seek out a new clip from a custom maker because I don't know what else to tell you. Mine is fine and I've carried it every day without damage to my pocket at all. If the clip is pushed against the handle too hard then of course you're going to get pocket wear.

If you think that clip is bad then try the MT Amphibian. You can pull the knife out of your pocket and pull your pants up at the same time with it. I had to loosen it too.

Good luck.
 
Dman,

I have also bent my clip enough so that there is a gap between the sleds and the handle. Still have the problem.

Oh well. I guess the answer is to check out a custom clip.

I forgot to say so before, but thanks to Brandon for the link!
 
My pants pockets look worse than that :( , and yes, I've loosened the clip. I even polished the runners a bit with my Dremel. This helped some. I guess the only thing left to do is stop wearing pants :eek:

By the way, the trick to pulling out the LT for me has been to wrap my index finger around the tip of the clip and pull it up. If you squeeze the LT with your thumb on the knife and your finger on the clip to withdraw it, it will really tighten up!
 
wow..guys I sorry..I've never had a Temperance JR..in my pocket..I fondled the proto type only..so I don''t know what is like to pull it out from your pockets..
I apologise..for any seeming like I had the simple solution..of bending it...
Of course I wear out many pockets in my pants..
big holes..of course thats what I get for deploying it in practice all the time..
It never occured to me what it was like till you said it was like runners on a sled..that picture I got..

hmm no pants sounds an OK idea...ROFL..
How about a kydex holster????
how about anothe clip??

Ok I'll stop posting..
hmmmm Are there other clips the same as the Temperance Jr????

be safe..
bram
 
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