Am I the only one who hates pocket clips?

RayseM said:
Good luck - there will only be 100 made. It will be a beauty if unconventional (a good thing) a 2-1/2" non-locking detent flipper BOWIE. https://www.theapexnews.com/home-1/2018/4/30/elijah-isham-teases-with-blackstar
Don't know that it will have a pocket clip. o_O

I have liked the Lionsteel offerings (such as the Shuffler). It would be an easy EDC with a clip. Needing to wear a sheath for a "pocket " knife is just one more thing - though I do it for a few specials. Can't abide a 3" or longer folder in my main pocket. If it fits the coin/watch pocket great - I'm in - otherwise I typically pass. I'm carrying 2 in a sheath these days but for work knives - gotta have a clip. Just my 2¢.

Ray
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Augh! I didn't realize it was gonna be that limited. I saw the projected price and that WE was the OEM and figured it would be a full run.

Ah, well. At the very least it gives me hope for more blades in that genre.
 
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If a knife or pen goes in my pocket, it ends up laying in the bottom of my pocket horizontally. For me, they need a clip or go in a leather caddy. I am not a fan of small traditionals. I only like small to medium moderns.
 
Reitwagen said:
Pocket clips wear the top of my pockets, clipless wears holes in the bottom of my pockets. I've tried everything and can't find a solution that is just right. Call me Goldilocks.
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Dear Goldilocks , your sad story is more than I can BEAR . Maybe a sheath would be "just right " !:p
 
I don't hate pocket clips but 80% of the time my knife sits in my right cargo pocket. The pocket clip is usually on the knife tho. I usually don't like to take the pocket clip off only because I like to have options.

I do wish that more manufacturers would follow Spyderco's lead and put a 4 way pocket clip on their knives.
 
I like a well designed clip. I disagree with the assessment of the OP that pocket clips are nothing more than an added afterthought. A good clip, and there are many, can be a significant design element of the knife. Take for example a slender flipper (like the ZT 0450); a well placed clip is critical to most people being able to deploy the knife. In the case of the ZT, it serves to keep your fingers off the lock bar. Well made clips can add to the aesthetics of a knife, like the Millit clips on a CRK Sebenza. Yes, there is the occasional clip that's just done wrong, but in the large part they play an important role in the design of a knife.

I'm fine with knives with or without clips. Mostly I carry modern folders but have a soft spot in my heart for traditionals. On those days I carry a clipless knife, it rides in my pocket inside a leather sheath. Never loose to bounce around with my keys or attract the "Banana in your pocket" remarks.

I love this little Shuffler; perfect blend of traditional and modern materials:
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I like having my pocket knife ride vertically and high in my pocket, so I tolerate most clips, even though they often compromise the ergonomics.

However, the clips on some knives are so obnoxious they simply must be removed. In all other respects, Kizer did a great job with their Zugang ...

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... but the clip is an instrument of torture:

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For such knives, and for knives which simply don't have any clip, I make a simple slip case with pocket clip. It's just a few minutes' work to make a slip case from either thin or thick faux leather. Thin material yields a case which is barely larger than the knife itself, for maximum carrying comfort:

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Thick material yields a case which is durable and rigid, appropriate for some larger and heavier folders like this Buck/TOPS CSAR-T:

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Velcro allows using a variety of clips with each case, and changing the type of clip in use at any time:

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For my day-to-day activities, I find these cases just as effective as pocket clips for ease of carrying and ease of using the knife:


The security of retention depends on how tightly the case fits the knife, which is determined at the time the case is made. For really good security during physical activity, I'd add a thin strap running over the top, secured with Velcro.
 
I thought I had the same opinion when I began carrying knives. I thought the clip caused hot spots, and on some knives, the clip was aesthetically unappealing. I tried carrying a few without a clip. I even tied lanyards to some. But the knife always lays awkwardly in the pocket and fishing it out became a pain.

The clip went back on the knives. Probably the best way to carry one IMO
 
Personally, I am not a fan of clips. Where I work, and live, they just attract too many fisheyes and unwanted questions. Plus, a lot of them shred my pants. I generally use a slip, often in the same pocket as my phone, both of which help to keep the knife upright.

Insipid Moniker said:
I want the aesthetics and cutting geometry of a traditional married to the utility of a modern OHO. I will say that companies seem to be edging closer and closer to doing this and I'm excited to see it continue.
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This is the feel I get from the CRK Mnandi. Not a super easy one-hander, though (and, of course, not cheap either).
 
My own take on it:

The Good - Pocket clips make the knife very easy to get to and quick to take out. Some have mastered the art of catching the flip lever on the pocket edge and deploying the blade while pulling it out. It also keeps your knife up and out of the way generally from everything else in your pocket looking mark up your latest grail knife.

The Bad - I have big hands and it is often a bit of a struggle to get my hands in my pocket anyway. Having a knife there just adds to the congestion. Even worse, I often scrap my hand on the knife if I am reaching in for something else. I can see a time where something catches and the pocket rips out. :oops:

The Ugly - What clips can do to the fabric of your pants. Not an attractive look. Then there are the unwanted glances from some who might take a sudden interest as to why you have a knife in your pocket and you just gave probable cause. Everyone wants to make detective...

As for me, I'm not a fan, but I use them on occasion, particularly if it is a knife I don't want to get marked up. But that being said, most of those knives are my gentlemen's knives which almost never come with a clip, and if they did, I would not be clipping a knife to the outside of dress clothes anyway. My main EDC has a clip, but it just goes to the bottom of the pocket until I need it. Not that hard to find and retrieve and no one knows it is there but me.
 
gazz98 said:
I do wish that more manufacturers would follow Spyderco's lead and put a 4 way pocket clip on their knives.
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I feel this way about all manufacturers.

I have a preference of tip down because I carry in my rear pocket. For what it is worth, I find that tip down doesn't bother my hand as much to hold as tip up does. I think its because when I grip a knife firmly, I put more pressure/grip more with the "meat" of my hand. Tip up that leaves the the clip right in the middle of that area. Tip down I find that it the clip isn't as noticeable, as my hand has more "void" there typically.

On topic, clearly the OP isn't the only person who doesn't like clips. Thats fine with me.

Myself, I do like them, mostly because I don't like things flopping around loose in my pocket, or laying down at the bottom and turning sideways. I'm fine with small, and particularly thin slipjoints though for certain uses, although I don't own any at the particular moment.

I've never had a problem with a clipped knife destroying my pants though. Maybe because my folders have been smaller/lighter and with less texture (wood). Either that or maybe I just wear out other parts of my pants first :p.
 
Dadpool said:
If I want to carry clipless, I carry a traditional. A well-designed, comfortable-for-me pocket clip is a practical convenience and an integral part of my enjoyment of modern folders.
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Yes, what he says. ;)
 
rogatsby said:
Am I the only one who hates pocket clips?
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afishhunter said:
No. You are not the only one who hates pocket clips.
I guess I don't really "hate" them though.
I loathe them.
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Why would anybody go to lengths to hate or loathe an inanimate object.
One would assume, that a knife byer tried to use and/or carry a knife with a pocket clip, assessed the situation and decided that clips were not for them.
Then just moved on buying knives without clips and at the same time dismissing the notion of pocket clips from ones mind.
 
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