Anyone else dislike pocket clips?

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davek14

Joined
May 30, 2009
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Just what the title says, I never really liked pocket clips. I find I scrape my hand if I try to reach around a knife with one so that the pocket is "dedicated" to the knife anyway. Also, they make the knife less comfortable in the hand.

Now, that's just me and YMMV.

I was just wondering I anyone else removed pocket clips. If so how do they end up carrying. And mostly I guess, if anyone else is anal enough to have to find some way to fill the holes left over if one is removed. I've ground the mounting screws a bit shorter and put them back in before.
 
Some are good, some are bad. In general I prefer them but like you said, YMMV.

Spyderco's paper clip is nice and doesn't seem to snag, Benchmade's standard clip is pretty nice but for some reason the split arrow clip seems to catch on more items in my experience.
 
I personally prefer knives with a pocket clip. I dislike having the knife at the bottom of my pocket..feels more weighted that way, plus with a set of keys and other random items, you get unnecessary wear.
 
Yeah, put me in the pocket clip fan club. I pretty much won't carry a nice that doesn't have one unless it's small enough to fit in my coin/watch pocket. Like Hokie_Fan, I dislike having a knife at the bottom of my pocket. Plus a well-designed clip can give a knife extra ergonomic traction when opening and closing a knife. Yep, honestly, if not for the addition of the pocket clip to knives (thank you Sal Glesser) I probably wouldn't be a knife knut. Oh, I'd still carry a small traditional or something similar in my coin/watch pocket for functionality... but I wouldn't have gotten into knives like I did. Being able to clip them to your pocket and having them stay put is a huge draw toward my enjoyment of pocket knives. So yeah, I guess my mileage does vary. ;)
 
I like using a pocket clip, however there is something to say about them making the knife more uncomfortable in the hand.
 
I don't take them off, I just pocket carry or use a belt/pocket sheath.
As far as using a clip for carry, not a fan at all.
 
Clips are designed to come unclipped. Problem is, sometimes they come unclipped when you don't want them to. :mad:

I've read enough horror stories in the nearly 11 years I've been here to convince me that clips serve the interests of the manufacturer far more than they serve the interests of the consumer. For my part, I wouldn't be caught dead with a knife clipped to my pocket. YMMV.
 
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bld522 said:
Clips are designed to come unclipped. Problem is, sometimes they come unclipped when you don't want them to. :mad:

I've read enough horror stories in the nearly 11 years I've been here to convince me that clips serve the interests of the manufacturer far more than they serve the interests of the consumer. For my part, I wouldn't be caught dead with a knife clipped to my pocket. YMMV.
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I have to agree with the above. I just don't like them. I still keep them on as I find I tend to rest my finger on them when I open a blade (mostly framelocks) but when I used to carry CRKs and Striders I just put them in my pocket. I have had a lot of knives fall out of my pocket when clipped. The ONLY two knives I have found where I actually prefer them clipped to my pocket instead of in my pocket is a Spyderco Sage 2 and a Spyderco Military. Those clips just work.
 
I remove the pocket clips on all of my EDC knives. I like blades in the 3 inches or less range so letting the knife ride at the bottom of my pocket isn't a problem. It's the way I've always carried a knife since I was just a kid in the late 60's. I tried to like clips but it's hard to break old habits. I'm just glad that most of them are removable.

If practical, I put the screws back in but if not I just leave the holes open.
 
I never carry clipped when I'm off property, but I don't remove them from the knife. In general a clip offers a little more grip when opening/closing/gripping a blade. Specific placement for ergo is particularly noticeable on the Graymans and my ZT560. Never ran across one where the clip just had to come off. I use slipcases a lot too.

Too many times I've almost lost a knife with it being clipped to my pocket. I think it's a combination of the kind of pants you wear, how you sit and your build. Apparently some never have a problem retaining a clipped knife. I've thought about carrying back-pocket-clipped but I don't think I have the ass or the pants for it.

The only real advantage I see to carrying clipped is tactical---which I'm not into. Or maybe it's a fashion statement for some too.

As a side note, I trained myself as a kid not to plunge my hand into my right pocket. It's subconcious for me to be sure a blade isn't open before I reach in. I think that's a good habit for everyone....
 
I can't stand the way they feel in the hand. Plus, their function is not dependable. So, I won't pull out my wallet with it on there. If I really like the blade shape and can see a way to remove it then maybe. DM
 
There is a secondary consideration, of course. Clipping a knife to my pocket sends a message I don't necessarily want to send . . . that I've got something in my pocket some folks might interpret as a weapon. I realize this isn't a consideration for everyone. But based on where I live and what I do for a living, it is for me.
 
I ditched them when I was in OEF after losing several lights/knives from them snagging on seat belts and other gear getting in and out of vehicles. I use them now that I am out of that environment but they worry me. Also, have had the one in my right pocket dig up a we steering wheels when I would get out of a car which drove me nuts.
 
Not a clip guy. I see the at vantage of accessibility they provide but they tend to shred pockets and because of where I live it's a no no to have a clip exposed (your begging for legal problems) I also come from the mind set "out of sight out of mind". So knives usually get dropped in the bottom of my rfp, or watch pocket.
 
The only logical reasons I can think of for carrying a knife clipped to my pocket would be the ability to get to it quickly and/or letting people know that I'm armed. The first reason has never been an issue for me and the second reason is precisely what I'm trying to avoid.
 
Not a fan generally. I find they prevent me using that pocket for anything else and snag on stuff. I have lost quite a few knives with clips over the years.

I have two knives with pocket clips and carry them as needed, but generally I have a slip joint pocketknife in my pocket or a fixed blade if I need something bigger.
 
These posts are surprising me....I'd have bet the house the comments would have gone the other way. I thought 90% would carry clipped. Interesting so far.....
 
No worries. Those who use clips will post their justifications for doing so soon enough. And yes, they are in the majority. They just need another cup of coffee . . . ;)
 
Most of the arguments for using clips will fall along the lines of the reasons I've already mentioned. There is one reason I've heard that's pretty humorous, however. It says that deep pocket carry is actually more hazardous than clipped carry. For those who espouse this particular argument, the law of gravity is little more than a theory. And, of course, the vast majority of posts I've seen would argue against reaching this conclusion. If that argument shows up in this thread, I'll leave it to others to determine the efficacy of the reasoning that stands behind it.
 
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I don't use pocket clips. I usually wear Dickies brand jeans which have a couple 'tech pockets' on my right leg. Knife goes in one, Leatherman goes in the other. On a side note I do use the clip on my Leatherman because the pocket it sits in is shallower and the thing is so heavy it wants to slide out when I sit down.
 
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