"Best" pocket clip

Shorttime

Shorttime

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2011
Messages
4,075
It's an important detail, to me: if your knife ain't there, you can't use it.

Is there a pocket clip in your life that gets special notice, either because you like it's design, or because it just works?

I am fond of the pocket clip on the 4 Max Scout.

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My bones would give up, long before it does.
 
I've always really liked the clip on the Skyline. I think many times the simpler the better. Although definitely not always. I just like a clip that is as unobtrusive as possible. Whenever I take a clip off a knife while doing maintenance, the knife almost always just melts in my hand and feels SO much better without it. This clip is very low to the scales and doesn't get in the way much. It's very rare that I prefer a deep carry clip to a regular clip.
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Function-wise I really like the double lip thing that CRK has going on. Aesthetic-wise, I prefer when a knife's pocket clip looks like an integral part that was designed into the handle rather than an afterthought that was slapped on with screws. Kinda why I wish Spyderco's wire clip was used more prevalently than the spoon clip. The black spoon looks better than the silver though.
 
I'm new at all this but my 1st impression is, I don't get why all manufacturers knives don't come with deep carry clips, or at least have them as an option or aftermarket purchase. To me I don't see why anyone would want it partially hanging out of your pocket for everyone to see, and increase the likelihood of it rubbing against things or falling out.
 
Titanium deep carry clips from MXG if available and if the knife doesn't already have a deep carry clip.

I don't like having a big part of the knife sticking out of my pocket. Plus, I feel like I always have to adjust my grip after pulling a non deep carry knife out of my pocket to open it.
 
NYP said:
I'm new at all this but my 1st impression is, I don't get why all manufacturers knives don't come with deep carry clips, or at least have them as an option or aftermarket purchase. To me I don't see why anyone would want it partially hanging out of your pocket for everyone to see, and increase the likelihood of it rubbing against things or falling out.
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Some people like to be able to just grab the butt of the knife and pull it out without having to stick their thumb down in their pocket. For the record I like deep clips but I get why some wouldn't. Also I could personally care less about my knife rubbing on anything. I use my knives. Second a deep clip isn't going to prevent it from falling out anymore than a regular clip. Ive never had a regular clip knife just fall out but I have had my knife clip catch on a seat belt and pulled out of my pocket and its always happened with a deep clip knife (would have happened with either deep or regular, I just happened to have deep clips on the knives it happened with). Ive also sat down and stood up and felt for my knife to find that when I had sat down my knife slid damn near out of my pocket and thats with a deep clip. How my tension your clip puts on your pocket is going to play a bigger role in whether it falls out more than if its deep or regular clip.
 
NYP said:
I'm new at all this but my 1st impression is, I don't get why all manufacturers knives don't come with deep carry clips, or at least have them as an option or aftermarket purchase. To me I don't see why anyone would want it partially hanging out of your pocket for everyone to see, and increase the likelihood of it rubbing against things or falling out.
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There are also times when the knife may be too large to fit comfortably in the pocket, when carried that deeply.
Once I get up over 3.5" blades: I let them ride high.
 
Best regular clip: Kershaw Blur/Leek

Best deep clip: Benchmade Mini Axis Stryker (not sure if any current models use this clip, but it's 1,000,000x better than their "standard" deep clip they use on most models, which sticks out too far)

The most important things for a clip are:
1. Bent spring steel. Not titanium, which tend to be twice as thick, and have worse retention, and absolutely not 3D/machined/milled, which have horrible retention and are impossible to adjust tension.
2. Tip-down if the knife is over 3" or so. Tip up clips on larger knives mean you need to "choke up" or otherwise adjust your grip once you get it out of your pocket. Tip down puts your hand in the correct position from the start.
3. Runs more or less straight along the body of knife, not tilted, which would make the knife sit angled weird in your pocket.
 
MXG deep carry clips for the win! Lynch makes amazing clips too! I’ve got aftermarket deep carry clips on all of my knives that will accept them. I find myself carrying these knives more frequently as well…
 
Shirogorov clips work the best of any I've had. Smooth ramps in and out, but only a "blade" of engagement, which equals higher pressure per contact area, yet slides in and out like the rails of a Flexible Flyer sled. And they are very ergonomic for gripping and sit pretty deep yet not too deep IMHO. And they don't look like an afterthought - they look like an integral part of the knife design.

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Reswob said:
The most important things for a clip are:
1. Bent spring steel. Not titanium, which tend to be twice as thick, and have worse retention, and absolutely not 3D/machined/milled, which have horrible retention and are impossible to adjust tension.
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I might have agreed with this had I not had any Shiro milled titanium clips. :)
 
Bob Denman said:
There are also times when the knife may be too large to fit comfortably in the pocket, when carried that deeply.
Once I get up over 3.5" blades: I let them ride high.
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This can be true. Even at 6'4" tall, most of my pockets would be too shallow for my Biryukov #12 if it had a deep carry clip. I believe it's 3.81" blade.
 
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