blade up or down

B

banditele

SPAM I am, Banned I am, Green eggs and ham.
BANNED
Joined
Nov 5, 1999
Messages
95
I have just opened my Benchmade 806- D-2 . I am interested on your guys opinions on weather to position the blade point up or point down? At the prestent time my clip is set to the blade down position. Just thinking about safety and all.Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. How does the finish hold up on this knife with hard use ?
 
I prefer tip up myself, there is really no need to worry, because of the large "detent" the axis lock provides, and it's easier to take out and open fast that way. The coating will wear off with use, but that just gives the knife some character.
 
No preference but tip down negates any worries of the blade opening a little in the pocket and stabbing your thumb upon retrieval.

It's happened twice to me, not again with linerlocks in tip up.

Brownie
 
I prefer tip down, that way you are not constantly fighting gravity, and don't have to rely on ball indents on liner locks to keep the blade in place. With that axis though you are probably ok.
It is just personal preference i guess. :)
 
Guess it depends on which part of your body you want to risk stabbing,your finger or leg.See I know 2 people who stabbed their legs with tip down....me being one of them.

See right now I have the knife in my pocket,tip down, duel thumb studs.When I put the knife in my pocket the thumb stud can "catch" on the pocket seam and start to open it.Kind of like a reverse wave.
 
There are knife-specific issues to the question as well. Sometimes, depending on how the knife is set up, tip-up or tip-down is contraindicated. For example, there are knives where in one configuration or another, the knife sticks way far out of your pocket, or the lock release is blocked by the clip, or whatever.

Beyond that, generally speaking I think tip-up is not suitable for liner locks or frame locks or compression locks (anything with a ball detent mechanism), where I go tip-down. But tip-up works fine for lockbacks, and I think well-sprung axis locks and the like (rolling locks, arc locks, etc.) are reasonably safe as well. For those locks, I always prefer tip-up.
 
I used to carry a Benchmade liner lock 640 mini spike and I liked the tip down carry but now that I have a Benchmade 943 I like the tip up carry a little better. The AXIS lock detent keeps the blade in a closed position and when you pull the knife out of your pocket it is an easy thumb flick downward and the knife is open.
 
Ah yes...tip up or tip down?

plain or serrated?
sesame or poppy?
Coke or Pepsi?
briefs or boxers?
mustard or mayo?
shaken or stirred?
blonde or brunette?
Ford or Chevy?
pre-trib or post-trib?
chocolate or vanilla?
Ginger or Maryanne?
PC or Mac?

imponderables, all of them.

Ok, ok...my religious affiliation is lockbacks, so up or down doesn't matter, and I carry some of each.
 
I like tip up carry. I've never had a knife partly open in my pocket. I don't know, I can't see it ever happening... I wear my knives tip up and clipped to the back/edge of my pocket so that the blade is against the seam. Never had a problem.
 
For the record, I very strongly perefer tip-down, but it isn't such a big deal with a smaller knife*. Where it becomes really, really important is when the blade grows to sufficient size that its inertia becomes a problem if it starts to open in your pocket. This is the case with a knife such as the Camillus CUDA MAXX 5.5 with its 5.5" blade. Its designer, Darryl Raalph, and Will Fennell of Camillus have both said that they will not make the knife tip-up for that reason since it has a frame-lock and a ball detente. There are people out there who will modify them, but it violates the Camillus warranty and also, I should think, relieves Camillus of any legal responsibility fr any injuries sustained from tip-up carry.

* Actually, I have had the blade begin to open on my Spyderco Salsa which has a Compression Lock and a 2 7/16" blade and tip-up carry and I was very fortunate not to have cut myself, so I believe, on hindsight, that tip-down is important, no matter the blade size. And, since I would prefer that all of my knives open in the same manner, I would like them all to be tip-down, no matter the lock.
 
Tip up then you don't have to shift the knife once you draw it in hand. I don't find it to be that big of deal either way. Although I do have a question for those that have been cut on the finger with a tip up knife. How does the knife open if it is worn in a pocket strong side in the corner of your pants? All my tip of knives the blade would be stopped by the corner of the pocket seem.
 
Centurian:

It starts out that way in your pocket.
Under strenuous activity during the day, it moves forward ever so slightly, then it only needs an 1/4 inch of room and the tip is exposed just outside the boundaries of the frame.

And thats all it needs to stab your thumb quite nicely when "diving" for the blade and not paying attention.

The above sentence would of course be exactly the scenario in a self defense situation you may find yourself in.

Both of mine that did this were high end customs and so it isn't that they were considered "junk" by any stretch of the imagination.

The last time I did this [ the second time ] was the last time it will ever happen as I won't be found with one in that configuration.
Ever stab yourself real hard at the tip of the thumb? Not pleasant and if I don't carry that way it doesn't have to be considered in the future when I need to dive and retrieve it in a defensive posture.

That would be the WRONG time to have this happen wouldn't it?

It's only a matter of time and odds. I beat the odds and it happened twice, thats enough for a lifetime for me thanks.

Brownie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top