Cramp in my deployment.

Wowbagger

Wowbagger

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2015
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Just a second bad guy . . . just let me pull out my . . . yank . . . yank . . . yank . . . :eek: I knew this was going to happen . . . yank . . . rip teaaaaaaaar CLACK.

I have a fairly minor problem with my CS Holdout that I am hoping some one with some experience can help me with.
I totally love the knife. It is a great product and I like the CTS-XHP steel.
However
the pocket clip is way too stiff. When I got the knife I found that to pull it off the pocket of even thin pants I felt like I was going to rip my pocket up in short order so I removed the clip and put it in a vise with aluminum jaws and carefully unbent the clip a little bit. A couple of tries fine tuned it so it held onto my pocket well but was removable without calling on a passing stranger for help.
See the gap between clip and side of knife shown in the first photo.

Now that it is winter I am wearing heavier work pants and those pants have a zippable pocket. (back pocket) Duluth work pants . . . good stuff, if you haven’t, check them out.

Every day when I pull the knife off my pocket it feels like it is going to tear the zipper off the edge of the pocket. So now I am at the point where unbending the clip more will screw me up for thinner pants.
The clip is just tooooo non-springy.

I am thinking of taking the clip off again and thinning the thickness of the clip so it flexes easier. As it is it is as if Cold Steel designed it to hold up to parking your car on the pocket clip without it crushing.

aaaaaahhhhhhh I won’t really need that kind of durability so . . .
my question is where abouts along the length of the clip is going to be the best area to thin out ?

Will I be able to do it with a file ? I am thinking it is hard enough it may take a diamond file (I have a whole pile of those in various grits so I’m good there). Probably would take too long using some zirconia alumina sand paper right ? Maybe not ?

Should I keep the upper area near the screws and the bends thick and go for the flatter area so I don’t make a stress riser ?

Cold Steel dudes ( and dudettes) if you are reading this ship me a thinner second generation pocket clip. Please.





 
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If I'm reading you right, you want the clip to fit the heavier pants without having to bend it anymore.

Here's what I would do- I would make a spacer out of a piece of 1/16th" thick aluminum to go between the clip and the knife under the screws. And if necessary I would use longer screws. That way I could adjust the gap between the clip and the knife without messing with the clip (just add or remove the spacer). Making a spacer is a zero-risk option.

But that's what I would do.

I personally would be reluctant to go grinding on the clip because it's already pretty thin. Metal that's ground off cannot be put back on. And I don't know if Cold Steel sells pocket clips or if they will send you one for free if you screw yours up. If you can get a new one easily enough then it's not as much of a gamble to experiment.
 
Kilgar,

make a spacer out of a piece of 1/16th" thick aluminum
Click to expand...
THANKS

That's a thought. However I often wear thinner pants inside at work and use the thick for out doors so the spacer is not an option. I would be changing out the spacer daily or there abouts.

I'm a total metal rat so I won't screw up the clip so bad I can't use it. I was just getting all into the minutia and figured I would go get some info so I could do it in one shot.

Thanks again
 
rifleman3030,

You could sand down the g10 a bit where the the clip meets the g10 so its less grabby.
Click to expand...

Yes . . . I have seen where people have Youtubes etc on how to fill the textured surface with epoxy or some such to smooth out the grabbage.
I don't mind some texture and some of the mods I have seen are uuuuuuuugly. I was surprised that people were filling the surface rather than just sanding it down.

Hmmmmmm

Thanks
 
mycough,

G19
Click to expand...

HMMMmmm

I don't know what that is . . . I'm going to go look it up at the CS site.
I don't recall any handle options on the Holdout . . . maybe you are suggesting I man up and just carry an Espada.

Ha, ha, . . . that would be fun for me but scary for the customers and really . . . it isn't often I am called on to skin Griz while I am at work . . . 'course one never knows what will happen next around there . . . it's good to be "prepared" . . . .

HHHMMMMMMMMmmmm
 
The clip is very short. That's part of the reason it's so stiff.
Don't try to thin the piece- make it narrower. You should be able to use a regular flat file.
 
The clip is very short. That's part of the reason it's so stiff.
Don't try to thin the piece- make it narrower. You should be able to use a regular flat file.
The screw pattern LOOKS like it may be fairly standard. If so, the knifemakers' supply houses sell pocket clips-get one that's longer.
 
Well I went to the Cold Steel site to find out what G19 handle material is.
I didn't find it but that doesn't mean that some where, in another parallel universe, just one molecule's width over from our universe, that there isn't just that . . . lurking just out of sight . . .

I did reread the Holdout description of the clip. They call it a "Pocket / Blet Clip.

PROBLEM SOLVED !

All I have to do is get a "Blet" and I will be good to go. Apparently the clip is singularly design to fit over Blets.

I should probably start a new thread and get some info on Blets . . .
Shall I go with a regular classic Blet or go modern and get a carbon fiber Blet ?
 
Bill,

You are right about that . . . it is way shorter than my other pocket clips.

Make it narrower
Click to expand...

Well that sounds too easy. Where's the challenge in that ? :D

You're probably right though.
Have you done one that way ?

Thanks
 
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I make leaf springs all the time. Thin springs should generally be weakened from the sides.
 
I got tired of trying to teach Holdout clips not to eat my pants yet still hold tight, so I banished them outside. A non-grinding solution is to pop the clip off and thread a piece of micro cord through the rearmost screw hole--it just fits if the end isn't burned to a glob. Pair up the ends with another strand to get 4 working ends, and you can braid an Endless Fall straight off the end of your Holdout. The great thing about using micro cord is that the braid has a great deal of structural integrity and will stay straight in the pocket or out against gravity. Finish it off with something like a key ring or one of the Grindworx knuckle beads bladehq is often sticking in as a free gift, and it makes for easier access than a clip. Holdouts are wide and flat and tend to stay put in my pocket, and the tail sticks out like a little anchor to keep it in place.
 
Wowbagger said:
That's a thought. However I often wear thinner pants inside at work and use the thick for out doors so the spacer is not an option. I would be changing out the spacer daily or there abouts.
Click to expand...

I propose that you need another knife. One that fits your normal pants properly. One that fits your outdoor thicker clothing. Use the appropriate knife for the way you are dressed. Problem solved. ..and you get another knife! :)

Brian.
 
Mr. DeShivs,

Sorry I questioned your answer. I question everything. I took a second there and saw you are a Master Cutler.
Forgive me please.

I have thought of one solution that will use your masterfully simple solution yet , satisfy my need to screw around with this and have fun in my hobby shop : Cut a slot (or long narrow decorative shape) out of the center of the clip lengthwise . I'll probably screw the clip to a scrap and use a thin abrasive wheel to start.

That would preserve the general flavor of the clip yet geeeter loosened up some.
The inspiration came from looking at my Spyderco with the wire clip. People in knife reviews have P'sssed on the wire clips but I find that it works great and I have used the knife/clip on all these pockets without a second thought so it seems to be functional even though the side of the knife has Bi-Directional texturing on the FRN handle.

Thank you for your time !
 
Wowbagger said:
mycough,



HMMMmmm

I don't know what that is . . . I'm going to go look it up at the CS site.
I don't recall any handle options on the Holdout . . . maybe you are suggesting I man up and just carry an Espada.

Ha, ha, . . . that would be fun for me but scary for the customers and really . . . it isn't often I am called on to skin Griz while I am at work . . . 'course one never knows what will happen next around there . . . it's good to be "prepared" . . . .

HHHMMMMMMMMmmmm
Click to expand...

A g19 is the mid sized 9mm glock, one of the best fighting guns known to man... I was making a funny, but I do carry a g19 QUITE often.
Russ

Mycough\Mikov... See what I did 8 years ago?
 
BitingSarcasm,

Toss the clip into the weeds and
braid an Endless Fall straight off the end of your Holdout
Click to expand...

I have no leashes on my knives yet so once I get tired of the modified clip (and or while I am moding the clip) I could try that out. Usually I go for less stuff on a pocket thing like a keyring or pocket knife ( I even keep my car key OFF the ring and just loose in my pocket ) but maybe this is a point where I should try something different.

Thanks, it's a great solution.
 
Brian,

I propose that you need another knife. One that fits your normal pants properly. One that fits your outdoor thicker clothing. Use the appropriate knife for the way you are dressed. Problem solved. ..and you get another knife!
Click to expand...

I knew some one was going to attempt to interject a little logic and common sense into all this.

I hate when that happens . . .

But, but, I wanna . . .
OH !

Get another knife you say. As in BUY a new knife . . .

I'm kind of liking where this is going . . .
Hey how are them old Sebenza things I been hearing about ? Some of them have a pocket clip on 'em don't they ?
Slick sides . . . none of this awful textured stuff on them . . . (I'm kidding; I like the textured stuff)

SWMBO said she would rather spend all day mucking out horse stalls rather than spend ten minutes in a knife store with me so I could drop some Christmas pointers . . . .

poor thing . . . tool stores and knife shops always make her eyes go all crossed . . .

Hmmmmmmm

this is going to take some delicate handling. (pun intended)
 
Russ,

A g19 is the mid sized 9mm glock, one of the best fighting guns known to man... I was making a funny
Click to expand...

Ha, ha, ha,
Thanks for the dope slap,
I had my head buried pretty far up there didn't I ?

Ha, ha, ha,
 
On a related note, I was looking through my box of assorted small bits and bobs today, and I still have the Holdout clip that is most likely going to sit in that box for the next 20 years or so. If you mod your clip and it goes south, send me an email and I will toss it in an envelope for you.
 
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