Did they forget the clip?

Z

zman

Joined
May 12, 2005
Messages
38
Ok, I just bought (or received) a Spyderco native, and BM 940 both have Black pocket clips. Within one wearing in the pocket the BM clip has what seems to be the black paint chipping away on the clip, and the native's black clip is wearing away on the edges. Now I know this is minor but it seems they forgot to give attention to the finish they give to the clips. Both knives have otherwise impeccable attention to detail (for there price ranges) including fit, finish and, quality materials except it seems the pocket clip finish's which as EDC's they were both designed to be. What gives? Is it just me being overly critical or is there no black metal finish impervious to daily wear and tear? Don't get me wrong I'm not upset, just curious if anyone else notices this. I've also noticed this but not as much on my BM CQC7 (very old) and EKC Karambit (very new).
 
Yea there is some talk of this on the Benchmade forum. The older clips that said (Benchmade USA) used something like "parkerizing", which will wear in spots (like edges), but doesnt "chip". The newer clips (Benchmade) seem to be painted and sometimes chip. I wouldnt worry about it though, the clip is probably the easiest thing to replace on the knife if it bothers you. I like how the older finish wears myself, reminds me of a good ole' parkerized Colt 1911.
 
I understand they are easly replaceable, and let me reitterate that it's not that big a deal to me, it just seems much attention is paid to the knife and not the clip! So why did they move away from the parkerized, and anodized finishes, it seems they last a little longer. Maybe they're cheaper to produce? I don't know. That a good question IMHO.
 
Hi Zman,

Clips are more expensive to produce than one might think and a lot goes into making one that will work well and stand up to real world testing. They also take a great deal more abuse that one might think; hand oils, banging into things, drops, abrasion from jeans, etc.

Really good coatings for steel or titanium (Salt clips) are more expensive by quite a bit and would actually raise the retail price of a knife more than the customer thinks it should. So companies are forced to put on the best coating possible within the range that the ELU (End Line User) will pay for.

Parkerizing or blueing doesn't hold up well on knife clips, anodizing isn't done on steel. coatings like DLC, while strong are cost prohibitive for knives under $200.

We've had good luck with our wire clips which darken with heat treat and seem to stay dark longer. But wire clips are morfe costly than stampled clips to begin with.

All in all, it is a mfg head-ache. If the ELU is willing to pay an additional $20 or so retail for a better coating, the mfr can do it, but it is a rare customer that will pay that.

Hope that helps.

sal
 
Hello Sal,
I'm glad you responded because it is something along the lines of what I expected to hear. Next to the blade I'm sure my clip receives most of the daily abuse I give the knife. I wasn't trying to accuse knife makers of being cheap. I was merely wondering if it had fallen off the radar of quality points. To tell you the truth my newest Spyderco native's clip is fairing much better than the BM's, and yet both seem to have worn in the first week of their EDC lives more than say an older BM cqc7 I own which must be parkerized or some similar treatment. While I'm on the subject of clips, just a little factoid, the only knife I carried for years EDC at work was my Spyderco Endura the reason why might surprise you, it's because the clip was the same material as the handle (FRN) and it didn't puncture the "Gortex" bunny suit I had to where on the job. All of the other clip materials which have kind-of a sharp edge would put a nice hole in a suit which I'm told cost several hundreds of dollars a piece. I still have this knife after ten years plus and yet it is still one of my favorite knives. Thanks AZ...
 
I happen to like the plain-silver clips myself,natural ti would seem the best or stainless.:D
 
Hey Zman,

the synthesis of the plastic clip and the metal clip has been a challenge for many years. We tried coating clips with plastic, but that too presented its own challenges.

The wire clip "seems" at this time to work in all areas, but they are perceived to be "cheap" even though they actually cost more to make.

We tumble the sheet out of our clips to soften the sharp edges. We also carefully shape them to avoid damage to environment. Check out the shape of the new End/Del 4 clips.

sal
 
I really like the clip on my large stockman.:D If I represented the general sentiment, we could all buy our knives cheaper!;)

Gordon
 
Well, as long as the thread began with a clip question,

What do you think of clips?

size, color, shape, material, orientation, etc.?

sal
 
I really, really like the clip on my Calypso, Jr. ZDP., as well as the clip on my Pacfic Salt. I LOVE the black.I WOULD love to see a low ride clip though. But, other than that, the clips are near perfect for ME. It blends in well with clothes. I had a Native 2 some years ago, and hated the clip, as it kept unscrewing, at the most inconvienient times. I stopped carrying it, and eventually sold it, because of that issue. It was my favorite EDC at the time too!
 
Clips, a topic that has been coming up of late. Tells how good a knife (knives in general) is, to be noticing them.

I'm a black finish type of guy, so it doesn't tell-tale my carry. Out of sight, out of mind.

I like the Dodo's wire clip. I can see why they would cost more to make and fit to a knife, more machining. (Sorry, only Spyderco I own.)

The generic Benchmade clips are nice, especially the older ones as they had a better "pull" friction.

But, the clip on the Skirmish is not good. The clip is too long and lacks sufficient "pull" friction. Due to the knife's weight and size, some types of carry are simply impractical with this clip. I think stylizing took precidence over function on this one.

Not too enthused with thick plastic clips either. I recall bending one to failure (can't remember who made it). That, and it took a loose set.

Gotta start examining the design of clips now. Spiffy Keene.
 
I love the older split arrow design of Benchmades too.

I was lucky an had a couple extra to swap out from the newer knives that have that cheap paint on them, it ruins the appearance of the knife imho.

If it came down to a choice, i would definately pay more money, for a better wearing clip.

Wearing around the edges is nice, flakes of paint chipping off are a let down to the quality of the rest of the knife.



Sal, Please man, Buy out Benchmade and do us right. :D


I am kidding, but it sure would be nice, to hear from a higher up in BM like we do from you Sal and others at Kerhsaw and even MOD now i see is frequenting the boards, i know bm has thier own forum, but is it too much to pop into the worlds largest knife forum and stay in touch with actuall owners/users like these fine people do?

Peace

WR
 
As far as clips go I have to admit that it is one of the lowest considerations made when choosing a knife, but it's orientation is of importance i.e. tip up, tip down, and since I'm right handed most knives come from the factory set up for me, but I do like the considerations made for the lefties ((the ability to switch which side the clip resides.) This shows thoughtfulness by the designers.) I personally like silver clips for wear resistance and I like tip up orientation. As far as what kind of clip I can't answer, all except my endura are virtually the same in shape and size. But the finish (where this whole discussion began) each one of my knives is different. The black ones tend to show wear (although to varying degrees) and the silver ones tend to not but then there is the inconspicuousness of the black. As far as the wire clips go I've never even tried one but merely looking at one, I wouldn't say it looks cheap but I think it detracts from the sturdy looks of a knife, even though it may be stronger, just my opinion. I think one thing the manufacters could do although I don't know how is maybe give some advice on how to touch up black clips. At least tell us what they're treated with so maybe we can match the coating on our own or maybe sell replacement clips? I know EKC sells replacement clips and their clips seem to be treated with a gun blueing type process. That kind of info would be good enough for me. Most people don't worry about this stuff but it would be nice to bring it back to original factory condition if I so choose. Thanks AZ...
 
ZMAN:
I've had good luck using bake on spray paint from gun supply warehouses. The black matt finish paint looks just like the original Benchmade coating, and the bake on type seems to hold up at least as well. I bought a spray can at Brownell's gun supply, http://www.brownells.com/
A 6 oz aerosol can runs $11 to $28, depending if you go for lacquer, gun-kote, or teflon material. I use it for my gun parts too, but one can would probably re-coat a LOT of clips. Paint and put in the toaster oven for about 20 minutes, viola. Just don't let the wife catch you.

My clip seems to get the worst treatment than any other part of the knife, so it is the first part that starts to look aged.

Hope this helps.

TT2Toes
 
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