Folding knife opening in your pocket?

I have a Benchmade (HK) Blitz, which has the questionable design combination of assisted opening and tip down carry only. No cuts but once after carrying it I looked down and noticed a sizeable clean gash in the outside of my pants pocket. Not sure when or exactly how it happened because the knife never seemed to deploy in pocket. Nevertheless, I haven't carried that knife since, and it was enough to swear me off of tip down carry in general.

For a couple of years I daily carried an Emerson Karambit left pocket, reverse grip. I actually liked carrying it, and even found it handy for cutting things like cordage where I could pull it taught with my right hand and wave out the Karambit in my left hand for the cut. Anyhow, I stopped carrying it regularly just for the precise reason that with the blade not being towards the back of the pocket it could accidently open. I do still carry it form time to time though.

This brings up an interesting point that I don't often hear discussed. I had a life altering car accident in my mid 20's, so I often consider how items we have on us could have unexpected consequences in extreme situations like a fall or car crash. I can certainly see some of the forces involved in these instances being able to open a modern folder in pocket, no matter the orientation of the clip. It's not something I dwell on or worry too much about, what will be will be and it's not like these things can be predicted anyway, but don't think I haven't thunk about it.
 
rhino said:
I've been bitten when reaching in my pocket for a tip-up folder at least 2-3 times.

I prefer tip down anyway, because it's easier for me to access with a grip to open it right away.
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rhino said:
I've been bitten when reaching in my pocket for a tip-up folder at least 2-3 times.

I prefer tip down anyway, because it's easier for me to access with a grip to open it right away.
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How are you getting around to the rearward edge of the knife?
That should be pretty tight against the pocket lining...
 
Bob Denman said:
How are you getting around to the rearward edge of the knife?
That should be pretty tight against the pocket lining...
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Not everyone prefers their knives against their pocket seam.

I've gotten cut once, no big deal and I agree with you for the most part.
Getting cut by my knife in the pocket is not a worry I carry with me.
 
Never had open open on me. If I did, that would be a "sell immediately" situation. Possibly with a warning for the new owner.

I carry any pocket clip knife in my right hand pocket, with the blade facing toward my right side, so that if it would try to work it's way out, it would just park itself against my pocket seam. I've passed by otherwise promising knives that did not allow this option, because of the exact situation the OP is talking about.

More generally, I have trouble understanding a manufacturer which can't be bothered to provide options for different clip orientations. Machine time is wondrous cheap.
 
Have carried a folder daily for many decades, and the only folders that have opened in pocket and cut me were in tip-up config as evidenced in this example (a bloody affair with Vogt Tropen tip). In all honesty, partial opening in pocket and resultant cuts were due to a flipper or wave in each occurrence*.

* Correction, I forgot my Enzo-75 filleted my finger in 2021 (reaching into pocket and blade was partially open. Had it been in tip-down config., would not have been an issue.

Never once have I had an issue carrying in tip-down config, and I carried a Millie daily for close to 10 years, and a Farid K2 tip-down for the last 5+ years) with no such issue.

Tropen Bite 720Wide.jpg
 
Another zombie thread recurrected.

It's not the only one on this topic but, as I've said each thread that I've posted a response, it has NEVER happened to me, including when I've carried autos, a Tropen or any folder w/a wave, including karambits.

This opinion may be unpopular w/some but without seeing exactly how it was done, I have to believe that any injury suffered from drawing a folder from a pocket was due primarily to "user error" because reports of such incidents are extremely rare.
 
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In my day: we just rubbed some dirt on it, and our mouth shut.
 
I had a Benchmade panther liner lock open in my pocket and slice me up pretty well at a very inconvenient time. The pivot screw was sort of loose and it changed my maintenance checks. I stopped carrying liner locks except Spyderco millies for a few years too.
 
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