Let's talk about pocket clips

Since we are showing clip bending technology allow me to show the cool guy way :
Disclaimer : I'm not a cowboy I just found the hat.
Translation : I'm not a cool guy but came across some tools the cool guys use.

First; aluminum jaws in place of those awful serrated things (what use are those to anyone anyway ?). The aluminum is much softer than the stainless steel in the clip and as long as there are no hard particles imbedded in the surfaces the aluminum is about as kind to the clip as wooden jaws would be.
IMG_4837.jpg

Then we have nice German made pliers with jaw surfaces that are not only smooth (rather than toothed like ViseGrips or Channel locks but the jaws travel parallel so they grip over a larger area and offer better accuracy while bending.
IMG_4838.jpg

And for that added protection a layer of masking tape on each jaw's grip surface.
IMG_4839.jpg

Before I discovered these perfectly lovely Knipex brand pliers while working in an auto garage where we worked on the very best automobiles I was using these crude but trusty steeds shown bellow. I have more than one pair prepared thus : Channel lock pliers, teeth ground flat and a layer of brass built up by torch braising. Less than optimal due to the fact that the jaws do not travel parallel as demonstrated by these two photos.
PS: note the ends of the jaws can be less than optimal (over bite).
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IMG_4841.jpg
 
I stay away from milled clips because I don't like the way they look and they are not easily adjustable. This has not been much of a problem for me though because most knives with milled clips I don't like the look of the knife or the potential functionality of the knife either.
 
Bill1170 said:
My guess is that the milled clips are stiffer because thicker and so the maker leaves a gap so they won’t wreck pockets.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's what I was looking for. Some insight on why makers are doing this. It still doesnt make sense though...I would rather have a frayed pocket than a lost knife.
 
Wowbagger said:
Since we are showing clip bending technology allow me to show the cool guy way :
Disclaimer : I'm not a cowboy I just found the hat.
Translation : I'm not a cool guy but came across some tools the cool guys use.

First; aluminum jaws in place of those awful serrated things (what use are those to anyone anyway ?). The aluminum is much softer than the stainless steel in the clip and as long as there are no hard particles imbedded in the surfaces the aluminum is about as kind to the clip as wooden jaws would be.
View attachment 830755

Then we have nice German made pliers with jaw surfaces that are not only smooth (rather than toothed like ViseGrips or Channel locks but the jaws travel parallel so they grip over a larger area and offer better accuracy while bending.
View attachment 830757

And for that added protection a layer of masking tape on each jaw's grip surface.
View attachment 830758

Before I discovered these perfectly lovely Knipex brand pliers while working in an auto garage where we worked on the very best automobiles I was using these crude but trusty steeds shown bellow. I have more than one pair prepared thus : Channel lock pliers, teeth ground flat and a layer of brass built up by torch braising. Less than optimal due to the fact that the jaws do not travel parallel as demonstrated by these two photos.
PS: note the ends of the jaws can be less than optimal (over bite).
View attachment 830759
View attachment 830761
Click to expand...


Two words: Craftsman RoboGrip

3ggPSPX.jpg
 
As others have mentioned, I usually only see this with milled titanium clips on customs. I have a few customs with clips like this, but they all feature a pretty prominent lip at the end to prevent the clip from slipping out of the pocket.
 
ArchVV said:
As others have mentioned, I usually only see this with milled titanium clips on customs. I have a few customs with clips like this, but they all feature a pretty prominent lip at the end to prevent the clip from slipping out of the pocket.
Click to expand...


In theory yes, but it doesnt quite work out that way.
 
PWatkins said:
Do the knives you experience this on have milled titanium clips? All my knives have spring steel clips and they all touch the scale. But I have noticed a few knives with titanium clips that stand off like that.
Click to expand...

This is true. Sometimes the milled clips are like this because they are very stiff. If they didn’t give that little space it would be hard to clip them.

You could always detatch the milled clip and give it a very gentle bend so it hits the scale when you reattatch it.
 
Could be many reasons by machining the clip that way. Could be that it was done more for form over function. It was easier and cost effective to machine rather than to spend alot of time that nobody was going to pay for.
Thicker is easier to make than thinner, but not impossible to meet both objectives.

I made this several months ago for my CRK Umnumzaan. Great clips out of the box for functionality, but they are fairly plain looking.
This is thicker near where it attaches and tapers up to to the grip area. Very functional, but pretty expensive as far as time goes. Nobody but me would want to pay for it for what I had into it.

t5NQ1yM.jpg
 
I never had to bend a clip for proper tension.

I would expect it to come... properly adjusted. it isnt difficult to adjust it, but i dont get why it would not come pretty stiff. That would be like getting one brand new and pivot is loose. Yes i can tighten it in seconds but i would feel.. like it didnt come correctly.
 
fastone052 said:
icon_177826_4.jpg


Here's a picture to show what I'm talking about if I didn't explain it well enough.

Also be aware that my intent is not to bash any makers who do this. I'm just looking for some insight.
Click to expand...
Usually when you look at knives like these the clip is going to be parallel to the scales. It makes for better visual and people are anal about tolerances and appearance on expensive knives. That example in picture looks bent to me. As if someone caried it and because clip was thin it got bent. My opinion.
 
Leo3an said:
I never had to bend a clip for proper tension.

I would expect it to come... properly adjusted. it isnt difficult to adjust it, but i dont get why it would not come pretty stiff. That would be like getting one brand new and pivot is loose. Yes i can tighten it in seconds but i would feel.. like it didnt come correctly.
Click to expand...

Personal preferences are not taken into account when a knife company is designing their knives; focus groups can give some insight but usually the company just goes with a design that will work for the majority of the buyers. Even the most popular knives will always have detractors that think part of the design is absurd because it's not how they like it, but catering to individuals is just not good business practices.

Besides just personal preferences, clothing also makes a difference on how loose a pocket clip can be, a pocket clip that's loose when clipped to dress slacks may be too tight when clipped to heavy-duty jeans or work pants. If a company's sales weigh more heavily towards the prac-tac side of the knife world, they should probably design their clips to be looser to fit the average clothing of their buyers; tighter if their knives are more for decoration or sold to those with a different lifestyle.

tl;dr good business practices don't always align with personal preferences.
 
KingMC said:
Personal preferences are not taken into account when a knife company is designing their knives; focus groups can give some insight but usually the company just goes with a design that will work for the majority of the buyers. Even the most popular knives will always have detractors that think part of the design is absurd because it's not how they like it, but catering to individuals is just not good business practices.

Besides just personal preferences, clothing also makes a difference on how loose a pocket clip can be, a pocket clip that's loose when clipped to dress slacks may be too tight when clipped to heavy-duty jeans or work pants. If a company's sales weigh more heavily towards the prac-tac side of the knife world, they should probably design their clips to be looser to fit the average clothing of their buyers; tighter if their knives are more for decoration or sold to those with a different lifestyle.

tl;dr good business practices don't always align with personal preferences.
Click to expand...
Bang on.

With that in mind, and with a CS Recon 1 [the only CS knife I happen to own] currently on page one of GKD, I have to ask, “What is their thinking?”

That pocket clip is alarmingly tight to extremely rough G10. Given the black blade, the aggressive clip point, and the name and associated logo on the blade itself, why did they make it so appalling on any pocket, let alone heavy duty, thick material, for those HSLD operators out there. Ahem.

I know it can be solved very easily, but why do that in the first place?
 
Leo3an said:
I never had to bend a clip for proper tension.

I would expect it to come... properly adjusted. it isnt difficult to adjust it, but i dont get why it would not come pretty stiff. That would be like getting one brand new and pivot is loose. Yes i can tighten it in seconds but i would feel.. like it didnt come correctly.
Click to expand...
I wish knife companies knew how much tension I liked in a pocket clip and adjusted it for me accordingly. That's totally unreasonable to expect though.
 
KingMC said:
Personal preferences are not taken into account when a knife company is designing their knives; focus groups can give some insight but usually the company just goes with a design that will work for the majority of the buyers. Even the most popular knives will always have detractors that think part of the design is absurd because it's not how they like it, but catering to individuals is just not good business practices.

Besides just personal preferences, clothing also makes a difference on how loose a pocket clip can be, a pocket clip that's loose when clipped to dress slacks may be too tight when clipped to heavy-duty jeans or work pants. If a company's sales weigh more heavily towards the prac-tac side of the knife world, they should probably design their clips to be looser to fit the average clothing of their buyers; tighter if their knives are more for decoration or sold to those with a different lifestyle.

tl;dr good business practices don't always align with personal preferences.
Click to expand...
Thanks. So far I have not had to bend any clips... because they all worked. If the clip doesnt clip.. as in if it just falls off, i guess I call that loose. If it clips, im happy.

I expect a knife to cut, doesnt need to cut well. But do cut. I also expect clip to have some tension to hold onto clothing, doesnt need to be specific to my needs but just be a reasonable clip.

Just like detent strength. I have low tolerance. If detent works, im good. If I need to adjust the detent... that is unexpected.
 
Leo3an said:
Thanks. So far I have not had to bend any clips... because they all worked. If the clip doesnt clip.. as in if it just falls off, i guess I call that loose. If it clips, im happy.

I expect a knife to cut, doesnt need to cut well. But do cut. I also expect clip to have some tension to hold onto clothing, doesnt need to be specific to my needs but just be a reasonable clip.

Just like detent strength. I have low tolerance. If detent works, im good. If I need to adjust the detent... that is unexpected.
Click to expand...

Ok
 
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