My thoughts on deep carry pocket clips

R

Raf32

Joined
Jun 20, 2012
Messages
24
I know that I may be in the minority here, but I thought I would chime in on this subject.

I personally have given up on the low riding, deep carry pocket clips and I've turned down more fine blades than I can remember because of it. I've heard the concealment argument and still don't understand it. If you have a clip outside of your pocket, it certainly is not going to be mistaken as a money clip as many have stated, and yet many of these deep "concealment" clips are bright stainless and can be seen a mile away. If you have a clip outside your pocket, myself and everyone here is going to know that it's indeed a knife, and it's ok.

Quick access and deployment far outweighs any concealment argument for my uses. My needs for a carry knife are defensive and utilitarian due to my line of work. If I have to pull out and use my knife in a defensive situation, every tenth of a second will truly count for me .... literally.
I know the golden rule of having a knife is most important and retention is certainly important to this discussion, but I've never lost a knife due to it falling out of my pocket, and I've carried one every day for 27 years. I should be clear here and state that most days I carry only one blade, it therefore must be defensive and somewhat utilitarian in its nature.

I started out many years ago like all others with early Spyderco and Benchmades and believe that these style clips were near perfect for my uses, good retention and quick access. I also prefer a knife that can be deployed quickly from the seated position if I'm in a car, I've found that deep carry impedes quick deployment while seated.

I had to part with my ZT 0561 that I loved everything about.....except the deep carry clip.
I am however ecstatic about the ZT 0630, it's clip is properly placed and it deploys lightning fast with excellent retention and S35VN perfection.

I know and fully understand that everyone's needs and priorities are different and respect that.
I'm certainly not saying that deep carry is bad for everyone, I'm only stating that after a few years of trying both standard and deep carry, I've come to the conclusion that deep carry does not suit my EDC needs. I consider myself a very open minded individual, it's just what works for me.
 
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I just don't like knife butt sticking out of my pocket. That being said, I would never use a knife for self defense so there's no upside to "properly placed" pocket clips for me.
 
bpeezer said:
I just don't like knife butt sticking out of my pocket. That being said, I would never use a knife for self defense so there's no upside to "properly placed" pocket clips for me.
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That goes for me, pretty much word for word.
I much prefer to have only the clip exposed. For me it is more secure; and I have no interest in "fast deployment".
 
My Glock 19 is my primary. If I have to go to my knife, it's a really bad situation and it absolutely must be accessed quickly regardless if I'm standing, seated, or rolling on the ground. We can't pick the parameters of what the fight will be, it is what it is.
 
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Raf32 said:
My Glock 19 is my primary. If I have to go my knife, it's a really bad situation and it absolutely must be accessed quickly regardless if I'm standing, seated, or rolling on the ground. We can't pick the parameters of what the fight will be, it is what it is.
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That's fine, but many of us don't carry a knife with any eye towards using it as a self-defense tool. Carry what works for you. Personally, I can take or leave deep carry clips, it all depends on how they're done.
 
I think they are a style thing primarily. I don't get the obsession with tip-up carry either.
 
I like to have easy access to my knife if I'm on a ladder or somewhere where I need balance. That said, I usually tie a small leather lanyard to my knives which especially helps with deep-carry clips.

I don't prefer deep-carry clips, but they're not a deal breaker for me if I like all the other aspects of the knife.
 
I use deep carry clips for two reasons:
1) comfort. Knives tend to hit me in the wrong spot, which leads to:
2)
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When I use a deep carry clip, I don't get the pocket wear.
 
My preference is for intelligently placed clip holes that will work with a standard 3 hole Benchmade pocket clip. You can easily buy a standard replacement clip or a deep carry clip. Then you have the best of both worlds.
 
I prefer standard clips too. It's not an "every second counts" issue, just an ease of retrieval issue. I wouldn't exclude a knife with a deep carry clip, but I'd probably replace the clip.
 
Some great input so far. Does anyone make standard clips to replace the deep ones? I hate to exclude a knife because of the clip, it would at least give me an option to replace it.
 
I'm with you on this Raf. Sometimes you can swap existing clips, other knives you'd need to have one made by a modder, probably cost $25 to $40.
 
My job involves carrying a firearm as well but I have come to three conclusions. #1 having the deep carry clip does not slow me down removing the knife as opposed to the regular clip, #2 the knife will be there when I go to grab for it as opposed to stuck on the seat covers of the patrol vehicle and #3 I would rather use any weapon or object other than a knife to defend myself. This is based on the experience of the deep carry clips I have dealt with YMMV.
 
I don't prefer deep carry clips on my knives, but it is a big deal to me on flashlights. I HATE having the tail/bezel of the flashlight sticking up past the top my pocket.
 
Raf32 said:
My Glock 19 is my primary. If I have to go to my knife, it's a really bad situation and it absolutely must be accessed quickly regardless if I'm standing, seated, or rolling on the ground. We can't pick the parameters of what the fight will be, it is what it is.
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This is a little off topic, but when the tunnel vision, sweating bullets, and panic sets in will you even be able to draw your gun in time and without error? If you are on the ground literally fighting for your life will you have enough dexterity to even unclip the knife from your pocket without dropping or snagging it (not to mention locking it open, gaining a proper grip, and using the knife)? If you anticipate having to use a knife for last-ditch defense is a manual folding knife an option at all?
 
For me personally it just has to do with ease of use. I live and work where everybody carries a knife so raising an eyebrow doesn't matter, and for me I sometimes have trouble getting ahold of a deep carry clipped knife. I used to hate lanyards on knives but now really like them, so I suppose that would help with retrieving the knife, but that even further defeats the purpose of a deep carry clip. It just comes down to being able to more solidly grab the knife for me. That being said, if I found a knife I really liked it would not matter to me how deep the knife sat as long as it was comfortable.

As to tip-up vs down, I've had more than one assisted opening and/or flipper knives come open slightly in my pocket, and if its tip down then it could cut you if you dont notice and reach in your pocket. (Ask me how I know) Either way works for me, but I prefer tip-up for this and because it feels more natural to me.
 
tokerblue said:
My preference is for intelligently placed clip holes that will work with a standard 3 hole Benchmade pocket clip. You can easily buy a standard replacement clip or a deep carry clip. Then you have the best of both worlds.
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+1. Often times the clip seems to have been an afterthought to a nice knife and it's great to have the choice to put on whichever type of clip you prefer. I myself do not care for deep carry too much, nor do I like the shiny ones. A matte black clip on a darker knife doesn't really draw attention and is easier to draw out speaking for myself. But I get why some would prefer deep carry. If I lived in a larger urban area, I may want one I suppose. Here in the corn fields, many have a knife on them. Mostly Wally World knives, but still.

On the flip side, I think perhaps some of us as knife people spot pocket clips more frequently than non-knifers. Just as an experiment, I asked my wife to see how many clips she noticed while we were walking around Cabelas. Even when she was intentionally looking for them, she missed a few. But the ones she did spot where the chromed ones. And she has seen me with a knife for the over 30 years we've been together. Not scientific I know, but most people tend not to notice what we aren't looking for.

Just like bike guys for instance. A motorcycle drives by and they can tell the make and year. Pretty close anyway. To me, a motorcycle drove by. I'd be lucky to say what color it was.
 
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