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Tip-Down - What's The Point..?
- Thread starter Zordas
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Some liner-locks have very little holding their blades closed and can jar open while clipped inside a pocket. I had a Buck Strider with tip up carry do this while hiking and it's tanto point jabbed me when I reached for it. I've read a lot of tip down carry is to do with safety. You do notice a lot more lock backs and axis locking knives being tip up compared to liners.
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I see your point, and I prefer tip-up carry, but it depends on how you grab the knife. If you grab a tip-down knife out of your front right pocket with just your thumb on the left and index finger on the right, you can use the grip like a pivot and just let the knife swing down into position for one handed opening. Like I said, tip up is my preferred setup, but I have plenty of knives that I carry on a regular basis that are tip down and don't have any major concerns. It's just a matter of figuring out a comfortable way to draw that gets your hand into position smoothly.
Cheers,
Jon
Cheers,
Jon
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After you stab yourself a few times and have a knife cut through the side of your pocket when you pull it out you learn to appreciate tip-down clips. I really don't like tip-up. When you draw a tip-down knife you have your fingers on the clip side (outside your pocket or waist band) and your thumb going for the stud or opening hole. It is relatively the same effort to grab and open a tip down as tip up blade.
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Do those of you who have been jabbed by your tip-up blade keep your pivots all loosey goosey? I've never had one open up in my pocket and I carry them every day? Just curious about wether it's the way you sit, or do you have a very physical job that puts pressure on the spot?
Jon
Jon
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Yeah, that.
After having my Sebenzas open up slightly in my pocket, and then stab me in the palm while trying to retrieve the knife, I went to tip down folders.
Kaizen1
Gold Member
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I've never had this happen to me Jon, but I do notice a huge difference in the strength of the detent on Liner/Frame/Compression locks vs Axis/Back Locks. The spring tension on the latter is so much better.
powernoodle
Power Member
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I've always been a tip-up person, but there are too many good knives that are tip-down only (e.g., Military), so I may have to work on my tip-down technique. It has always seem very anti-logical to me. :thumbup:
I have been stabbed a time or two with a heavy bladed tip up knife deploying in my pocket without permission, so I see the point (no pun) of tip down.
I have been stabbed a time or two with a heavy bladed tip up knife deploying in my pocket without permission, so I see the point (no pun) of tip down.
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My Buck Strider that jabbed me came loose enough to flick the blade out just by wrist motion. I did tighten it up afterwards and it won't do that easy open now. Bronze washers with a heavy blade and loose pivot makes for an easy opener. (yes at the time jabbed, I was hiking over rough terrain)
The only other knife I have that opens very, very easy is a Benchmade Deja vu which is a liner-lock with bronze washers and thankfully tip-down carry. That knife has a blade that just falls out. I like it!
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Never had issues with tip-up or tip-down in drawing in regards to poking except the first time I waved an Emerson which ended up in the wall behind me.
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Yeah, that.
After having my Sebenzas open up slightly in my pocket, and then stab me in the palm while trying to retrieve the knife, I went to tip down folders.
How did you do that? The Sebenza tip-up carry puts the blade against the back of your pocket. If the blade opened up it would probably snag your pocket, not cut your hand.
I like tip-up carry but only if the blade is positioned to the back of the pocket. If it faces forward, it is more dangerous.
Doesn't really matter, IMHO, you get used to either way. Tip down for me, the blade is facing in and when you reach inside your pocket, it may catch on the thumbstud or what ever and pull the entire knife out. Tip up, on a knife with a long handle, you need to reposition your hand anyways
yablanowitz
Platinum Member
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That assumes the knife is carried at the back of the front pocket, which is only one of the ways I carry, and pretty limiting to me. If you clip that thing in the front corner of your back pocket (another way I carry regularly) you are begging to lose a cheek if you jump down out of the bed of the pickup and then hop in the cab. I lost a shirt to a BM 710 I was carrying in waistband that way. The jolt of landing opened it enough that the next time I drew it, the point caught in my shirt tail and went right through it. I guess I was lucky it wasn't a kidney that got punctured.
It didn't take many incidents like that to convince me that tip down is the way to go for me.
Why do manufacturers position clips so that when carried the tip is 'down' - this of course means once un-clipped an amount of re-positioning needs to take place just to open the thing, doesn't it?
Frank.
The rest of us prefer tip down carry. Less knife is showing outside the pocket when you carry tip down. When I grab it I use thumb and index finger to pull up at the pivot, then as I raise my hand the handle naturally falls into my palm, ready to use with thumbstud/hole/flipper. I actually found with tip up I need to reposition my hand.
...Maybe 'clip-less' is the way to go then - as soon as you take hold, your thumb's in the right position (assuming the thing doesn't flip end-to-end in your pocket). Some clips can hinder the ergonomics of a knife, especially the 'wire' types, which is why I ditched it on my H&K P2000T.
Frank.
Frank.
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My favorite carry for a one-handed opener is tip-down, IWB above right hip pocket, blade opening toward the middle of my back. Pull out with thumb on outside, forefinger on the inside; thumb slides to the stud or hole and flips out the blade, handle naturally positions itself in my palm. Comes out incredibly fast in a solid hold every time.
I think the AXIS lock is stronger than a liner or frame lock, but until Benchmade figures out how to make a tip-down clip on an AXIS lock, I'll continue to use my tip-down frame/liner locks.
I think the AXIS lock is stronger than a liner or frame lock, but until Benchmade figures out how to make a tip-down clip on an AXIS lock, I'll continue to use my tip-down frame/liner locks.
Gollnick
Musical Director
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Gravity never sleeps. It is a constant force pulling down on your blade. You can't avoid it. It's always there. The one time you don't position the blade against the back of the pocket, the one time it slips a little forward, gravity won't miss that opportunity.
Acceleration -- which is change in velocity -- never sleeps either. The one time you jump over a puddle or step a little hard or take off on an pounding run, or stumble a bit, that force will work with gravity and pull down on that blade even more.
If your knife is tip-down, then all of that pulling down tends to close it.
If your knife is tip-up, then all of that pulling down tends to open it.
Over the years, there have been many posts here at BF.C from people who cut their hand badly when they reached into their pocket and discovered that their tip-up carried knife had come open if only a fraction of an inch.
Gravity and acceleration never sleep. They will never miss an opportunity to open your tip-up knife.
Acceleration -- which is change in velocity -- never sleeps either. The one time you jump over a puddle or step a little hard or take off on an pounding run, or stumble a bit, that force will work with gravity and pull down on that blade even more.
If your knife is tip-down, then all of that pulling down tends to close it.
If your knife is tip-up, then all of that pulling down tends to open it.
Over the years, there have been many posts here at BF.C from people who cut their hand badly when they reached into their pocket and discovered that their tip-up carried knife had come open if only a fraction of an inch.
Gravity and acceleration never sleep. They will never miss an opportunity to open your tip-up knife.