Tip-Up Carry in RF Pocket of Dockers! Experiences?

J

jcrim007

Joined
Sep 4, 2003
Messages
64
the BM551, is tip-up carry knife.

i have to wear dress casual (dockers & polo) 4 days a week to work, jeans on friday.

the blad would face towards my RR pocket.

question:
will the tipped up blade snag the inside edge of the pocket when being pulled out.

crude drawing, from inside thepocket view (looks like a pickle in my pocket, lol)

thanks,

 
I don't see an image.

Any knife clipped to the pocket will wear the cloth in that pocket out. If you look at ANY of my jeans you'd know right away what kind of person I am. They're all frayed from pulling and replacing clipped folders into them. My Dockers are beginning to show wear and tear from folders, but not too badly because I don't wear the Dockers as frequently as I wear jeans.

late edited to add:
DUH! I forgot to answer your Q.
To answer your question, the folder shouldn't snag at all unless it's got a weak detent or it's waved like some Emerson model folders. I've never had a problem with partially opened blades snagging on pockets or opening skin on my hands. The main tip up folders I carry are a BM 802, a BM 710 and a BM Osborne with green Aluminum handle and reverse Tanto style blade and a SERE 2000.


All the best,
Mike U.
 
understand the clip wears the pocket out. i have had to retire many pairs of dockers because of worn pockets.

but this question, deals w/ the actual blade point "catching" in the corner of the pocket, and then my hand slipping off. kind of locking it into my pocket. i would have slide it up the pocket, to get it out.

thanks,
 
I carry a Benchmade 941 (the carbon fiber/D2 model..:)) like that all the time. It works perfectly. I also carry a Buck Mayo (tip down) that way on the days when I'm in khakis but not carrying the 941. Overall I like the way the tip up Benchamade comes out of the pocket in my hand better. It also seems to be easier to open to me. I have to adjust the Buck in my hand before I can open it, where the Benchmade is already lined up.

When I'm in jeans, I usually carry either a Microtech Socom Elite (tip down) or a Microtech Amphibian (tip up) and lately I've been leaning more towards the Amphibian. I just seem to like tip up carry better I guess.

YMMV

jmx
 
Tip up carries the risk of you reaching into your pocket to retrieve the knife and running your thumb along a partially open blade tip.

There is only one kind of person who carries tip up, they are ones who have yet to feel the joys of running the thumb into an opened blades tip upon attempted retieval from the pocket.

Tip down, preferrably a lockback for me. I've run my thumb onto a partially opened blade twice [ duh ]. Didn't learn the first time well enough to change, but the second time clinched it for me after I drew a bloody thumb out of the pocket upon atrtempting to retireve the knife.

It was a different knife both times, both customs and high dollar knives so I can't conclude it was due to carrying a piece of crap.

If it hasn't happened, it will someday unless you are very fortunate or do not retrieve repeatedly in practice drills thereby reducing the odds of this ocurring.

Others have had similiar experiences as I have and consequently went to tip down carry accordingly.

Brownie
 
If you'd like that image posted, go ahead and e-mail it to me at kmalo@charter.net . I can attach it or upload it to my photohosting site. It might help everyone to give you more informed responses.
 
I've been carrying my CRKT urban shark for...2 or 3 yrs now. I wear dickies work pants and my pockets are fine. Maybe you should look into buying some dickies? They're cheap, like 15$ unless you get the one with cell phone pocket, those are 30$ Just a thought
 
I think this would be safe because the blade is toward the RR pocket. Just carry the knife in the back of your pocket, near the seam, and it won't have room to open in your pocket.

If the the thumbstud snags as you're pulling it out, all it will do is open the knife. I doubt that will be a problem, unless you've got an extra large thumbstud.

Jim
 
I carry my Al Mar SERE 2k (for about two years now) in just the manner that you describe: right pocket, at the very rear of the pocket, tip up. I just can't see this thing opening in my pocket. I'm sitting here right now tugging on the blade and there's just no way that its going to come open on its own. Plus, since the blade is up against the rear seam of my pocket, its not going to go anywhere. Also, to respond to a comment above, I don't know how I would get my thumb cut if it did open and I went to pull it. I certainly don't pull my Al Mar out by grasping the blade side of it. You put the index finger on the pocket clip and the thumb on the opposite side and pull up. I don't know why the hell I would ever put my thumb on the blade side of it...

I will continue to prefer tip up carry and I will continue to not worry about it in the slightest.

Mark
 
Jim, I note that the BM 551 has an adjustable pivot screw. That being the case, I would find whatever size Torx driver fits it and keep that baby fairly snug were I you. I have a BM 921 Switchback which carries tip-up just as your 551 does. I suspect that all Axis locks carry that way, at least all of mine do so. I have a Spyderco Salsa that I carry everyday to work, as I work in a federal office where the 2 1/2" blade limit applies, and it is, unfortunately, tip-up carry also. The "Cobra Hood" caught in my pocket one day when the pivot screw had worked loose and I was very fortunate not to have sliced myself, although I did cut my pocket a bit. I now, as I have done with my other Spydies like the Gunting, pay close attention to the pivot screw tension as a part of my regular maintenance. There are some who have gone to the extreme of using Loc-Tite on their pivot screws to insure that they will not work loose, but putting glue into the pivot area of my knife makes me very nervous, so I would rather do preventive maintenance.
 
I would, if I knew which other thread to put it in.... I don't have time to read the whole forum and figure it out right now. Sorry....
 
I think I guessed it correctly.
 
I have been carrying tip-up knives exclusively in my front right pocket with the spine of the blade at the back edge of the pocket for roughly 10 years now and never had one of them open nor cut my pants/hand. For the past 5 years I have worn Dockers or dress pants 4 or 5 days a week. I have EDC'ed Spyderco Delicas, Enduras, Progrips, Wegners and Benchmade Mini-AFCKs (with the clips remounted for tip up) and Griptillians/Mini-Griptillians. I won't say that it can't happen, but it is not something that I personally worry about. The only people that *I personally* have seen get cut in this fashion were either carrying a knife clipped towards the front of there pocket (while they had a Surefire light clipped to the back) or were carrying a right hand knife in their left pocket so the spine of the blade was facing out in the pocket.
 
I'm one of the guys who has had a tip-up knife come open and nearly slice their thumb.
That said, I still carry Tip-Up. I do not currently have an EDC folder that is not tip-up. I have some, smaller utilities, that arent, but I rarely EDC them.
The ones I carry either have little blade-mass to pull the knife open in the pocket, or are lock-backs, the spring being what holds the knife closed. Never had a problem with them, even though I tend to carry the one on my right side mid-pocket for a smoother draw.
With a liner-lock knife that has more blade-mass, I just carry it up against the rear of my pocket, so the blade cannot come open. Simple. :)
Tip-down "cramps my style" - I cant draw one as effectively, nor can I use the wave on any knife that isnt tip up.
 
great replies everyone.

as some of you stated, i don't think that the "slicing" issue will occur, for 2 reasons:
1) blade will be tucked to back positon in my pants, that means my hand would actually be sliding down the back handle spine
2) the axis lock (just tried it at the local gun shop) more than holds it in place when closed. very firm, even snaps down.

think i'm gonna go with the BM 550. that is the one i looked at, and the hole is very easy to get open (thought it might be tough). and i love that mod. sheeps foot blade.

thanks again for everything.
 
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