Tip-up carry - what am I doing wrong?

Mark J

Mark J

Joined
Mar 15, 2001
Messages
2,450
I'm having a problem with my tip up knives, or perhaps it would be more correct to say that my tip-up knives are having a problem with me. For the fourth time in as many weeks, I've managed to stab myself (or nearly stab myself) with a tip-up knife. It's always when I go to grab for the knife. Sometimes the blade is already partially open, other times (like last night) I reach for my wallet in the same back pocket of my jeans and get "bit" by the tip of the blade! However, when I checked the knife, it was not open. I still don't know how this happened. :confused: Anyone have any theories on this? Is there a special technique (a.k.a. "handshake") that I should be using to get the knives? Is my butt trying to assault me by ever-so-slowly opening the knives on me? :D

Here's some additional info. on the situation. I typically carry the knives in my right back pocket, toward the outer (righthand) edge. I'm usually wearing jeans. I've had the problem when I carry my wallet in the same pocket, and when I've had no wallet along. Perhaps the biggest piece of information is that the four knives were all from different manufacturers, all well known, highly reputable companies (I don't plan to say who they are, lest this turn into another "XYZ Company has bad QC" kind of thread. That's not the issue from my perspective). They all had thumbstuds, although they vary widely in how "grippy" the thumbstuds are and the texture/machining on the studs. Any insights would be appreciated!


- Mark (victim of tip-up knife abuse) :o
 
I would guess the carry position to be the problem. I ALWAYS carry my tip-up knives, so that the blade rests against the side of the pocket.
 
You may not have had the knives long enough for this to happen, but 2 of mine have been sharpened down to where the point actually sticks out of the handle grooves. One is a buck scout lite from my dad. Its been used hard for about 8 years, before I retired it after college. The other is a Boye prophet companion. Its been used hard for about 3 years. It replaced the buck. The point actually sticks out of the handle a couple of millimeters. I have had no trouble w/ it opening, since it has a hole instead of a stud, but it has nearly bit me a few times.
 
Never had that problem, but I carry tip-up with the spine against the pocket seam so that it can't open.
Is my butt trying to assault me by ever-so-slowly opening the knives on me?:D
Click to expand...
Gives a new meaning to "watch your six", doesn't it:eek:
 
Hi Mark,

Funny you should mention this...my tip-up carry knife attacked me TWICE this past week :mad:

I recently read an article debating tip-up versus tip-down...I remember laughing out loud when the author said that tip-down was safer because you won't cut yourself if the knife opens in your pocket...now, two cuts later I'm not laughing anymore...I remember reading similar comments about opening-holes versus thumbstuds...while I'm still a thumbstud fan, I'm certainly starting to pay attention to thumbholes...one thing is for sure, opening disks are out!

RL
 
Ditto what everyone else said.

You're really carrying the knife outside of its design parameter. A tip up knife is designed to have the blade placed in the seam of a pocket.

If you prefer carrying in other pockets than I would reccomend a tip down knife or fixed blade.
 
I carried my old Endura for years in my back pocket. The blade had no support from the pocket to keep it closed but I never had it open: the closing bias on it was just so good. I only stopped carrying in my back pocket because a buddy showed me how easily he could grab my knife without me being able to react in time.

If you're carrying tip-up liner locks in this way, then I'd say that's outside of their parameters, but if it's a lockback or an axis, I'd say this shouldn't be happening. What types of locks are the knives? Are the knives clean and oiled so that they can hold a decent closing bias?

The only knife I ever had open in my pocket was a CRKT KFF that I mounted a tip-up clip onto. It clearly wasn't made for this and the liner lock didn't have nearly enough bias to keep it closed. I clipped the knife to my cargo pocket and when I retrieved it later, the knife had fully locked open. Needless to say, I never tried a stunt like that again. Good thing I didn't stab myself in the leg by running or falling etc.
 
Possible solutions obviously include switching to right front or left rear pockets.

Or how about moving the clip to the 'lefthand' side so the blade would lie against the right rear pocket seam (if the knives in question support this)?
 
I have a similar problem with a CRKT M16 in my right front jeans pocket. If I put it in carelessly, sometimes I manage to knock the flipper thing so that the blade open slightly. Although it's a tip-down blade, I almost got cut once when I draw my hand back up.
Just like others have said, put the blade near a seam and that should put away that problem.
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone! To answer a few of your questions, the knives are all liner locks, with the exception of one that has an axis lock. The knives are in A-1 condition...most are relatively new and see pretty mild use, such as opening boxes, cutting strings, tape, etc.

Some of you replied that tip-ups are not designed for the type of carry I have been doing, i.e., back pocket with the blade away from the pocket seam. If that is true (and I have no reason to doubt you), why don't the manufacturers say this? It would seem that in this litigious society in which we live, some manufacturer would be worried enough about someone stabbing the cr*p out of their hand to put a small note in the box about "proper carry method". Personally, I really dislike carrying the knives in my side pockets or against the inside seam of my back pockets. If I would have known that my preferred carry method was not valid for tip-up knives, I probably would have passed on purchasing them in the first place. {mini rant over}

Here's a follow-up question for those of you who do carry the knives with the blade against a pocket seam. Have you ever had the blade start to open anyway and then cut into and/or catch on the seam? I would think that this would still happen, but I wouldn't know from experience (I've been too busy stabbing myself instead :))

- Mark
 
Alright, I'll spill the beans...the knife that cut me twice is...the Emerson Commander...yes, I do carry it right up against the seam (the Wave works better that way) but when I want to remove the knife without "activating" the Wave, I have to move it away from the seam...during this process, the thumbdisk often gets caught in my pocket, effiectively opening the blade enough to cut me...heck, now that I think about it, I believe I even got cut with the knife in the proper position :( I guess the Commander is very loose...

RL
 
It might have to do with your jeans. When I looked at an axis type knife(705) I found that the axis bar hung up on my back pocket as I slid it in, and pretty much took all the tension off the blade. If your liner locks have thumbstuds that stick out beyond the scales a little bit, they may rub or hang up on your pocket and push the blade open a little bit. I carried a spyderco delica in my back pocket for a couple years with no trouble though. It has a thin profile and nothing sticking out on the sides.
I guess not all pockets are created equal :) The wranglers I wear are made of pretty heavy material and are heavily starched when they're new. The pockets are kind of tight for a knife until they're broken in. But they hold up better to hours in the saddle and baling hay and straw than other brands so what the hell, can't have everything I guess.
Just a thought
 
Hmm... never had that problem with my CS Voyagers carried in a right hip jeans pocket, at least so far (will have to be careful from now on, tho'). Maybe a belt sheath would work for you.
 
I suspect that it's not really a "tip-up or tip-down" problem but rather a lock problem.
I know there are plenty of folks who swear by their liner-locks and will have no other type of locking knife, but I just don't feel comfortable with them.
I've never had a lock-back or even a slip-joint knife open in my pocket.

Good luck,
Allen.
 
Just try switching to the right front pocket,with the spine of the blade against the trailing pocket seam. If it doesn't help, you can always switch back. I always used to carry my knives in right rear pocket and had several problems. It was carried that way the only time a knife opened in my pocket(a BM 2500 mini-reflex).Also, it seemed to catch on stuff like my steering wheel when exiting my car, or cheap folding picnic chairs. At DisneyLand, we were sliding under a crowd control rope to get in line for an attraction. As the rope crossed my behind, it flipped out the Spydie Endura that was in my right rear pocket and sent it sliding across the pavement with a loud clatter. Talk about embarrassing, and possiblly getting tossed for it.... It was much easier to lose in the rear pocket. It was definitely much easier to swipe from the rear pocket, especially when I was bending over. No pervert comments, please;) An associate at the gun/knife shop used to take it without my noticing on a pretty regular basis.Of course he was trying to prove a point and would always hand it back to me. Since I switched to front pocket carry, I have had none of these problems.
Try front pocket for a while, or try a belt sheath. Murphy is gonna keep biting you as long as you keep carrying the way you do!
David
 
Originally posted by Mark J
Here's a follow-up question for those of you who do carry the knives with the blade against a pocket seam. Have you ever had the blade start to open anyway and then cut into and/or catch on the seam? I would think that this would still happen, but I wouldn't know from experience (I've been too busy stabbing myself instead :))
Click to expand...
No. The knife would have to have a very poor blade/handle ratio for that to happen. On every tip-up knife I've owned, the tip of the knife is higher (when positioned for carry) than the clip. So the tip is already above the seam...kind of hard for it to catch on it.
Haven't checked out a SERE 2000, but I guess that could be a possibility for knives with the clip on the butt, that ride very low(?).
 
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