Tip up or tip down clips?`

N

Nightglock

Joined
Sep 2, 1999
Messages
138
I've heard that tip up knives are much safer than tip down knives. Are there any reasons for this? What are the advantages of each? I'm kind of wondering because my Stryker (tip down), which I carry everyday, seems much faster to deploy from my pocket, than my 710SBT Axis lock (tip up), which I just got and am debating whether to carry it or the new Elishewitz Axis lock. Thanks.
 
I own both tip up and tip down knives and I prefer tip down. That's because I carry my knives in my pack pocket and when I draw them my fingers naturally grab the pivot pin so I draw in very quickly. A tip up knife I have to dig in deep to grab the pivot. I don't know about the safety issue, I've never had a problem.

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"Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n"
John Milton
There are only two types of people; those who understand this, and those who think they do.
 
most people will say that tip-up is much more dangerous than tip-down. a tip-up has the chance of opening slightly while in your pocket, and whenyou reach in your pocket, you stand a chance of real damage. this is mostly for liner locks or its derivitives. with most lockbacks or the axis lock you mention, the blade will snap closed unless it is open a significant amount. therefore, two of the three linerlocks i own are tip down. the other one is a spyderco wenger and i trust that it won't open up on me.i personally find tip-up to be faster for me, but this is a highly personal thing. my personal rule is that liner locks will be tip down. any lock that holds the blade closed as well as open such as a lockbacks or axis, i'll take what i get.
 
Oh no! Not this again
wink.gif
.

The question may be redundant, but that doesn't mean that my answer has to be. So here is my CURRENT opinion on the matter:

Folders with 3.75"+ blades--tip down
Folders with 3.5"- blades--tip up

My Benchmade 710sbt is the exception to my rule, as I wish it were tip up configured. I like to open it by giving it a little push with my middle finger and LIGHTLY shaking my hand. It opens lightening fast that way. Well, it opens lightening fast in any of 4-5 different ways that I open it, but opening it as described is by far the most fun for me.

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Yeah! Drop the chalupa...


 
I prefer tip down if I have to use the thumb hole or stud to deploy the blade. If the knife is one that can be easily shaken open using my famous "shake and flip" method, then I prefer tip up. The Spyderco Endura and the Benchmade 710 Axis Lock are two excellent tip-up shaker-flippers. You can read more of my posts on this subject in this thread:

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum20/HTML/000965.html

And here's another:

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum32/HTML/000603.html

Regards,
David Rock

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AKTI Member # A000846
Stop when you get to bone.
 
I vote for tip down. I have had my AFCK open on me in my pocket before (the pivot pin needed a little tightening!) and I could have done an awful lot of damage to my hand if I had plunged it in my pocket to retrieve something! Also, as I pull it out of my pocket my thumb naturally rests on the opening hole so the blade is locked open before I have the knive raised to my chest!

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"Come What May..."
 
double post!

[This message has been edited by Humpty (edited 16 December 1999).]
 
I like tip up since i can just grab it and then flick it out. But I also keep my knife in my left pocket and I'm right handed. So I'm weird. I don't like to grab the knife whenever and want to be careful before I take it out. Plus, I have a pager that goes in the right pocket
smile.gif
my $0.02

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-Humpty

Proverbs 23:2

AKTI Member # A000984

 
Haven't we discussed this in several previous posts? It seems tip-up vs. tip-down comes up quite often...there are advantages and disadvantages to each, and it all comes down to personal preference. I prefer tip-up ala Emerson Knives.

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"They sicken of the calm, who know the storm."
RFrost5746@aol.com or Robert_Frost@risknetworldwide.com

 
I generally prefer tip-down, but I do like the way the tip-up REKAT Carnivour deploys and the way that it remains closed in my pocket. I had a very early Al Mar Quicksilver open in my pocket (it had no clip) and I have been paranoid about this ever since.

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh Fuller
Arlington, Virginia

 
It just seems to me that when I first grab my knife from my pocket, I can automatically place my thumb underneath the thumb stud on a tip down knife. That way when I pull the knife out of my pocket, I can flick the thumb stud up and the blade deploys instantly. On my tip up Axis, when I draw the knife, I have to pull the knife out of my pocket, get a good grip on the handle and then be able to either flick the thumb stud or unlock the Axis lock. I know that this may take a couple seconds longer, but it seems tip down is faster on the draw. I know the Axis in general is fast to deploy the blade but I feel that I'm much quicker on the draw with my Stryker. Maybe because you need to fully take out a tip up knife out of your pocket before you're able to deploy the blade, maybe that's the reason it's safer. Any further thoughts?
 
I used to like the Tip up, but after I got my M2 AFCK, the Tip down carry works like a dream to me, I reach into the pocket, grab the pivot area and when I take the knife out, I snap the handle down while holding the blade hole, works slick as I'd want.

G2

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"There are no dangerous weapons;
there are only dangerous men."
........... Robert A. Heinlein, 1959

www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Cabin/7306/blades.html

Gillett, PA.




[This message has been edited by Gary W. Graley (edited 17 December 1999).]
 
nightglock, if you get a smaller tip-up knife, you might find that it deploys faster than the Axis. i have an axis and it is slower than a tip-up for me. for a smaller tip-up, you can get a full grip easily and i find them the fastest to open. for instance, my spyderco native is my all time fastest to open. i use both, but i prefer tip-up for 3.5" folders and tip-up for above for the above mentioned reason.
 
I think it depends on how you want to carry it. For carry in a front pocket I prefer tip down. That way the knife is facing the same way in your pocket as it will be in your hand when you pull it out.Your fingers point forward with your thumb up when you reach for the knife.So you want the knife with the pivot pin up and the blade facing forward.
For carry in a back pocket I like tip up. As you reach behind you for the knife, your fingers point to the side and your thumb is down so you want the pivot pin down and the blade facing the same the same way as your fingers.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Nightglock:

I agree that the tip-up position makes it difficult to reach the thumb stud on a large folder. So don't use the thumb stud.

To open the 710 Axis Lock really fast, and with a secure grip, just grab the butt end of the knife, pull it out and shake the blade open. The same method works with the Endura.

David Rock

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AKTI Member # A000846
Stop when you get to bone.
 
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