Been reading the Tip Up thread and seems as though there are good reasons for tip up and tip down. I want to learn from your mistakes, misfortunes or other good advise on my first EDC. Dont want to cut fingers or pants or jab a leg or something. So, I am right handed, and carry my wallet in my back right pocket. So I am guessing that the right front pocket is where I carry? Move it all the way to the left, which means closer to the zipper? Or all the way to the right? Someone wanted his knife to open into a seem and my knife is presently configured tip down, which means that it will open up toward the zipper?
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Tip up, tip down, but WHERE on the pocket? Seam?
- Thread starter LawyerSam
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Tip-up, clip on the right side of the knife, on the right pocket.
The blade is against the edge of my pocket, and there is absolutely no chance of stabbing yourself with it in this configuration.
The blade is against the edge of my pocket, and there is absolutely no chance of stabbing yourself with it in this configuration.
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I tuck the blade all the way back against the seam.
Today I had my first knife opening in my pocket incident.
The tip of the blade opened in an area where my hand can't possibly fit.
Seems to be safer there. It's more comfortable there, too.
Today I had my first knife opening in my pocket incident.
The tip of the blade opened in an area where my hand can't possibly fit.
Seems to be safer there. It's more comfortable there, too.
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I carry mine tip down(except the manix 2) because I just have gotten used to it and I have practice deploying from tip down. But I do think tip down or up, it's safer with the blade snugged up against the inseam( if RFP, then the blade away from your zipper). I also think that smaller folders are faster to deploy from that carry configuration(tip up). However, for larger folders, if I carry tip up, my thumb is nowhere near the thumb hole when I pull out the knife.
TyFrameLock
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Right there.
Tip-Up, all the way over to the right in the right front pocket. Right-handed right?
And I pull it out with the lanyard.
Tip-Up, all the way over to the right in the right front pocket. Right-handed right?
And I pull it out with the lanyard.
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The ONE time I poked my thumb on a tip-up knife in my pocket, was when I carried it in my back right pocket. The blade was free to open up towards the center of the pocket. I reached back there for my comb, felt some 'resistance' against my thumb, and just pushed in a little more. Stabbed the tip of my thumb, bled like a stuck pig.
Otherwise, I've always carried tip-up in my right front pocket, with the spine of the blade snuggled up tight to the hip-seam. Absolutely no chance of getting my finger on the tip there. Never had any issues this way.
Otherwise, I've always carried tip-up in my right front pocket, with the spine of the blade snuggled up tight to the hip-seam. Absolutely no chance of getting my finger on the tip there. Never had any issues this way.
My Persistence has the indention for a right handed opening, and the clip is on the lock liner side, tip down. If I push it to the far right, outer leg portion of the right front pocket, the blade will open up towards the zipper. Do I need to worry about that? Right now, it would be hard to open the blade as long as I fully close it, it being new and the pivot being tight. Then again, I dont have to reach all the way down and can not envision myself being stuck by the tip. If I reverse the clip, it turns the tip up but the blade would be up against the seam.
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Yes, I have mine in the same configuration. I do keep my pivot tight enough that none of my knives except the manix 2 can be "inertia opened". A knife carried tip up with the blade against the inseam would probably have the least issues about safety(re: inadvertent blade opening). The way I deploy a knife carried that way is to insert my index finger and have it along the back of the handle with my thumb and middle finger pinching the protruding part.When the knife is out, I find my thumb near enough to the thumbhole for deployment without much more grip adjustment. OTOH, carrying and deploying my 'nook 3 that way does not work for me because when I have the knife out, I have to make a relatively large grip adjustment to get my thumb near the hole. But that's just me. A good way to find out is to try different configurations and find out what works well for you.
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Not necessarily. A friend of mine is paraplegic, in a wheelchair. He found out, the HARD WAY, that tip-down (vs. tip up) just means if the blade opens up, you'll get stabbed in the LEG (as opposed to your finger). Because he's paraplegic, he didn't immediately notice this until he looked down and saw the still-expanding bloodstain on his jeans.
At least with tip-up (right hand), the blade's spine can be snugged up against the hip-seam of the pocket. Makes it a lot tougher for the blade to open up and poke one's self, even if the detent is weak.
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Agree.
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I stand corrected.
The incidents with tip up carry mostly happen when the knife is not clipped, thus the blade spine doesn't press against the seam. As long as the spine is pressed against the seam, you're safe regardless whether it's tip up or tip down.
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1. Weak detent
2. Vertical play (slop) when closed
3. Thumbstuds that are too tall/rough, and therefore prone to get snagged by clothing
To me, these are the main reasons why the blade opens up in the pocket. The first (weak detent), I think is the biggest offender. The problems with that are obvious.
The second (vertical play when closed) will allow the tip of the blade to expose itself outside the handle, independant of the detent strength. It'll either snag on clothing or, as happened to me, stab my fingertip as I reached into my back pocket for my comb.
The third (thumbstud) can be a problem if it's badly designed/executed. If it's too tall, it'll stand too proud of the handle, making it prone to being snagged by anything that touches it. Same issue if it's badly machined/textured; it'll snag whatever touches it.
If the above three issues are eliminated, the whole tip-up/down thing is basically moot as a safety issue. Just comes down to individual preference after that.
2. Vertical play (slop) when closed
3. Thumbstuds that are too tall/rough, and therefore prone to get snagged by clothing
To me, these are the main reasons why the blade opens up in the pocket. The first (weak detent), I think is the biggest offender. The problems with that are obvious.
The second (vertical play when closed) will allow the tip of the blade to expose itself outside the handle, independant of the detent strength. It'll either snag on clothing or, as happened to me, stab my fingertip as I reached into my back pocket for my comb.
The third (thumbstud) can be a problem if it's badly designed/executed. If it's too tall, it'll stand too proud of the handle, making it prone to being snagged by anything that touches it. Same issue if it's badly machined/textured; it'll snag whatever touches it.
If the above three issues are eliminated, the whole tip-up/down thing is basically moot as a safety issue. Just comes down to individual preference after that.
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Right there.
Tip-Up, all the way over to the right in the right front pocket. Right-handed right?
And I pull it out with the lanyard.
Exactly the same for me. If I do have to carry a tip down, the clip comes off, and it goes in a sheath.
Kaizen1
Gold Member
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I've carried several models in this way and have never had an issue with accidental opening. The one time where I almost had a problem was with an Endura Wave that began opening because of the wave without my knowing it and due to the detent of the backlock, it began to close back on my fingers. I keep my edges fairly sharp (I can whittle hair with all of my blades) but stopped the blade before I got cut.
Tip up or down, I don't think you'll have any problem with accidental openings if you keep the knife in your right pocket all the way to the right.