Tip-Up?, Tip Down? I'm Confused. Help Please.

[ArtyZ]

I carry a Spyderco Delica which is carried tip-up. I can open this knife well as tip-up makes sense to me. I picked up a Spydie Police yesterday which is carried tip-down.
Question: How do most people grab and open this knife? What are the advantages/disadvantages to either/both methods?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Quiet Storm]

Hi ArtyZ!
Welcome to the forums!

If you use the search function before posting a new topic, you can find out if this has been talked about before.

Follow this link, there you will find a couple of threads listed by ZENGHOST concerning the tip-up/tip-down thing.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=218984
If there remain any questions after reading these discussions, do not hesitate to post a new thread and ask!

Since you´ve already started a new thread, I´m gonna throw in my 2 Cents:
I don´t think there is a huge difference between the two different clip positions. Some people feel that tip-up is more suitable for SD, because they say it allows them to draw the knife slightly faster, others discard this carry method because they say folders with heavy blades might open accidently when carried tip-up.
It´s a matter of personal preference I guess.

 

[calyth]

Tip up knifes generally need more blade retention, because if there's any serrations on the spine, it may catch the corner of the pocket and open accidentally. My Spyderco Native did that once (it's backspring isn't that strong) and I'll have them take a look at it when I got my Endura back from sharpening.
I found it easier for me to open tip down knives, because I usually wear jeans and their pocket prohibits me from drawing a tip-up knive and opening it in one smooth motion. I would have to move my hand a little bit. This doesn't happen on tip-down knive because I'd grab near the pivot, and by the time I have the handle in my hand I would be already opening the knife.
It's not as much as how it's carried, but it has more to do with what kind of attire you'll be wearing. Pockets that opens more vertically usually allow me to get a tip-up knife without problems, while the cut on most jeans present a problem... limiting a smooth motion to a 3" or less blade.

 

[Gollnick]

I have a friend who is a mechanical engineer. One of his basic rules is, "Don't fight gravity. You can't win." Tip-up fights gravity. Gravity is there 24/7 pulling down on that blade trying to open your knife.

Many folks say, "But I push my knife back in my pocket so that the seam of the pocket keeps it shut." But can you guarantee me that that knife will never slip up a bit? You may not notice that knife slip forward a bit, but gravity never sleeps. It will not miss the opportunity to pull your knife open.

Tip-down actually uses gravity to pull the knife blade down and, thus, keep it shut.

Tip-Up is a fraction of a second, maybe a quarter of second or so, faster to open. Granted.

I have never, not once, seen anyone post here saying, "Thank God I was able to open my knife a quarter of a second faster. That quarter of a second saved my life."

On the other hand, there have been numerous posts from folks saying, "I just slit my hand open on a tip-up knife that opened up in my pocket."

Faster opening is a good and desirable thing. But cutting your own hand on your own knife is a very undesirable thing. So it's a tradeoff.

When you switch from tip-up to tip-down you give up a fifth- or a quarter-of-a-second of opening speed. But you substantially reduce your risk of cutting your own hand on your own knife. That's a good tradeoff, I think.

 

[LynnBob]

Originally posted by Gollnick

I have never, not once, seen anyone post here saying, "Thank God I was able to open my knife a quarter of a second faster.

Hmmmmm. Ever been to the Emerson forum?

Tip down is especially good with Spydies. You can pull it out by the hole and flick your wrist downward. Pretty fast opening. I personally care more about other things than tip up or down. I have knives of each flavor.

If I had to choose...I'd choose tip down. I'm not worried about tip up when carrying in a front pocket. I would, however, never carry tip up on my waistband or in my back pocket

 

[Nathan S]

I formerly preferred tip up carry, but have been converted to the tip down point of view. It's too easy for the thumbstud of a folder to snag in your pocket during extraction, thereby opening the blade. Tip down is safer, period. Unfortunately, not all folders are available in a tip down format. The Sebenza, for example, is exclusively tip up, the only negative point that comes to mind about that otherwise exceptional knife.

 

[Simple Man]

I have read most all the threads on this I can find, and my concern in this. If you are carrying a tip down knife, what is to keep you from snagging your keys or something else on the hole/thumbstud while removing your hand from your pocket?

I carry solely in my right-hand pocket. My main EDC is an Endura (tip up, blade spine to seam), and when a smaller knife is called for, a Claypso Jr.(tip down). I switched the clip on the Calypso to put the blade spine to the seam. This makes for a more difficult draw, but seems safer to me.

Has anybody gotten cut on a tip down knife with the blade spine to the pocket side and the back of the handle to the seam?

Edited because it is too early to be thinking.

 

[tuhkis]

I prefer tip down carry - I think it is safer that way.

Even my small Sebbie - can you imagine - has once partially opened in my pocket.

Oh, on the other hand I like BM Axis lock knives - and they are tip up carry. But I think - I can be wrong - they are a little bit safer to do that than some others.

 

[AlphalphaPB]

Wow, a new tip-up/tip-down thread every day.

For me, both tip-up and tip-down require slight hand-shifting to index the knife correctly, which means it's not very fast.

Some people say they can grab the whole handle of a tip-up knife while it's still in the pocket, then open up quickly without much of a hand transition. But this is hard to do for larger blades (>4 in. handle, for me). I think it's because I mainly wear pants with vertical (slit) pockets. It'd be easier with jeans type (near-horizontal) pockets. Interestingly, Calyth's view of the pocket slit orientation is exactly the opposite of mine. There's no real winner in the speed department, in my opinion.

Regarding security, I think the opposite of most people here. Tip-down knives, since they're not held closed by a pocket seam, could open up while in your pocket, and cut you if you're pulling something out of it. I've had an interesting experience where a tip-down knife poked a hole in my rear pocket as I was sitting down. Tip-up knives just don't have the problem of opening up in your front pockets, if you're holding it against the back of the pocket. So I prefer tip-up.

Conclusion? Folder's are handy and are interesting from a mechanical point of view, but I think that if you're looking for real speed and security, fixed blades are the way to go.

We've collectively semi-hijacked the thread. Regarding the Police, a large knife, I would actually prefer it to be tip-down, since the tip would be lower in the pocket. This would present less of a danger to a hand in a pocket. If it were tip-up, it would require more manipulation to get the thumb onto the hole.

Just gotta get used to whatever you're carrying. I think both tip-up and tip-down are OK.

 

[Lone Hunter]

Tip up tip down,combo edges,tanto points and on and on.Its all what ever floats your boat,you like it? Then its fine for you.Except of course those people who like the sebenza that just don't make any sense.

 

[calyth]

Originally posted by ROM831

Has anybody gotten cut on a tip down knife with the blade spine to the pocket side and the back of the handle to the seam?

With a weak backspring and serrations on the spine for the thumb (eg Spyderco Native), it could inadvertantly cut you when you draw. I had that heppen where the serration acted like a primitive Wave feature and open the blade enough so that the top pokes my finger. It wasn't enough to draw blood but the Native is waiting to be looked at once I receive the Endura back.