Tip up / Tip down - pro's and con's?

B

Benelli Shooter

Joined
Jun 23, 2009
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Can someone explain to me the pro's and con's of each? All my knives have the handle so that they are carried tip down. However, I see quite a few knives carried tip up.

Why?
 
The only cons I've heard regarding tip up carry were concerns about the knife opening in your pocket and getting cut when you draw the knife. In my opinion this isn't an issue of the carry method but rather a flaw in the mechanics and/or design and/or tampering with the tension of the pivot screw to make the knife easier to open resulting in the knife opening in their pocket.

One of the pros of tip up carry is that the knife is in a more natural position to open and grip it when it is initially drawn out of the pocket. With tip down carry some adjustment in the positioning of the handle is required to get a proper grip. Of course this is based on my experience with both methods of carry and my training experience.
 
My opinions may be vastly different from some, but I think both have pros and cons for me.

I like tip up because it rests the spine of the blade against the pocket seam and prevents any accidental openings. But I don't like that tip up knives usually ride lower in the pocket (ie. less knife sticking out at the top).

Tip down knives tend to ride higher in the pocket, which I prefer. But if the knife has any sharp edges and corners, they usually stick out more in tip down configuration. For example, the Spyderco Centofante line. In tip down configuration, the sharp point at the top of the thumb ramp is exposed and will scratch you, whereas in tip up, that point is against the pocket seam.

My EDC (Benchmade 710) is a pretty good compromise of what I like best about both tip up and down. It's tip up, but it doesn't ride so low in the pocket that it's inaccessable and there are no exposed sharp edges. I would prefer it to ride maybe a quarter of an inch higher, but since it's otherwise perfect, I'm happy with it being tip up.

Again, take my opinion with a grain of salt, because I hate deep pocket carry and others (most?) seem to like deep carry.
 
You can't wave a tip down. :D
 
Pros of tip-up: it is how God intended man to carry a folder. When you reach in your pocket, your thumb naturally falls right on the Spydie hole or thumb stud, and when you remove the knife from your pocket you do not have to flip it 180 degrees as you do with tip down.

Pros of tip-down: none, unless its a big blade that gravity tends to open in your pocket.

I have spoken. :)
 
Tip down is regarded as 'safer' when it comes to liner and frame locking type folders especially. This is due to gravity opening and the potential being greater for that to occur with tip up carry vs tip down. It is more likely to occur if the detent ball is not set correctly or if it is missing. Then you have basically a gravity knife that is 'illegal' and classed in the same category as a switch blade (automatic).

Personally the argument that the folder blade can open by gravity in the pocket has never held much weight for me. Its simply hard for me to imagine my blade being able to open even if it had no detent ball in the lock at all and I say that because the way I carry my folder its tucked up in the corner of my pocket so well that if anything that snug fit in the corner of my pocket keeps the blade closed but I suppose if you carried in the back pocket or allowed your folder to move forward on the front pocket carry that its possible. Apparently some feel its better to err on the side of safety. I say this based on how many factory knives are shipped in tip down carry even when they are drilled for tip up although many are not drilled that way.

Being the pocket clip maker I am I can relate that I get more requests for tip up carry by far compared to tip down requests which seems to indicate to me that the vast majority of folders being made are most often set for tip down carry.

I can carry both ways. On some knives I like tip down better. Its the only way to carry a Kershaw ET or my Custom ET IMO and I've set both up for tip down just for the Spyderdrop method of opening the blades when I do carry one of them. I also seem to prefer tip down with my Dozier Thorn folder and feel its just easier to open and control the folder in my hand with the clip there to help me keep the body from wanting to spin rather than allow me to open the blade. On most others my usual preference and how my customs get shipped as the default mounting its tip up carry right hand most all the time unless otherwise requested but then, my detent balls actually work to hold the blade closed unlike a lot of other knives of the same type that I see where they are ineffective at keeping the blade tip down safely in the folder. Quite frankly I have several knives that are by definition gravity knives I simply don't trust the detent balls on at all. I'll spare you the names but I'm sure you've seen them too.

STR
 
Lemme put a spin on the OP... If you are carrying a button fired switchblade, tip up or tip down?
 
Charlie Mike said:
Lemme put a spin on the OP... If you are carrying a button fired switchblade, tip up or tip down?
Click to expand...

I can only speak of my ZT 0650, but there isn't even an option for tip down. Fortunately lefty tip-up is an option.

I've done experiments of intentionally depressing the switch while it's in my pocket. It doesn't open. The pocket keeps the blade in place. Perhaps if somehow the knife shifted to the middle of my pocket, released the safety, fired the blade, and I put my hand in my pocket without noticing, I'd poke myself. I just don't see this as likely.
 
powernoodle said:
Pros of tip-up: it is how God intended man to carry a folder. When you reach in your pocket, your thumb naturally falls right on the Spydie hole or thumb stud, and when you remove the knife from your pocket you do not have to flip it 180 degrees as you do with tip down.

Pros of tip-down: none, unless its a big blade that gravity tends to open in your pocket.

I have spoken. :)
Click to expand...

All hail the supernoodle. (he's spot on)
 
I like tip up, personally, because it immediately positions the knife for opening as it's drawn from the pocket. Also, as stated in earlier posts, it keeps the blade spine oriented snugly towards the back edge of the hip pocket, which makes it very difficult to accidently open in your pocket (and that's more of a loose pivot issue anyway, rendered moot if the pivot tension is sufficiently adjusted).

My biggest gripe against tip down carry is when the knife is worn while working outdoors. The pivot, being at the top, is exposed to all dust/dirt/etc that might be stirred up while mowing, digging or whatever in the yard. I figured that out the hard way, didn't want to worry about flushing out & cleaning the pivot after every day's work outside. If the knife is carried tip up (pivot down), you'll still collect a little pocket lint in the pivot over time, but at a much slower rate. Pocket lint's easier to blow out anyway, usually without having to do extra cleaning & lubing.
 
In general I feel safer with tip down, and I couldn't carry less about the "extra manipulation" compared to tip up. It's not as if I need my knives for SD.
 
Carry the thing however it is most comfortable for you and then practice with, that is all I have to say about it.
 
i prefer tip up but its just whatever ya are used to, i dont think it makes a lotta difference, really, the last knife which opened in my pocket was tip down FWIW, i carry tip up now almost exclusively (emerson custom '13, EKI '12 and a spydie Ti ATR) and have had exactly -0- problems for the last 8 or 10 yrs.
 
Having noted that God intended all men to carry tip up, I carry tip down.

But thats because I carry a gun in my strong side pocket, and carry the folder on my weak/left side. I'm too safety-minded to carry anything else in my right pocket with the gun for fear of creating a negligent discharge. I'm right handed, so having the folder tip down on my weak side seems to work best for me.

But I stick by my thesis that tip up is the way to go, where applicable.
 
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For flippers, if you're right handed, I like tip up because the spine of the blade butts up against my pocket.

I suppose I could go tip down and butt it up against the inside of my pocket, but I'm not comfortable with a blade that close to my manhood...even if it would be hard to get the blade to accidentally open. Besides, tip up makes it more natural for me to open the blade after I pull it from the pant pocket.
 
Tip down for me - most of my tactical folders are set up in this configuration and I have become accustomed to drawing-and-opening tip down.

Tip up is especially annoying on knives with large thumb studs... they snag on the pocket frequently.
 
How ever the clip is on the knife when I get is how I carry it. I could care less tip up or tip down, it's a pocket knife! Now my Series 80 .45 ACP, tip down always.:D





:)
 
powernoodle said:
Pros of tip-up: it is how God intended man to carry a folder. When you reach in your pocket, your thumb naturally falls right on the Spydie hole or thumb stud, and when you remove the knife from your pocket you do not have to flip it 180 degrees as you do with tip down.

Pros of tip-down: none, unless its a big blade that gravity tends to open in your pocket.

I have spoken. :)
Click to expand...

And you have spoken well, sir! :thumbup:

I will add that the quality of the blade detent in liner locks and frame locks is more important in tip up carry even if the blade isn't all the heavy. Mostly that can be corrected by clipping the blade up against your pocket seam. If there's some reason you can't (leather reinforcing patch on work pants for instance) then you really have to be careful not to just jam you hand down in there until you know your knife won't open.

I learned this the hard way---one of the downsides of scary sharp knives is that clean cuts bleed a LOT more than ragged ones.:thumbdn:
 
Personally dont really care that much. I have knives of either type and it just doesn't effect me much. In fact I had to check to see if they were tip up or down as I don't notice;D
 
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