Tip up vs tip down carry

I generally prefer tip up carry. But, if I like the knife, I don't care if it is tip up or down. But, I REALLY gotta like it a lot if it id tip down. I many knives that are tip down, and I LOVE them.
 
VR4 said:
What's safer about tip down?
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If you are in a stressful situation (or ever owned a SOG vulcan) you will find that sometimes the tip of the knife will find your fingers before they grasp the handle :eek:

BUT....

I prefer tip up anyways because my hand is already in position to push the thumb stud/spyder hole open and I don't have to reposition my hand. One major exception to this is the Spyderco Military. That's one knife that I don't mind having tip down. Plus, I like the added security of having the blade rest against the back lip of my pocket (I carry right side with the clip furthest back with the spine against the pocket).
 
Tip up. Taking the knife out of my pocket and opening it can be performed in one smooth motion that way.
 
I like the wave feature so it works with tip up. But I had Spydy Mili and I found it more then ok tip down.
 
If you are in a stressful situation (or ever owned a SOG vulcan) you will find that sometimes the tip of the knife will find your fingers before they grasp the handle
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I do not understand how this could happen.
The tip of the blade should still be in the handle if you're pulling it of your pocket. If the tip is exposed, wouldn't this be a flaw in the knife and not a flaw in the orientation of the blade? I would say yes, for knives that aren't properly designed, tip down is safer, if that were the case, but why would you want a knife that has this requirement? (I'm not advocating for or against a particular orientation)
 
I personally dont really care too much. I tend to carry tip up as it has just worked out that way. I think the clip is more comfortable in my grip with tip up or maybe just more aesthetically pleasing in most cases. It isnt something I look for when I buy a knife :p
 
dont care either way. theyre both equally fast and convenient. ive carried tip down most of my life and i do currently.
 
tip up.

safety is definitely an issue for me.
consider this, in years of carrying a knife, you will most likely (and hopefully) never get into the position where you need to defend your life with it. The risk therefore, is not in how slow or fast you can draw your knife (though you should be prepared for fast deployment), but instead in how safe it is carrying it around all this time on a day by day basis. What are potential injuries and tradeoffs there?
in my opinion tip up is safer when you carry it the right way.
When you carry it against the lining of your pocket (righthand) towards the side of your back, the blade is fixed against the lining and your hand slides in your pocket to grab the knife on the other side of where the blade is positioned. This is a very safe position, and a good clip will prevent the knife from moving to another place in your pocket. Furthermore, even when a freak thing happens, it will most likely injure your thumb or fingers, but not the artery in your wrist, which would be life threatening.
Against tip down is the following argument.
In your groin area are arteries and veins which are highly vulnerable for knife piercing. when the blade of your tip down carried knife is slightly outside the handle and you bend or sit down (a movement backed by considerable force and or speed), there is a risk of getting seriously injured in this area, which could result in really serious damage. Not to mention the potential damage to something Bobbit wishes never came into contact with a knife
With tip up, if the blade opens and you make a movement, it will probably only grease some skin or fat, which is a far less serious issue.
 
doesn't matter a whole lot for me. i *prefer* tip up if i can get it, but if i can't, and i like the knife, it isn't a deal breaker.
 
I only move the clip on a knife so as to get the deepest possible set in my pocket when carrying. Other than that, I don't give a hoot which way the blade is. :yawn::rolleyes:;):)
 
powernoodle said:
God intended folders to be carried tip-up, so that one's thumb naturally falls on the Spydie hole or thumb stud.
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Gah, so tired of that excuse... That work on some knives, but not others.

Tip-down with a nice place to grab the knife around the pivot area is the quickest, most unobtrusive carry method in my opinion.
 
Doesn't much matter to me. I find my Millie & Para carry like they should tip down and the others fine tip up. Both carries require at least a minimum of rotation to be deployed and the difference to me is minuscule.
 
powernoodle said:
God intended folders to be carried tip-up, so that one's thumb naturally falls on the Spydie hole or thumb stud. :)
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Wrong. I have very large hands (length wise, not fatness) and even I can't get a good grip on a large knife in the pocket. You can only put your hand in the pocket as far as the web of your thumb. If you're carrying a large knife tip up with a HIGH mounted pocket clip, there is no way you will draw the knife and be in a perfect position to open it. In that case, tip down is much simpler and easier. You pinch the pivot, pull the knife out. All you have to do is let the back of the knife roll into your palm and you're in perfect position to open it. I do prefer tip up carry but only if I can grab the WHOLE knife in that position. The Benchmade 940 is pretty much my limit for tip up carry. If it gets bigger than that, tip down is more comfortable. I don't want you to think I'm just talking here. Take a medium sized knife (Delica or mini grip, something like that) and take your biggest folder. Make sure they are both tip up carry. Put one in your pocket and try to draw it and open it with the least amount of movement as possible. Now do the same thing with the other. Unless your hands are HUGE, and I mean GIGANTIC, there is no question that the smaller knife will be easier to manipulate in the tip up position.
 
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