Up or Down?

"Tip up" or "Tip down"?

  • 1. UP

    Votes: 53 84.1%

  • 2. Down

    Votes: 10 15.9%
  • Total voters
    63
ShaiHulud said:
Tip down, way down. It's just safer that way, besides In my opinion the only reason for tip up is faster deployment. And when the detent in the knife gives way the knife may inadvertently open (downwards, seen it happen) tip down, it doesn't matter if the detent fails or whatever, it's not possible unless it defies gravity and opens upward
But then we'd have a whole host of different problems at that point
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How in the heck does the detent in a knife "give way" in the closed position? What kind of knife was that? I can't imagine any knife I have accidentally opening on it's own.
 
It really depends on the knife for me.

I EDC a Spyderco Military and on that knife tip down works perfectly. It seems to work best on bigger knives.

But if I wanna carry something that is tip up, it doesnt stop me
 
Ah yes, the weekly tip up vs tip down question.
I like tip up 99% of the time, because when I reach to pull the knife out of my pocket, my fingers are already in the natural position to flip the knife open.
If it were a fixed blade I would carry tip down.
 
Sibyrnes said:
How in the heck does the detent in a knife "give way" in the closed position? What kind of knife was that? I can't imagine any knife I have accidentally opening on it's own.
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I have actually had a ZT 0200 open a tiny bit and catch on the seam of my pants, i was carrying tip up. But those things are half pound 4” folders on washers.
 
tony281sc2 said:
I have actually had a ZT 0200 open a tiny bit and catch on the seam of my pants, i was carrying tip up. But those things are half pound 4” folders on washers.
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Is that one assisted?

I've had that happen with Kershaw's Speedsafe. In some cases, there isn't a crisp detent and there can be a little slop before engaging the assist. So in some cases, it can be possible to knock the knife just right and have the tip become slightly exposed. This is why you should definitely use the safety doodad and the Leek. That tip can bite!

Also, a little catch when it bites can be enough to engage the assist and it only gets worse from there... 😮
 
For the pants I wear and blades I carry, I prefer tip up. I could adapt to tip down depending how it was positioned. I have carried tip up for so long that it is just reflexive but I would not let it factor into excluding a knife if I really liked it.
 
Sibyrnes said:
How in the heck does the detent in a knife "give way" in the closed position? What kind of knife was that? I can't imagine any knife I have accidentally opening on it's own.
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My SRM has a weak omega spring in the axis lock. It is possible for a small amount of pocket fabric to catch on the blade tip and when you try to pull the knife from the pocket the blade opens because the detent spring is weak. This has happened to me twice. I need to adjust the spring and stiffen it when I get the time.
 
Chronovore said:
Is that one assisted?

I've had that happen with Kershaw's Speedsafe. In some cases, there isn't a crisp detent and there can be a little slop before engaging the assist. So in some cases, it can be possible to knock the knife just right and have the tip become slightly exposed. This is why you should definitely use the safety doodad and the Leek. That tip can bite!

Also, a little catch when it bites can be enough to engage the assist and it only gets worse from there... 😮
Click to expand...
the 0200 is a manual flipper on pb washers, but the detent on those is a little weak (they’re from 2008ish so whaddya expect)…
I wouldn’t know about the Leeks. Funny you mentioned it, because that is one of the only knives I’ll carry tip down. Reason being, half the thing sticks outta my pocket when you change the clip to tip up
 
Sibyrnes said:
How in the heck does the detent in a knife "give way" in the closed position? What kind of knife was that? I can't imagine any knife I have accidentally opening on it's own.
Click to expand...
It may be that the detent was weak or nonexistent. I've owned some older Benchmades that had no detent and some that had very little detent. If you weren't careful they could open in your pocket and when you put your hand in your pocket the blade is aimed at your hand. I seem to remember someone here that pulled their tip up knife out and the blade went out the side of their pants. If you carry with the blade pushed against the outside edge of your pocket and your clip is tight, this should never be a problem but clips can be loose, knives move around, things like that. A proper blade detent helps a lot.
 
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