Wire clip strength?

M

madfast

Joined
Oct 17, 2003
Messages
650
well it finally happened to me. was wearing my Caly3 in my right pocket when all of a sudden it caught on something and bam. wire clip bent to 45 degrees. took me like an hour to bend it back with my leatherman.

i was really liking the wire clip until this happened. i really lost a lot of faith in it's strength. can't imagine a strong "leaf spring" style clip doing this so easily. plus the wire clip's tip is like a loop so it's easier to catch on to something.

anybody else have this happen to them?
 
The wire clip on my Dodo got caught once, it didn't bend but it did pop the head off the screw that held it on.
 
i'm not quite sure what it caught on but i bumped into some open boxes that were full of various crap and then all of a sudden i felt a pull at my pocket. i look down and my clip is bent 45 degrees. this is my point. i don't think it takes an awful amount of force to bend the wire clip. this has made me appreciate the regular spydie clips a lot more.
 
To play devil's advocate, I caught the regular clip of my Native on the car door frame today. Didn't bend it to 45 degrees but there was about a cm of new space inbetween the clip and knife. Easily fixed after removal and bending back with my Leatherman but still bent all the same.
 
Been carrying pocket clip knives for about 5 years now, every day. This has happened to me on quite a number at various times.

I think this is integral to the design. First of all, do you really want that clip to hold fast if its really caught on something? For me I would not; but then again I've done a lot of work around industrial woodchippers. And then there is the cost issue; a 'high strength' pocket clip would likely be made of more materials, and better materials, making it more expensive... and likely much bulkier.

Take the good with the bad, pocket clips will catch and bend at somem point in their life, no matter the design. Just be wary of it and learn to avoid it. And get good at bending them back!
 
I agree. It's easier to bend back a clip than repair a bent or stripped out liner.
 
Or pull yourself out of a piece of machinery! Thats a more important point than most people give it credit for... at least in an EDC/working knife.
 
now that you mention it, i think the wire clip bending actually saved my pants pocket from ripping if the clip was too strong. i still think the regular clip is a better compromise though. the delica 4 has an awesome clip.
 
I bent my Yojimbo clip on the seatbelt in my car... Then again, the clip has that ginormous hole in it. :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top