Direction of knife in pocket

outrider58 · Jan 18, 2015

In my business, hinge up, tip down is the only way to fly. I can open it just as fast as the other direction guys. I have recently gone to pocket as opposed to belt carry. The idea, though, of jamming my hand into my pocket to a waiting knife tip, defies all logic. And you're talking to a guy who's had a lot of knives stuck in his hands.

Boom Boom · Jan 18, 2015

outrider58 said:
The idea, though, of jamming my hand into my pocket to a waiting knife tip, defies all logic. And you're talking to a guy who's had a lot of knives stuck in his hands.

I've been carrying folders tip up for 40 years without the blade coming open. Flip your argument. A folding knife, tip down, opens in your pocket. You sit down or bend over and the blade punctures or slices your buttock or upper thigh. Instead of a cut hand or finger, you might now face a life-threatening injury. It shouldn't happen with a quality knife, but it's just as valid an argument against carrying tip down.

Traveler · Jan 18, 2015

Femoral artery will bleed you out fast. Hand would just hurt like hell. Tip up for me, per my knife manufacturer.

outrider58 · Jan 18, 2015

Boom Boom said:
I've been carrying folders tip up for 40 years without the blade coming open. Flip your argument. A folding knife, tip down, opens in your pocket. You sit down or bend over and the blade punctures or slices your buttock or upper thigh. Instead of a cut hand or finger, you might now face a life-threatening injury. It shouldn't happen with a quality knife, but it's just as valid an argument against carrying tip down.

Where to start...
Have been stabbed in the upper thigh so I can check that box.
When a folder opens tip down (because the opener snagged on something, a common occurrence), the tip generally doesn't open all the way. Gravity.
My fingers are a HELL of a lot tougher than my thigh or buttock so, i'll take one in the hand any day.
Quality knife? Totally agree but, I don't carry a quality knife for work. Kershaw is as good as it will get. When i'm out and about, different matter, different blades.
I say all this from experience. I crawl around on floors all day, a lot of the time in awkward positions squeezing through tight little spaces. Yoga ain't got sh!t on me. This is where knives come open inadvertently and without knowledge.

Seagrave1963 · Jan 18, 2015

Gryphon said:
I keep the sharp and pointy end away from the jewels.

+1

It got cut once, no more!

rdc · Jan 18, 2015

outrider58 said:
In my business, hinge up, tip down is the only way to fly. I can open it just as fast as the other direction guys. I have recently gone to pocket as opposed to belt carry. The idea, though, of jamming my hand into my pocket to a waiting knife tip, defies all logic. And you're talking to a guy who's had a lot of knives stuck in his hands.

Tip up clipped in your pocket. Sitting toward the rear of your pocket. When you put your hand in your pocket you never come anywhere near the blade. Basically always feel the backstrap of the knife against the pinky side of your hand. Blade is against the rear of your pocket. I don't see how you could cut yourself. I've crawled around plenty. Never an issue.

outrider58 · Jan 18, 2015

rdc said:
Tip up clipped in your pocket. Sitting toward the rear of your pocket. When you put your hand in your pocket you never come anywhere near the blade. Basically always feel the backstrap of the knife against the pinky side of your hand. Blade is against the rear of your pocket. I don't see how you could cut yourself. I've crawled around plenty. Never an issue.

I did contradict myself in my last post. Howyeva, the rear of the pocket would depend which pocket you carry on, wouldn't it? I pocket carry (my clipper) on my weak left side.

rdc · Jan 18, 2015

outrider58 said:
I did contradict myself in my last post. Howyeva, the rear of the pocket would depend which pocket you carry on, wouldn't it? I pocket carry (my clipper) on my weak left side.

I thought About that because I know a bunch of lefties that carry the same way I do. The spydercos and benchmades I (and they) carried allow you to flip the clip so the blade still sits rearward. My original spyderco had a molded clip and you were stuck. Carry that in your left pocket any you could definitely cut yourself.

outrider58 · Jan 18, 2015

rdc said:
I thought About that because I know a bunch of lefties that carry the same way I do. The spydercos and benchmades I (and they) carried allow you to flip the clip so the blade still sits rearward. My original spyderco had a molded clip and you were stuck. Carry that in your left pocket any you could definitely cut yourself.

Any opinions I offer on this site(MDS) are my own. I never (to the best of my intent), try to change any ones behavior. Only to explain my own. I have seen very few clip-on knives where the clip is opposite the hinge. ''carrying it that way for 40 years" (paraphrasing), I didn't know clippers have been around that long. :shrug:

lsw · Jan 18, 2015

How you are carrying really makes a difference as to whether tip up or hinge up is better. I usually carry in my pocket, not using the clip, with the hinge side of the knife forward so when I grab it my thumb is naturally near the flipper. I sometimes use the clip for carrying in a back pocket. With the hinge up (tip down), I pull the knife out with my thumb & forefinger and for me it just naturally falls into my grasp that way. It it was hinge down, I'd have to really dig my hand into the pocket to grab it, or flip the knife around, to get the hinge on the thumb side of my hand.

rdc · Jan 18, 2015

outrider58 said:
Any opinions I offer on this site(MDS) are my own. I never (to the best of my intent), try to change any ones behavior. Only to explain my own. I have seen very few clip-on knives where the clip is opposite the hinge. ''carrying it that way for 40 years" (paraphrasing), I didn't know clippers have been around that long.

Not trying to change your opinion there buddy. Just laying my experience out ther for others. What works for me might not work for others. God knows I do some things contrary to "conventional wisdom".

And I'm only 38. 40 years would be a feat.

I honestly think we're on the same page in what we're trying to accomplish. Inform other of our experience nothing more. I probably could have worded my responsees to your posts better.

outrider58 · Jan 18, 2015

rdc said:
Not trying to change your opinion there buddy. Just laying my experience out ther for others. What works for me might not work for others. God knows I do some things contrary to "conventional wisdom".

And I'm only 38. 40 years would be a feat.

I honestly think we're on the same page in what we're trying to accomplish. Inform other of our experience nothing more. I probably could have worded my responsees to your posts better.

We're good! :thumbsup:

rdc · Jan 18, 2015

outrider58 said:
We're good!

BigDaddy · Jan 18, 2015

My fingers are a HELL of a lot tougher than my thigh or buttock so

I didn't really have an opinion till I read this. My fingers have tendons(some people call them leaders) so I would never call them tougher than my ass.

My ass could easily survive death by 1000 cuts. :lol:

BDWMS · Jan 19, 2015

I carried that way until I read a few posts on here. I switched everything to tip up. I can get to my blade a bit quicker, but it took a few weeks to get used to it.

outrider58 · Jan 19, 2015

BigDaddy said:
I didn't really have an opinion till I read this. My fingers have tendons(some people call them leaders) so I would never call them tougher than my ass.

My ass could easily survive death by 1000 cuts.

Not gonna challenge you on that one. We'll have to take you by your word. :lol:

outrider58 · Jan 19, 2015

...and by the way, I can crack walnuts with my ass-cheeks. So says the Mrs, :lol2:

rico903 · Jan 19, 2015

Never gave much thought to this. Just checked all my Kershaws and they are all set up for hinge side up out of the box. I guess I've gotten used to this operation as I don't stick my whole hand on my pocket to retrieve a knife. One grip with the Kershaws is that some of them have such a small clip as to be all but useless. These small clip models came in a bubble packages so I never knew it until I got home.

Cold Warrior · Jan 19, 2015

Tip up

I use to carry tip down, but what changed my carry more than anything was the incorporation of a lanyard. It totally changed my ease of deployment, so now for me, all lanyard-equipped knives are carried tip up (As shown on the Kershaw Thermite).

Ethan83 · Jan 19, 2015

rdc said:
Tip up clipped in your pocket. Sitting toward the rear of your pocket. When you put your hand in your pocket you never come anywhere near the blade. Basically always feel the backstrap of the knife against the pinky side of your hand. Blade is against the rear of your pocket. I don't see how you could cut yourself. I've crawled around plenty. Never an issue.

This. Assuming your knife is set-up for your dominant hand, carry it on your dominant side front pocket all the way to the outside, and it literally can't open even if it wants to, and even if it did, it would be the side away from a hand reaching into the pocket. Been carrying tip-up like this for probably close to 10 years now, never a problem.

Direction of knife in pocket

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