Folding knife opening in your pocket?

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ben317

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May 10, 2011
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I was wondering if anyone had or has known someone who's pocket knife has come open in their pocket, and if they've ever been cut because of it. I just received my new spyderco military in the mail yesterday. It's clip only allows for tip down carry, which I think is scary because it seems like if the knife opened in your pocket this would be the position where it would be most likely to cut you. I experimented shaking the knife up and down to see if I could get the knife to come out and to my dismay, I did end up being able to do it. Now I'm nervous about keeping it in my pocket.
 
Tip down is scarier? I always thought tip up was worse because you'll slice your hand open if it's open and you reach in to grab it.

I wouldn't worry too much about it coming open though honestly.
 
I was thinking with the knife opening facing down you could cut the inside of your leg pretty good if you sat down.
 
I carry tip up and has never happened to me. I have heard that due to a weak detent this was a bit of an issue with some of the gen 1 tenaciouses.
 
i've carried knives nearly everyday in my pocket for about the last 10 years, i can't remember a single time stabbed myself reaching for a knife or while sitting down.
 
Happend twice with 2 different kershaw blur tantos. Think maybe it had somthing to do with the spring thing.
 
I don't think it's much of an issue if it's in your pocket. Maybe more if you toss it in your backpack or something, then it might come open.
 
j3jymann said:
Tip down is scarier? I always thought tip up was worse because you'll slice your hand open if it's open and you reach in to grab it.

I wouldn't worry too much about it coming open though honestly.
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Tip up puts the spine of the blead against the back edge of your pocket, so assuming you carry your knife toward the back of your pocket it really can't come open. Tip down places the spine of the blade toward the front of the pocket and free to open if the knife has a weak detent.

I've always preferred tip up carry for the simple reason that I don't have to reposition my hand to actually open the blade. Never worried about a knife opening in my pocket because I never carry a knife that will open without decisive action on my part.

edit: The above assumes that you are using a clip to secure the knife to your pocket. Loose in the pocket all bets are off, but I still don't carry knives that will open on their won.
 
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It can happen with a liner or frame lock if they are an open design, and you carry keys in the same pocket. I had this happen with an old Gerber linerlock in ATS 34. It is a very nice knife, but a car key pushed the blade out in my pocket. I got a nick when reaching in to get my keys.
Now, I don't carry anything in the same pocket as a linerlock knife. If the knife is properly designed, you should be OK this way.
 
I've been carrying since age 9.

Tip up, tip down, loose in pocket.....

Never had a knife open in my pocket.
 
When I still had it, my Sage 2 came open in the pocket and both stabbed me in the thumb and cut my pants pocket.
 
If you're shaking a folding knife up and down, it's supposed to open. Search "Brownie Pop." The Detent Ball on the Spydie is quite good, I wouldn't worry about it unless you happen to be in a human gyroscope.
Also, I would think that tip up would be scarier. I carry my endura tip up all the time and it never just randomly "pops" out in my pocket.
 
Tip up is way more dangerous, at least in my experience. I have stabbed myself real good on more than one occasion from a tip-up knife opening in my pocket, and have at least a few pairs of pants with holes from that very reason. Never had a prob with tip down, and its because keys and whatever else I have in my pocket simply cannot open a tip-down knife.
 
if you carry you're knife against the outside edge of you're pocket tip down opens easier if it's configured for right hand carry and it's in you're right pocket especially if its a spring assisted flipper type folder with no safety. camilus blaze stabbed me in the leg and sliced my hand when I reached into my pocket to feel what had cut me.
 
The only knives I've had open in my pocket have been AO knives. the Kershaw Leek (twice), and the Tanto Blur (once). Luckily, I knew it had happened and didn't cut myself getting it out..
 
Bimjo said:
Tip up puts the spine of the blead against the back edge of your pocket, so assuming you carry your knife toward the back of your pocket it really can't come open. Tip down places the spine of the blade toward the front of the pocket and free to open if the knife has a weak detent.

edit: The above assumes that you are using a clip to secure the knife to your pocket. Loose in the pocket all bets are off, but I still don't carry knives that will open on their won.
Click to expand...

It also assumes you only carry in your front pocket. I've carried a tip-down-only Spyderco Military in my right back pocket every day for five years and it has never come open in my pocket. It really can't, since the spine of the blade is against the side of the pocket that way. ;)

I can't say the same of other knives. I've had four or five tip-up knives come open when the clips failed to keep them securely in place, and a couple of others get opened by other stuff in my pocket when carried loose. And yes, I've become an involuntary blood donor as a result more than once. But of all the cuts I've sustained in my life, knives account for maybe 5% at most, probably less than that.
 
While not a true folder, carried a Schrade SCALY a few times, reached in my pocket one day and sliced my finger pretty good! Haven't carried it since.
 
I carry a Military "tip down" IWB when in shorts. Get you torx kit out and ighten that pivot up a smidge. The correct detent won't allow the blade to be shaken upen when properly adjusted.

I've never had a problem "tip up" either since I clip my folders to the rear of my front pants pockets, which puts the blade in a position of being immobilized against the rear seam of the front pocket. ;)
 
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