Low ride clips. Not for me.

[TheModernNeanderthal]

I like low ride clips, but it's not like they're all the same. There is a wide range from knife to knife. For example, I love the clip on the WH E10 series, it keeps the knife where you want it, but is quite unobtrusive and looks quite a bit like the clip from a pen. The clip on a Sage 2 is nice, and I love the wire, but it leaves the end of the knife exposed still.

Clips are a one by one thing. I don't mind normal clips, unless they leave half the knife sticking out of your pocket like the clip on the Domino, or unless they have some other glaring flaw like being sharp enough to spear through your jeans (looking at you, stock Southard clip).

The Southard has taught me that there really can be a huge difference in how a knife carries based on changing just the clip, though. I have STR clips on these guys and it's a huge improvement of the silver pocket spear design that comes on them out of the box:

Grind it off?

 

[evilgreg]

Grind it off?

That's a good start. The STR clip does actually change the way the knife rides in the pocket in another way too, though, it hangs straighter and sits better as a result. You wouldn't think it would make much of a difference, but I can tell immediately if I carry one of my stock Southards. Admittedly, I have issues, as I probably don't need five of them

 

[Syncharmony]

That's a good start. The STR clip does actually change the way the knife rides in the pocket in another way too, though, it hangs straighter and sits better as a result. You wouldn't think it would make much of a difference, but I can tell immediately if I carry one of my stock Southards. Admittedly, I have issues, as I probably don't need five of them

I plan on getting a Southard soon and basically first order of business is an STR clip for it, second is some scales from Steve.


In general I like deep carry clips, but I also don't carry many big folders. I think for a hefty big folder, a deep carry clip can be a detriment because it becomes a pocket pendulum.

 

[Kazeryu]

I'll have to disagree as well. Aside from aesthetics and practicality, my biggest reason for not buying a knife is if it has an obnoxiously high clip.

Sadly, this disqualifies the majority of knives.

Since I carry IWB near 1 O'clock (whereever the first belt loop is) and I'm relatively trim, high clips have three major problems:
1) they make the knife incredibly conspicuous
2) the high end of the knife tends to poke into my belly all the time while seated, and
3) knives, being given a taste of freedom above my belt, frequently attempt to escape by working loose.

 

[BladeScout]

I can't imagine a situation that requires me to draw my pocket knife faster than I can with a deep carry clip. Then again, I prefer small knives so even with the deep carry clip I usually don't have to adjust my grip to open the knife. I just think it's obnoxious to have a fat knife butt sticking out of my pocket.

It's like I tell my dog, "You're either inside or outside, you can't just stand in the doorway!" Knives sticking halfway out of my pocket just can't decide where they want to be

Same here. As hinted at in a previous post, I simply dont suffer from that 'Action Man' mentality, where its a priority for me to be able to whip out my pocket knife in the blink of an eye.
I prefer to have my knife stay securely in my pocket until needed. It is takes a little while longer to get the knife out of my pocket, thats not even a consideration in my world - let alone something I worry about.

I just think it's obnoxious to have a fat knife butt sticking out of my pocket.

Ditto.

 

[BladeScout]

Show the other side.....?

 

[MaxFactor]

Show the other side.....?

Exactly what I was thinking...

 

[evilgreg]

Show the other side.....?

Exactly what I was thinking...

Ha, I wasn't actually trying to show the clip, just a shot of the knife in question. Here you go, though, a shot of some random deep carry clip knives, Southard with old-style STR clip is third from the right:

I lined them up in this photo to show roughly how much knife is still showing for each, comparatively.

 

[MaxFactor]

Ha, I wasn't actually trying to show the clip, just a shot of the knife in question. Here you go, though, a shot of some random deep carry clip knives, Southard with old-style STR clip is third from the right:

I lined them up in this photo to show roughly how much knife is still showing for each, comparatively.

Southard looks extremely good with that clip. Thumbs up for the Benchmade Contego.

How does the ZT 0777 carry?

 

[evilgreg]

Southard looks extremely good with that clip. Thumbs up for the Benchmade Contego.

How does the ZT 0777 carry?

I don't carry it, and it's not a real 0777. A while back when everyone kept saying the Chinese clones were complete garbage I bought a few clones of models I had no intention or desire to every purchase to test the theory (they're not crap, incidentally), and the 0777 clone was one of them. When I did try it, it kind of flopped around in the pocket--it's a big knife, with a teeny clip, and it swings around a bit.

I have STR clips on most of my Southards at this point, and I love them.

 

[evilgreg]

I guess I do have a thing for deep carry clips. Here are the knives I currently rotate though as my daily carry, for the most part:

. . . and they all have deep carry clips.

 

[MaxFactor]

You own a knock off 0777?! [Cue angry mob] Get the tar and feathers!

Well I've gotta say, you've got some seriously beautiful Southards man.

 

[BladeScout]

Those STR clips are nice, not that I mind the look of the original Soouthard pocket clip (a great knife, sadly I dont own one).

I must be one of the few who like the original Southard clip and seemingly the ONLY one who is a big fan of the orignal khaki handle slab, LOL

 

[MaxFactor]

You own a knock off 0777?! [Cue angry mob] Get the tar and feathers!

Well I've gotta say, you've got some seriously beautiful Southards man.

 

[manowar669]

Same here. As hinted at in a previous post, I simply dont suffer from that 'Action Man' mentality, where its a priority for me to be able to whip out my pocket knife in the blink of an eye.
I prefer to have my knife stay securely in my pocket until needed. It is takes a little while longer to get the knife out of my pocket, thats not even a consideration in my world - let alone something I worry about.


Ditto.

I do not suffer from action man syndrome either. I'm just pointing out that, for me, having a knife deep in the pocket is like not having a knife at all (almost). If you work with gloves a lot, it's nearly impossible to get a low-ride knife out of a pocket. Taking gloves off and on again 50 times an hour means it will take you twice as long to do what you're doing. These are my needs. If I need to put down a sack of fertilizer, take both hands to get my gloves off to fish out the knife and cut open the sack, then put the gloves back on and work with the fertilizer and then go get 27 more sacks of fertilizer, it'll take forever. Just my needs, I need a one-hand knife I can get to. Same if you're on a ladder, or in a crawl space, etc. Just me, you know, working. If I'm at my day job (medical lab), or shopping or whatever, then a deep carry clip is fine, although at work in a hospital, ANY clip, deep carry or not, will draw scrutiny.

 

[nccole]

I like them, and go out of my way to make my favorite knives low-riders. It has nothing to do with how fast I can or cannot get it out, or how secure the knife is in my pocket. I personally stick my thumb down my pocket as far as I can on the knife scale and my middle finger on the clip on the outside and pull out, so knife sticking out or not does not affect how I draw it out. I just simply do not like a bunch of knife sticking out of my pocket. I think it looks silly, and if too much sticks out it pokes me when I sit. I love Spyderco's wire clip, and if I had it my way every knife would have that clip. Kershaw's deep carry (Echelon, 801, and others) is not a good clip imo. It is not just about it carrying deep or not, a good clip lets the knife slip all the way down on the bend, and its screws do not interfere with jeans.

I believe the only Spyderco I own with its stock clip are the wire clip models, and I swap those around too. I don't think I have a single knife with its factory clip.


I even went so far as to have my Chokwe milled to accept a wire clip.


One of the very first STR clips for the Southard, at the time he said he wasn't making anymore of these.

 

[Daddyo16]

Similar mounting to that of the Kershaw Blur, for which I wish I could find something in low ride flavor.

 

[TheModernNeanderthal]

I like them, and go out of my way to make my favorite knives low-riders. It has nothing to do with how fast I can or cannot get it out, or how secure the knife is in my pocket. I personally stick my thumb down my pocket as far as I can on the knife scale and my middle finger on the clip on the outside and pull out, so knife sticking out or not does not affect how I draw it out. I just simply do not like a bunch of knife sticking out of my pocket. I think it looks silly, and if too much sticks out it pokes me when I sit. I love Spyderco's wire clip, and if I had it my way every knife would have that clip. Kershaw's deep carry (Echelon, 801, and others) is not a good clip imo. It is not just about it carrying deep or not, a good clip lets the knife slip all the way down on the bend, and its screws do not interfere with jeans.

I believe the only Spyderco I own with its stock clip are the wire clip models, and I swap those around too. I don't think I have a single knife with its factory clip.


I even went so far as to have my Chokwe milled to accept a wire clip.


One of the very first STR clips for the Southard, at the time he said he wasn't making anymore of these.

So do you have to use a longer screw through the standoff to mount the clip? Or will the stock one work?

 

[nccole]

So do you have to use a longer screw through the standoff to mount the clip? Or will the stock one work?

Steve sent one that would work. I don't recall, but I guess it was longer. That was why he initially said he would not be making this clip anymore. He was running out of screws to send with the clips. They were coming from some cheap Chinese knife he had bought a bunch just for parts.

 

[nccole]

Similar mounting to that of the Kershaw Blur, for which I wish I could find something in low ride flavor.

I don't own a Blur, but maybe another guy with this clip and a Blur could show you a mock up. I have no issues with tweaking these clips, or drilling the holes out slightly if need be. The clip on my Domino needed tweaking. You can tell if you look closely.