Sheath vs. Clip

M

michealey

Joined
Dec 12, 2004
Messages
7
Hi Guys,

I've just gotta state, I am really disappointed - so many makers now are putting those bloody belt clips on their knives; vs. supplying and designing a nice leather belt sheath companion. IMHO, I think the clip mucks up the looks of a many beautiful designs... I don't like how the clip feels in my hand. Often I see a knife I really like, then see the clip and think: "Oh, its got a clip... forget it!"

Clipping your knife on is like an frigg'in advertisement for it... the sheath is much more subtle, understated... provides much better protecting - and falls off a lot less. I have had many "clipped-on" belt items that have jumped off - sometimes into saltwater for a "deep-six". Good-bye! (nautical guy)

When you have your knife on your in a belt sheath, you are "wearing it". I think this has a much nicer "thing", feel, whatever about it... like wearing a gun in a holster, vs. sticking it in your belt or pocket (then your are really "carrying" it).

Also, if your knife is perhaps a bit "too long" for the state's nit-picking knife laws you find yourself in... chances are, at least as folders are concerned... it will gather much less attention... Folks don't even seem to look at knife sheaths - unless they themselves are into knives!

Yeah, I know, you can always sheath a knife with a clip... but perhaps - models could be more often offered: "with clip" or "without clip & with beautiful custom made leather sheath..." I bet clips would be much less popular.

Try wearing a knife daily in a sheath for a month or two... you'll see what I mean...

Comments??

Kind Regards,

Mic

p.s. Happy New Year to ALL!
 
I believe it is a matter of personal preference. Some knives I prefer to carry clipped in the pocket , some I prefer to carry in a sheath. Sometimes it depends on what activity I am engaged in that determines which method I use.
 
Clips are a very pratical design feature and since my first Spyderco I have always carried at least one clipped to my right front pocket.

With that said, I cannot imagine ordeing a custom knife with a clip. I prefer to have a belt sheath made to go with the knife. Gary Graley and Lifter/Dave make some great sheaths at a very reasonable price. Or you can order sheaths with a clip from William Henry. I've been thinking of getting some for my slipjoints.
 
I like the clip on my Gerber because I have it in my waistband, but prefer a sheath/holster for my Schrade which is a bigger and bulkier knife that would be just too dorky with a clip and too heavy in my pocket.
The clips IMO suit smaller knives where you need fast convenient access and a sheath for the larger, bulkier fixed blade knives you may not need as quickly.
I think function and practicality plays in more than preference.
 
belt carry is much more secure than clipping.

Vadim makes a great belt sheath for relatively low cost. Goes by Vess in here.
 
Well, I do not mind the way a clip feels in my hand. On my old Gerber AR 3.5 that recently took a turn for the worse, I made myself a cheap little lanyard to go with it. A couple foot of poly pull line (wanted to try paracord, but didn't have any handy) that attached the knife to a little carabeiner that was hooked to my belt loop. Melt the knots on it, and nothing will break poly pull line before the carabeiner gives way or ripps your belt loop off. Now, I didn't need it to make any quick presentations, and that was good because undoing the carabeiner took a second.

(Heh, yeah, i'm a new guy. I don't have much experience with knives, which is why I joined up here. I own at the moment just a Leatherman Wave and a few hunting type folders that have nice engravings but no name. I am, however, looking for a replacement for my Gerber and i'm looking at a Benchmade Griptilian. If anyone could PM me and point me in a good direction for that, I would be eternally greatful, as my wallet is quite tight. I'll thank you all in advance for any welcomes, and apologize if this post hijacks the thread.)
 
michealey said:
Clipping your knife on is like an frigg'in advertisement for it... the sheath is much more subtle, understated... provides much better protecting - and falls off a lot less. I have had many "clipped-on" belt items that have jumped off - sometimes into saltwater for a "deep-six". Good-bye! (nautical guy)
Click to expand...

It depends on your pants. If you wear shinig white trousers (with a blackend clip your wife will shout HURRAAY!! :D ) it might be. But most people don´t realise what it is. On the other hand, very personal i do advertise what i carry around by adding a lanyard leather rope to it. A sheath falls off much more as long as you are not in winter (BTW in winter none of this possibilities falls off).

As i were wearing a knife in a sheath over years, it was always, always noticed.

michealey said:
When you have your knife on your in a belt sheath, you are "wearing it". I think this has a much nicer "thing", feel, whatever about it... like wearing a gun in a holster, vs. sticking it in your belt or pocket (then your are really "carrying" it).
Click to expand...

Clipped knifes feel great too. No difference.

michealey said:
Also, if your knife is perhaps a bit "too long" for the state's nit-picking knife laws you find yourself in... chances are, at least as folders are concerned... it will gather much less attention... Folks don't even seem to look at knife sheaths - unless they themselves are into knives!
Click to expand...

They do and they know what it is much more than clips. Sheath are more decades older than clips, so people are used to the look.

Cause i am into knifes i see evey little clip that looks out of a pocket.

It´s pretty unlogical that a piece of black metal, of maybe 5 square cm shall be seen by every f****** head around, but a sheath much larger, not.

You forget, you can carry a clipped knife IWB.

All time i weared a knife in a sheath, clothin hang on it putting the sheath in plain sight. With a clip everthing is right.

My wife, who has a clear "non knife" look, found a sheath to be much more offensive. A clipped knife looked much more attractive to her much less agressive.

michealey said:
Yeah, I know, you can always sheath a knife with a clip... but perhaps - models could be more often offered: "with clip" or "without clip & with beautiful custom made leather sheath..." I bet clips would be much less popular.

Try wearing a knife daily in a sheath for a month or two... you'll see what I mean...
Click to expand...

I did for years and i am glad to have clipped knifes.

A last point not mentioned: Sheath look somehow squareheaded.

The only sheath i actually wear is this for my Wave.

So: Clipped tip down!! :D
 
Blop said:
...Cause i am into knifes i see evey little clip that looks out of a pocket. It´s pretty unlogical that a piece of black metal, of maybe 5 square cm shall be seen by every f****** head around, but a sheath much larger, not. You forget, you can carry a clipped knife IWB.
Click to expand...

Sorry but I don't understand what IWB means. I think inside with B? (balls) ;)

Perhaps I have been thinking the clip thing all wrong... I always thought I'd just clipped the bugger on my belt (like I do with everything else that has a clip... not that I'd put the knife in my pocket with only the clip hanging out. Hmmmm.

So, again perhaps - I am being stupid (sorry, I'm a bit of a new comer...) so is the clip thing a legal work-a-round for carrying larger knives in your pocket (a.k.a. semi-concealed)?

Oops, hope this is not secret knife stuff... :rolleyes:

Well, thanks very kindly to all who have offered their voices to this thread.

Sincrerely,

Mic
 
Michealey, IWB means inside the waistband. The knives with clips that I am familiar with are designed to be carried with the knife inside the pocket and the clip outside, clipped to the top of the pocket. As such they are usually very convenient. They do however snag on things at times and either the clip gets bent or the knife is pulled from your pocket. I agree that they rarely add anything to the appearance of a knife and often aren't as comfortable in the hand. That being said, I almost always have one clipped to my pocket, due to their accessibility. Large folders work well in a sheath, but smaller (blades less than 3 1/2") work better for me clipped to a pocket or at times IWB.

Richard
 
I feel the opposite about sheathes and clips:

A sheath shouts "knife" alot louder than a pocket-clip.

And if you're wearing dark pants with a dark clip, you will not even see the clip until you're close-up.

And even a knife-conscious person like myself will find it difficult to detect a clip in the waistband, especially if the clip is between the pants and a belt--that makes it almost invisible.

As for carrying concealed:
If you have a shealth or clipped knife and it's under your untucked shirt, it is legally concealed anyway.

Some knives are more comfortable to use without a clip, but in a folder size knife I have no problems.
And sometimes the clip actually helps with the one-hand opening of a folder.

Besides, a belt sheath is just too "Dukes of Hazard" for me these days.

Good luck,
Allen.
 
I agree, I dislike clips myself.
I usually just remove the clip. Most clips are screwed on and can be easily removed. Ive done this on all my Spydercos and carry them in my pocket. I dont like the advertizing factor of clips. Most people dont know, but the ones that do are probably the people you want to keep that information from (criminals, overzealous LEOs, etc..)
 
michealey said:
Perhaps I have been thinking the clip thing all wrong... I always thought I'd just clipped the bugger on my belt (like I do with everything else that has a clip... not that I'd put the knife in my pocket with only the clip hanging out. Hmmmm.

So, again perhaps - I am being stupid (sorry, I'm a bit of a new comer...) so is the clip thing a legal work-a-round for carrying larger knives in your pocket (a.k.a. semi-concealed)?
Click to expand...

There's no reason why you should know how a clip was designed to be used, but you should try clipping inside a pocket now that you do. :)

It doesn't hurt that pocket clips make carrying a knife less conspicuous, but for most of us that's secondary. Putting the knife inside your pocket protects the knife and makes it less likely to snag on things. Clipping it in place insures that it will always be in the same position when you reach for it and also keeps it up above the stuff that's down in the bottom of your pocket.

One important note... Whenever possible, it's a good idea to clip your knife so that the side it opens toward is up against a seam. This will prevent the knife from opening by accident, even under conditions that defeat whatever blade-detent system is built-in. I carry my tip-down folders in my back pocket against the front seam and my tip-up folders in my front pocket against the rear seam.

It is also worth examining a lot of different clip and handle designs to find which ones are comfortable for you. Some do a brilliant job of integrating the clip into the ergonomics of the grip; the Spyderco Lil Temperance stands out as an example. If you aren't happy with the ones you've tried go try some more! It's a great excuse to fondle, and even to buy, new knives. :D

And if it matters to you... I find that presentation speed from a pocket clip is about the same as presentation speed from a good open-style sheath. A closed-style sheath provides better protection, and is less obvious, but is also much slower to draw from.

Pocket clips provide a good compromise of accessibility, protection, and concealment. That's why so many folders come with them. And most clips are easy to remove if you decide you'd rather use a sheath. In some cases you can even swap out the standard clip for an aftermarket version that provides a deeper, and therefore less obvious, carry position. It's all good. :)

--Bob Q
 
Some more cool "secret knife stuff", those clips, come w/ these things called "screws" so if you don't like it you can take it off! ;)
 
For me they (clips) are great.I went to the "y" on my way home from work this am.

During my workout up to right now I'm wearing sweatpants,and have 2 knives on me.A BM 710 and a Spyderhawk.In warm weather most of the day I'm in nylon gymshorts or swimtrunks,knife clipped to my side.
 
Post some pics of the way that you carry your knives .....

I used to use sheath in my right side and pocket clip or pocket sheath in my left side ( I am lefty ).

I do not have my digital camera here but tomorrow I will put some pics of my way to carry my knives.

Roloss_valdes
 
I like both. Most of the knives I buy nowdays are one-hand-openers. At fist, I tried taking off the clips because I also didn't like the look, and thought they could break or snag. That, I found out was a big mistake for me, because it is so much harder to open a one-hander without the clip. All my knives now have their clips back on. I also don't like to advertise my knife by having it clipped to my pocket, so I just don't clip it, but rather put it in my pocket. ( I lost a few good knives this way in my slacks as they can slip out. I fixed it by storing my wallet in the same front pocket to block it from slipping out. It still allows fast and easy access to my knife.)

Lastly, in favor of sheaths, I won't use a folder with a clip for hunting as this means I'll have to put my bloody hands inside my pockets. Sheaths are better in this regard.

Not to change the subject, but I hate serrations. I think nothing cuts smoother than a sharp plain blade.

Mike
 
The clip is the best thing to come along since the thumb stud and the thumb stud is the best thing to come along since the one handed lock. There is nothing better than being able to open and close a knive with one hand and having it clip right in your pocket at all times. I don't like things in my pocket so I love being able to put the knife in my pocket but having it clipped so it doesn't add bulk at the bottom of the pocket were you would feel it.

I won't even buy a folder unless it has a pocket clip, some type thumb stud or hole and a lock that can be easily closed with one hand.

Do we really want to go back to the bad old days when a Buck 110 was the height of our knife technology? No offense to Buck knife lovers because they are well made knives that fill a need but we can and have done much better.

I used to carry a Buck 112 in a brown leather belt sheath for many years until I discovered "Modern" knives like Benchmade and Spyderco. I will never go back to those three pound, two hand operated, 1/4" thick hollow ground bladed knives again. I either carry an Al Mar Shrike, Spyderco Centofante II, Calypso Jr., or Kershaw Vapor II every day and I like all of them and will buy more knives like these.
 
Thanks guys for so many replies... all very interesting and educational. Also, I think I am been sufficently pounded into the ground on this issue to understand that clips have quite the dedicated group of users here!

That being said, I would also counter that not all sheaths are "blockheaded" butt ugly and look like you belong with Daisy Duke (perhaps not that bad of a fate... by the way - being with Daisy :D .

The gracefully curving black leather sheath of French design for my Laguiole is quite nice, even elegant... much more so than the simple rectangular "buck" type design (most common). I should clarify I am only talking of folders here... but you knew that, right.

French sheaths come in a variety of formats, vertical, horizontal, 45 deg. I perfer the vertical. Some are rounded over in front, much like a gun holster. Also, I like a sheath much better in black than in natural brown leather... that appears much more attention getting... to me.

Really eye-popping and smacking of "King of the Road" or "Out West Biker" - is with the sheath embazened with some colored or highly tooled art work... (eagle, etc.). Yippeee... I know some guys like that...


"But its not my bag baby" - Austin Powers voice :D . A subtle stamp of the maker is all that is needed (if anything).

~Mic
 
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