The redundancy of a deep carry pocket clip

benchwarmer380 said:
You may be overestimating how astute people are to the things they don't know about nor have an interest in.

A couple months back, I went to a major sporting event where the venue did not allow weapons. Guns, knives, missile launchers, stun guns... you get it. You had to empty your pockets and put the contents in a little tray as you walk past the metal detector. The nice lady working it thought that my Surefire Backup was a knife or something until I showed her it was a flashlight. She looked to her supervisor and he basically said it's not prohibited it's all good.

A year or so back I was at a different sporting event at a different venue with the same rules. The gentleman patting me down saw the clip to the pen in my pocket and thought it was a knife at first until I showed it to him. Ironically, I forgot that I had my Leatherman Squirt in a tiny little pocket and walked in with it. Didn't realize it till I was getting a beer.

I think those people had sense, they just didn't know what they didn't know.
Click to expand...

The pen I had was either the far right in post 18 (pretty sure it was this one) or a Pilot G-2. No one here would mistake those for a knife. ;)
 
In Canada, specifically Eastern Ontario, no one would have a clue what a pocket clip was attached to. Like Heirphoto said most people wouldn't even recognise what the butt end of a knife was. I just prefer deep carry, even though many of my knives aren't.
 
Someone1 said:
I hope people don't really think others think a knife clip is anything but.
Click to expand...
Most of the knives I carry don't have deep carry clips, I'm known for carrying knives and some of the ones I carry are quite obvious. Yet 99% of people are still completely surprised that I have a knife when I use it in front of them or offer it to them to use. Assuming other people think about knives the same way we do is just silly. Most people aren't gonna bother glancing at your pocket, not because they're unobservant or sheeple or any such nonsense, but simply because they absolutely don't care.
 
I don't like deep carry clips. Having the knife that much farther in py pocket makes it that much harder to get out, and most deep carry clips snag the pocket on the screws.

If I want discreet I'll carry clipped to the inside of my waistband behind my belt (Mexican carry). I do that most days anyways.
 
Dogdrawz said:
Hello. I want to play a game. Guess the knife clip.
rDQRncq.jpg
Click to expand...
err... Non of the above:D
 
mt666tm said:
I don't like deep carry clips. Having the knife that much farther in py pocket makes it that much harder to get out, and most deep carry clips snag the pocket on the screws.

If I want discreet I'll carry clipped to the inside of my waistband behind my belt (Mexican carry). I do that most days anyways.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat regarding deep carry clips and don't really care for them.

The Sacha Thiel Officer does a deep carry clip right. It has a tiny bit of the handle sticking out of the pocket (which I prefer, some don't), but where it really excels is that the screws sit flush with the frame. No snagging at all. I wish other makers would do the same.
 
GermanyChris said:
They change where the clip sits in your hand while using the knife
Click to expand...
That's an enlightening point.
Thanks.
As a rule I certainly don't seek out a deep carry clip though some of my knives have been equipped with them from the factory.
 
Last edited:
Heirphoto said:
Knife people like us though instantly notice a clip and can likely even identify what type of knife it is just from that.
Click to expand...
Agreed ! ! !
Before I ever carried knives with pocket clips (I've always carried slip joints or belt pouch knives or fixed blades) I never noticed pocket clips much in my coworkers. When they whipped a knife out and flicked it open I remember I always noticed big time and even felt a little weird; like "what's all the show for ?".
Seeing them did finally get me to buy one hand opening knives with pocket clips and live a little.
So that was actually a good thing.
 
CAguy said:
Aside from making the knife itself less visible, you could still see the clip, so what benifit is there to gain from this, aside from personal preference?
Click to expand...

I like deep-carry clips because a lot of people won’t know if it’s a fancy pen, some kind of tool, flashlight, a knife or who knows what else.
Edit; I’m sure 99.9% of people on this forum would know it’s a knife....but when you figure all the average, knife-noobs, that drops it to like maybe 50%...and plus, A knife sticking an inch outta your pocket might seem intimidating to some people (like those that wouldn’t othersiwe know)
 
Last edited:
I agree with the statement above about deep-clips often having a better position against the hand when the knife is in use. :thumbsup: Not always the case, but often enough for me that I have come to prefer them, also having them as short as possible while remaining effective, ~1.5" or less, and <1/2" wide. I really like the wire clips found on some models.

Then there is the "discreet" aspect - when out in a society which often seems increasingly hostile to "weapons", I am not too keen on attracting attention to a large/gaudy clip on my pocket. I would prefer that the clip go un-noticed by non-knife people. If it is noticed at all, I would prefer it be discreet enough to not invite curiosity such as, "Huh, what is that clip on that guy's pocket? It doesn't look like a pen-clip of any kind, and what is that thing sticking up just behind it and OH MY GORE HE HAS A WEAPON AND IS GOING TO MURDER US ALL!!!!"

So if deep-carry helps reduce the incidence of that, :thumbsup:. While I have not yet had anyone go 'nuts' on me over carrying a knife, I HAVE been called into the administrator's office at my work wherein I was questioned concerning my possession of a "weapon" against company-policy. I talked my way out of the situation, but I afterward laid the groundwork of a defense against future persecution by distributing knives to as many coworkers as possible :D
 
To me a clip = knife. Most people don't seem to care unless you whipping out a knife for no reason. If someone feels uncomfortable with it cut what required and put away and tell them it's a work knife, grew up watching mcgyver, or old boy scout habbit if you were one. Little things like that put the few people uncomfortable around knives at ease from my experience.

(Never was a scout or used that line, but it would be a good one.)
 
^that is true but nowadays people think the worst of everybody, like “oh he carries a knife, he must be a terrorist”. I’d rather give people a chance to see that it is just a tool before they jump to crazy dilusions...and especially since my last job required a standerd box-cutter that weighed about a pound and had no pocket clip. So in that case I didn’t want management to see me carrying a 3oz knife when I wasn’t supposed to, even though I also had to carry pliers, gloves (Plus the obvious keys, wallet, phone) and a flashlight to do my job. That huge box-cutter was an annoyance when I could carry a slim Kershaw and do my job just as well.
 
Last edited:
colin.p said:
In Canada, specifically Eastern Ontario, no one would have a clue what a pocket clip was attached to.
Click to expand...

Think yer kind of wrong on that one...

Just started a new job not long ago (in Ontario, Southern Ontario at that).
In the training class, one guy saw the clip in my pocket; "Is that a knife?"
Next day, another guy saw it..."Is that a knife? Better not let them see it, or you might get fired."

So now the knife goes in a Maxpedition micro pocket organizer, where no inquiring eyes will ever see it. :)
At least while at work...the rest of the time it is clipped in place, the way God intended. ;)

They also saw the clip for my pen and wondered what it was; I work with a bunch of extra nosey people it seems. Not like other places I worked where no one was so damn observant about what everyone was doing/wearing/carrying.
 
Yeah it seems the world is going to s*** and all the pansys are in charge. At least in the manufacturing business. :-/ the way I see it, if you need to cut things on a daily basis to do your job, why not be allowed to carry a slim pocket knife of your choice???...it’s not like you’re bringing a gun into work, or have bad intentions with a knife. THAT is why I like a deep carry clip... less questions, less suspicion that your some kind of criminal....less aggravation. so long as you can get the job done!....then nobody asks
 
Last edited:
I think its more a case of some knives fit a deep clip better than others. If the designer has done their job, the clip will work well, and if they have not, then the type of clip is largely irrelevant. Of course one might choose a knife with a deep clip for certain reasons, but that doesn't exclude that there are good and bad examples of each.
As for people noticing, I don't recall ever having someone notice a knife and say "I don't think you should have that" I've had them say "You know other people don't like that" I'm not saying that no one has ever said the first, but I think its largely over-blown and its more a "I'm gonna be a rebel, and carry my knife anyway. I don't care what you think MOM!" on the part of people who identify as "knife carriers". A lot of people carry a knife but its not part of their identity. The only time anyone cares is when they have had to put a rule in place due to legal due diligence, and they shook their heads the entire time they did it. Having been an individual who had to make a rule like that I couldn't believe the situation either, but sometimes you just have to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top