Tip up?

S

skyline1

Joined
Dec 14, 2014
Messages
91
I recently started carrying a Rat 1 for a working knife. I know a lot of people prefer tip up carry, so I thought I would give it a try. With so many years carrying tip down it was a little awkward. I was going to change it back but never thought about it while I was around my torx driver.

Well today while I was at the bank I went to put my wallet back in my pocket, I felt a prick. I pulled out my hand, shook it and proceeded to spray blood all over the bank counter, rack up 13 stitches, and who knows how much of a hospital bill.
Son of a!
Needless to say I came home and switched it to tip down, left handed.
 
I can't see people do this, with the blade against the seem of pocket there's no room for mine to open.
 
I've been carrying in my back pocket for over 20 years. I've never cut myself with a pocket knife. With the tip up it was facing my wallet, not the seam. I'm just going to chalk it up to a jacka$$ move.
 
I've carried a rat 2 for about 8 months tip up. Never had an issue. It was in my front pocket though.
 
The pocket i keep my knife in holds only my knife. 25 plus years of tip up carry with zero issues here. I have only had a knife open on me two times in My life and it was never the orientations fault. Oh yeah and before I forget, pics or it didnt happen.
 
this sounds like an issue of the pocket clip being on the wrong side of the knife, if you carry with the tip up and the spine against the outer edge of your pocket you shouldn't ever have the blade open into your pocket. Sounds like user-error to me stemming from inexperience with tip-up carry.

Also, the Rat 1's detent is fine, no one should use this as an excuse not to buy a Rat 1.
 
It's an accident, plain and simple. No need to beat yourself up, skyline1. We all let our guards down now and then, but your post serves as a reminder to all of us to be mindful and careful with our sharp objects.
 
About a year ago I was carrying my Spyderco Yojimbo 2 in my right front pocket, while wearing 5.11 pants. I had been carrying the blade in this location for around 3 or 4 months at that time.

I was driving my car and stopped, shut off the ignition and reached to put my wallet into my back pocket. So I twisted my body and lifted up to put the wallet into my back pocket, found the opening of the rear pocket, and pushed it home. Only to pull back my hand as I got stabbed. Somehow, even though the blade was spine against the seam of my *front* pocket, the clip had migrated sideways, allowing the blade to open a bit, and revealing the *ULTRA* sharp tip of the Yojimbo 2 about 3/8" above my pocket opening. Which lined up perfectly with the flesh between my thumb and index finger, stabbing in about a 1/4". It bled a lot and was hard to close. I had a co-worker seal it up with CA glue (industrial super glue), which kept it shut long enough to stop the bleeding an begin the healing process.

I'm looking at down at the scar now; no big deal. But I didn't carry the knife for a month or two after that. Now I'm more careful about checking the orientation of the knife in my pocket. The big issue in this case is the ease of the first 1/5 of opening this knife. It's a compression lock, so it has almost no resistance in that first part of the blade's rotation. Lockback blades are snapped shut nice and tight in this same part of their rotation and there's almost no way they can open. Which is why a Delica has been in my front pocket for several months now.

Brian.
 
It's likely not a good thing for the blade to open while in you're pocket tip down as well. :eek:
 
You would think after all this time around knives something like this wouldn't happen. But it did. Just take an extra second and think about what you're doing. I've butchered probably 75 deer, numerous small game, hundreds of fur bearers. The shots are wearing off, I'm going to lay down. Keep the ripping going, I deserve it.
 
And the detent is just fine, the corner of my wallet must have caught it just right. Just be safe.
 
I'm a staunch tip up person, but I carry in my front, right pocket. The blade rests against the seam of my pocket, so it will not deploy. If i carried in my rear, right pocket, I would carry tip down knife against the seam of my pocket.
 
bgentry said:
About a year ago I was carrying my Spyderco Yojimbo 2 in my right front pocket, while wearing 5.11 pants. I had been carrying the blade in this location for around 3 or 4 months at that time.

I was driving my car and stopped, shut off the ignition and reached to put my wallet into my back pocket. So I twisted my body and lifted up to put the wallet into my back pocket, found the opening of the rear pocket, and pushed it home. Only to pull back my hand as I got stabbed. Somehow, even though the blade was spine against the seam of my *front* pocket, the clip had migrated sideways, allowing the blade to open a bit, and revealing the *ULTRA* sharp tip of the Yojimbo 2 about 3/8" above my pocket opening. Which lined up perfectly with the flesh between my thumb and index finger, stabbing in about a 1/4". It bled a lot and was hard to close. I had a co-worker seal it up with CA glue (industrial super glue), which kept it shut long enough to stop the bleeding an begin the healing process.

I'm looking at down at the scar now; no big deal. But I didn't carry the knife for a month or two after that. Now I'm more careful about checking the orientation of the knife in my pocket. The big issue in this case is the ease of the first 1/5 of opening this knife. It's a compression lock, so it has almost no resistance in that first part of the blade's rotation. Lockback blades are snapped shut nice and tight in this same part of their rotation and there's almost no way they can open. Which is why a Delica has been in my front pocket for several months now.

Brian.
Click to expand...

Interesting. The only knife that I have ever had open on me while tip-up in my pocket was my current Yojimbo 2. It bit me on one of those occasions. Admittedly, it does open very easily. Like you, the clip slid just a bit from the seam, giving the blade room to pop open just enough to expose the tip.
 
@LeathermanGX said:
27 years of tip down carry. Never stabbed myself. In my pocket anyway.
Click to expand...

20+ years for me without a problem. I've noticed that knives these days have more detent than some of my much older knives and I'm sure that helps.

I notice that the OP mentioned left hand and other people have mentioned back pocket. Most discussions of tip up, tip down, pocket seams, etc. are for right front pocket carry. Carry in other pockets can be different.
 
skyline1 said:
I recently started carrying a Rat 1 for a working knife. I know a lot of people prefer tip up carry, so I thought I would give it a try. With so many years carrying tip down it was a little awkward. I was going to change it back but never thought about it while I was around my torx driver.

Well today while I was at the bank I went to put my wallet back in my pocket, I felt a prick. I pulled out my hand, shook it and proceeded to spray blood all over the bank counter, rack up 13 stitches, and who knows how much of a hospital bill.
Son of a!
Needless to say I came home and switched it to tip down, left handed.
Click to expand...

This made me pull my knife out for a second, I couldn't figure out how you did that!

(Read your post below)

Ouch man! Must have been a hell of a scene at the bank!
 
Hopefully that heals quickly. :(

I find no difference, personally. Both ways you have to yank it out then reposition/slide your hand into opening position. One way feels natural to one person, the other feels good to someone else, completely subjective imo.
 
Ouch. Yeah, if you're gonna carry in your back pocket it's best to go tip down for sure (and this coming from a tip up only guy... but I don't back pocket carry).
 
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