Your Preference: Tip Up vs. Tip Down

[SpyderNut]

I have noticed in some recent [and past] posts, that some spydernuts prefer the 'tip up' carrying position while others find the 'tip down' method more comfortable/useful. I was just curious as to WHY you would prefer one method over the other. This is just a 'perk' of mine, to try to better understand the many different ideas of other Spyderco-intoxicated people out there, as to their input and views on their knives. <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

This is NOT a test...<img src="tongue.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle> [Ahh, I always wanted to say that...<img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>]

Thanks for your input!



~Spydernut

[RYAN]

I prefer tip down if it for a general purpose or utility knife. <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle> However, if I was in a situation where I needed to use a knife for self defense, I would prefer tip up. This is because I could do a reverse drop deployment. Reverse drop (using the wrist to open the knife as apposed to the thumb) opens the knife into a more tactical position. I do need to point out that the reverse drop is not recommended in an accelerated situation, because it is frowned upon by the law in most instances. <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

[J Smith]

Tip up for me.when I draw the knife it is in my hand just right for opening.Tip down I have to turn it in my hand before opening.

Jeff

[Alan2112]

I prefer tip up, so the blade spine is against the rear of my pants pocket for safety purposes. I also have to say that mode feels better in my hand too. RKBA!

[Rookie]

I prefer tip down for everyday use.

In the land of knives, Spyderco is king.

[la_benge]

A tip-up spydie just falls into the perfect position for opening. With tip-down I have to play with it a bit. And drop opening leaves me with part of the blade in my hand... maybe I have yet to perfect the technique?

[la_benge]

A tip-up spydie just falls into the perfect position for opening. With tip-down I have to play with it a bit. And drop opening leaves me with part of the blade in my hand... maybe I have yet to perfect the technique?

[Carlos]

When I was first introduced to clip knives it was via tip-down. Once I tried tip-up I made the switch 100%.

When you withdraw a tip-up knife from your pocket, your thumb is already in the hole, and you pull the closed knife right into your hand, already in the correct opening position as you draw. I find this to be the fastest and most secure way to carry.

With tip-down I have to pinch the top of the handle to withdraw the closed knife, let it pivot into my hand as it clears the pocket, then shift my grip and move my thumb to the hole so that I can open it.

Edited by - Carlos on 1/13/2002 12:19:27 AM

[yog]

Through circomstance I have always had until reciently tip down, and because speed draws have never been needed it has never been an issue.
Reciently I got my first tip up. Surprisingly, because I have always had tip down the draw, open and swivel is so instinctive I don't even think about it and I have yet to be able to do it any faster with the tip up.

I'm yet to be convinced of the speed increase in a tip up knife, but I do aknowledge that in a &quot;tactical&quot; situation it affords a more secure grip straight from the draw.
In tip down carry the hand doesn't have to move so far as it is just gripping the top of the knife, but on the draw the grip needs to be light so the knife can swivel into position.
On tip up the hand needs to move slightly further into the pocket for the thumb to be near the opening hole, which means the arm needs to make a bigger motion to clear the pocket. The advantage is that the grip never changes throughout, so the knife is always secure.

As far as I can tell all these differences in speed / arm movements are VERY slight, and have yet to notice a real difference.

"Walk softly, but carry a big stick."

[rico]

tip up for self defense - tip down for everyday use. rr

[Clay Kesting]

I prefer tip-up. The draw is much more secure with the whole of the knife already in the hand when it is drawn and it doesn't need to be rotated (I prefer to thumb open). I've often seen it written that a you are more likely to cut yourself if a tip-up knife opens in your pocket. Personally I can't see it, your thumb runs down the back of the knife well away from the tip and, in any case, the seam of the pocket should prevent the blade opening. OTOH I've seen several instances of people being cut when a tip-down knife opened when they were running. Of course this only aplies to other brands which don't have a decent ball indent, it'd never happen with a Spydie <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>.

Having said all that I carry both tip-up and tip-down. One advantage of tip-down is that the knife is usually less conspicuous as there is less knife showing above the clip.

Clay

"The trouble is that you think you have time."

[Sword and Shield]

I strongly prefer tip up because it leaves my hand ready to open the knife, without modifying the grip.

Another reason is due to the hundreds of times I opened and closed my first clip knife, my hands know little else and automatically drop into position.

Keepin' it real...real sharp, that is.

[Kahz]

I think it depends on what you use your knife for, but I agree with mostly everyone here. I have noticed that tip-up makes it easier to open the knife as soon as you get it out of your pocket (Carlos explains it very clearly). I have not had to use one of my Spydies for self-defense yet, so once I do (hopefully never), I will let you know what I think in that context. <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

Kahz

[Gary]

&quot;TIP UP&quot;... for all the same reasons as posted above... <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

Gary
... &quot;Sharper than a tack; that's my Spydie&quot;

[Lsaulog]

Tip up.

IMHO, it offers the quickest and easiest draw without all the unnecessary &quot;glitz &amp; glamour&quot; of the Spydie drop. It also works regardless of SS or FRN, left hand, right hand, etc.

"Hope for the best. Be prepared for the worst. You'll never be disappointed."

[toothed]

It depends on the size of the knife. Tip-up for small to medium sized knives. Tip-down for larger (longer) knives. As I grip the knife in my pocket, I want my thumb to reach and make contact with the opening device (whether it be a Spyderhole or thumb stud/disk). Tip-up or tip-down seem to work with most Spydercos since none are exceptionally large. On my Rekat Sifu and Cold Steel Gunsite (two large knives with tip-up clip configuration), I think tip-down would have been more effective. Sometimes, the design of the knife or materials used precludes one or the other clip placement (e.g. bolster and/or scale material). This is just my personal opinion and preference.

[Brian]

I like the tip up method, just cuz I like the way it looks. Look at almost any other knife around, most that I've seen are tip down, while there's a few tip up knives around, they don't seem to be as common as td.

&quot;Fuzzbuckets&quot;

[Girevik]

Tip up is the way to go.

[aero_student]

I like tip down on samller knives because i tend to somewhat palm the knife. On larger heavier knives I like tip down because it gives me the option of the spydie drop or simply opening with my thumb.

[comrade]

I prefer tip-up also, for the reasons others have mentioned ... what's great about Spyderco, though, is that the product line is split almost 50/50 between tip-up and tip-down models (I count 16 out of 34 knives in the catalog as tip-up). What's interesting is that most of the custom collaboration knives are tip-down, except for the Bob Lum models.

[nomaded]

Ditto on the Tip Up.

Recently, I got a flurry of knives in (and my CC is really hurtin' because of it) and it seems that almost all of them are configured as tip-up only, or tip-up out of the factory. The only ones that weren't was the micarta Calypso Jr (which is tip-down only) and the trailing-point Lil' Temperance, which I quickly reconfigured for tip-up carry. Even the Salsa is tip-up only.

[GlockDoc]

Tip down is the only way to go. This is purely a safety issue with me.

Years ago I had a tip up liner lock (production, not custom and NOT a Spyderco) come open in my pocket and when I put on my pants it felt like a grassburr scratched my leg. It was a scratch that took seven stitches to close!

The liner lock failed to provide enough tension to keep the blade closed. So with liner locks, compression locks, etc. I will stay with tip down.

Lockbacks OTOH have sufficent pressure on the blade to prevent unintentional opening and I will carry those tip up.

GD

I just thought of something....what if this thing can read minds? He's gonna be real mad when he gets to me.

[judge]

Tip up for speed, tip down for safety (especially with liner locks). I like tip up more, a more natural, faster draw. My main folder carry is a large Sebbie (tip up integral) and a Carson large M4 (tip down liner lock). Wouldn&#180;t want to carry the Carson tip up, great knife though.

[liko]

Tip up. That's the way my Native carries, and that's the way I learned to draw it.

However, Tip-down can be just as fast, depending on how you grab the knife. In the following, I'm assuming that wrist-flick opening means grabbing the blade and flicking the handle open, ending in the same position as the thumb open. For handle wrist-flicking to hold the blade like a dagger, tip-up is definitely best, with the knife carried blade toward the center of your body.

Tip-up, wrist-flick open: knife rotates relative to your hand as you draw. Some shifting is required to move your hand from handle to blade.

Tip-down, wrist-flick: knife moves with your hand, but again a little shifting is necessary to move your fingers from handle to blade.

Tip-up, thumb open: Knife is very secure in your hand from the moment you grab it. Little or no shifting is necessary to open the blade.

Tip-down, thumb open: knife rotates in your hand, some shifting necessary to position the knife to open.

So, going strictly by security of your grip on the knife, tip-up is best for thumbing open, tip down works better for wrist-flick opening, because in both of these, the knife moves and rotates with your hand. However, with practice, any of these can be done quickly. Tip-up is best overall because it requires the least shifting for either opening method. What I'd like to see would be a clip system that allows you to position the knife tip up or down. Maybe a combination of the three-screw tip-down carry and the barrel-screw tip-up carry put into one clip. There are a couple Spydies that allow both tip-up and tip-down carry, but it would be great to have more, especially on some of the larger models.

[Blades]

I started with a tip-up Endura years ago, so it is what I'm use to. It is what I prefer now.

Blades

[minimarc123]

My first spydie was a calypso jr. FRN, and I would twist my wrist, so that when I took the knife out of my pocket, and held it naturally, it was positioned so that the tip faced up... then I did I quick flick, while holding on to the blade.

But I found the tip down a little fussy when thumb opening, which is what I normally do, so my next desent sized knife will probably be a tip up native, for smooth tip up opening. Plus, if it turns out to be harder, even better! something new to learn

-map