Modernflame
Flashlight Enthusiast
Location of carry and general lifestyle has to play at least as big a part in whether clips are good for one user or not.
It comes down to person, pants, pockets, and proclivity. On more than one occasion, I've had to retrace my steps to find a flashlight that had been clipped inside my pocket. A slender flashlight, like a Malkoff 2aa MDC, does well because most of the device resides below the pocket line. There is enough friction in the equation to prevent its ejection. However, a relatively short affair like an HDS would fly screaming into the night if I were to trust a pocket clip. Truthfully, I don't even want belt clips on my Thor's Hammer leather, despite being well read on the subject of their durability and trustworthiness. All of that aside, my subjective impression is that a metal clip detracts from the overall aesthetics and ergonomics of any gear, whether leather or metal, flashlight or knife.