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A Sheaths Lifetime?
- Thread starter Spontoon
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2008
- Messages
- 854
I am not a fan of nylon sheaths. I feel like they are a miserable, low-quality way for knife companies to save money while still providing the bare minimum of accessories expected by the consumer. I wouldn't expect a nylon sheath to last longer than a few years, but I don't know...on the rare occasion that I've purchased a knife with a nylon sheath I've disposed of it immediately and purchased a pair of leather pants. Nylon sheaths with kydex inserts are another matter, of course.
Now, a well-made leather sheath with a welt and heavy-duty stitching is another beast entirely. I would fully expect a sheath like that to last my lifetime with a moderate amount of care and common sense. Keep the leather conditioned, don't jam the knife too deep into the sheath, don't let it get wet and stay wet and you should be fine.
My opinion only, of course.
Frosty
Now, a well-made leather sheath with a welt and heavy-duty stitching is another beast entirely. I would fully expect a sheath like that to last my lifetime with a moderate amount of care and common sense. Keep the leather conditioned, don't jam the knife too deep into the sheath, don't let it get wet and stay wet and you should be fine.
My opinion only, of course.
Frosty
I have nylon travel bags and portfolio-style bags that have been in near-constant use for ten years with little sign of wear. Backpacks have been made out of nylon for decades, and they (at least the nylon material itself) sometimes last as long as a person's backpacking 'career'. And those items are made with nylon cloth that's much thinner and lighter than most knife sheaths. So for an outdoor knife that only gets used seasonally or occasionally, I don't see why a heavy-duty nylon sheath wouldn't last "indefinitely."
Leather sheaths, as we know, can last a lifetime.
Leather sheaths, as we know, can last a lifetime.
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2010
- Messages
- 535
I have an old Ontario pilot knife with a nylon sheath that's been used almost daily for over 3 decades. Dirty and stained with sweat, mud, manure, blood, gasoline, diesel, Jet-A and God-knows-what-else, but still in fine shape. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't last as long as the knife unless you did something stupid (burn,cut, etc). Kydex sheathes will probably still be around for alien archeologists to dig up long after humans are extinct. Other than the few thousand head of cattle behind the house, I don't have much leather around here.
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2010
- Messages
- 444
Why not just use kydex?
Kaleb
Kaleb
Why not just use kydex?
Kaleb
Most people use whatever sheath comes with the knife. If it comes with nylon, they use nylon. If it comes with kydex, they use kydex.