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Al Mar Sere Operator

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Jeepn2

Joined
Feb 5, 2003
Messages
10
Just received my New Sere Operator by Al Mar. Was able to take it out in the field for the day and it worked great. Craftmanship is excellent. But..but the Sheath is not anything to brag about. Its bulky and without the "bracket" will not fit standard belts. Any ideas where to have a nice sheath made that would hold it close to the body?
Thanks ahead,
JeepN
 
I feel the same way about my SERE Operator. It's a lot of knife with very little weight, excellent for backpacking or general outdoor use. The sheath itself is fine; it's that damn bracket that I don't like. I suppose it's OK for horizontal carry, but I'm not interested in horizontal carry. Unfortunately, you can't turn the bracket around for vertical carry: the screws don't line up. I'm thinking of having a leather sheath made.
 
OK figured out the sheath. Take the bracket off the sheath and just slide the sheath into your front pocket...Perfect fit. It's also very comfortable.

Seems for this price they would provide a thought out sheath...
Jeepn:)
 
I've read this post a couple of times - figured I must be missing something.

I have my SERE Operator set up for vertical belt carry with the sheath and Tek-Lok bracket supplied.

Simply remove the Tek-Lok from the sheath (supplied set up for horizantal carry), turn 90 degrees (so the Tek-Lok hinge is at the top), re-align the mounting holes with two lower holes on the side of the Operator's sheath and reattach with the screws and rubber washers supplied.

Voila! Vertcal carry with Tek-Lok!

Actually the sheath is quite well thought out and can be configured for edge up or down horizantal carry, or edge forward/backward vertical carry.

Hope this turns out to be one of those doh! moments for you and helps enhance your enjoyment of a fine blade.
 
Nope your not missing nothing. The teck bracket is bulky and uncomfortable. To have it set up for vertical carry you need to set the screws on both sides of the sheath. We just dont like the setup.
Love the knife, but since you mention it, it came out of the box dull. My GB axe was sharper out of the box. Yes it sharpen up nicely and I love the design.
As a bonified SERE operator I'm putting it thru its paces and with one week down it's just what I expected it to be. Excellent knife for the field and carry.

Jeepn
 
Simply remove the Tek-Lok from the sheath (supplied set up for horizantal carry), turn 90 degrees (so the Tek-Lok hinge is at the top), re-align the mounting holes with two lower holes on the side of the Operator's sheath and reattach with the screws and rubber washers supplied.
Click to expand...

That's the first thing I tried. It didn't work because the slots on the Tek-Lok bracket don't line up with the holes on the sheath. Dunno why not.
 
Nathan today I did some modifications on the sheath that worked great!!


First take off that teck-lock bracket and throw it away:)
Second I took a drill bit the same size as the rivets and drilled out the left and right rivets one row down on the sheath. They actually melted out real nice as the bit heated up the plastic sheath and they just slid out. Second I extended the slots allready in the sheath downward to meet the rivet holes.I used the same drill bit and just pressed downward and the heat from the bit melted its way down to connect the small slot allready on the sheath, with the holes from the rivets. Cleaned it up with a small pocket knife and volia!! I can now fit my small or medium leather belt into the slots and the sheath sits very tight next to the body. No cumbersome bracket.

Try it out and let me know what you think. I love it now as I did this two days ago and have no regrets yet...

Later,
JeepN
 
Jeepn2 - I'd been hoping to attach the sheath directly to my belt, but hadn't figured out a good way to do it. Thanks for the idea.
 
I don't like the sheath that came with my Operator either. I haven't tried drilling it out, but I did discover another option. I have a SOG Northwest Ranger with a Cordura sheath. The Sere Operator happens to fit perfectly in the SOG sheath, which is not a bad sheath at all. I would still like to get a nice leather sheath for the Operator, but in the meantime, I just use the SOG sheath and it fits the bill. :)
 
The 2003 Al Mar catalog states:

"New for 2003 is the extender, not shown, that allows expanded use on military web belts and an additional retention ring for secure carry under extreme conditions."

Do the sheaths being discussed here have these improvements?
 
No Aux, they are not the new sheaths. I love it now that I've taken that teclock bracket off and drilled out the slots to wear on my belt. Fit real close to the body.

We havent talked much about the knife,,,for me its a perfect knife!!
I use a fixed blade everyday at work and pretty much wear it all my wakeing hours. The blade shape with the full length handle is perfect. Light enough to carry all day, heavy enough to do the work I need.

BTW after seeing how easy it was to reshape this sheath with a drill and grinder wheel from my dremel tool, I reshaped my CRK Kiss neck knife sheath and cut off 50% of the excess,,now its a perfect neck knife and sheath for me..
 
Jeepn2,

How's it going up north? This is a little off the subject of the "Operator"...but I was just wondering what you do for a career? You replied to a thread I made about SERE programs and told me to drop you a line...are you an instructor up there at the "Cool School"? (that's what they call it right?) If so, how long have you been teaching, how long have you been in Alaska, and do you enjoy it all? I'm really looking forward to trying out in Aug down in Lackland! I was going to shoot for this March, but was getting screwed around by the Med Group here on base...so got my package delayed until Aug. My section commander, Pete Hudlow, was helping me out (getting them to take their heads out...) and talked Sgt Adams in Lackland to let me into the March INDOC, but I would have had to rushed the rest of it...specifically the video. Well, I decided to wait until Aug. so that I could go out on some trips with Hudlow and prepare a little more.

Anyway, I had been looking at the "Operator" for a couple months now and was curious if it would fit the bill for tasks associated to that career? If you are an instructor...which I'm hoping you are...can you describe some of the more common tasks you use this blade for on a regular basis?

Thanks for your time, and if you have any info you feel I could use, I'd greatly appreciate it!
 
I haven't any complaints with the sheath...but I use it for horizontal small of the back carry, and it fits pretty good and stays snug. The Tek-Lok is bulky, but I like the easy on-off, and it works well for how I wear the knife in daily activities.

My Operator also came out of the box somewhat dull. A few licks with a fine stone had it poppin hairs.

--nathan
 
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