I spent the day with the boot dagger on board. Riding inside my right cowboy boot in the leather from
duramax
and a Mummert clip. Me with a covert carry knife is the height of silly, but this knife deserves to be on board. My daughter this morning saw me putting this in my boot and was very intrigued why I would do that. She thought it was neat, but also asked, "Do you still have your pocket knife you can get to quick if you need to?"
So a bit of a review on the leather by
duramax
. I am putting this in this thread because it is specific to the boot dagger....
Functionality and retention:
This is the second 'prototype' (* see below) sheath Bill sent me to mess around with. The first one was a single layer front and back of some thicker leather and the mouth went up higher on the handles. This made the knife difficult to draw because all you can grip is the back end of the handle that tapers off pretty thin. The first one also had a mediocre fit around the blade and rattled once the mouth loosened up a bit. We discussed some changes and this is the result. This version is from some thinner leather panels and is lined. Even as a prototype, the construction is outstanding! Retention on the blade is much improved with the liner and (I think) thinner welt. Now the draw is perfect because the mouth rides lower. Bill got the pattern dialed in!
The whole package takes up very little room in a regular cowboy boot shaft. I have pretty much forgotten it is there for most of the day.
Security:
This rig with the Mummert clip is basically rendered useless. The clip provides no retention in the boot. It would on a belt because the bottom would hook under the lower edge of the belt. On the surface of the leather it just comes along for the ride when you draw the knife.
I ordered a Ulticlip and will swap it out. Full disclosure, Bill tried to dissuade me from the Mummert clip and basically told me this would happen. I'm stubborn sometimes, and should have listened to Bill to start with.
Design and execution:
* quotes on Prototype, because in all honesty, this is a darn nice sheath! It is very much evident of the refinement in his skill over the past couple years (I have one of his earlier sheaths for an EDC, and while it is very nice, it is a brick!). The difference between then and now is that before Bill used multiple layers of leather to build up the difference in height a the front of the handle. Now the leather is formed to the front of the handle in one thickness. This sheath is great quality and very well made.
The stamping is fantastic (again, just a prototype, but the details are very nice). I am normally not one for stamped sheaths, preferring smooth leather, or textured leather instead (elephant, hippo, beaver tail, etc. - If I'm going to splurge on leather, I'm going to go big!). Having said that, Bill has made me a fan of stamping in both of these. One is a dart/arrow and this basket weave. Both are really nicely done.
The stitching is well done, and is nice and uniform on both the front and back. I think all Bill's stitching is by hand - but he can correct me if that's not true.
Bill has also provided a couple variants of a belt loop for each of the prototypes. They are a fold-over leather design that also provides about 30-degrees of forward cant to the handle. The belt loop is well done and a great concept. Only thing is I do not want this knife on my belt in the traditional 3:00 position. He makes the attachment points modular in design so they can accept just about any clip you want. Pretty smart detail there. It made adapting to a clip a snap. With a Ulticlip I am able to go from my boot to in a deep pocket to inside my belt at the 11:00 position. I could even clip it inside my day pack with ease, making one setup suitable for a number of carry options.
Overall, I'm heckin impressed with this sheath!