Does the sheath matter to you?

Haldir00

Haldir00

Joined
May 16, 2003
Messages
306
Kind of a "dumb" question, not that it is wrong or anything, more in the random, trivial category. I'm curious if anyone else has NOT bought a knife you liked because of the sheath. I generally prefer simple, understated yet functional sheaths for my knives, so when someone, a maker or second hand, offers up a knife, I often want the tool itself, but because I don't care for the sheath, I pass on the purchase. In effect, a sheath I don't like often becomes a deal breaker. Obviously some people like velvet Elvis paintings or saggy pants or pierced whatever...we're all different, so I'm not implying a "right vs wrong" judgment, simply one of preference. Many makers put a significant amount of work into making an interesting and ornate sheath, and I do not for a second discount the sincerity of their predilections or craftsmanship. However, rather than get a knife I happen to like and accept that I'm going to get rid of the 'offensive' sheath (think heavily tooled, etc), I generally wave off. Anyone else find that the sheath is a significant factor? I guess an ancillary question could go out to the makers of both knives and sheaths, do you find that heavy tooling, ornateness, etc, generally is a desirable thing for the average spec buyer? Does ornate or "fancy" equate to "better" in buyers' minds and, therefore, get preference?
 
Not really but it does bother me if the sheath sucks. Case in point, the ZT 180 is a great fixed blade. Nice shape, stout as hell, good steel...terrible sheath. Rattly, loud, genetic, bulky. It just plain sucks and had no business paired with a premium priced knife.

I purchased an Ontario SK4 after that to fill the role of a 4" hiking blade, and it's a solid minimalist knife. Kinda rolls in my hand, so I don't use it much BUT the sheath is superior to the ZT0180. However, the 180 fits in the Ontario sheath. Nothing like dropping over a hundred bucks on a knife and only using the repurposed sheath to make previously purchased $200 knife actually functional.
 
Stelth said:
Getting a good sheath is a rare bonus. I have a box full of never used sheaths. Say what you will about Gerber, but the knives I bought from them in the 80s are my most used sheaths. They are very versatile.
Click to expand...
It’s funny, this reminded me of how for a LONG time my stock nylon leatherman sheath was my primary pistol mag carrier 🤣

These basic nylon sheaths are pretty versatile.
 
It won't stop me buying a Knife I really want but a decent sheath particularly for a more expensive Knife is generally a must imo. The exception with the knives I own are Fallknivens which have come with the basic Zytel sheaths for example (which some don't care for) but I don't mind as they are extremely functional particularly with the new locking system.
 
A nice fixed blade with a decent sheath shouldn't be as complicated as most companies make it....
If I'm really into a blade odds are I'm looking at some custom leather too...
A good .many makers here make a solid pair of pants to go with their blades!!
However, some dont......It definitely rubs me the wrong way if the price of a knife is over$300 and you don't get a sheath though.. That's just me and my wishes.....

Burgess Merideth in Grumpy old men.said it.perfectly-----" You can wish in one hand and crap in the other....Lemme know which one fills first😜
 
I might have a couple more Bradford Guardian 3s or 3.5s if their sheaths didn't suck so bad.

I recently decided not to buy a really nice looking custom neck knife because the sheath was bright yellow and my wife would not have allowed me to wear it in public.

I have decided against several neck knives because their taco sheaths make the handle hang away from the hand that draws the knife. I made an exception for the Spyderco Subway Bowie because an LC200N neck knife was near the top of my list of priorities. It's a great knife. The sheath is terrible. I got a custom sheath from Eight2Ten that's excellent, but it did put the total cost of the knife pretty high.

I have returned two Bark River neck knives because the sheaths had zero retention.
 
I appreciate a quality sheath coming with a fixed blade, even if I decide to have a different one made. I have had some custom knives come with absolutely crappy ones, and others come with excellent ones. I am very pleased with the kydex fit/finish of sheaths that came with knives recently from AK (Kornalsky), CPE, CPK, and David Mary.

The Kydex sheath I got for a DT-12 from David Brown is excellent. The Pirtle leather sheath I got for a CPK Kephart is beautiful and just perfect for my needs.
 
Buying a knife with a sheath offered in the deal wouldn’t bother me either way, but if offered, a good perk, that being said, I generally don’t carry in a sheath unless hiking or hunting which frees up pocket comfort during long strides….usually when carrying a large folder at work or short walks, I drop it into my pocket as putting a sheath on is also a pia….small knives under 4” unless it is a lunker like Buck 112 seem ridiculous to sheath although I sometimes see someone with a smallish pocket knife invariably being carried just as mentioned…..one thing I do realize is, people are shaped differently in the upper leg and thigh and sometimes for them, pocket carry is not comfortable…that being said, a 3-7/8” folder with round bolsters is much more comfy than a similar sized square bolster knife….and, if fixed blade, always a sheath but again, I would have to be hiking or hunting to carry a fixed blade knife…one of my co-workers does it and he looks ridiculous even in our construction work setting. it looks silly (only my opinion) and scares the natives, me, not a sheeple but I do know when it is good to exercise common sense in public and I generally don’t use a sheath but have bought some for my Buck 110s’ and Case 2 blade folding hunters’ that are open top and have design texturing of sorts like rose carving or fish scale, basket weave, etc…
 
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