Does the sheath matter to you?

No. I’m mostly a pocket carrier. That said, l belt carry a Buck 112. The supplied sheath is nice but I’ve never used it. I have an after market cross draw sheath that conforms to the belt line. Nothing protruding above or below to get it the way.
 
My Schrade and BUCK folders are the only folding knives that I put in a sheath. This is due to their overall bulkiness.
Bur yes: folders in pockets, and fixed blades n sheaths
 
Haldir00 said:
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?
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You mean the factory sheath? Sure. A well crafted kydex or leather sheath that’s sturdy and easy to use is always a plus in my book. I don’t look for fancy designs in factory sheaths; just supply something that works. “Engravings give you no tactical advantage whatsoever.”

But if I like the knife enough (has to be really good though), I won’t let a bad sheath ruin my enjoyment. Kind of like with fantastic watches that come with mediocre factory straps. I just buy a better sheath and throw the bad factory one out.
 
I am sort of messing around with a chest rig at the moment. And that kind of relies on an appropriate sheath.

I want to go upside down just for the cool factor.
 
To me, sheath is as important as a knife. I stopped buying cold steel fixed blades as their sheaths dull them.
 
It's always a plus when a knife comes with a good sheath, but it's not a deal breaker. It's about the knife.

I purchased a set of various sized sheaths around for whatever I'm carrying that day, if the one that comes with the knife isn't something I want to use.
 
I can't remember the sheath, or lack of sheath, ever being a factor in my decision of whether to buy a knife. If I don't like a knifes sheath, I'll just build one I do like. It's not that hard to do.

O.B.
 
Generally, I like to carry in an inverted, taco-style kydex sheath. Low profile, no extra width than necessary. Good retention is a must. For use around the yard, a big floppy sheath is fine with me, especially if it has leg tie downs.

A good sheath is a major factor in choosing a carry knife. These knives aren’t the best of the best, but get carried more than others because they came with sheaths that are easy to carry:4395E5BA-A18D-4725-86C3-37E6874E01BC.jpeg
 
For me the sheath is very important. I don't want ornate, but I do want security and ease of carry. And most importantly, I don't want a sheath that can or will dull the edge, such as the Cold Steel garbage.
 
To say it as concisely as possible, it doesn't matter, but also it really matters.

To explain: to me, it doesn't matter what the sheath looks like as long as the form factor and functionality that meet my needs are present. Also, it does matter, because if a knife doesn't have a quality sheath that can do a couple of basic things well*, then I'll usually pass on the knife. I'm not buying a knife that I then need to spend $50, $60, $100+ more dollars waiting for weeks or months to have an adequate sheath made by a maker. Sorry, I'm just not. I'm pretty happy to be able to say that I've got like...three? Three, I think, total knives out of something like fifty or sixty fixed blades I own that have an aftermarket sheath, and that's only because they came with the knife when I purchased it. I'm not spending a bunch of additional money just to be able to carry a knife I paid for. I just won't buy the knife in the first place if the sheath is crap.



* Retention, and choices in mounting such as cross-draw, being able to strap to a pack, etc.
 
Quiet said:
To say it as concisely as possible, it doesn't matter, but also it really matters.

To explain: to me, it doesn't matter what the sheath looks like as long as the form factor and functionality that meet my needs are present. Also, it does matter, because if a knife doesn't have a quality sheath that can do a couple of basic things well*, then I'll usually pass on the knife. I'm not buying a knife that I then need to spend $50, $60, $100+ more dollars waiting for weeks or months to have an adequate sheath made by a maker. Sorry, I'm just not. I'm pretty happy to be able to say that I've got like...three? Three, I think, total knives out of something like fifty or sixty fixed blades I own that have an aftermarket sheath, and that's only because they came with the knife when I purchased it. I'm not spending a bunch of additional money just to be able to carry a knife I paid for. I just won't buy the knife in the first place if the sheath is crap.



* Retention, and choices in mounting such as cross-draw, being able to strap to a pack, etc.
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I wouldn't wait months on a custom sheath, I would however wait a couple of weeks. The cost is well worth it for a blade you're going to use and love.

85% of the knives I've owned both custom and production came with sheaths I wasn't fond of.
 
SwissHeritageCo said:
I wouldn't wait months on a custom sheath, I would however wait a couple of weeks. The cost is well worth it for a blade you're going to use and love.

85% of the knives I've owned both custom and production came with sheaths I wasn't fond of.
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It just isn't to me. As long as the sheath works, I'm good. I'm not paying a sheath maker to fix a knifemaker/manufacturer's mistake. To me, that's like throwing money away, because the knife should have come with a decent sheath in the first place. 🤷

I understand that many folks find it entirely acceptable and enjoyable to pay for aftermarket sheath work, and hey, I encourage and support them in their wishes. I'M just not doing that, because I see very little value in it. A knife should come with an adequate sheath, and that should be baked into the price, as far as I'm concerned.
 
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