HELP...concealex or kydex

I'v read posts that kydex will scratch my microtechs. Will concealex do the same? I am thinking about getting a concealex neck sheath for my mini socom from tactical-knives.com. Anybody have experience with concealex ot this particular sheath? thanks...
 
Crayola

Crayola

Joined
Sep 23, 1999
Messages
3,831
Kydex and Consealex, for most intents and purposes, are the same material. Thus, Consealex will scratch your knife.

Consealex is available in way more colors than Kydex, as far as I have seen. The two materials act a little different when you heat them up too, but other than that, I don't think there is much of a difference.

If you don't want scratches, go with leather. Maybe someone can make a lined kydex sheath for you?

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"Come What May..."
 
I have sheaths and holsters made from both, and I cannot tell the difference. Kinda like the way Clint Smith explains handgun tactics, "Hands are all the same, but different."
 
Hey Dux...

The sheath you are looking at @
http://www.tactical-knives.com was made by me...

I can tell you this,, Kydex or Concealex by itself,, Does Not scratch knives!

It is foreign matter, that gets in the sheath, or is sometimes left in the sheath during manufacturing that does the actually scratching.

If I were to rub a mirror blade onto a piece of Concealex, there won't be any scratches. Scuff marks ,,but no scratches.

Your mini socom will be fine in the sheath you are looking at.

There are Very slight differences, mostly the looks of the plastic. Unless you work with it every day, you won't notice any difference.

If you have any questions, Please feel free to drop me a note..

ttyle

Eric...
In your case since

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On/Scene Tactical
Leading The Way In Quality Synthetic Sheathing

[This message has been edited by Normark (edited 05-06-2001).]
 
Ah, thanks Eric for reminding me of that part too! It ain't the plastic that scratches the knife, but when you get some gunge in the sheath and pull out your knife, you get a good scratch on it.

I guess regular cleaning of your sheath is a must as well.

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"Come What May..."
 
I did not know that! THanks I figured it was the materail itself. I need to wash out my sheath more then. Cool.
biggrin.gif


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Wayne.
"To strive to seek to find and not to yield"
Tennyson
Ranger motto

A few useful details on UK laws and some nice reviews!
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Certified steel snob!
 
Thanks everybody and especially you Eric. My fears are laid to rest. I have learned so much from this forum in a short time. Eric, my prayers are with you and your family.
 
This begs the question as to whether or not there is some material -- very thin, I expect -- which could be used to line the inside of Kydex/Concealex sheaths, thereby avoiding the scuff marks? Something with no "give" to it, so that the tightness needed isn't compromised?

I wish there was some way to collect, use, and keep fresh whatever it is that covers owl pellets. It is some of the slickest stuff in the world. Afraid it would dry out tho. Or, maybe an artificial mucus?


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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
Hey Normark, what is the best way to clean out the Kydex or Concealex? Compressed air? Just water? Soap and water?
 
Hey Bugs...

This has been brought up many times about lining a sheath with material of some type.

Lets say for example that you line the inside of the sheath with the softest leather in the world...

You cut something with your knife, lay it down for a second then resheath the knife.

For arguments sake,, lets say when you laid the knife down, it picked up a tiny grain of sand,dirt, or piece of crud in general. You've just transfered that grain of sand into your sheath.

The million dollar question now is...

How, do you get that grain of sand out?

You may be able to blow it out,, but you'll never be able to wash it out.

I don't care if you line a sheath with the fluff off of a duckling a$$, it will trap dirt and it will scratch your blade.

Cleaning a sheath out on a regular basis is the only way to reduce the risk of scratching. My prefered method of cleaning is water under high pressure; like that from a garden hose or similar.

Air will more than likely work, but I tell my customers to use water,as everyone will most likely have access to a garden hose of some type.

As far as putting something into the sheath, such as grease, oil, silicone,, I don't recommend it for the exact same reason...

At times under certain circumstances I will spray WD-40 or silicone or Armourall into a sheath to make the inside of the sheath slick,, but I will also wash out as best I can as much residue as possible.

The best thing to do is keep your sheath as clean as possible and wash out frequently..

This would be the extreme case,for a knife that you want to keep as shiny as possible...

If you are Very concerned about scratching then sheathing the knife in Anything may cause you problems.

Synthetics get bad press constantly for this. It's not the plastic,, its the way the sheath was made, the care taken to clean the inside after manufacturing, and care of the user in general.

A year or so ago I wanted to see what I could find inside one of my well used leather sheaths. The knife is an Old Timer similar to a sharp finger. The sheath is leather pouch style with no straps or cover.

I cleaned the sheath out onto a white piece of paper. Inside I found deer fur,assorted seeds, a small stone,many grains of sand or general grit, and a crushed and mangled .22 casing. Who knows how that got in there.
Keep in mind that I have had this knife since I was a teenager, it has never been cleaned and has seen major hours of use.

If you have used a sheath for that long without a cleaning,, you may find similar results.

Keep it clean,and you shouldn't have a problem.

ttyle

Eric...


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On/Scene Tactical
Leading The Way In Quality Synthetic Sheathing
 
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