I have a couple Busses and a couple Striders. They all have minor scuff marks from passing in and out of the kydex sheaths. I see that when guys sell their knives, most of the time they indicate "The usual kydex marks from holster wear." I guess my question is, is kydex really necessary? What the hell does it do for us except scratch our new knives. Mind you, I actually like kydex sometimes. But some other times I tell myself that I should just go back to using leather sheaths. My old Randall never got scratches from passing in and out of its leather sheath. Anyone share the same opinion?
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Is kydex really what it's cracked up to be?
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Some makers line the inside of their kydex sheaths with thin felt or something. I much prefer kydex sheaths for a using knife. They are much more secure, they can't rot or go limp with time, and if you trip and fall on your knife, it won't cut through and stab you.
On an art knife, however, I much prefer leather sheaths, because they won't scratch your knife and they look much better!
Jeff
On an art knife, however, I much prefer leather sheaths, because they won't scratch your knife and they look much better!
Jeff
For a "tactical" (hard use, any place, any time knife), I like Kydex. No need for straps or buttons, instant withdrawal, won't get cut up by carelessness or catching it on sharp metal or rocks, and getting it wet doesn't make any difference in how well it works.
A good leather sheath is nicer looking (my opinion), can be more comfortable to carry (depending on design), and won't scratch the blade as much.
But Kydex has some advantages leather just can't match.
A good leather sheath is nicer looking (my opinion), can be more comfortable to carry (depending on design), and won't scratch the blade as much.
But Kydex has some advantages leather just can't match.
For a serious all around outdoor sheath, Kydex or a Kydex lined sheath, would probably best. but, I like leather. Leather is more pleasing to me, especially on custom knives. but the knives that get the most use are the ones in kydex. As Knifenerd said, "life is nor perfect 
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Hey Guys....
Contrary to popular belief,,its not the kydex that scratches the blade..
Kydex will only scuff knives,, not scratch them..Its crap thats left in the sheath after manufactureing them that does the actual scratching...
Now this may be enhanced on the type of blade it is as well...
As for lining sheaths wityh material..LOL
If you Really enjoy scratches line a sheath with something....
I don't care if you line a sheath with the fluff off of a ducklings a$$ its gonna scratch a blade....
Lining kydex sheaths doesn't work and will bring you a Whole lot of pain in the future....Stay away from any sheath that is lined with Anything..
A properly made synthetic sheath will have a buffer zone around the blade,,an air space if you will....
Buy your sheaths from makers that know how to make sheaths.. Theres more to it than wrapping hot plastic around a blade..
ttyle
Eric....
Contrary to popular belief,,its not the kydex that scratches the blade..
Kydex will only scuff knives,, not scratch them..Its crap thats left in the sheath after manufactureing them that does the actual scratching...
Now this may be enhanced on the type of blade it is as well...
As for lining sheaths wityh material..LOL
If you Really enjoy scratches line a sheath with something....
I don't care if you line a sheath with the fluff off of a ducklings a$$ its gonna scratch a blade....
Lining kydex sheaths doesn't work and will bring you a Whole lot of pain in the future....Stay away from any sheath that is lined with Anything..
A properly made synthetic sheath will have a buffer zone around the blade,,an air space if you will....
Buy your sheaths from makers that know how to make sheaths.. Theres more to it than wrapping hot plastic around a blade..
ttyle
Eric....
Kydex scratches. Hmmm. I have had 1000 grit handrub blades in kydex, no scratches. The trick is to leave a little clearance gap between the blade and sheath when you press it. If you form too tight, it will scratch, esp bead blasted blades. I use a paper sleeve, with a few layers of masking tape over the sleeve. Works great.
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The knives I have, except for the ONE knife that makes up my collection, are all user knives. Scratches, coating chips, marks from slipping with a sharpening stone, and so on, cand all be found on these blades. But man do they cut like there is no tomorrow, and they get the job done very well. If you have a nice, pretty knife that you want to have kept in pristine condition, sharpening the edge after you cut 2 pieces of string, get leather for your knife. If you use your knife like a tool, kydex is perfect. Your knife is right there when you need it and is much faster to access/put back. And safer too. Sure you can do a nice sew job with leater to make a knfie safe, but i like having kydex between my flesh and my knife. if you want kydex but want your make sure your blade still looks all pretty, send it to Normark for a sheath.
Knife finishes and such are great. I love a good satin ffinish. But I also expect scratches becauser I expect to use my blades, sometimes quite hard. Enjoy your knife, and don't worry about scratches. If you can't stop worrying about scratches, go with leather, or just carry your knife in your hand all the time!
Knife finishes and such are great. I love a good satin ffinish. But I also expect scratches becauser I expect to use my blades, sometimes quite hard. Enjoy your knife, and don't worry about scratches. If you can't stop worrying about scratches, go with leather, or just carry your knife in your hand all the time!
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Normark is right.
I have been making a few (more like scrapping a few) sheaths under the tutelage of a fellow forumite.
The first couple that I did scratched the crap out of a couple nice pieces. I thought it was the Kydex, too. If you stop and think about it though, how the heck can Kydex literally scratch steel? The Kydex is WAY too soft to do that on it's own.
It's the crap that gets left in the sheath during production, as Normark said. Pices of sandpaper, cutoff wheel grit, and other hard abrasives can get embedded into the Kydex and that's where you get the scratches from. Scuffing can occur if the sheath is too tight, but if it's grit and debris free, those scuffs can be rubbed out pretty easily.
The key as I see it is to use the abrasives sparingly where possible. For example, insead of using a cutoff wheel or belt sander to shape the sheath, get it as close to what you want with shears first. Stop and wipe the sheath out with water frequently, and blow it out with compressed air if possible. Anything that can be done to eliminate the chance of debris getting stuck inside will greatly decrease the odds of your blade getting scratches.
I asked a *very* well known maker that once, and he told me that it was the nature of Kydex to scratch knives. He said the only thing I could do to prevent it was to apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to the blade to "lubricate" the inside of the sheath. I'm glad I found out that he wasn't quite right about that.
Do a search for "cpirtle" and click the link to his web page in any of his posts. Check out the sheath he made for his Blackwood. That knife has an incredible finish on the blade, and has zero marks on it from Kydex.
It's all a matter of how it's done, that's all.
I have been making a few (more like scrapping a few) sheaths under the tutelage of a fellow forumite.
The first couple that I did scratched the crap out of a couple nice pieces. I thought it was the Kydex, too. If you stop and think about it though, how the heck can Kydex literally scratch steel? The Kydex is WAY too soft to do that on it's own.
It's the crap that gets left in the sheath during production, as Normark said. Pices of sandpaper, cutoff wheel grit, and other hard abrasives can get embedded into the Kydex and that's where you get the scratches from. Scuffing can occur if the sheath is too tight, but if it's grit and debris free, those scuffs can be rubbed out pretty easily.
The key as I see it is to use the abrasives sparingly where possible. For example, insead of using a cutoff wheel or belt sander to shape the sheath, get it as close to what you want with shears first. Stop and wipe the sheath out with water frequently, and blow it out with compressed air if possible. Anything that can be done to eliminate the chance of debris getting stuck inside will greatly decrease the odds of your blade getting scratches.
I asked a *very* well known maker that once, and he told me that it was the nature of Kydex to scratch knives. He said the only thing I could do to prevent it was to apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to the blade to "lubricate" the inside of the sheath. I'm glad I found out that he wasn't quite right about that.
Do a search for "cpirtle" and click the link to his web page in any of his posts. Check out the sheath he made for his Blackwood. That knife has an incredible finish on the blade, and has zero marks on it from Kydex.
It's all a matter of how it's done, that's all.
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Hey Firebat....
you guys got it down pretty good...
The use of petro jelly or Grease,, heavy oil and any of that jazz is probably the worst advice anyone has given on sheathmaking.
Put a little on your finger and go touch something with it....It will pick up all kinds of little pieces of crap and transfer them into your sheath....
I use only WD-40 and Snap silicone spray on my sheaths... The snap gets a rince after being introduced into the sheath,,Its only purpose is to make the mouth of the sheath a little slicker inside...
Don't even get me started on magnets in synthetic sheaths...
The sheath when you are done making it needs to be clean, clean, clean inside,, before you even start on eyelets..
The sheaths I do for my clients get at the Very least two high pressure washings..One before the eyelets go in and one after final fit and finish.. Belt loop is usually the last thing that goes on...
I've actually found grit embedded in the plastic of sheaths.. I have a couple of theories on how this happens..
The first is when you are pressing the knife.. If your work area is not clean before you tape, you can easily pick up and transfer a piece of grit onto you tape. When the knife is being pressed that piece of grit gets transfered Directly on and even into the hot plastic,,and thats where it will stay...
The other is that it comes from the factory like that.. Dirty machines,, kydex pellets spilled then swept up from the floor and dumped into the hopper,thus all that dirt gets into the plastic, and eventually into your sheaths....
Take you most polished knife and rub it like a madman onto a piece of raw synthetics.. You won't find scratches,,only scuff marks,,which are fairly easy to wipe off...
I hope that this explains things a little better...
Any sheathmaker worth his salt will know all this stuff, and be able to prevent it with a few simple tricks....
Any questions,,drop me a note..
ttyle
Eric...
you guys got it down pretty good...
The use of petro jelly or Grease,, heavy oil and any of that jazz is probably the worst advice anyone has given on sheathmaking.
Put a little on your finger and go touch something with it....It will pick up all kinds of little pieces of crap and transfer them into your sheath....
I use only WD-40 and Snap silicone spray on my sheaths... The snap gets a rince after being introduced into the sheath,,Its only purpose is to make the mouth of the sheath a little slicker inside...
Don't even get me started on magnets in synthetic sheaths...
The sheath when you are done making it needs to be clean, clean, clean inside,, before you even start on eyelets..
The sheaths I do for my clients get at the Very least two high pressure washings..One before the eyelets go in and one after final fit and finish.. Belt loop is usually the last thing that goes on...
I've actually found grit embedded in the plastic of sheaths.. I have a couple of theories on how this happens..
The first is when you are pressing the knife.. If your work area is not clean before you tape, you can easily pick up and transfer a piece of grit onto you tape. When the knife is being pressed that piece of grit gets transfered Directly on and even into the hot plastic,,and thats where it will stay...
The other is that it comes from the factory like that.. Dirty machines,, kydex pellets spilled then swept up from the floor and dumped into the hopper,thus all that dirt gets into the plastic, and eventually into your sheaths....
Take you most polished knife and rub it like a madman onto a piece of raw synthetics.. You won't find scratches,,only scuff marks,,which are fairly easy to wipe off...
I hope that this explains things a little better...
Any sheathmaker worth his salt will know all this stuff, and be able to prevent it with a few simple tricks....
Any questions,,drop me a note..
ttyle
Eric...
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- Sep 17, 2001
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- 1,218
If you can tolerate the minor scuffs Kydex has some real advantages: #1 it's completely corrosion resistant, #2 it doesn't stain the knife, #3 it makes for a tighter fit.
Also, how about a drain hole or two, or maybe a slot, at the bottom of the sheath. That would make it easier to wash out grit. Easier also to dry the sheath out. I do this with the sheaths that I make for myself out of polyethelene. It should work with kydex as well.