Knife cuts leather sheath when removing knife

L

letsurf

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Mar 11, 2013
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I have a new Bark River Bravo 1 with stock sheath and when I remove the knife the blade tries to cut the leather strap that holds the knife in place. I have to take my other hand and hold it out of the way which drives me nuts. It's just not efficient. Is this typical of leather sheathes? I'm considering buying a kydex sheath or something with a different design that I can take out easily with one hand and not worry about cutting the thing up. It looks like the sheath has a cutout where the strap is supposed to rest but the strap falls out of that so I'm not really sure what that is for. Thoughts?

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letsurf said:
I have a new Bark River Bravo 1 with stock sheath and when I remove the knife the blade tries to cut the leather strap that holds the knife in place. I have to take my other hand and hold it out of the way which drives me nuts. It's just not efficient. Is this typical of leather sheathes? I'm considering buying a kydex sheath or something with a different design that I can take out easily with one hand and not worry about cutting the thing up. It looks like the sheath has a cutout where the strap is supposed to rest but the strap falls out of that so I'm not really sure what that is for. Thoughts?

ibb.co

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Buy a new sheath without the need of a strap, looks silly anyways 🤷‍♂️
 
Common problem with sheathes relying on straps to hold the knife. There is a way to draw the knife while holding the strap out of the way with the thumb... I admit it's finnicky and just a pain in the end because I don't want to focus that much on an operation which should go mindless. This said, it's difficult to conceive an easy draw sheath (i.e. without strap) for a knife with a guard. Otherwise, there are plenty of wonderful leather and Kydex sheathes available. Here are two of my favourites, one Kydex, pure perfection (Stoil Manchev) and two leather (Helle from Sweden, with the cat and Isaki Järvenpää, Finland). Those deep carry sheathes are quite perfect in their own.
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Maybe it's just me but that Bark River sheath seems to have the strap in the wrong location. Sheaths I've had with such straps had them come from the back so that when opened the strap swings out and towards the back. I'm rather surprised that I haven't heard about this issue before.
 
IME with sheaths with retaining straps, it's not uncommon for them to get in the way and possibly cut. For sheaths with straps that go around the entire handle near the butt of the knife, you can just pull away from you body while pulling up to make space. For straps that go over the lower guard, just fold it back and pin it behind the sheath and yourself after you unsnap it.
 
I don't trust leather sheaths with snaps -- the snaps eventually loosen or the straps get cut. I usually modify factory leather sheaths with a heavy duty shock cord (tent cord works well) that slips over the butt of the knife, and/or a leather or paracord. That said, the sheaths Bark River supplies are usually pretty solid designs with good thick leather.
 
That's what I said : finnicky. Now, while I love the Nordic deep carry sheathes, I must admit you have to be careful to draw "over the back", otherwise you cut up the mouth of the sheath. Things which were common knowledge back in the days, like "don't let your axe sit in the rain" stuff. I love carbon steel blades in the kitchen but you must comply with the "swipe & dry" routine after every or so cut (especially lemon, onion, tomato and such). When I'm in a hurry, I just love my stainless blades... Short version : if you like a knife, get in line with the policy implied. If you want a simplistic policy, get a compliant knife.
 
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herisson said:
Common problem with sheathes relying on straps to hold the knife. There is a way to draw the knife while holding the strap out of the way
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This. Learn how to keep the strap away (I use my middle finger) - you need to be able to do it blind when taking the knife out (say - you are lying under a car and need your knife ...), putting it back in, you have more time. That's what I do anyways :) It's easier when the knife has a guard, even tiny guards help keep the strap out of the way.

Some knife makers include an elastic band in a sheath strap to pull it out of the way. That's very cool.

Straps vs. strap-less leather vs. Kydex, they all have advantages and disadvantages, ,and you have to decide what you like best. For example, with straps, you can carry a knife higher than without, kydex will scratch the blade, etc.
 
herisson said:
I love carbon steel blades in the kitchen but you must comply with the "swipe & dry" routine after every or so cut (especially lemon, onion, tomato and such).
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Or just let it patina, which also cuts maintenance and helps prevent rust. 😁👍 (once you get a patina, it really isn't necessary to lightly oil the blade to stop rust.)
OH!!! A patina does not affect the taste of the food. 😇👍
 
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dirc said:
lol, love it - so simple - he forgot the part to tell you to see his excellent examples, his are among the finest leather sheaths available imho ... the kind of quality which only comes after you use & improve & refine your leatherwork over many years
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Thank you sir for the shout out. Kinda the funny thing is literally finished off today, a sheath for a knife that came with a sheath that had a strap.

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Out of curiosity, are you tucking the strap behind that extension on the belt loop when you unfasten the strap? That extension helps in clearing the retention strap from the blade when it is unfastened.

Kinda like this shown on a similar one I made for a TOPS knife of mine:

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Horsewright said:
Thank you sir for the shout out. Kinda the funny thing is literally finished off today, a sheath for a knife that came with a sheath that had a strap.

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Beautiful sheath 👍. That built in locking pattern is excellent. Is that called a cam lock ?

That Fisk design is great as well.
 
I know it as a Loveless cam after Bob. On certain knives such as this one I have modified his original design by adding that block to the cam so a guy can't slam it home too hard and come out the tip of the sheath. The front of the finger guard engages the block before the tip of the knife can reach the end of the sheath.
 
IUKE12 said:
I have a rampless Bravo with the very same sheath issue. I've been living with the problem and plan to until I completely sever the retention strap😀
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My BR Gunny sliced through the sheath in the first week. Went with kydex.
 
herisson said:
Common problem with sheathes relying on straps to hold the knife. There is a way to draw the knife while holding the strap out of the way with the thumb... I admit it's finnicky and just a pain in the end because I don't want to focus that much on an operation which should go mindless. This said, it's difficult to conceive an easy draw sheath (i.e. without strap) for a knife with a guard. Otherwise, there are plenty of wonderful leather and Kydex sheathes available. Here are two of my favourites, one Kydex, pure perfection (Stoil Manchev) and two leather (Helle from Sweden, with the cat and Isaki Järvenpää, Finland). Those deep carry sheathes are quite perfect in their own.
Nc3P9hg.jpg
DIA]
hBGZ7G7.jpg


m6MwDIl.jpg
Click to expand...
I'm always afraid the knife will fall out of the deep pocket sheath. Is that a thing or do they just not fall out ever?
 
bucsfan69 said:
My BR Gunny sliced through the sheath in the first week. Went with kydex.
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Glad I'm not the only one having this issue. I hate inefficiency and needing to use another hand just drives me insane. Looks like deep leather or kydex for me.
 
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