Kydex and Sheaths

M

Micro-Bevel

Joined
Apr 25, 2010
Messages
289
How big of a deal is it to have a kydex rub/scratch on a blade?:confused:

Do these things come off easily? How do you take 'em off?

If you sent a knife to get a sheath, and it came back with a kydex rub/scratch, how would you feel about it? What would you do about it, if anything?
 
I consider it a mark of honor, just like brass dings on the ejection port of my Sig, or scratches on my truck. They earned those marks as part of doing what they were made for
 
Thats just the nature of Kydex. Its great because you get a very secure hold, the downside is that you are going to get rub. If I had a safe queen, I would definitely stay away from Kydex. I myself like leather, but have one Kydex for a user of mine.
If you sent it off and it came back with rub? Chances are you were going to make them yourself as soon as you started using it.
I would not do anything as, like I said, it is just par for the course with Kydex.
 
My thoughts. If you want a sheath for a safe-queen whose main use is gonna be posing for the camera, Kydex is a horrible choice.

As for coming back from a maker with a rub or scratch, it happens. You can tape it up all you want and try your best, but in the end you're in a shop environment and you're inserting the knife in and out repeatedly as you adjust the fit. You're gonna get scratches and rubs sometimes. If you don't plan on using a knife and just want the sheath for looks, it's best to let the maker know beforehand so that he can adjust camera friendliness and retention levels accordingly.
 
Kiah, Hit the nail on the head.
 
All leather is the way to go for Safe Queens.

I like the hybrid Swinkles style Kydex + Leather.

The only thing I don't like about Kydex other than it marking up the blade surface is that if you cut part of the inside inserting it wrong, it tends to catch the blade cutting edge when inserting and gets worse. Part of the problem with it's stiffness and perfect molded tight fit vs. leather which flexes more.

But with Kydex there are no worries of cutting retension straps on accident, and there's that reassuring "snap" of locking into place.
 
Really if you want a mint safe queen with out the risk of any marks do not put it in any sheath, they all can mar the finish.

Heck even the cardboard sleeves mar the finish.
 
Like everyone before me said...don't worry about it! The FIRST time you would have pulled it from the sheath...it would have left a mark. Show pieces....like David said....should not be sheathed AT ALL. Users go great in Kydex!!!!
 
Plastic will not scratch steel.

Certain finishes will be flattened by the pressure of the plastic smoothing out a rough finish such as double cut or even satin finishes.
If you look at these finishes under magnification they are a series of hills & valleys. sometimes the pressure or even your fingernail can mar the finish.

The foreign matter that may get trapped in the sheath through use will scratch.

If you get sand, dirt or any hard matter in the sheath, it may become imbedded in the plastic thus scratching the finish every time you remove or insert the object into the sheath or holster.
 
Hey man... it's no biggie. I use flitz or mothers wheel polish... in about 90 seconds your scratches are gone.
 
yeah, I guess it's more like surface scuffing, and just shows up more on a shiny finish. But certainly not scratches deep enough that you can feel them with your fingertips or nails.
 
I have satin that gets deeper scratches from kydex. No biggie at all. I have leather, Kydex (from multiple makers). Both will scratch sheaths!
It is not the leather or the kydex that causes the scratches really, is is stuff that gets in there (Dust, grit, sand, etc) that causes the scratches.

A completely clean sterile piece of kydex should not be able to scratch. But all my sheaths get dirty.

I took my SarQ and BAD on a 2 day canoe trip. Not because those were the two I really wanted to take, but because I had kydex for both. I make my own leather sheaths, but did not want to dump them in the drink and mess up the leather. Now, I have had leather sheaths very wet before, and just dried them out slowly. But did not want to worry about it.
 
Any recommendations for a sheath maker than does Cordura Nylon sheaths with custom Kydex liners? Namely a sheath maker that would already have lots of Busse pattern knives, like a 0.27" thick FSH, so I don't have to send mine in?

-Ed
 
Maybe Im just really lucky but my buybrown and azwelke sheaths dont scratch my knives...


Or maybe i just dont notice because theyre users, either way, why worry about it? Its a knife, it still cuts stuff, and its got a little more character.
 
I have a few Mashed Cat sheaths and I haven't experienced any blade rub on mine. Some I sent the knives in and for others I bought the sheaths from his site.
 
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