Kydex sheath or leather

[golok]

I am in the dark with regard to the advantages of either material for knives.

I understand that kydex sheaths are modern, besides having certain advantages. However I am unfamiliar with this material.

Leather is of course a tried and tested material and has come up tops or near the top on many accounts.

How does one compare leather and kydex in temperate and tropical environments?

Leather, I believe, reacts different under different climatic conditions.

 

[burtzolotar]

I'm also interested in the answers. I would add a 3rd option, nylon with a (kydex) insert. Personally that seems the best for my survival carry.

 

[Andre]

Kydex is most definitely a modern material and superior to leather and ballistic nylon although they still have their place.

Kydex is particularly well suited to cold weather conditions, but caution is advised in hot climates. At about 40 degrees Celcius the kydex loses its form, kind a like melting. So if you live in a desert or are found of leaving your sheaths lying in your vehicle in the sun, then it's probably not for you.

Under severe tropical conditions leather will show signs of wear much quicker and can start to rot, but when depends on how the leather was treated. Nylon is next best but will also wear with extended trips in the tropics. The coolest nylon sheath I have is for a SOG Government Agent and it has a kydex insert. Kydex is quite clearly the winner ain th etropical weather conditions as it is fairly impervious to the elements and will rrovide a much greater degree of protection than the other materials.

Kydex is fairly rigid and all designs use friction fit where the knife is held in the sheath by contact between the sheath and the knife. The lower part of the handle around the crossguard is always a favourite and usually contact is made on the upper thicker portion of the blade as well. This can cause light scratching, so make sure the kydex has been properly finished off so that there are no sharp edges inside the sheath and lubricate your knife slighly.

Kydex lend sitself to many varieties of carry modes like shoulder rigs, IWB, neck shetahs, crossdraw, etc. On the bigger factory sheaths you often get a number of slots along the side of the sheath which can be used to attach the sheath to web gear or backpacks. It just gives you a lot more options than conventional materials.

About a year ago I had some kydex sheaths made : a IWB for a Benchmade Nimravus, a shoulder rig for a Gerber Mk1 and a neck sheath for a Kershaw Ken Onion Echo. The Echo is a heavy knife for its size, but I didn't like the leather sheath that it came with. Since I've laid my hand son kydex I don't really want to use anything else

There's a guy on the site called Normark who is reported to do some good work.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

golok :

How does one compare leather and kydex in temperate and tropical environments?

Out of leather, Kydex and Cordura/Kydex :

Kydex has the highest abrasion resistance, cut resistance and puncture resistance but the lowest resistance to heat and cold. It deforms when it gets hot, and gets very brittle when it gets cold. It has the greatest resistance to rot, and is pretty much immune to many chemical attacks. Make sure you get a dual formed sheath (from and back shaped), and the material is decently thick.

Leather is lower than Kydex in terms of abrasion, cut and puncture resistance, similar to Cordura, with the exception of the Kydex liner in the Cordura of course. The leather is thicker than the Cordura though, so will hold up longer under abrasion and cuts. Leather has the greatest resistance to heat and cold, however the lowest resistance to rot.

Cordura, the only real problem with abrasion and cuts is the threads, so be sure to check for multiple rows of stitching, and make sure the rows are periodically cross locked to prevent unravelling. Like leather, Cordura is immune to heat and cold (that humans can stand), but will melt before leather if exposed to direct flame or really hot objects. Cordura has a higher resistance to rot than leather.

-Cliff