Leather or Kydex sheaths?

T

thercman

Joined
May 9, 2014
Messages
11
Hey guys!

So I am going to order the L.T. Wright Genesis knife and debating whether or not get the standard leather sheath or the "One Foot Into the Wild" Kydex version. I do a little knife and sheath making and it seems like the Kydex sheaths dull the blade faster since the edge invariably runs along the Kydex while inserting it into the sheath. What do you guys think?

Cheers,
Greg
 
Just as a general rule I prefer leather to any man-made material for sheaths and holsters. There's nothing like a fine, broken-in piece of leather to hold a valuable tool. I carry a FB every day as my main cutter and my leather sheaths can go from warehouse to pulpit and never miss a beat. Always look good doing it.

They also feel better to me than a rigid piece of material that's not going to flex and adjust to my movements.
 
I LOVE leather (saddle making is a hobby of mine), but I've got to admit kydex is quite practical for some field uses. For instance, if you're going to get wet a lot or if you need different mounting options.

From an aesthetic point of view, leather is much nicer (in my opinion).
 
I can't stand leather. It stretches, stains, and rots if it's not babied. You also aren't supposed to store blades in it. I only use it on knives that are too small or too big for kydex.

Kydex is durable, thin, and retains the blade better so long as it is designed and molded and finished properly. The first few I made scratched the heck out of my blades, but now that I know what I'm doing I rarely have to deal with "kydex scratches". I've never had a problem with blades dulling from the kydex, I assume they're dulling from what I do with them while outside of the sheath.
 
Thanks guys! I ended up ordering the leather sheath version since I couldn't really see the value in additional $100. Especially for a $2 piece of kydex and a sharping stone. *shrug* (I'm penny pinching right now since I am back in school) I'll give the leather a go to see how I like it. If it becomes problematic I'll just mold a kydex one myself. With that said I am pretty stoked about the new knife. This will be the most cash I have spent on one so my expectations are high. I have also never had a scandi grind on a blade. Handling it will also give me ideas for my own designs. :p
 
My M4 Essential lives in its leather sheath all the time. That's my daily carry FB so it does get pulled and used, but it doesn't go into anything else, even if it's staying home for a day or so. Been like that for about 6 months now. No problems with sheath or knife so far.
 
No worries out of a leather sheath made from top grade leather, most peoples horror stories stem from using poorly tanned leather. Use cheap leather, you get a cheap sheath.

Good leather does not stretch much at all, if any, I have daily use sheaths going on ten years old and no appreciable stretch.

I dont baby my sheaths either, no rot. They do get wet, often.

Same goes for kydex, properly fitted it wont cause any problems. Shove a dirty knife in there once and you have problems with either kydex or leather. Proper maintenance is key.

If your worried about stains, go black or dark brown dyed leather. Problem solved.
 
I prefer leather over kydex any day of the week. Leather can look good on a traditional knife and it can be dressed up for tactical blades also. I see the usefullness of kydex and understand its appeal, I have seen some really nice kydex sheaths out there. But a plain jane leather sheath still looks like it has soul, you cant get that with kydex. And a really good leather sheath well thats a work of art all by itself.
 
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