Neck Sheathes

F

FullerH

Joined
Nov 25, 1998
Messages
12,632
I just got a Sastre neck sheath for my BF Native. It is beautifully made and holds the knive very well. The problem is that I don't see how it should be used. Whay would one hang a knife around one's neck so that one would have to go through a shirt to get to it when it would be easier to clip it too a pocket? Certainly, access would be faster.

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh


 
Actually, access is faster from the neck sheath.

With the knife hanging from your neck, you can readily grab the blade hole with your thumb and index finger, yank down to unsheath and do a drop-open deploy in one motion.

I think Mike gave the details on another thread.

Ah... here it is:
http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum20/HTML/001018.html

[This message has been edited by Longden (edited 11 October 1999).]
 
I follow you, but you still have to go through your shirt, etc. to get to it, and that would slow you down considerably. Is the point of the sheath concealment?

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh


 
Knives worn around the neck do not always need to be inside the shirt. If worn inside, the tip of the sheath should be just barely out of sight. This would allow you to grab the tip, lift out, and slid your hand down the sheath to withdraw the blade. The time it takes to do this is not very long and unless you are surprised by an assault, there should be plenty of time. When a knife is needed to just cut something, I usually have the neck knife out and am cutting by the time someone else is getting theirs open. I don't think that neck knives are for every one. The pocket clip, the blade hole, liner locks, rollin locks, and others types of knives have filled about every need for a knife that I can think of. A person's occupation or needs will determine the type of knife and the carry that is best for them. I personally will use the neck knife untill it starts to dull before I switch to the pocket knife. Ray Kirk Raker Knives
 
Hugh, there are two schools of thought when it comes to neck carry for knives. One is that they are for convenience in that you can get access to a neck knife that is worn OUTSIDE the clothing very easily. This makes life easy in the garden or workshop when you are wearing gloves. I always wear a REKAT Fang when I am making sheaths because I wear gloves and taking them on and off to get to a pocket knife is ridiculous. So is hunting in my ultra-messy workshop for the knife I laid down. The best possible answer is a neck sheath.
The other school of thought is using the neck knife for self-defense. When worn under clothing, most neck knives deploy slower than most knives that would be in an IWB or in a pocket clip, for example. OTOH, the neck knife sheath keeps the knife that, according to people here, is rarely searched by police and therefore the knife is concealable to a greater degree. I wear neck knives for both purposes and haven't had to deploy one for defense, so you'll have to get someone else's opinion on that.

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My Custom Kydex Sheath page:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
agocs_s@dd.palmer.edu
Madpoet (Mel Sorg, Jr.) Tribute page:
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/madpoet/main.html

 
Personally, I wear my Fang as a neck knife whenever the weather turns cool enough to wear a sweatshirt or jacket (I tuck my other shirts in). There has been more than one occasion when I've drawn the knife to cut something or other (because it's just so much more damned convenient than a folder if I'm not in the midst of sheeple) and my non-knife (yet non-sheeple) acquaintances will say something like "Jeez, where did that come from?"

Of course, speed of draw will vary from person to person and situation to situation. But most people simply do not expect to see a knife emerge from the bottom of someone's shirt. From a concealment/surprise standpoint, I think that is the primary factor in its effectiveness.

Regards -- Shades

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The deed is everything, the glory nothing.


 
You've already got several good responses on how a neck knife can be accessed quickly for both tactical and utility purposes. I would add that sometimes it is the best and possibly the only effective solution; for example, in ocean kayaking when wearing a survival suit and no pfd to lash a knife to; hiking with a pack & hipbelt where access to a folder or a fixed blade lashed to the pack is slower[but still an option if you need a larger knife than you want to carry around your neck]
 
Convenience, concealability, utility, speed, and surprise. Sounds like you guys covered things pretty well. If speed from concealment is a perceived need, it's just a matter of training and practice. I know some people who can draw to a strike, from under or thruogh a shirt, quicker than most people can think about getting a knife out of their pocket. I'm not bad myself, but then I get lots of opportunities to practice. Also, the surprise factor tends to negate any loss of speed you might have.

Mike
 
I've been wearing a neck knife around the office for the past month or so, a Stiff KISS with the sheath dremeled down to the bare outlines. I've pulled it out once, to zip through a piece of baling twine that had caught my boss's finger while we were unloading a truck (who says office guys don't work!). The look of surprise on his face when the knife appeared reaffirmed why I carry it: The element of surprise. I figure, worse case scenario, the bad guy may notice the black clip of my C7 in my pocket, but that'll still leave me a blade around my neck. I am going to replace the black para-cord it hangs from with either a neutral color or a bead chain for lower visibility. Oh yeah, I ordered my REKAT Utility last week! Can't wait!

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"I'm tired of going over this. They're INVESTMENTS!"
 
Here's a good thread (not just sayin' that 'cause I started it
wink.gif
): http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/004930.html

I'm still of the opinion that if I want a knife fast, I've got a lot of better places to wear it. But there are some great comments in that thread, and I'm giving things another look (including a Matriarch neck sheath).

One thing that I will say for neck knives, it's the only place you can wear a knife 24-7 in any state of dress.

-Drew
 
Neck knives can be decorative to conceal their identity. I once talked with a man at the NKCA show in Kentucky. He had a small NK with a turkey toe cured onto the tang as a handle! The pommel was dangerous in its own right because of the big claw. It looked like some kind of a voodoo talisman - different to say the least.

Another point- I've always wondered about the legality of neck knives. What would an LEO's opinion of them be (concealed or otherwise)?

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The only substitute for good manners is fast reflexes!


[This message has been edited by LabRat (edited 12 October 1999).]

[This message has been edited by LabRat (edited 12 October 1999).]
 
How secure is the neck sheath and how much for one for my Military?

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The greatest thought that has ever entered my mind is that one day I will have to stand before a Holy God and give an account of my life.
*Daniel Webster

Rev 20:12

 
I've got to agree with Lynn Griffith on this one. When I feel like it - it's nice, when I don't feel like it, something else is nice.

It's good to have choices!
 
Convenient carry, especially for shop work. Also adds another spot to carry a knife, increasing the number available at any given time.

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James
San Francisco, CA

 
Well, you all have clarified that for me. Thanks. Now I am thinking of ordering neck sheaths for my Military and StarMate. And Drew, your post was very informative. I don't know how I had missed it.

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh




[This message has been edited by FullerH (edited 14 October 1999).]
 
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