Nylon or kydex sheeth?

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Oct 22, 2011
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Can anyone tell me what the advantages and disadvantages are of Kydex and Nylon as materials for my 5" fixed blade knife? I'll be using it mainly in the woods, mostly in dry circumstances, but sometimes also ehen it is wet.
 
Cons: Kydex will scratch your blade's finish. Ballistic nylon may retain moisture, other liquids and imbed dirt.

Pros: Kydex may offer better retention, more carry options, can utilize TekLoks systems, harder to accidentally penetrate knife through. Nylon is typically cheaper, can have a strap for retention, can include carry pouches and are easier to swap knives with.

Both are fine, it's really a personal preference.
 
again... personal preference, I'd go with a quality nylon/cordura sheath for personal carry (especially one with a liner of sorts, to prevent the blade poking through) as stated earlier, it can hold moisture, and whatnot, but if kydex is tight enough to form fit your blade, it's going to scratch your knife, guard or bolsters as dirt ALWAYS gets between the two and causes scratches. and you can use Teklok systems and whatnot if you mount them properly. just my 2 cents
 
Kydex pros---no handle retention strap needed/or to get accidently cut off---drawing knife is a one hand operation---water does not affect it---cleans relatively easily---can attatch another smaller knife or pouch to the holes (assuming they are on both sides of sheath & not just a fold over)

Kydex cons---if put away wet in freezing temperatures it can freeze solid inside the sheath---Kydex can crack/break when exposed to freezing temps and banging it hard/falling on it/hammering it to get frozen knife out of sheath---it will be harder to pull out & put into sheath in freezing temps.

Nylon pros--- wont crack in freezing temps---most have an extra pouch/pocket for a multi-tool ect...

Nylon cons---usually wobbles/wiggles in plastic insert---could probably still freeze inside the plastic insert if put away wet in freezing temps if it had no drain hole/s---stitching to fail eventually maybe---knife handle retention strap/s can be accidently cut or cut off, making it almost useless---drawing knife without cutting strap is a two handed affair.

All my knives are users, so scratches don't bother me in the least. A knife with no wear marks is like a lifted 4x4 mall-cruiser that never sees the dirt. For some, just not for me.
 
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