River City Sheath Review: Bob Lum Tanto

[silver_pilate]

A while back I ordered a concealex sheath from Mike Sastre at River City Sheaths. Although the wait was a little more than I expected, I am pleased to say that I am thrilled with the product I received.

I ordered a sheath to fit a Bob Lum fixed blade Tanto as made by Spyderco. This knife comes with a handsome, but clumsy leather sheath which simply would not work with my EDC intentions. I ordered the sheath set up for SOB carry, vertical carry, and IWB carry. The sheath came with two belt "G" clips (one for vertical, one for horizontal SOB) which can also be used without a belt by simply slipping them onto the waistband. It also came with a Pull The Dot rubber belt loop for use with IWB carry.

Initial Impressions:

The sheath looks GREAT. Nice work and a very clean, simple design. Fit and finish is excellent. Screws are black phillips heads and posts are aluminum. There is a small drain hole at the apex of the sheath.

The knife fits very securely. Not the slightest hint of blade rattle. Mike told me that he made the drawpoint a little tighter on this sheath as it would be carried horizontally, and you could definately tell this at first. The knife was held quite tightly and only withdrew with a firm, brisk tug.

Handle presentation was better than I had hoped. The sheath fits the handle perfectly and allows a quick grasp of the entire handle surface.

The G-clips are neat little contraptions allowing use as a clip when not wearing a belt. My only regret is that they don't fit the belt as snuggly as I would wish. Extra space within the clip is necessary to allow post installation for certain carry positions, but I would like to see a more snug fit to belt width.

Secondary Impressions:

I've been carrying this knive for about 4 days now. Due to my current educational and career involvment, vertical carry is not practical. Also, I've never been fully comfortable with IWB carry. I have found, for my purposes, a SOB carry with an untucked shirt is ideal. I am carrying the knife at belt level SOB. The sheath can be positioned for carry against the back just above the belt line, at the belt line, or just slightly inferior to the belt line. I found that belt line positioning allowed for the best combo of concealability, ease of grasp, and speed of withdrawl. Printing against outer clothing is negligable unless you pull the shirt tight or bend over deeply.

Also, as I have used the sheath, the drawpoint tension has decreased and settled into a level that is just right for me.

Overall:

Very nice product. I've found my custom sheath maker. The wait was long, but the time of year was busy for Mike, and he gets swamped on occasions. I will definately do business with him again in the future.

--Nathan

 

[Rorschach]

Here here, another thumbs up for Sastre's Lumto sheath. My review is not nearly as well written or informative , but I have some pics that I posted in the Spyderco Forum here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=251994

I like to carry cross-draw right side horizontal. Works like a champ.

 

[PartialSerrations]

His work is exceptional. Yes, the wait is rather long but in the end you get a really good product in return. Another person you might try is Eric Noeldechon at On Scene Tactical. He does great work as well.

IF WAR IS HELL, TAKE A BETTER PITCHFORK THAN THE DEVIL

 

[VampyreWolf]

I've been using Eric's work for a while. My lumto has been in a rig since early april, and been carried in the same position for 90% of that time. right hip, cant to rear(tip forward, edge back). I've tried hori and vert, but they require more movement to draw and replace.

Where I work knives are accepted and are useful tools(for most of my 8hr day, they probably see 6-7hrs of use a day). I carry with my shirt tucked in, and even with the small movementto get my elbow back, I can still draw as fast as the FRN SE Endura that rides 24/7 in my left pocket.