Why are items sold as "never in sheath"?

sygyzy

sygyzy

Joined
Apr 29, 2003
Messages
339
I have been checking out the For Sale forums and many of them say new in box, never been in sheath, never worn, etc.

Does putting a knife in a sheath designed for it somehow ruin or damage it? I have my Benchmade 550 in the sheath it came with and it looks fine to me. What am I missing?
 
Sometimes if a knife has a kydex sheath, then it can have scratches from the kydex.
 
alot fo what you may be seeing in the for sales in limited run knives, say such as Busses, that didn't come from the factory with a sheath. To a seller with only 1 type of a certain knife it doesn't do them any good to sell a knife without the sheath, what you gonna do with a sheath?

If you find a knife that doesn't come sheathed don't let that hold you back, there are several great sheathmakers on the forums. Both kydex / concealex and leather that can make most any type sheath you would like.



dave
 
The acids used in the tanning process can cause corrosion, especially on carbon steel.

Paul
 
Thanks guys. I was not too concerned about it coming with a sheath or not, just why they shouldn't be stored in them. With that said, I guess Kydex and nylon sheaths should be okay since they don't have any acids?
 
Maybe nylon, but if any grit gets in a Kydex sheath it'll scratch the hell out of the blade. I got a ton of sand in my Kydex Culloden sheath the day after I got it, years ago, and it's scratched like you wouldn't believe. :( Still has a gritty feel, even now.

Ash
 
Makes sense, any debris will act as an abrasive. I hope you weren't carrying a nice knife!
 
I used to think that my stainless knives wouldn´t be affected if left in leather sheaths, but a couple of them developed green rust marks on the brass guards.
 
Along with what PWork and others have said on this thread, I have always been told to never store a knife or firearm in a leather sheath, because the leather can retain moisture and lead to pre-mature rusting.

Originally posted by PWork
The acids used in the tanning process can cause corrosion, especially on carbon steel.

Paul
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Originally posted by Don Luis
I used to think that my stainless knives wouldn´t be affected if left in leather sheaths, but a couple of them developed green rust marks on the brass guards.
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Brass and leather combined = BBAAAADDDDDD!!!!!!!!

I've dealt with more brass than I care to think about, and leather is never a good thing for it. It turns the brass green VERY quickly, and if you're not careful, will make it rust very quickly also.

I have a 710-01 brass/winewood from Benchmade which came in a leather sheath. I do NOT keep it in there. I have the knife sitting on top of my computer desk, with the sheath in the closet. It's much easier to clean up a little dust than it is to clean up rust.
 
Many collectors look for the "MINT" knives for display, safe queens or investments. Most folks don't store knives in leather sheaths due leather's tendencies to absorb and hold moisture next to the knife. For synthetic sheaths I don't think insheath storage matters for users. My users are not stored in leather for long periods of time. For a collector knife you would be wise to store the knife and sheath seperate.

But, many collectors want Brand Spanking New Condition unblemished knives. As such the descriptions of "Never Sheathed" "Stored Unsheathed" ect.
 
That makes alot of sense.

Now what would be great is a nylon or cloth sheet with holsters. In paintball, we use alot of barrels so rather than carrying them individually, we slide them into slots in a barrel bag, then roll it up and velcro it shut.

barrelbagsgrouped.jpg


Would be nice if they made one for knife hobbyists.
 
In a recent conversation with Marilyn Lile i was told to store my knives out of the sheaths because over a period of time the leather can affect the metal,,,her suggestion was to hang the sheaths in the sun every once in a while to remove moisture and to keep the knives in bags that are designed for washing delicate items of clothing,,,makes sense to me if your knives have been bought for investment purposes.
 
I'm sorry if this goes a bit off topic... If your leather sheath gets wet, let it air dry naturally at room temp. Never set your leather in the sun or in front of a heater to dry. Once the leather is dry I recommend using Pecard Leather Dressing. This stuff is awesome and I swear by their Classic Dressing for everything from my whips to my boots. It replenishes the oils in the leather and lubricates the fibres. It also weather proofs and protects it. There aren't any natural ingredients that will go rancid like neatsfoot oil. Pecard is used by the Smithsonian to preserve their leather artifacts like holsters and belts from the Civil War, etc. so it is perfect for the collector as well. Just my $0.2.
 
Hey,

I know nothing about sheaths, nor do I have a KYDEX, but my question is, if it can hurt the blade, why not have KYDEX exterior and leather interior?
 
The reason to have a Kydex sheath is for hard use knives to be used in all weather environments. Kydex won't deteriorate like leather from moisture and dirt, plus can be shaped so as to retain the blade without a strap or snap. This allows for more reliable carry and from what I hear, the ability to draw your knife nearly silently in the dark of night in a jungle somewhere, where the sound of a snap would be tactically undesireable.

From a collector standpoint, what I've seen on an old Al Mar Fang I have that the interaction between the brass hilt and the leather is harder on the leather than it is on the brass. The brass turns green pretty fast, but polishes up pretty easily. THe leather however seems to slowly deteriorate if left in contact for an extended time. The retaining strap also tends to break in and conform to the knife more, showing as wear to the serious collector, thereby further reducing value. The rust factor on some blade steels would be an issue as well as was mentioned above.

jmx
 
Originally posted by gris91
Hey,

I know nothing about sheaths, nor do I have a KYDEX, but my question is, if it can hurt the blade, why not have KYDEX exterior and leather interior?
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There are Kydex sheaths with lining of sorts. To answer you directly, not many guys would want to spend the money it would cost to line Kydex with leather. It's not an easy task for the maker, and then reflected in the cost to the buyer. Also, by lining the sheath with leather, you also remove the inherent advantages of Kydex/Concealex (i.e., lack of water retention, etc.)
 
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