Why cut corners on the sheath?

[Ethan Becker]

For what it is worth.....Not very many years ago knife sheaths were leather (some mil models came in "composite"sheaths) and they were almost universally shitty......factory sheaths byBuck and Gerber (when Pete was still there) were pretty decent but I remember getting mostly crap.....Custom and semi custom,ie Randall Made were really decent in most cases, but factory stuff was a differrent story........Most of us metal manglers are confused as to why a little piece of leather or Kydex costs so damn much BUT, there is almost as much TIME in a decent sheath as there is in a holster and I have been known to spend a LOT on leather or Kydex or nylon pistol "sheaths" and nary a single word of complaint did I make.....!

Go figure.......I have been hanging around this industry for thirty freaking years and I still do not know what to think about the whole sheath thing.....Sometimes I have speced either early Eagle pouch type sheaths or Brommeland HD leather and I suspect nobody bought the knife for the extremely high quality of the sheaths......The BK 2 originally came in Blackie Collins made and designed, very clever fabric/ plastic composite sheath that was blessedly inexpensive and servicable......

Personally I do not buy knives for the sheaths unless they are extremely clever........

sorry for the kind of stream of conciousness quality of this post but I too are confused.....

Ethan

 

[Bladite]

oh great, walking dead spoilers. why i otta!

 

[boring]

where are becker sheaths made?

 

[Bladite]

where are becker sheaths made?

typically china/taiwan, but possibly mexico (same place that many other knife makers use)

 

[boring]

how much could the sheaths actually cost, $1 ?

 

[boring]

after thinking about my remora, that one maybe a nickle.

 

[Bladite]

how much could the sheaths actually cost, $1 ?

more than $1 less than $25

 

[Larry Turko]

I agree absolutely that Beckers and Kabars should either come with kydex sheaths or, failing that, offer after market kydex sheaths. I would have purchased a BK9 long ago if it came with a kydex sheath. I'm mostly a day hiker, so I'm on trails where I often run into quite a few individuals who could easily be disconcerted by the sight of a large knife, in a large sheath, on my belt.
A kydex sheath would allow me to carry the BK9 ,with a G-clip, in a deep front pocket which would make the knife ,with the aid of a jacket or any untucked garment, invisible to the public. I've had lots of experience carrying big knives this way [ including knives as big as the CS gurkha kukri ] and it works very well.
I know several kydex benders make BK 9 sheaths but one would cost me about 40 clams. I can't help but think that aftermarket ,company made, kydex sheaths could be considerably cheaper.

 

[Greybush]

I wont be happy until I'm sporting a sheath for my bk9 that is made from the finest unicorn hide (tanned of course) that is woven together with strands of blonde angel hair. Until then, its milk-jug kydex...

Just kidding of course but if any of you have a ZK blade, try your bk9 in that...works out awesome for me. I dig the big pouch.

 

[collecter]

To me this is more than just having to buy a better sheath. Most of us have bought new sheaths or material to make our own sheaths so paying a bit extra is not terrible and we accept it but dhouldn't have.

Consider the time, cost and energy spent on the factory sheath. It's designed here by in the US, made in china?, then shipped across the globe to get here. All that time, cost and energy spent and pollution created just so you could throw it in the trash. Then it gets picked up by a garbage truck and trucked to a land fill so it could be pushed around by a bull dozer.

And most of you guys claim that you love the outdoors??? The wilderness isn't going to stay wilderness if you keep polluting and contributing to the land fill.

I would rather this knife come without the sheath!

 

[jim62]

I agree absolutely that Beckers and Kabars should either come with kydex sheaths or, failing that, offer after market kydex sheaths. I would have purchased a BK9 long ago if it came with a kydex sheath. I'm mostly a day hiker, so I'm on trails where I often run into quite a few individuals who could easily be disconcerted by the sight of a large knife, in a large sheath, on my belt.
A kydex sheath would allow me to carry the BK9 ,with a G-clip, in a deep front pocket which would make the knife ,with the aid of a jacket or any untucked garment, invisible to the public. I've had lots of experience carrying big knives this way [ including knives as big as the CS gurkha kukri ] and it works very well.
I know several kydex benders make BK 9 sheaths but one would cost me about 40 clams. I can't help but think that aftermarket ,company made, kydex sheaths could be considerably cheaper.

:jerkit:

 

[CCMI]

I almost can't believe this thread is still going.

It seems that most people are willing to pay a bit more for a BK9 if it came with a better sheath from Kabar...... why the concern about who made the sheath? There are plenty of makers who would be happy to make the exact sheath you want. Or you would order the supplies and make your own sheath.

In the time it's taken to post and read all the posts in this thread, a person could have collected enough bottles and cans to buy a kydex sheath with the deposit proceeds.

 

[BluesStringer]

A kydex sheath would allow me to carry the BK9 ,with a G-clip, in a deep front pocket which would make the knife ,with the aid of a jacket or any untucked garment, invisible to the public.

In other words, you prefer to carry a large Bowie concealed, right?

I personally have no problem at all with that, but the law in my state does, and I'm sure in at least some other states as well. Our law reads:

Section 13A-11-50
Carrying concealed weapons.
Except as otherwise provided in this Code, a person who carries concealed about his person a bowie knife or knife or instrument of like kind or description or a pistol or firearm of any other kind or an air gun shall, on conviction, be fined not less than $50.00 nor more than $500.00, and may also be imprisoned in the county jail or sentenced to hard labor for the county for not more than six months.

I get that many people are not in love with the canvas/liner sheaths, but expecting a manufacturer to make one specifically for the purpose of making it easier for people to conceal is an unreasonable expectation, and could run them afoul of the law in certain jurisdictions. Even if it couldn't be laid at Ka-Bar's feet for violating Alabama's above-cited law, would it be considered good business practice to provide something for their customers that could get them in trouble with the law? I think it's better business practice to supply the most utilitarian sheath for the least money possible, and leave it to the end-user to decide what, if anything, they need or want beyond that.

I'm supportive of any and all concealed carry no matter the weapon, or even concealed carrying a *potential* weapon, regardless of the carrier's intention to use it as such. As far as I'm concerned, the potential for use as a weapon of knives makes them as protected as guns by the 2nd Amendment, but since there's zero court precedent for that position, the fact remains that individual jurisdictions can make their own laws as they see fit, and how they are carried and transported is a subject covered by law in almost every state to some degree or another. I hope Ka-Bar continues to steer clear of those laws.

I have one custom sheath that's 100 times better than anything Ka-Bar could ever offer and keep their knives at a reasonable price, and I currently have a custom Kydex sheath on order for the new BK4 that will show up at my door tomorrow. I'm fine with the expense, but more importantly, I prefer to be able to get it to suit my own personal needs, wants and desires. Even if Becker sheaths were better than they are, they would still be "cookie-cutter," and I 'm just not a cookie-cutter kinda guy.

Blues

ETA:

To me this is more than just having to buy a better sheath. Most of us have bought new sheaths or material to make our own sheaths so paying a bit extra is not terrible and we accept it but dhouldn't have.

Consider the time, cost and energy spent on the factory sheath. It's designed here by in the US, made in china?, then shipped across the globe to get here. All that time, cost and energy spent and pollution created just so you could throw it in the trash. Then it gets picked up by a garbage truck and trucked to a land fill so it could be pushed around by a bull dozer.

And most of you guys claim that you love the outdoors??? The wilderness isn't going to stay wilderness if you keep polluting and contributing to the land fill.

I would rather this knife come without the sheath!

Wow. It's one thing to accuse Ka-Bar of making bad sheaths, but quite another to accuse them of being freakin' planet killers!!! As jim62 says about another post, :jerkit:

 

[C_Tanner]

To me this is more than just having to buy a better sheath. Most of us have bought new sheaths or material to make our own sheaths so paying a bit extra is not terrible and we accept it but dhouldn't have.

Consider the time, cost and energy spent on the factory sheath. It's designed here by in the US, made in china?, then shipped across the globe to get here. All that time, cost and energy spent and pollution created just so you could throw it in the trash. Then it gets picked up by a garbage truck and trucked to a land fill so it could be pushed around by a bull dozer.

And most of you guys claim that you love the outdoors??? The wilderness isn't going to stay wilderness if you keep polluting and contributing to the land fill.

I would rather this knife come without the sheath!

Just gonna keep kicking that can down the street, huh?

 

[thrillbilly]

I have been on varied forums for over 4 years and aint never done this...but someone finally earned the ''Ignore'' function.

 

[upnorth]

Because the price would be higher and some would rather have lower cost and utility value over kydex or leather. The new shorts have nice sheaths though. Maybe the winds of change are coming. But Becker is about getting you a great knife at the best possible price.

I agree that the new short sheaths look pretty good and may be practical in a knife that small. But I have always prefered a hard sheath over those black bags for the bigger blades. Pay a bit more for a hard factory sheath now, or pay for Kydex later. To each their own I suppose.

 

[Zuluninja]

I made a kydex sheath for my 9, but have never carried it in my pockets... go figure, must be some seriously deep pockets!

 

[Guineaman]

I have been on varied forums for over 4 years and aint never done this...but someone finally earned the ''Ignore'' function.

I'm with you thrillbilly enough already , get over it, it is what it is, move on, next,ect.... That is all!!

 

[collecter]

Someone else started this thread and like you I can reply to it.

I don't intentionally creat waste and I do my best to at least keep it to a minimum. That's a concept that involves higher thinking which obviously you are not capable of.

Most of the replies stated or implied that they simply throw the factory sheath away. What message is that sending?

 

[Greybush]

That's a concept that involves higher thinking which obviously you are not capable of.

I'm from Alabama...My higher thinking only comes to me when I'm on the roof my two story outhouse...

I'm not trying to be a douche or anything....Bear with me here...You have totally ripped the sheath thing to bits man, if you are not going to do anything about it, then WHY buy the knife?? You apparently dig BK&T, you have done some great mods, and you went through the trouble of becoming a Beckerhead (Congrats by the way)...But dude, you have been told BY THE MAN HIMSELF that the sheaths were probably not going to change anytime soon...You have been shown great people That POST HERE that make amazing sheaths for reasonable prices. You said yourself that you would pay more money for the knife if it came with a better sheath...Here's your chance, you are just making the knife purchase in 2 payments instead of one..OR, learn a new skill....slap some kydex around a knife...heat up and squeeze that junk real tight around the blade, knock a few holes in it and BAM! you made a sheath...
Let me repeat...NO Disrespect at all man...but lighten up a little bud. I think you will have more fun here if you do..