You know, I just realized something, I never purchased a blade with a sheath that worked.

MyLegsAreOk

MyLegsAreOk

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Aug 31, 2017
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I have to send my Benchade 87 sheath back for a new one, the backing rips. I'm thinking of taking it to sheath maker and get better leather for the back and to resew it or him make me a new snug one. Still, I like the design of the original.

I have to modify my Spyderco Respect sheath to have resistance when unlatched and the latch to come off with a thumb flick. That and I had to put a thread back in and glue it when I fitted my belt through. Still, I like the design of the original.

I had 3, and now only have 1 Spyderco Schempp Rocks. I love that dang knife but the sheaths? RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE. I have to modify that too so it doesn't freaking rattle.

I had a $80 cheapie, a $600 ok, and a $7500 real katana. Whether I paid 80 or 600 for a sword the sheaths because so loose the sword would just fall out, and the 600 cis ibera/hanwei forge one even cracked. I didn't have that problem with the 7.5k one of course but lordy do I really have to pay that much for a good locking, not rattling, durable, and easy to wear sheath (saya in this case) from a manufacturer (or in this case tradesman)?

Anyone else have luck this bad for your sheathes that weren't on customs?
 
Aside from the dulling issue that some users report, Cold Steel sheaths are usually good enough. On my end, I haven’t experienced significant dulling yet. As a rule, I don’t let a bad sheath prevent me from enjoying a perfectly serviceable knife. You can always procure aftermarket leather or kydex sheaths.
 
Funny, i feel the same way, and I've never consciously thought about it. Unless it's a simple leather bushcraft type sheath, almost every other sheath I get ends up getting replaced by something better. Aside from survive knives, and this recent Afonchenko hi tech puukko i just got, every other kydex sheath sucks. They are either too loose and rattle, improperly molded and are too tight (not accounting for removing/inserting), or they are made of too thin .6 kydex. I hate when the eyelets are like an inch further out than they need to be, leaving the sheath way wider than it needs to be. If companies just put like an extra two seconds of thought into the design, it would save us all a lot of time and money. I mean they are already making them, it doesn't cost that much more to design them well. But at the same time, I almost look at them like stock Glock sights, they are garbage placeholders, then you can get the specific item you want.
 
rod tak said:
Funny, i feel the same way, and I've never consciously thought about it. Unless it's a simple leather bushcraft type sheath, almost every other sheath I get ends up getting replaced by something better. Aside from survive knives, and this recent Afonchenko hi tech puukko i just got, every other kydex sheath sucks. They are either too loose and rattle, improperly molded and are too tight (not accounting for removing/inserting), or they are made of too thin .6 kydex. I hate when the eyelets are like an inch further out than they need to be, leaving the sheath way wider than it needs to be. If companies just put like an extra two seconds of thought into the design, it would save us all a lot of time and money. I mean they are already making them, it doesn't cost that much more to design them well. But at the same time, I almost look at them like stock Glock sights, they are garbage placeholders, then you can get the specific item you want.
Click to expand...
Every sight is tritium dove swap for me, even if I can use it.
 
One of the reasons why I became leather hobbyist was to make my own sheaths if I need to. I don’t always succeed but at least I can go with my own specs.

Lot of sheaths are just lazy. Companies push so many designs out that they barely have time to think about them. Good sheaths also cost more money to make.

But of course I’ve also had many good ones.
 
The end users all have different preferences, and different body types so what would work for some doesn’t work for others.

Sone manufacturers provide sheaths that don’t seem like they would work for anyone.

In the end I don’t want to spend a lot extra for a quality sheath that might not work for me anyway.

Custom is the way to go for sure.
 
MyLegsAreOk said:
I have to send my Benchade 87 sheath back for a new one, the backing rips. I'm thinking of taking it to sheath maker and get better leather for the back and to resew it or him make me a new snug one. Still, I like the design of the original.

I have to modify my Spyderco Respect sheath to have resistance when unlatched and the latch to come off with a thumb flick. That and I had to put a thread back in and glue it when I fitted my belt through. Still, I like the design of the original.

I had 3, and now only have 1 Spyderco Schempp Rocks. I love that dang knife but the sheaths? RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE. I have to modify that too so it doesn't freaking rattle.

I had a $80 cheapie, a $600 ok, and a $7500 real katana. Whether I paid 80 or 600 for a sword the sheaths because so loose the sword would just fall out, and the 600 cis ibera/hanwei forge one even cracked. I didn't have that problem with the 7.5k one of course but lordy do I really have to pay that much for a good locking, not rattling, durable, and easy to wear sheath (saya in this case) from a manufacturer (or in this case tradesman)?

Anyone else have luck this bad for your sheathes that weren't on customs?
Click to expand...
Brisa, Hëlle, Fällkniven are all excellent... Hold on, there’s a theme running here! ;)

And yeah, custom in general. I have customs for an ESSE and two Beckers. :thumbsup:
 
There are so many knives that come with functional sheathes, they are too many to list. Truth is, there are even more that come with barely acceptable sheathes. I won't tell you to buy more knives, no, no...I don't. Now, seriously, the thing to consider is "what do you expect from the sheath ?". All Condor knives I have bought came with excellent, thick leather sheathes. The cheapest Cold Steel knives I have bought came with totally functional (but extremely cheap) Cordura sheathes. If you need retention to be "handstand resistant level", well, then you better go custom.
 
Sheathes (and pocket clips) are integral to the function of the knife but too often seem just an afterthought to makers .

I can usually mod to make them work for me , but sometimes not because the design is totally wrong for my purpose .
 
I replace most leather sheathes, the exception being the excellent leather ones from Marbles (from Mike Stewart's era there, Campcraft and Fieldcraft) and Fallkniven (F1 dangler sheath). Usually I use the originals as a pattern, then fashion a new one from heavier leather, well treated with SnowSeal. This includes Roselli's (cheap thin leather with belt slots instead of a loop), Buck C&C Ranger FB, and all the plastic sheaths except for my Moras -- they're ugly but functional. Buck's leather sheaths for the 110/112 are fine but I prefer the nylon ones for those as they're more comfortable on the belt.
 
I stick to knives with synthetic sheaths, preferably Kydex, and based on a quick count I'd say about 80% of those sheaths have been excellent straight out of the box.
 
Bark River has excellent leather sheaths although I did replace the stock sheath of a Gunny Hunter with a Gameskeeper sheath because the stock sheath was overkill (too large) and dug into my side when sitting. I do have a Black Jack 125 whose stock sheath is very well made but tended to rotate the butt out away from my body and hung lower than I liked. Had a leathersmith make me a sheath more along the line of a Randell and I love it. I like my belt knives to ride a bit high and snug, not too low. I could never get accustomed to a 'dangler'.
 
TOPS has some pretty good Kydex. I've gone almost exclusively custom for the past decade, though. I have no complaints concerning the Kydex from any of the maker's I've bought from. David Mary has some of the best-fitting kydex I've experienced. I have next to no experience with leather, though.
 
Functional sheath? No problem with these. Well thought out, fit is perfect, everything you need and nothing that you don't...

NkOqsAo.jpg


JuxsJd1.jpg

rRuUC6Bh.jpg
 
Arathol said:
Functional sheath? No problem with these. Well thought out, fit is perfect, everything you need and nothing that you don't...

NkOqsAo.jpg


JuxsJd1.jpg

rRuUC6Bh.jpg
Click to expand...
Sat Sri Akal. Those kirpans are quite beautiful. Mine I did not list because I think it's kinda sinful but it has an excellent sheath to which the blade is difficult to remove, as it should be. These are not blades to be used over and over so the sheath must keep the appearances and be firm as it may show you care to spend your earthly gains on items to which the khalsa are mandated to carry.
 
MyLegsAreOk said:
Those kirpans are quite beautiful.
Click to expand...
In all fairness, they are not kirpan. Those three are Finnish puukkot. The top one is from Bulgarian maker Zhelyo Tenev, the other two are older knives by Iisakki Järvenpää from Kauhava Finland.

Even so, the sheaths for these are made just as carefully as the blades, and in years past in Kauhava there were actually craftsmen that specialized in sheaths and hand fitted each sheath to the knife.
Out of the sheath-
CcDv2wWl.jpg


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I've owned many knives from Bradford...i.e. the Guardian series, and carry
a fixed blade cross-draw every day... in Vanadis 4E. Their leather cross-draw sheaths are provided with the
knife, and are available in brown or black alone for ten bucks.
They are actually PERFECT...every darned one I've owned...7 or 8 at least...
What more can one ask?
 
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