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

I think sheaths are a lot like handgun holsters: everyone has their own preference or type of utility they need. If you bought a new handgun and it came with a holster, I'd guess the odds would be really good that you wouldn't like it and would be buying a different one. I don't think there are very many handguns that are sold with a holster from the manufacturer, yet most buyers needs one for the handgun.

But I guess most people are less picky about knife sheaths and the average person would probably avoid buying a fixed blade knife that didn't include some kind of sheath. So, we end up having to pay for a sheath that we might not want.

I've had some fixed blade knives that came with excellent, attractive, high-quality sheaths, but I use them for backpacking and need a dangler type instead, so even the nicest sheath of the wrong type might not ever get used.
 
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Arathol said:
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-
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LOL the sheaths made them seem like the old old kirpans.
 
The leather sheath that came with my LionSteel b41 is quite beautiful, snug fitting, and well made.
 
A good sheath is crucial for an EDC fixed blade. I'm always sad to see a good knife with a crap sheath and it happens more often than I like.

Around town, I don't like anything to hang low no matter how pretty it looks. I prefer discrete carry and I like to get a full grip on the draw. The right Kydex can make a world of difference. To give you a good example, take the Mora Companion. It's an awesome knife but has a big, bulky, one-position low-ride sheath that covers most of the handle. That restricted it to an occasional outdoors knife for me, and a go-to loaner for others on camping trips. Then I got a nice minimalist kydex sheath that was compatible with different mounting methods. All of a sudden, I'm comfortably EDCing a Mora Companion around town and it's all good.
 
I like kydex sheaths and like them to have a small footprint.

Old news now, but the taco style kydex sheaths that came with Japanese Seal Pups were about perfect. I could do without the built in line cutter, but it’s fine.

The most recent factory knife I bought that came with a great sheath was the spyderco waterway.
 
I haven't bought a sheath knife in years. I was given a few years ago by relatives after the demise of uncles, grandfathers, etc., as they figured giving knives to someone that like them was better than a garage sale.

The Kabar hunting knives given to me in the 60s (NOT military) had thin crappy sheaths, and I never carried them because I thought they were unsafe. Talk about thin, poorly treated leather... my dress shoes had thicker, more resilient leather than those sheaths.

I bought a Buck 119 back in '70, and it came with the old foldover style flap sheath. That poor sheath endured everything for many years as it was my hunting, camping, canoeing, and hiking knife. Too bad it didn't come with an odometer! I kept the sheath lightly oiled with Fiebling's neatsfoot oil, and even to today it is supple enough to carry with no worries.

As much as I like the Buck, it is a lousy knife to break down larger animals. you can certainly do it, but there were other knives readily available to do the puncturing and skinning that felt better in my hand. Enter the Schrade "Golden Spike" about '74. It came with an absolutely excellent sheath. Best to this day of any production knife I have ever seen. And it came with a little snap compartment on the front of the sheath for a tiny sharpening stone. Like
the Buck, got the Fiebling's treatment and it is still en great shape.

Same with a Browning Folding Hunter that came with a basket weave patterned belt sheath, and while it was really sturdy, I didn't like it because all the brass on the knife, the big snaps, etc., turned the knife green in some places. it got tossed.

Haven't been to a gun show lately, but i have to say on the older patterned traditional knives from some of the big makers, the sheaths are not all that good. Poor leather, poor assembly, poor fit... not much to recommend them. That being said, I rarely see a traditional patterned hunting knife, so I don't see that many sheaths. There may be great leather sheath out there. What I see today is mostly nylon, Kydex, a mix of those, or plastic.

When I see a really nice leather sheath, it is almost always made by a custom/semi custom shop.

Robert
 
I've had great sheaths, garbage sheaths and everything in between.

I've also bought a good number of knoves without sheaths and made my own (Busse and Swamprat). So I've learned to make sheaths.

I've also made my own knives and sheaths to go with them.

One of the benefits, is when a sheath is garbage, I can replace it my self.



Billy The Hungry said:
Condor.

Their sheaths are made from thick leather, and beautifully made.
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Maybe they have improved. The two Condor knives I bought have had serviceable, but rather poor sheaths.
 
Story:

I bought a giraffe bone scaled hunter/skinner knife from dixie gun works some time around 2003 for around 55 bucks. Supposedly hand made in Tennessee, the thing came with an extremely well made thick, tanned leather sheath with favorable grain patterns etc. Looked and worked like a high end sheath.

The knife was excellent, save for some bad/had to be re-drilled slightly over handle rivet holes filled with epoxy.

Side-story: My German Shepard buried it in the front lawn one day while I was gardening with it and I happened to notice the mound of dirt while searching for the missing knife.

Somehow the sog and spyderco knives I posted earlier came with great kydex sheaths and were relatively inexpensive, as well as the homely Dixie gun works hunting knife.

Obviously not all sheaths work for everyone, but there are plenty of examples of generally poor sheaths being sold with otherwise good knives today.
 
Totally agree that the sheath is often overlooked....

If you are in need of a high quality sheath, I highly suggest you contact Paul Long (a BF member) while he is still making sheaths.
 
Winkler sheath: perfect.

Helle sheaths: some are good, mostly those with some extra retention, like a snap button. But my Teragami sheath is so loose the if I hold it upside down the knife just slides out.

Horsewright sheath: Perfect.

Brisa/Enzo: very good.

Esee sheaths: I have owned 2 Izulas, 1 Izula 2, Esee 3, 4 and 6. All the Izulas and tge 3 got a scratched edge on the same spot on the belly every time I sheathed the knife. The same happens with a friends Izula. Thats annoying.
 
Pr3inar said:
Winkler sheath: perfect.

Helle sheaths: some are good, mostly those with some extra retention, like a snap button. But my Teragami sheath is so loose the if I hold it upside down the knife just slides out.

Horsewright sheath: Perfect.

Brisa/Enzo: very good.

Esee sheaths: I have owned 2 Izulas, 1 Izula 2, Esee 3, 4 and 6. All the Izulas and tge 3 got a scratched edge on the same spot on the belly every time I sheathed the knife. The same happens with a friends Izula. Thats annoying.
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Carried an ESEE RC-3 for years daily, and I know what you mean. I can report that once the blade wears a a groove in the sheath, the dulling goes away. It didn’t take long.
 
ESEE sheaths are awesome. They are the only production knife I've had that I didn't have any nagging annoyance about.

My condor 10"hd kuk leather sheath has worked quite well, but I don't really put that thing on my belt.

Custom knives, I haven't had one yet that came with a sheath that outright sucked. Most were spot on. One kydex was a bit loose and shaped a bit oddly, but was (and is) serviceable.

At the end of the day, I learned to make my own kydex. Tired of sheaths that were not to my liking, I decided to make them for myself. Custom makers like mashed cat, buy brown, azwelke, etc are far far better than mine, but I can't afford to buy one for every knife. I can afford the $5-10 in kydex + stuff per sheath I make exactly how I want.

Oh and honestly knifemakers (production knives esp looking at you) if you are going to send me a "tactical nylon" sheath.....just dont send one at all and deduct the price for the knife. I throw them away. They are huge, they require a snap thingy that is annoying to a kydex user, they hang low, and they look clumsy. At least bend kydex or do what esee does with the injection molded plastic.

I don't care much about kydex scratches though. If my knife is scratched by the kydex, it means I've used it a lot and likely scratched it during use. If you feel differently, that's fine. Kydex does mark steel and wear on coatings. I accept this in return for the upsides of retention, not holding/absorbing water, multiple attachment options and my ability to produce them cheaply in whatever config I want.
 
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co556guy said:
ESEE sheaths are awesome. They are the only production knife I've had that I didn't have any nagging annoyance about.

My condor 10"hd kuk leather sheath has worked quite well, but I don't really put that thing on my belt.

Custom knives, I haven't had one yet that came with a sheath that outright sucked. Most were spot on. One kydex was a bit loose and shaped a bit oddly, but was (and is) serviceable.

At the end of the day, I learned to make my own kydex. Tired of sheaths that were not to my liking, I decided to make them for myself. Custom makers like mashed cat, buy brown, azwelke, etc are far far better than mine, but I can't afford to buy one for every knife. I can afford the $5-10 in kydex + stuff per sheath I make exactly how I want.

Oh and honestly knifemakers (production knives esp looking at you) if you are going to send me a "tactical nylon" sheath.....just dont send one at all and deduct the price for the knife. I throw them away. They are huge, they require a snap thingy that is annoying to a kydex user, they hang low, and they look clumsy. At least bend kydex or do what esee does with the injection molded plastic.

I don't care much about kydex scratches though. If my knife is scratched by the kydex, it means I've used it a lot and likely scratched it during use. If you feel differently, that's fine. Kydex does mark steel and wear on coatings. I accept this in return for the upsides of retention, not holding/absorbing water, multiple attachment options and my ability to produce them cheaply in whatever config I want.
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ESEE sheaths rattle to buggery, in my experience. They are pretty secure, however. I replaced the sheath on my ESEE 5, and it is a lot better now. :thumbsup:
 
Custom knife and sheath from Phillip Patton!! Mounts 5 ways at least. I'm happy with it!!IMG_20210207_041402.jpg
 
Pilsner said:
ESEE sheaths rattle to buggery, in my experience. They are pretty secure, however. I replaced the sheath on my ESEE 5, and it is a lot better now. :thumbsup:
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That is a fair criticism, they do rattle more than a good fitting kydex or leather sheath.
 
"Rattle, Rattle, Rattle ..."?

1) Get rid of plastic "sheaths"; replace with either "Ballistic Nylon" or leather.

2) If #1 is not an option, use a BIC lighter to reshape the sheath throat to fit the knife tighter?
(you may want to wear leather gloves while reshaping, to prevent burning your fingers/hand(s).)

3) As a "temporary" measure, you can make a new sheath from a cardboard cereal box and duct tape or black electrical tape.
 
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