Are leather sheaths becoming obsolete?

Back to the original question -

No, leather is not obsolete.

Here we are, nearly 16 years after the initial question and leather sheaths still rule. :D
 
Back to the original question -

No, leather is not obsolete.

Here we are, nearly 16 years after the initial question and leather sheaths still rule. :D

Yep, and I don't think anyone has asked this question again.

Maybe in the sheath section, but don't check there much.
 
This is gong to upset some but Kydex is junk to me

For everyday carry of sidearms and fixed blades just like belts Leather is king

It moves with you and unlike Kydex does not mare your blade

Now I will admit I am spoiled and I have access to some of the best custom Leather out there so I’m lucky and prouduction Leather is pretty much junk

With that said Kydex is suitable and even preferable when I’m dealing with water applications ......fishing ....diving, etc

Kydex is here to stay because it is cheap and tacticool but nothing carries as well as fine Leather

I can’t imagine getting a fine custom knife and sticking it in a plastic sheath :)
. About 10years ago working at a Gun store I had these two 20’s aged Israeli soldiers visiting that were looking for Holsters & other gear and I showed them a leather holster for whatever Firearm he said, the guy goes , It’s Leather! Not Tactical! LOL ..I asked, well do you like the kydex or plastic holster that came with your gun!:rolleyes: The young man said, No! But Leather is not Tactical! .. it had become a saying with the young soldiers over there that anything not Cool was not Tactical!;)
 
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Could be. I just know I never had a hard shell sheath that didn't quickly dull the blade. I have enough leather sheaths lying around that these usually just hit the trash bin when I get a new knife with a hard shell.

Don't judge all kydex based on poor makers.


Some kydex won't release my knife...some others just clank and clunk. I truly dislike kydex.
The finest leather-worker (IMO) states that "kydex has no soul."
Sounds about right to me.

I don't need my sheath or holster to have soul....I need it to safely retain the item.

Kydex doesn't equal 'bad' just like leather doesn't equal 'good.' A bad sheath is a bad sheath regardless of material.


I can’t imagine getting a fine custom knife and sticking it in a plastic sheath :)

Like sticking a Bagwell damascus Hell's Belle in this plastic sheath?


 
. About 10years ago working at a Gun store I had these two 20’s aged Israeli soldiers visiting that were looking for Holsters & other gear and I showed them a leather holster for whatever Firearm he said, the guy goes , It’s Leather! Not Tactical! LOL ..I asked, well do you like the kydex or plastic holster that came with your gun!:rolleyes: The young man said, No! But Leather is not Tactical! .. it had become a saying with the young soldiers over there that anything not Cool was not Tactical!;)
Tactical is used as a euphemism for 'Military' in Hebrew. Certain elite units are issued with side arms and although they may have been trying to upgrade their holsters, they would probably not have been allowed to use leather holsters as part of their load out.

Kydex is far more popular there in general because of the heat despite there not being a requirement for concealed carry. Heck I only once saw a leather holster while out there, an American guy with the longest revolver I have ever seen in a (admittedly beautiful) closed flap leather sheath that seemed to stretch past his knee. It was ok, he was balanced on the other side by two quickloaders in matching leather pouches :) Actually I lie. There was an English guy there with a 50 cal Desert Eagle in a horizontal draw shoulder holster, I seem to remember that being leather. I'll never forget standing behind him and staring down what seemed to be the biggest, deepest and blackest hole I've ever seen in my entire life.
 
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A well made kydex sheath with some type of leather, pigskin/goatskin lining to protect the edge/blade. Would that not be the best of both worlds?
 
A well made kydex sheath with some type of leather, pigskin/goatskin lining to protect the edge/blade. Would that not be the best of both worlds?

Not ideal, as soon as there's grit in the sheath, it gets imbedded into the suede and there's no good way to remove it, as you can't just rinse it out like with kydex. Some makers do a two piece sheath that can be taken apart, but then you have a sheath that's bigger than it needs to be and isn't usually that clean with the hardware required. The suede lined sheaths I've handled have all had a tremendous amount of drag and were overly tight due to it. A proper kydex sheath would have applied less pressure to the sides of the blade than those.
 
I agree with blade man there are as many bad leather sheaths out there as there are kydex. I'm in the position of seeing both as a part of our business is making my leather sheaths for other folks knives. I require the knife to be sent to me and each and every sheath is made, fitted and molded to that knife, not to that knife model. Most knives that I receive are in the sheath I'm replacing when I get them. I often think to myself "I wouldn't even know where to go to buy such sucky leather" as that as used on some of the sheaths I receive. Kydex sheaths I receive are seldom better. Turn em upside and the knife falls out or if it doesn't, it rattles like a paint spray can. Yeah excellent fit... uh no.

Here I'm gonna say it. Kydex is better than leather for certain applications, like diving and water applications as Joe mentioned. Also some tactical apps for sure. It is often said that kydex has better retention than leather but that is simply not true. Retention is based on design and craftsmanship not material. This guy got on this horse on purpose. If ya look close you will see one of my knives in one of my leather sheaths above his left front pocket. He knows he's not gonna lose my knife from my sheath.

FtNZ4dx.jpg


Leather has a glow, a warmth and ages gracefully. This is the "soul" that I speak of that any synthetic can not match. Besides ya just can't wear kydex to a BBQ, its against the rules.

8vNjg3O.jpg


BBQ set for a fellow BF member. Knife by TK Steingass. Is leather obsolete? Oh heck no.
 
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Horsewright!, ————————////That’s one hell of a BBQ set there!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:———-unless I’m at or in the Ocean. It’s leather for my all of my knives & Gun rigs. I do agree that there are plenty of lousy & cheap leather products out there....But that’s not the Cows fault!;)
 
The responses to this thread are funny. Something about sticking a dirty knife back in its leather sheath annoys.

Like hunting or out in the field on my farm. After I use my fixed blade my hands and knife are usually dirty with God knows what, if I had time and a sink I'd wash it right there on the spot. But I don't, I put it right back in its kydex sheath and continue what ever I'm doing, I'll wash the knife and sheath late.

As usual the answer is both. The assertions made in this thread are laughable.
 
This is gong to upset some but Kydex is junk to me

For everyday carry of sidearms and fixed blades just like belts Leather is king

It moves with you and unlike Kydex does not mare your blade

Now I will admit I am spoiled and I have access to some of the best custom Leather out there so I’m lucky and prouduction Leather is pretty much junk

With that said Kydex is suitable and even preferable when I’m dealing with water applications ......fishing ....diving, etc

Kydex is here to stay because it is cheap and tacticool but nothing carries as well as fine Leather

I can’t imagine getting a fine custom knife and sticking it in a plastic sheath :)
Just out of curiosity, how often do you use the large knives you carry for defense? I know you have them sent out for top notch sheaths, but I have a hard time seeing you using your large fixed blade for dirty tasks everyday. Seems more like you have them there but they stay clean.

I could be wrong, maybe you are on a safari everyday, where you stick animals and put your knife back in its leather sheath. From your vids I know you hunt.

I just find personally for a user knife:

A. Scratches don't matter.

B. Cleaning a knife out where ever I am before it goes wet, dirty, bloody, back in its sheath is silly.

Don't get me wrong, I love and own leather sheaths. But kydex has uses beyond being tacticool, while active duty and deployed I never saw a single soldier carrying a large fixed blade the size of which you carry.

I should add, I do a quick wipe before putting it back into its sheath, just to get fur and the majority of what ever else off it before it goes back in kydex.

Leather for town, where it doesn't see dirty use. Kydex for dirty use. That's how I use them.
 
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Wipe it on your chaps, a quick rinse in Coors (don't use all of it! some is needed for medicinal purposes), dry it on your shirt sleeve and back in your leather sheath, it's all good, even on high carbon Damascus like this one.

3tFel7r.jpg
 
Wipe it on your chaps, a quick rinse in Coors (don't use all of it! some is needed for medicinal purposes), dry it on your shirt sleeve and back in your leather sheath, it's all good, even on high carbon Damascus like this one.

3tFel7r.jpg
Hey, can't knock that!
 
Don't judge all kydex based on poor makers.




I don't need my sheath or holster to have soul....I need it to safely retain the item.

Kydex doesn't equal 'bad' just like leather doesn't equal 'good.' A bad sheath is a bad sheath regardless of material.




Like sticking a Bagwell damascus Hell's Belle in this plastic sheath?


Kydex may not equal bad, but it does equal not leather ;)

While I think this beautiful knife would look a lot nicer in a leather sheath, this sheath certainly doesn't look too bad.
 
In what ways does it "not equal leather" in your opinion? Other than aesthetics.

Doesn't absorb sweat, won't rot, can't be poked through, impervious/resistant to most chemicals, better retention, more compact form factor...that kind of thing.

:p
 
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