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- Jan 8, 2001
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Kydex may not equal bad, but it does equal not leather
Thankfully, you're right!
Kydex may not equal bad, but it does equal not leather
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.
Thanks, though I was curious to hear if hickory had a justification.
For the record I do very much prefer a leather sheath if the snap is treated correctly. No "bare" snap scratching the blade!!!
I love leather, though I strongly prefer kydex for daily carry and usage. I just find a lot of the 'hate' here amusing.
I don't hate it at all, and if I had a blade that would get wet a lot I'd probably want it.I love leather, though I strongly prefer kydex for daily carry and usage. I just find a lot of the 'hate' here amusing.
I'll pass on Snaps when ever possible, I prefer the Frog post on Sam Brown rigs for my Closers on a sheath or Holster...lined of course as you implied!Thanks, though I was curious to hear if hickory had a justification.
For the record I do very much prefer a leather sheath if the snap is treated correctly. No "bare" snap scratching the blade!!!
I'll pass on Snaps when ever possible, I prefer the Frog post on Sam Brown rigs for my Closers on a sheath or Holster...lined of course as you implied!View attachment 830582
What hate? I just see opinions.
I think some hate comes from poorly made sheaths that either rattle or dull the blade, or moulded frn sheaths that dull the blade which people mistake as being kydex.
I know some vendors will equate any plastic type sheaths to kydex.
Leather is just a preference of mine.
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?
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.
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?
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.
Yeah! I hate when I see men in Tupperware Pants Clases with a nice leather sheathThis just wouldn't look right in Tupperware pants.
I never said leather doesn't work in those applications, It is my opinion kydex is easier to maintain and clean in those applications. Leather was used exactly as you described for a very long time, but they didn't exactly have kydex back then to chose did they?I carry and use custom knives every day from eating a steak in a restaurant to skinning a deer. Just today I had to cut a thick piece of NYlon rope on a deer feeder and all I had on me was a 357 in Leather and a NYS in Leather ..... a very defense oriented design but makes a dandy little edc
I wipe the blade off on my pants and put it in its sheath and might tend to it later if it’s real bad
When I’m expecting to be getting a knife bloody in the field in my day pack or pocket there is usually an alcohol pad to clean the bulk of tallow or blood
I’ve lived in the bush on 4 continents for extended time and been able to maintain my kit from freezing conditions to tropic
You have to remember long before plastic sheaths and modern rust inhibitors men really used their knives ...... at sea ...... war ..... daily chores and their knives were in Leather and were made of carbon steel
So I’m not alone
Like I said Kydex is great for fishing and marine applications other than that not a big fan but if it works for ya it’s a good thing
I never said leather doesn't work in those applications, It is my opinion kydex is easier to maintain and clean in those applications. Leather was used exactly as you described for a very long time, but they didn't exactly have kydex back then to chose did they?
In those times they also used poisons as a medical treatments, just because people did it many years ago doesn't mean it was ideal or even correct.
I'll stand by cleaning and maintenance and overall cleanliness puts kydex a notch above leather to ME. I realize they didn't give a hoot about cleanliness back then, but they also were clueless to many diseases and lots of people died off from illnesses that better hygienic practices could have prevented.
And I'm not saying every one who used leather died of illness lol but arguing the ability to take soap and water to a sheath that had organic material from a wild animal or other living creatures isn't a bonus, doesn't make sense to me.
Like I said, I own and use both. My preference for dirty, grimy, bloody use is kydex.
The assertions made that kydex is just tacticool was dead wrong. It has valid benefits over leather, just the way leather has valid benefits over kydex.