What price point before worth having a sheath made?

D

Dago Red

Joined
Jun 16, 2008
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987
Ok guys, apparently There are a lot of knife makers who either dont make sheathes or make Them so crappy they aren’t worth using or can’t be carried anyways. Those of you who buy custom knives, at what price point do you consider it worth it to have a sheath made? I have three knives now that have useless sheaths yet I don’t know if any are worth having a sheath made for. They are relegated to letter openers in my desk. In the future I won’t buy a knife unless I see good pics of a good sheath.

what are you paying for sheathes and what is the ratio you use? Gotta be a base price for a sheath right? I.e. if the cheapest Good sheath starts at 50 and you use a 1/4 cost of the blade price you never do it for a blade under 200. Or do you not buy from blade only makers under a certain price point? Maybe it’s never worth it for a knife sub 500?

I just bought a knife for 300, and it’s a disappointment. truly. Maybe because I hadn’t bought one in so long? Mosty because I have an idea in my head of what should be possible for what I paid. maybe I am wrong so thought I’d ask some questions.
thanks

Red
 
Do you like the knife in question? Does using it give you joy? Are you leaving it in your desk because it’s difficult to carry?

If “yes” is the answer to any of those questions…have sheath made for it! I don’t think the knife’s cost is pertinent. Heck, you could start playing around with Kydex and make sheaths for fixed blades pretty easily and inexpensively (so I’m told).

It’s a shame to miss out on something you like over a few bucks. If you can deal with Kydex and learn to form it, your problem is solved for every knife forever. :)
 
$14 for the kydex sheet. 12 inch by 12 inch. Hot plate(?) and and the foam press.

~$45 bucks.

Then the rivets or Chicago screws, call it another $20.

Drill bit, something to turn it(?).

Electricity to do it.


$60ish raw cost.
 
I’m not talking about a kydex sheath, Ialrhough for one of them I’m thinking about it. I’m talking nice leather sheaths. The kydex though raises the question of why knife makers don’t offer that. leather is more comfortable too, and looks less out of place when wearing normal nice clothes.
I have a knife, the letter opener, that’s very nice. i made the mistake of taking the makers aluminum sheath. He offered a leather sheath I don’t remember Why I went with his aluminum, I hadn’t seen it and he said it worked well for carrying. Not sure how he figured that. I can’t figure a way, I’m Not sticking it in my pocket or inside my wasteband. It’s probably worth buying scout style sheath. maybe I make a kydex one and try it.
what I meant was, for the price of a nice leather sheath, what price of knife would you be willing to spend the money for

for instance, when you look at a nice 150 knife if it doesn’t come w a nice leather sheath do you buy it anyways? is it worth the same cost as it wold be ewith a 75 sheath included? Is it a 225 s value knife?

I have a cheap m&p shield (good gun I mean inexpensive) that I have a 175 OWB holster for made of elephant ear and beaver tail. Nobody even sees the holster but me! But I enjoy looking at it, it looks great, and the texture of the beaver is great. In retrospect though I wish I’d had it made for my more expensive xds that I carry more often

red
 
I don't think it's a price point question. I think it's an ability question.

For me it was when my knives looked a lot better than my sheath. They looked mismatched.

Some of us makers have a hard enough time trying to master one craft. Sheath making is a whole separate craft with separate tools, materials, processes and skill sets.

I can make a solid, functional, long lasting, decent looking sheath. Still doesn't compete with a solid, functional, long lasting INCREDIBLE looking sheath.
 
A good sheath is half the knife - the wrong place to save money, IMO. I've quite a few custom sheaths, price is less of an issue than sending the knife in (not a fan of USPS).

That being said, for many knives you can use good leather sheaths made for other knives. What's the knife in question, and its dimensions ?
 
2 cents.
I want a sheath for every fixed blade knife I own. Lots are kydex but I also went to the leather craft store many years ago and learned how to make my own. Enjoyable hobby that goes hand in hand with knives.
It’s going to have to be a definite keeper and something that I would actually carry around on my belt (so “very” few) if I’m going to get a custom leather sheath for it. Good sheaths are pricey as they should be. Lots of time and craftsmanship in a finely made and tooled leather sheath so I only have a couple with those. For me, price point usually equates somewhat to quality in knives. So, only my high quality and therefore somewhat pricey blades are even considered for a costly sheath. Your sheath $’s may very well be mostly donated if you decide to sell that knife and sheath later. Henceforth the keeper and carrier status.
Kydex or a homemade sheath are just fine for most of my blades. They just need a cover. Especially if they are sitting on a desk, in a bag, drawer, vehicle etc
 
If a knife I want to carry needs a sheath I'd buy one period idc what the cost of the knife is. Sheath is equally as important as the knife in my opinion.

Now I can make my own sheaths because it's cheaper and faster, and I have more than a few knives. It just made sense at some point to make my own.
 
There is no fixed blade knife made to be carried that is so inexpensive not to have a sheath. Lack of a good sheath has been the reason for not buying many a knife. I have one Bruce Bump I bought w/o a sheath. Great knife, but not carried much since I haven’t had a sheath made for it. I got a great deal on the knife though and it sits on a magnet on a lamp next to my TV chair and gets used. Someday it will go to Kenny Rowe and get some ray skin :)
 
Agree with the statement that if you like the knife and use it get a sheath made. I purchased a Ka-Bar parangatang for under $100 dollars and the sheath was useless, almost afraid to use it. Gotta kydex sheath made and I now use the machete all the time because I can carry it safely.
 
One for the camp that if you like the knife and not the sheath, it's worth having a sheath made for it, or making a sheath for it. For fixed blades I truly love, it's not uncommon to have 2-3 for just that knife for different carry methods. Most common for me for small blades are vertical belt carry, crossdraw, and rightfront pocket (clip or in the pocket). For bigger blades: scout, dangler, pack carry. Sometimes one sheath can hit several of these carry methods well but some sheaths that try to hit all of them aren't so great at any of them.

But, a sheath can make or break the experience of a good fixed blade so I can resonate with the frustration of getting a nice knife and the sheath being rubbish.
 
Most of the knife manufacturers don't offer great sheaths. Some of them are not even good. And there is a reason for that - the knives can be cnc'd or otherwise machined but the really high quality sheath is mostly handmade. Which takes a lot of time and therefore is costly. And would be a pain in the behind to produce at scale. So most manufacturers have decided to keep the prices down, offering somewhat descent and usable sheaths. I'll never forget one such conversation on the Bark River knives FB page where Mike Stewart said that the sheaths cost him more to produce than the actual knives. He is a great guy and I trust what he says. BRK is one of the companies with the better sheaths out there and still have some troubles with stitches coming apart or designs that allows the knife to cut through the leather easily.
My point is that you are looking from the wrong perspective with that math. If you like the knife you got and intend to carry it - get a good sheath for it. I know for a fact (I am a craftsman for a living) that guys regularly buy sheaths more expensive that the knives they carry in them. And they are really happy with their purchases. Buy it once, cry about it once. Or make one yourself, anybody with normal hands dexterity can do it and there are tons of how to videos.
 
I can see all that being true. I used to avoid many knives or sell ones I had because the sheath was terrible and didn't suit my carry style. I hated paying $60+ to get kydex for every knife so I learned how to do it and it was the best decision ever. I can make whatever I need for how I want to carry, and even if it's not a work of art or will be functional. Bark river sheaths are decent enough, but I never belt carry so they're pretty useless to me unless they're small enough to pocket carry
 
I'm definitely in the "if you need a sheath, get a sheath" camp. If you want to carry it, then it doesn't really matter what it cost. I might not want something super fancy for a beater knife, but my beaters are beaters for a reason - they see a lot of use.

Personally, I just don't like Kydex aesthetically. Working on my leatherwork, which hasn't been a thing for me since I was a kid, and I can do functional, if not the sort of thing I want to look at yet. Which I guess means I should buy more knives to practice on...
 
If it is worth carrying, it needs a sheath that allows you do do so. Having a great knife sit in a shelf is a waste to me- it needs to be with you.

Heck, I even have kydex sheaths for chainsaw screnches because it makes sense to have one with me versus having to get to my pack or vehicle.

Kydex is fairly inexpensive, great for nasty weather, etc, but a nice leather sheath is awesome (and quiet, and non-marring).
 
If the knife manufacturer is so lazy or greedy for money that they don't have the guts to make a decent usable sheath for the knife, then the knife is probably not worth buying. On the other hand, if the knife is "decent", it is worthwhile to make a new sheath for it or modify the one that came with the knife, regardless of how expensive cheap the knife was.
 
I'm not really sure I understand the question.

Are you asking if there is a such thing as a knife you like that's too inexpensive to have something to carry it in? Or are you asking if knifemakers who don't provide high end sheaths are cheap? Or are you asking whether a sheath should be an expected part of the the handmade knife package, provided by the maker presumably at his or her own cost? Or are you saying that you DON'T have an expectation that sheath be provided by the knifemaker?

I make way nicer knives than I do sheaths. I don't like making sheaths, even though I can make one that's nice looking and durable. I also can't sell a using knife without a sheath because, as you say, knives without sheaths don't get carried. I wish I could, and that buyers had the expectation that the knifemaker and the sheath maker are separate entities that they (the buyer) are responsible for dealing with separately. But that's not the way it is. I'm essentially forced to give sheaths away because providing them is the expectation, but charging extra for them is not.

I'm an accountant, and once came up with a financial model to determine if there is any price point for sheaths at which is is more cost effective for me to make it rather than buy it. There is not. But since there are also few situations where I can actually SELL a knife without doing it myself, I do it anyway.
 
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