Buying Guide 2: Sheaths

     Sheaths are very important to fixed blade knives. A good sheath will keep your knife dry, secure, and easy to access. There are a few types of sheath materials, leather, nylon, wood, metal, or synthetic materials. I personally like to avoid leather for a couple of reasons. First of all, moisture can easily soak through leather and rust the knife (if the knife is high carbon). Secondly, I just don’t like the way that leather looks. I prefer nylon sheaths to leather sheaths. Just like any other type of sheath nylon has its advantages and disadvantages. In my experience, nylon sheaths come with a synthetic insert. Any type of synthetic material can scratch the finish on the blade unless you take special care to avoid that happening. In addition, nylon can be easily cut. If there is a strap around the handle of the knife to hold it in place, there is a possibility that if you draw the blade out too quickly, you can cut the nylon strap. Another downside to nylon sheaths is that they usually are excessively bulky. You can modify them though. Wood and metal sheaths are rare in most modern knives, but they do exist.  I have a few daggers with wooden sheaths, and an antique bayonet with a metal sheath. Notice that I said daggers and bayonets, not every day knives. My wooden sheaths don’t seem like they will last and the metal inserts scratch the blade. The metal sheath is annoying and must be oiled. The last category of sheath I listed are synthetic sheaths. Many people prefer these sheaths because they are waterproof, durable, and they usually have a slim profile. I think that most synthetic sheaths are pretty good for their knives. They are well constructed, waterproof (used in diving), and made of a good material (such as kydex). However, synthetic materials, especially hard plastics, will damage the blade and scratch the finish so be sure to choose a sheath with a good material. All sheaths are different and have different pros and cons, but it really comes down to what you like best.