I recently took delivery on a sheath modification for a knife I've owned for a few years but never carried because the sheath drove me crazy. I wanted it to be more like the Kydex sheath on my everyday knife, which is inferior to this other knife but much easier and more comfortable to carry.
This is my everyday knife. You'll probably recognize it as an old Camillus Air Force knife. I love the design, except for the saw teeth, and the size is just perfect for everyday utility use. The only real problem I have with this knife is that it will not hold a useful edge. I'll bet I sharpen this thing every other evening. If you have to whittle points on more than two posts in a day, you're screwed. Not acceptable. I've had this knife for going on 30 years, and for going on 30 years the inferior steel has driven me nuts. But I keep digging it out of the drawer because in every other way it just fits perfectly. And the sheath is perfect: I had this one made by a guy in Georgia about six years ago, when the original sheath fell apart. I'd plug him here, but he seems to have gone out of business.
This is the knife I
want to be my everyday knife. It's a Cold Steel UWK. It balances like it was made for me, and the steel is far superior to the Camillus. But I hated the sheath. It's like a high-quality but ill-fitting pair of jeans: Doesn't matter how good the denim is, you won't wear it if it chafes you. It's a little longer than I really like, but I can live with that; the sheath design was the problem.
So I sent the knife and sheath off to a guy via a friend, and got it back yesterday. He saved me some money by modifying the existing plastic part of the sheath, ditching the long, floppy nylon hanger and adding a loop just under the guard swelling. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
But look at the way it lays on the table in its sheath, compared to the way the older knife does. Guess where that hilt wants to go, when each is riding on your belt. The older one is very comfortable to wear; the newer one feels like it's stabbing you with the wrong end.
Here are details of the hanger for each sheath. If you make these sheaths, or know someone who does, or if you're specifying a sheath for yourself, please: Top one baaaaad. Bottom one, goooood.
This is my everyday knife. You'll probably recognize it as an old Camillus Air Force knife. I love the design, except for the saw teeth, and the size is just perfect for everyday utility use. The only real problem I have with this knife is that it will not hold a useful edge. I'll bet I sharpen this thing every other evening. If you have to whittle points on more than two posts in a day, you're screwed. Not acceptable. I've had this knife for going on 30 years, and for going on 30 years the inferior steel has driven me nuts. But I keep digging it out of the drawer because in every other way it just fits perfectly. And the sheath is perfect: I had this one made by a guy in Georgia about six years ago, when the original sheath fell apart. I'd plug him here, but he seems to have gone out of business.
This is the knife I want to be my everyday knife. It's a Cold Steel UWK. It balances like it was made for me, and the steel is far superior to the Camillus. But I hated the sheath. It's like a high-quality but ill-fitting pair of jeans: Doesn't matter how good the denim is, you won't wear it if it chafes you. It's a little longer than I really like, but I can live with that; the sheath design was the problem.
So I sent the knife and sheath off to a guy via a friend, and got it back yesterday. He saved me some money by modifying the existing plastic part of the sheath, ditching the long, floppy nylon hanger and adding a loop just under the guard swelling. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
But look at the way it lays on the table in its sheath, compared to the way the older knife does. Guess where that hilt wants to go, when each is riding on your belt. The older one is very comfortable to wear; the newer one feels like it's stabbing you with the wrong end.
Here are details of the hanger for each sheath. If you make these sheaths, or know someone who does, or if you're specifying a sheath for yourself, please: Top one baaaaad. Bottom one, goooood.
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