Knife sheaths made of kydex

15. května 2023

If we want to go out into the countryside and plan to take a sturdy knife with us, we can't do it without a quality sheath. But which sheath to choose? Among knife enthusiasts, there are uncompromising advocates of leather, cloth and special materials sheaths, which include kydex in the first plac

But the original purpose of kydex was quite different from that for knife and pistol sheaths. In 1965, the chemist Rohm and Haas developed it as a material for aircraft interiors. A group of former employees of that company bought the trademark for the material in 1987 and formed Kydex, LLC. In 1990, the company was absorbed by SEKISUI Chemical. Kydex is manufactured in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, USA. In addition to knife or gun holsters, it has other uses in the automotive, medical and transportation industries.

Kydex is a modern material that belongs to thermoplastics, so it can be moulded at a temperature of 160 degrees Celsius. It is strong and abrasion-resistant, easy to mould, grind and drill into. It is more durable against leather and does not change size, so it can withstand thousands of knife pulls without change. Plus, it's easy to clean and comes in a wide variety of colours. Of course, every pro has a con. Its use on knife sheaths is not without risk, as its great durability can cause abrasion to the metal parts of the knife or handle.

This is one of the reasons why kydex cannot be used on all types of knives. The other reason is that the knife's design has to be modified so that it holds well in the sheath. So the knife must ideally be designed specifically for a kydex sheath. Finally, the kydex sheath is also problematic in situations where the knife needs to be removed from the sheath, or conversely, returned to the sheath without the typical clicking noise. For this reason, some people opt for fabric or leather sheaths, which we also offer,

We supply kydex sheaths for Patron and List knives. For the List, we offer sheaths in many different colours. The TEK LOK or the IWB LOOP, which we also offer, can be worn on the belt.