Multitool.org Forum
+-

Hello Lurker! Remove this ad and much more by logging in.


Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?

Offline Styerman

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,572
Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
on: March 02, 2010, 02:45:08 PM
Three different materials , different properties , different applications .

Kydex , when belt carried is not very friendly to furnature . It also can leave nasty scuff marks on objects with a beadblasted finish .On the plus side , it's pretty industructable , doesn't mind moisture and is low maintenance . Nylon , either web or cordura , assuming good fit and fastening is a great material . Leather if properly maintained , will outlast nylon , looks pretty , lends itself to one off custom applications . The down side , it's labor intensive to produce , requires maintenance , and doesn't get along in extreme dampness and heat .

What are your observations and preferences ?

Personally , I like all three , great when properly applied .

Chris


us Offline WhichDawg

  • Absolutely No Life Club
  • *******
    • Posts: 7,307
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #1 on: March 02, 2010, 03:02:05 PM
I like all of them too. and isn't their another one; Leatherman "PlastiCow!"  :P

and don't forget the cost/price factor!

Leather - most expensive
Kydex/Concealex - middle range
Nylon/Cordura - cheapest



gb Offline nuphoria

  • Ambidangerous Mistress of Mod
  • Admin Team
  • *
  • Zombie Apprentice
  • *
    • Posts: 15,038
  • I'm not all bad, I'm just drawn that way.
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #2 on: March 02, 2010, 03:03:05 PM
For weight and flexibility I think I mostly go for nylon.

Other pouches like for coins are usually leather though.
A dyslexic man walks in to a bra...

All my music for free: http://soundcloud.com/chrissyvandyke


Offline Styerman

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,572
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #3 on: March 02, 2010, 03:40:55 PM
I also consider wow and smartarse factor .

Chris


us Offline yud

  • *
  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 2,761
  • Still has a SOGgy feeling
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #4 on: March 02, 2010, 04:03:44 PM
I perfer leather due to its look and feel, where I am leather rot is not a big deal


Just another weirdo with a beard :B:

Knight of the SOSAK and Defender of the sacred nail file


Offline Styerman

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,572
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #5 on: March 02, 2010, 04:11:35 PM
Maintenance requirements are pretty rudimentary , I've made some stuff for guys in the trades , 15 years ago and still going strong . As long as the stuff doesn't dry out and crack , or rot you are GTG .

Chris


ca Offline Shane769

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 1,092
  • Gone Climbing.
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #6 on: March 04, 2010, 09:38:27 AM
Depends on the application. If it's for my bush knife, I want kydex, since I don't have to worry about it, and it can easily be attached to a backpack strap, belt, whatever, and I don't have to worry if it gets rained on. For pretty tools that get carried to nice events, leather. For anything else, I don't really have a preference.


Speaking of bushknife sheath, anyone know how to make kydex stuff, cause currently I have a leather sheath, and it is driving me nuts!
"I would rather live 40 years of excitement and fun and exhilarating and just WOOOO, full volume, then 80 years of la di di di da... you know... boring. Why not get out there and live it?!"


gb Offline Mike, Lord of the Spammers!

  • Chief of the Absolutely No Life Club!
  • *
  • Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here...
  • ***********
    • Posts: 42,975
  • Why haven't you got a Farmer yet!
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #7 on: March 04, 2010, 09:58:19 AM
Kydex is fine for a fixed blade, but I don't really like it for other tool's, as it's a bit too noisy and indiscreet for UK carry.

Leather look's and smell's gorgeous, but takes an age to dry when it get's wet.

So for edc I'd opt for nylon :)
Give in, buy several Farmer's!!!!!!


ca Offline jzmtl

  • Absolutely No Life Club
  • *******
    • Posts: 8,551
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #8 on: March 04, 2010, 10:31:23 AM
For in town I like either leather or nylon, for outdoor thou leather tend to get damp, plus the button enclosure isn't secure enough, so nylon for that.

I tried kydex but never quite liked it, it's too rigid, when mounted on belt it interfere with body movement when bending sideways. But then again all the ones I tried are for medium to large fixed blades.


Offline Styerman

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,572
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #9 on: March 04, 2010, 02:38:14 PM
Depends on the application. If it's for my bush knife, I want kydex, since I don't have to worry about it, and it can easily be attached to a backpack strap, belt, whatever, and I don't have to worry if it gets rained on. For pretty tools that get carried to nice events, leather. For anything else, I don't really have a preference.


Speaking of bushknife sheath, anyone know how to make kydex stuff, cause currently I have a leather sheath, and it is driving me nuts!

I'm not great at it , but it will probably work . To be fair to you , Eric at on Scene Tactical is superb . I have made a couple of Kydex tool pouches and kydex inserts for various things .

Chris


Offline Styerman

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,572
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #10 on: March 04, 2010, 02:44:40 PM
For in town I like either leather or nylon, for outdoor thou leather tend to get damp, plus the button enclosure isn't secure enough, so nylon for that.

I tried kydex but never quite liked it, it's too rigid, when mounted on belt it interfere with body movement when bending sideways. But then again all the ones I tried are for medium to large fixed blades.

You can do a dip on leather , a combo of beeswax , parafin wax and raw linseed oil . melt the above , dunk the piece , put in an oven at no more than 170 F for no more than 10 mins . Oil/wax gets sucked into leather - no maintainance ever !  Downside , in extreme heat , 40+C , can bleed into clothing . I have made a couple for CF Gromans ( back when they were issued ).

Sailors used to dip sheaths in tallow and wax , I suspect if the tallow proportion was wrong , the whole issue would go rancid .

Chris

Chris


gb Offline Zed

  • *
  • Zombie Apprentice
  • ********
    • Posts: 19,555
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #11 on: March 04, 2010, 04:32:23 PM
nylon for EDC but i do prefer the look and feel of leather, leather has a classic look, nylon is more functional though  :-\


ni-ulster Offline cerbera147

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,242
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #12 on: March 04, 2010, 05:28:31 PM
I haven't had the pleasure of Kydex, it does look good though :D

I find the leather sheaths of the Wave / Charge to be very stiff. Of course these will wear in and probably last a long time.

I got a nylon sheath with my Skeletool. It may be because it was for the Skeletool but I was not impressed.

The two below I am very fond of. The first is Leatherman's leather pouch for the Juice. It has a button closure and a belt clip  :tu: Just wish they did the same style for the larger multitools.

The next one is a kind of hybrid, part leather / part nylon. It is for the Swisstool, I really like it too  :tu:




             


Offline Magnus

  • Hero Member
  • *****
    • Posts: 679
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #13 on: March 04, 2010, 06:15:59 PM
nothing beats a heavyweight leather.
[


ca Offline jzmtl

  • Absolutely No Life Club
  • *******
    • Posts: 8,551
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #14 on: March 04, 2010, 07:46:51 PM
You can do a dip on leather , a combo of beeswax , parafin wax and raw linseed oil . melt the above , dunk the piece , put in an oven at no more than 170 F for no more than 10 mins . Oil/wax gets sucked into leather - no maintainance ever !  Downside , in extreme heat , 40+C , can bleed into clothing . I have made a couple for CF Gromans ( back when they were issued ).

Sailors used to dip sheaths in tallow and wax , I suspect if the tallow proportion was wrong , the whole issue would go rancid .

Chris

I've used parafin wax before but never tried oil/wax combination, would mineral oil work?


Offline Styerman

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,572
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #15 on: March 04, 2010, 08:39:53 PM
No , it has to be a dryadle oil either raw ( not boiled ) or Neatsfoot . Pure paraffin makes the resultant sheath too stiff .

Chris


scotland Offline Nikos

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,785
  • Why is it doing that?
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #16 on: March 04, 2010, 10:02:13 PM
As a side note, isn't paraffin oil actually the exact same thing as mineral oil? :-\


Offline Styerman

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,572
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #17 on: March 04, 2010, 10:38:52 PM
By Paraffin , we mean ordinary candle wax , I thought liquid paraffin was like Karosene .

Chris


scotland Offline Nikos

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,785
  • Why is it doing that?
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #18 on: March 05, 2010, 06:08:51 PM
The reason I'm asking is 'cause I've been trying to track down what "mineral oil" translates to in Greek and the closest I found was that. That is, after numerous times of trying to explain that "mineral oil" is "that food-safe oil, used as a laxative, similar to baby oil without the scent, ..." to the drug store guy (funny how they always jumped when I told them I wanted to use it on knives and tools... :P), I finally found one that had this epiphany and came up with what is sold as "paraffin oil" in Greek (which actually read "heavy mineral oil" on the back of the box ::)). Is this what you guys use to lubricate your tools/knives, or should I look for the "light" version?

PS: Sorry for the derailment... ::)


ca Offline jzmtl

  • Absolutely No Life Club
  • *******
    • Posts: 8,551
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #19 on: March 05, 2010, 07:14:20 PM
Heavy or light just refers to the viscosity of the oil, makes no difference really. I use heavy because that's what I have. Actually for anything that doesn't touch food I use synthetic motor oil.


Offline Magnus

  • Hero Member
  • *****
    • Posts: 679
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #20 on: March 05, 2010, 10:03:24 PM
The reason I'm asking is 'cause I've been trying to track down what "mineral oil" translates to in Greek and the closest I found was that. That is, after numerous times of trying to explain that "mineral oil" is "that food-safe oil, used as a laxative, similar to baby oil without the scent, ..." to the drug store guy (funny how they always jumped when I told them I wanted to use it on knives and tools... :P), I finally found one that had this epiphany and came up with what is sold as "paraffin oil" in Greek (which actually read "heavy mineral oil" on the back of the box ::)). Is this what you guys use to lubricate your tools/knives, or should I look for the "light" version?

PS: Sorry for the derailment... ::)

if you want mineral oil, ask for baby oil, it is just mineral oil with perfume.
[


Offline Styerman

  • No Life Club
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,572
Re: Leather or Kydex ? Or maybe nylon ?
Reply #21 on: March 05, 2010, 10:25:52 PM
Any good light sewing machine oil should . I don't give a rip about food safe , I only have trace amounts on a blade , and have used all types - no ill effects .

Chris


 

Donations

Operational Funds

Help us keep the Unworkable working!
Donate with PayPal!
March Goal: $300.00
Due Date: Mar 31
Total Receipts: $379.86
PayPal Fees: $19.62
Net Balance: $360.24
Above Goal: $60.24
Site Currency: USD
120% 
March Donations

Community Links


Powered by EzPortal