Leatherman offers two different MOLLE sheaths, and I have commented many times on how great the US made version is, and how terrible the Chinese made version is. I have, also made reference to what I call a "sock sheath" which isn't a type so much as it is any sheath that is floppy, like someone made it from an old sock.
In my opinion, a properly made sheath should hold the tool inside, as if that was the product they were thinking about when they made it. Many aftermarket sheath makers spend a lot of time thinking about these kinds of things when they make their sheath, and they use elastic or nylon straps on to hold the tool inside. It is a shame then, when a manufacturer, especially one as otherwise respectable as Leatherman can't be bothered to issue a sheath with a tool that really has nothing to do with the tool itself.
In the following photos you will see two sheaths- the premium US made MOLLE sheath in tan that comes with the MUT, and the crappy black MOLLE sock sheath that comes with the Surge. I had intended to use the tan sheath that came with my OHT as it's a bit more of a direct comparison, but I couldn't find it when I decided to start taking photos, so maybe there will be an addendum to this later on.
The vertical strap on the back is much more substantial on the tan version, and provides a lot more security, and a much better feeling. You don't feel that the tool in the tan sheath is going to fall off, nor does it allow the tool to bounce around on your belt, or hang loosely enough to get snagged on things- all of which are problems with the black sheath.
Inside you see that the tan sheath also has almost twice the surface area of Velcro as the black one, meaning the flap is a lot less likely to come loose. You can also see that even with no tool in it, the tan sheath seems to hold it's shape better than the black one, which illustrates what I mean about it being a sock sheath.
Inside the black sheath we see that the Surge actually rattles around inside, and is not snugly nestled inside the way it should be- and the Surge is a giant, bulky tool, and even it can't fill the void. Given the lesser amount of velcro on the flap, this black sock makes it all too easy to lose your tool.
Even the MUT flops around inside this sheath- if it is too big for the MUT and the Surge, what the heck did they have in mind when they commissioned this sheath?
By comparison, the tan US made MOLLE sheath holds both the MUT and the Surge (not at the same time mind you!
) quite snugly, to the point where even if somehow the flap did come loose, you'd still have to really put some effort into having the tool fall out, and yet, it does not restrict access to the tool when you want it.
This is largely due to the elastic that you see on the side, something the black sheath is missing, although the black sheath is so much of a fail on so many different levels that I am surprised Leatherman would put their name on it- and even worse that they would provide it with the Surge, which is not a cheap tool. I suppose I could see it issued with a Rev, Wingman or Sidekick as a cost saving measure, but not with a good tool like the Surge.
Thankfully Maxpedition is happy to fill in the gap.
Def
Donations
Community Links
