Best production sheath?

[Gareth]

Just wondering what you folks like when it comes to manufacturer supplied sheaths for your MTs/knives/gear.  It seems to be an area that some companies skimp on badly, either in lack of design, lack of quality or both.   However, happily, some sheaths are just lovely; such as this one for (I believe) the original Wave.



This actually has my Rebar living in it and was sent to me by Grant.  Cheers mate.

OK, lets see what other contenders are out there.

[Top-Gear-24]

My vote goes to one of these ...

[Gareth]

That's interesting, which Vic do they come with?  My Spirit sheath doesn't have the metal clip on the back.  Still a very nice sheath though.

[Millhouse]

Leatherman sheaths ok, but not keen on their generic nylon sheath.

Vic sheaths. Wish the one for the Spirit had a snap closure. The tiny bit of velcro does not inspire confidence.

Flashlights. Every supplied sheath has been poor. They now only serve to protect the light whilst in storage. I have a number of Maxpedition ones for actual carry.

[Cupboard]

I use this one and I quite like it. It is a bit bulky though.


That replaced the one that came with my Wave which isn't listed on the LM website but had nylon parts, a leather flap and a snap closure, a bit like the "Charge Premium Sheath". The problem was that it didn't hold my Wave very well and if carried horizontally the Wave fell out.

I think the Sidekick pouch is the worst!

[Singh]

SOG makes the leather pouch that Leatherman used to make.

A Swisstool Spirit fits snugly into a SOG leather sheath, size small. 




 

[Top-Gear-24]

That's interesting, which Vic do they come with?  My Spirit sheath doesn't have the metal clip on the back.  Still a very nice sheath though.

I bought both of them at the local army surplus store.  I bought 2 Spirits there, one with this sheath and the other came without a sheath,  the guy at the store told me they lost it because the tool had been in a display for a long time, so I got a nice discount on that one.  Months later I was back in the store and I noticed a large box full of sheaths (most of them worthless), I asked if I could search the box to see if there was one I liked and guess what I found ... and I got the sheath at a nice price also  .

The clip can rotate 90° both left and right, so if you want you could use it for vertical carry, the clip fits tight on the belt, no way it's going to fall off.  The Vic product number for this type of sheath is 4.0822L1

[derekmac]

The one that came with my Swiss Tool is my favorite.

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[derekmac]

Pic

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[Gareth]

SOG makes the leather pouch that Leatherman used to make.

A Swisstool Spirit fits snugly into a SOG leather sheath, size small. 
(Image removed from quote.)

I really liked the sheath for my PPP as well, more so than the PPP itself TBH.

[Styerman]

I'm a bad one to ask , I normally throw the production sheath over my left shoulder . For a time Leatherman used to ship the Wave in a Bianchi Accumould nylon sheath , those were pretty good .

Now is I want a nylon sheath , I just get a mag pouch of the right size .

I also like the Leatherman MOLLE sheath that came with my M.U.T.

Chris

[comis]

I have a funny question to ask--I too used to like the leather sheath for my tools in the past and always put my tools in the leather sheath for storage.  But not too long ago, I remembered reading a lot of bladeforum members voted against it for long term storage since leather contains moisture and it will rust the blade/tool.

So do you guys find it ok to store them away in leather sheath?  And what kind of weather or condition is your storage area?

I live in a humid area, and a few miles off the shore.  Anything that is not well kept will rust in a longer run(a year or two)

[Gareth]

I have heard the same argument as well but, to be honest, I've never had an issue with any of my knives/MTs being kept in their leather sheaths and some of them I've had for many, many years, including carbon steel blades.

I'd obviously not put something away in a sheath that had gotten properly wet, but just having had it outside?  No problems so far.

I'm in Scotland, about 5 miles (8km) inland, and with what you could call "mixed" weather.

[AimlessWanderer]

I have a funny question to ask--I too used to like the leather sheath for my tools in the past and always put my tools in the leather sheath for storage.  But not too long ago, I remembered reading a lot of bladeforum members voted against it for long term storage since leather contains moisture and it will rust the blade/tool.

So do you guys find it ok to store them away in leather sheath?  And what kind of weather or condition is your storage area?

I live in a humid area, and a few miles off the shore.  Anything that is not well kept will rust in a longer run(a year or two)

Not so much of an issue with stainless knives/tools, but can be a real issue for carbon steel knives 

[comis]

Thanks for the data and suggestion, I think what I gonna do is to find a pair of rust prone tools(hopefully the same one, and those I don't usually use) and maintenance the same way, then put one in a leather pouch and another in a nylon pouch and store them away for at least a year to see whether they will rust or not.  I guess the hard part is to resist to not use and play with them for a year...back to the topic 

My vote goes to one of these ...

Those are really great pouch, probably the best quality clip I have ever seen on Victorinox sheath.



I have these three, and though I don't use them often, I do recommend them.  I used to store my Swisschamp in the middle red one, and it definitely has character. 

[nuphoria]

Where did that one on the left come from?

Fancy clip

[Gareth]

Where did that one on the left come from?

Fancy clip

I've not seen a slide clip like that in a long time, and certainly not that sheath.  very nifty.

[nuphoria]

Where did that one on the left come from?

Fancy clip

I've not seen a slide clip like that in a long time, and certainly not that sheath.  very nifty.

Quite, like something on a nice old leather satchel.

[Gareth]

Where did that one on the left come from?

Fancy clip

I've not seen a slide clip like that in a long time, and certainly not that sheath.  very nifty.

Quite, like something on a nice old leather satchel.

Exactly.   I knew I was thinking back to my primary school days.

[comis]

Haha...I use the same thing back in my primary school as well, and that's a good reason why to get one.  I will take more pictures and get the serial number of it once I am off work. 

[Breezy12]

I still love the original leather sheath that Leatherman released with the Charge Ti/XTi.  Mine has plenty of miles on it, but I was smart enough to pick up a couple spares in case it wears out. 



for me, it strikes the perfect balance of holding the tool securely (with a bit card in there as well), without making it too tough to get out.  I also prefer the snap closure over any of the velcro options.  I don't keep anything in the little side tubes, but the bit extender does fit nicely.

[comis]

More pictures of the schoolboy Swisstool pouch: 


This sheath on the left is 4.0833.L2, I don't know the exact name for it, but it is a sheath for "Swisstool plus with lace-closing" supposedly.




Swisstool and rachet set fitted




Various of ideas that you could fit into this sheath




I fit in a Swisstool spirit with the Topeak wrench tool set, it's a perfect fit.  But the Swisstool will be a little too tight to fit with the Topeak.



If you want all your tools with you all the time...this must be the weirdest combo.

[enki_ck]

Now I want the sheath AND the Ratchet Rocket RX.

[lowtech]

From the looks, the ratchet in both sets looks identical. Are they from what you can see?

And btw, thank you for the nice pics.
My Plus-Sheath went to my fathers stash of gear.
It´s kind of a ritual. My father says "Oh, I´m going on this boat trip with my friends and i would love to have a SAK with this and that tool and maybe in blue" I come up with one and borrow it to him. After the trip he tells  me how perfectly it worked and how it fills a niche in his equipment no other tool does so I don´t have the heart to ask it back...
But I guess it´s ok. He cres for his stuff, stores it neatly and someday his son is going to inherit the stuff. And until this (hopefully far) day I can always borrow it....

Back on topic. Do you belt carry those sheaths? I always ended up putting them in my bag. I find more than a Swisstool a bit uncomfortable to carry.

[comis]

From the looks, the ratchet in both sets looks identical. Are they from what you can see?

And btw, thank you for the nice pics.
My Plus-Sheath went to my fathers stash of gear.
It´s kind of a ritual. My father says "Oh, I´m going on this boat trip with my friends and i would love to have a SAK with this and that tool and maybe in blue" I come up with one and borrow it to him. After the trip he tells  me how perfectly it worked and how it fills a niche in his equipment no other tool does so I don´t have the heart to ask it back...
But I guess it´s ok. He cres for his stuff, stores it neatly and someday his son is going to inherit the stuff. And until this (hopefully far) day I can always borrow it....

Back on topic. Do you belt carry those sheaths? I always ended up putting them in my bag. I find more than a Swisstool a bit uncomfortable to carry.

The TOPEAKS ratchet set is a standalone tool set, and it is pretty decent.  I think they are more popular amongst the bicyclists, and it is a nice alternative to the original SAK ratchet set.  Personally, the SAK ratchet set is pretty well made and probably the best quality in that size.  If the work load is not heavy, my favorite will be to take the Bit and extender from Leatherman and couple it with the Topeaks Ratchet.

That's nice of you to give and not ask back the tool, especially if he find good use to it. 

Most of my time I work in an office setting, so it is a little inconvenient for me to wear the pouch.  I usually prefer horizontal carry since it is a little more low profile.  I had written a thread about that using the Ranger Band carry, and a new magnetic carry method will be posted soon. 

[CanadianLMfan]

I use this one and I quite like it. It is a bit bulky though.
(Image removed from quote.)

That replaced the one that came with my Wave which isn't listed on the LM website but had nylon parts, a leather flap and a snap closure, a bit like the "Charge Premium Sheath". The problem was that it didn't hold my Wave very well and if carried horizontally the Wave fell out.

I think the Sidekick pouch is the worst!

I don't like the quality of this sheath.

[bmot]

I actually like the Leatherman nylon sheath...    Mainly the fact how it fits more than just the MT. I load mine up with a Fenix E01, PocketWrenchII and either a Vic Vagabond or a LM Micra.


I do love the nylon sheath that came with my SOG Switchplier. very nice, sturdy, and a nice pocket clip


I don't like the Vic sheaths, though... They poke or tickle my sides, and there's only room for the tool itsself. (Hmmm... I should get myself a Skinth for my Swisstool...)

[AimlessWanderer]

SOG makes the leather pouch that Leatherman used to make.

A Swisstool Spirit fits snugly into a SOG leather sheath, size small. 
(Image removed from quote.)

I stumbled across my old PPP sheath the other day whilst packing for the UK meet, but had completely forgotten about this. Now I've seen it again, you can guarantee the sheath won't be where I thought it was .... 

[Shotgundoug13]

I loved the original leather sheath that came with my surge. Sadly it wore out and I bought the new style and hate it. I recently bought the OHT with molle sheath and my surge carries nice in it as well.

[CanadianLMfan]

I loved the original leather sheath that came with my surge. Sadly it wore out and I bought the new style and hate it. I recently bought the OHT with molle sheath and my surge carries nice in it as well.

Cool! I didn't know the OHT came with a Molle sheath.