Evil D wrote:What exactly is Kydex anyways? I keep seeing and hearing about it...how do you work with it and mold it like that?
Kydex and it's competitor, Boltaron aka Concealex are plastics, that can be heat formed to make a knife sheath.
The Spyderco Moran, Street Beat, Temperance 2, Swick gen 1, Forester, Forager, Woodlander, and Dayhiker all came with Concealex/Boltaron sheaths. The Spyderco Temperance came with a Kydex sheath.
Functionally, the reason people like them is that they can be made to retain the knife very strongly, without the need for a secondary strap or catch. Enough retention to wear the knife upside down.
They are impervious to water, so they won't go soft and allow your knife to cut you. Nor will they absorb water and transfer it to your knife.
They are modular, in that one sheath can be used with multiple different carry attachments to serve a number of different functions. If made well.
The downside is that they take a certain degree of skill to get right. There are only so many shops offering them. And they are more expensive than many of the other alternatives.
Visual Articulation wrote:Nice work , isn't it a thermal plastic. you heat it up lay between stiff foam core layers to mold it around whatever u are making a sheath for...?
Essentially so.
Best,
Marion
