Apocalyptic Jk Lobo Rig

[NoahL]

I shipped this one off to Canada yesterday--a sheath for a JK Handmade Knives "Lobo" and matching firesteel set up for carry on the belt or on a shoulder strap.

I have to admit right now that this sheath is a bit unbalanced on the shoulder strap because he wanted a retention strap around the handle instead of just letting me mold the leather over it, so the anchor points for the baldric are a bit too low. I hate retention straps

[hivemind]

I hate retention straps

I do too, and I utterly do not understand this American hangup on them. People carried knives in pouch sheaths for thousands of years - why the sudden issue with them? Drives me even more nuts now that I'm making knives. I have to built everything with some kind of guard so it'll catch a retention strap. Every damned thing...

[NoahL]

I do too, and I utterly do not understand this American hangup on them. People carried knives in pouch sheaths for thousands of years - why the sudden issue with them? Drives me even more nuts now that I'm making knives. I have to built everything with some kind of guard so it'll catch a retention strap. Every damned thing...

Exactly! Not to mention the fact that they are impossible to make fit properly because you have to leave slack for the snaps to fit over each other or the hole to fit over the stud, so you end up with LESS retention than if you had gotten a pouch sheath. That said, I did what the customer requested this time, but I think I'm going to start saying "no" to retention straps. They are a pain and altogether unneeded in my opinion.

[usmc0341]

Well, even though you hate retention straps (so do I) I like the way you did that one. Very nice.

[Johnny B]

If you ever walked thru the swamps and coastal marshes with a custom $300.00 knife you would understand why. I hate them too but my favorite hunting knife cost just that $300.00. I hunt in the coastal marshes for deer and coons and would lose a knife if it didn't have a strap. The surroundings have a way of stripping you of anything that isn't strapped or tied down.

[hivemind]

I'm sorry Johnny, but they have brush, bogs and marshes in Europe too, and they've been carrying knives through it for thousands of years, and they don't feel the need for these straps. They're an unnecessary American affectation.

[Lobo]

I do too, and I utterly do not understand this American hangup on them. People carried knives in pouch sheaths for thousands of years - why the sudden issue with them? Drives me even more nuts now that I'm making knives. I have to built everything with some kind of guard so it'll catch a retention strap. Every damned thing...

I see little need for a guard on a kitchen knife, or perhaps on a knife for small game or fish. For big game, when both of my hands are slippery (to say the least) during field dressing chores, I want a good guard to keep my hand from slipping or sliding onto the blade.

I haven't felt the need for a fighting knife since my days in Vietnam, but I think the guard would be even more important for such uses.

A well-made sheath, properly formed and finished, can provide adequate retention without the need for a retention strap. Customers worrying about their high-dollar knives may want the added assurance of the strap.

Making what the customers want is good business, just as long as it will perform the intended functions properly and safely.

Making what we prefer for our own use, or what we perceive to be the best design, can only be expected to reduce the number of potential customers, and volume of orders.

Best regards.

[NoahL]

Making what we prefer for our own use, or what we perceive to be the best design, can only be expected to reduce the number of potential customers, and volume of orders.

Conveniently I don't do this for a living and don't plan to, so losing a few orders isn't the end of the world. Besides, I think I've only made four sheaths out of everything I've done that have retention straps, so I'm not exactly being asked to make them all the time as it is.

[dirtclod]

Well their are good points on both sides for and for not having the strap. I've made and make them both ways. The ones without a strap aint gonna come out it their molded right and the knife is put back back in the sheath where it belongs.

On the straps i see lots of them put on where the snap is facing the wrong way and hang on ever piece of brush and limb that it comes in contact with ans their going get unsnaped. In that case IMO the knife is more likely to get lost.

Thousands of holster's have been made without a strap to hold the pistol in and i doubt many if any have been lost if was formed right and the gun put put back in right. Plus a cheap gun cost more than $300.00 anymore. Not i would want to lose either one. I hate to lose a cheap pocket knife, change or anything else out of my pocket for that matter.

Main thing is people see some big name person doing what ever a certain way or wearing what ever and they want it done or to do the same way, same thing. Wrangler jeans are a good example of that. Next time to run into somebody that has a horse or horses and i bet most of em have Wranglers on. Wrangler spent no telling what to have big name rodeo people to wear their jeans and round here anyway everbody thinks they have to wear Wranglers if they have a horse. It doesn't make it right but that's the way it is.

Edited January 2, 2011 by dirtclod

[Lobo]

Conveniently I don't do this for a living and don't plan to, so losing a few orders isn't the end of the world. Besides, I think I've only made four sheaths out of everything I've done that have retention straps, so I'm not exactly being asked to make them all the time as it is.

When we are doing something as a labor of love, that is one thing. When we are doing something as a hobby, that is another thing. When we are running a business, that is another thing entirely.

I fully respect the artist who creates only what his heart and soul drive him to do, with no compromises.

For me, this is a business and not a hobby. I make every effort to produce quality products based upon solid designs that meet the needs of my customers.

Best regards.

[NoahL]

Thousands of holster's have been made without a strap to hold the pistol in and i doubt many if any have been lost if was formed right and the gun put put back in right. Plus a cheap gun cost more than $300.00 anymore. Not i would want to lose either one. I hate to lose a cheap pocket knife, change or anything else out of my pocket for that matter.

A retention strap on a holster is more for preventing someone from taking your gun from you in a struggle than keeping the gun holstered, in my opinion, but I understand what you're saying.

When we are doing something as a labor of love, that is one thing. When we are doing something as a hobby, that is another thing. When we are running a business, that is another thing entirely.

I fully respect the artist who creates only what his heart and soul drive him to do, with no compromises.

For me, this is a business and not a hobby. I make every effort to produce quality products based upon solid designs that meet the needs of my customers.

Best regards.

This is a hobby more than it is a business. Yes a make a bit off money from it, but it's something that I enjoy doing that allows me to be creative and make something useful in the process. I generally try to do what the customer wants but I find retention straps tricky to make and generally unnecessary, so I'll try to steer people away from them if at all possible.