Homemade Warrior sheath

[Jim Malone]

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[Jim Malone]

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[HotSoup]

That looks spectacular.

[2cha]

Great work. Super creative with the attachment points. I also like the little flange on the back that covers the guard.

[Dr. Detroit]

Nice job Jim. The sheath looks good.

Whats up Hot Soup, this is Brother Grimm from the CS forum. It's nice to see a familiar face over here.

[spyderHS08]

Very nice. That looks great I'd be asking you to make me one if I had a warrior! :D
I wonder if spyderco will ever manufacture a kydex sheath for the warrior..?

[StangBang]

That looks great!!! Thanks for sharing :)

[Jim Malone]

I am wearing the combination right now IWB. I always carry my knives in "real world" to see if this knife is wearable. When i mean real world i mean for 12+ hours in shorts, jeans and a t-shirt, and in bussiness attire during daily tasks. I ask my kids and wife to see if they print. I also train the presentation and reholstering of the knife to see if in high speed drills i missed something.
Observations:
The knife is very wearable, don't think this is only a "military" knife.
I was a little worried about the fact that it is a specialised knife designed around a "earth grip" or reverse grip. Due to my FMA background i also like to transition the knife from heaven to earth grip. This transition is quit easy due to the fact that the point of gravity is located just aft the handle. The heavy guard does not interfere with the transition. I like the guard a lot because if needed ( but not advised) you can put your thumb against the guard to enhance control while snap cutting with the blade. You can transition to hammer grip when stabbing, or when you need full gripping power. The reverse grip is very solid, with some space next to the butt to rest your thumb, without losing the ability to strike with the butt (like in punyo). The butt is a very effective non lethal attitude adjuster, so you still have the option to deliver non lethal force into the adversary even ith a drawn blade ( i feel you only draw a defensive blade when you are in an valid self defense position, and you have decided that lethal force is the only option).
I also like the FRN handle a lot. The handle has quit aggressive texturing and really grips your hand when you grab the knife. I coated the handle with clear mineral oil and water to see how it would function when covered in a slippery substance. The FRN handle still provides enough gripping power to use the knife full force. I don't think the same handle would provide such traction made from plain G10 or C.F. The blade is more then thick enough to be used for it's intended purpose. Even hitting bone at full speed will not likely break the knife. I haven't disassembled the knife ( i never do, out of fear of making then knife inop) but i guess the tang has weight reduction cut-outs. Only a destruction test will verify if this causes a problem under "normal" use ( self defense against a living creature). I don't think so. The serrations on the back are not too aggresive so using the serrations to trap limbs will lickely cut them instead of "only "trapping them. From my viewpoint this moves away from the original intention of the teeth on the back for trapping but has the benefit of the serrations beeing used as a hawkbill blade to sever fibrous materials. The serrations on the back are very handy to be used when you are pinned down or in a tight clinch because you don't need to turn the knife in your hand. It also makes the knife ideal for biomechanical cutting.
Drawbacks: I am not convinced about the full stabbing potential of the knife. This is not a true stabber but more of a slicer that can stab. Time will tell if this is stabby enough. A sharpened false edge might have been better, but this would have caused legal problems for some customers. I feel a lack of an indentation in the handle to benefit swinging the knife from heaven to earth. I also don't like the "warrior" branding on the handle. This might cause unwanted attention to those who use this knife in a non defensive role in aquatic enviroments like a dive knife, or a boat knife. It could also legal problems when used in a self defense case (remember the trail where Sal was called as a witness because a student used a military).
I think a sterile version would even be better, with a sandblasted non glare, more scratch resistent finish, no markings, and a sterile handle.
I understand this would make the knife even more unattractive to the general public, but this is a PC unfriendly knife already.
One word of advice. Always carry a secondary knife for mundane cutting tasks with this knife in public. It's really not a knife that's ideal to whip out in the local bar to open up a bag of salted nuts. You could get away with it on a boat, in the military or in a non urban enviroment but this is not the knife to hand to your soon to be mother-in -law to help her cut the sunday roast.

[Jim Malone]

I am convinced about the benefit of a kydex sheath as a factory offering. The factory sheath is very good for it's intended use, but a kydex sheath brings out the full potential of the knife.

[Mike Sastre]

Nice work, Jim!!