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| Winnipeg River (photo by V.A. McMillan, 2024) |
Title: Cold Steel Sheath
Mod
June 2024
Been quite some time
since I have posted a gear modification type project. Let’s correct that, shall
we…
Cold Steel makes some
great knives…and Lynn Thompson (owner of Cold Steel) is a wise businessman…not
only does his company create good knives; by using different steels with
different qualities, he can provide a product line that meets many of the
budget constraints of his customer base. Top of the line San Mai to the more budget
conscious products produced in Taiwan or India.
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| Cold Steel Recon Tanto (left) & SRK (right) |
Last year I purchased a
couple Cold Steel budget friendly knives from KnifeCenter (https://www.knifecenter.com/). One was
a Recon Tanto, and the other was a SRK (Survival Rescue Knife). Both have long lineage
at Cold Steel and are battle tested designs. But we are not reviewing the
cutlery today, we are going to look at the rugged plastic sheaths…when you are
at a lower price point you cannot expect to get all the features of the higher-grade
versions, and I am sure that extends to the sheaths.
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| Top Sheath Has Been Modded |
The provided sheaths had
two items of concern for me…first I prefer the retaining strap for the knife
handle to be a thumb break that opens by pushing my thumb across the snap and
to the right. The sheaths arrived breaking to the left, which might work for
some users. The second preference is for the retaining strap to not interfere
with re-sheathing the knife after use. The sheath arrives utilizing a single
bartack on the centreline…which a correct technique for fast manufacturing and
it does function for extra security preventing a knife from falling out of the
sheath. However, when two bartacks are used the strap stays open allowing for
fiddle-free re-sheathing of the knife.
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| Both Modded to Break to the Right |
First step was to unscrew
the webbing from the plastic body of the sheath, then carefully cut the threads
of the bartack to remove the retaining strap. Last step is to flip the
retaining strap to break to the right and sew it back on with two bartacks
which are about as far apart as the width of the knife handle.
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| Note the Higher Location on the Bottom Sheath |
One for two…one Mod went
well and the other one I accidently cut through the webbing while trying to cut
the threads…remember to take your time and if cutting the threads with a very
sharp Recon Tanto, ensure you are cutting the threads not the webbing. Oops. Thus,
one retaining strap is higher than the other (see photo above)…that was a result of having to put the
strap in the same location to cover the hole in the webbing behind the strap.
Yes, I did use flame to seal the webbing from unraveling.
Until next time…do not be afraid to purchase affordable gear,
even if you need to mod it to meet your needs!
Mountainman.
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