Phlster Fightworthy Gen 2 Sheath Review

I have been carrying the Ka Bar TDI knife for a couple of years now, on an almost daily basis.  As I have trained more in hand-to-hand/weapons integration skills I have come to embrace the obvious benefits of a center-line carried fixed blade.  Since I believe in always carrying a knife anyway, as an essential rescue cutting tool above all, when I have the legal and feasible option I carry a center-line small fixed blade.  For myself, the TDI is my favorite option and the design lends itself well to a person like me who is not really a knife guy, but trains for only rudimentary, gross motor, natural movements, like coming up and out with the blade as a punch, which the curved design of the TDI and similar blades facilitates.

The biggest complaint most people have about the TDI is not with the knife itself, but with the factory sheath.  I can tell you that the sheath itself is not really that bad, but the bulky metal belt clip on it sucks.  When I first started using the TDI I took the stock clip off and fastened two holster J clips to the sheath and, honestly, it served me well for a couple of years.  However, I was still not particularly happy with the sheath and I decided that, since the TDI is an integral part of my carry, I would invest in an aftermarket sheath.

If you use a TDI and go searching for aftermarket sheaths you will find that one of the most prominent players in that arena is Phlster Holsters.  Based on what I have read in various reviews the Phlster Fightworthy Generation 2 sheath seems solid, so I bought one.  The biggest down side to it remains the price.  This sheath averages about 45 dollars.  While I don’t find that necessarily exorbitant, the TDI itself sells for about 30 dollars, so the fact that the sheath is significantly more than the knife rubs some folks the wrong way.  Understandable.  However, if you buy a TDI and this sheath you are still into a great fixed blade option for about 75 bucks.

So, is the Fightworthy sheath worth it?  Well, I think it is probably over-priced, but I don’t know anything about kydex fabrication so I don’t know what it costs to produce.  I can tell you only that it is, indeed, a significant improvement over the factory sheath.  It is heavy duty, the kydex slabs are thick.  The retention is excellent, and you can adjust it with the loop screws on this generation of the sheath.  One thing I quickly found out is that the loops should be adjusted to fit tightly to your belt of choice, otherwise the sheath will flop around and print.  I use 1.5 inch belts, so setting the loops to the smallest setting worked great, and I trimmed the excess of the loops right off.  I also found it to work best with the loop screws set all the way to the top of the slots in which they can adjust so that the sheath sits as low as possible, and I also find that canting the loops slightly makes the knife ride more concealed.  Such tweaks will be quite specific to the individual, of course.

Do I recommend the Phlster Fightworthy Generation 2 TDI sheath?  If you are willing to drop 45 dollars on a knife sheath, yes.  It is built solid and offers good retention.  It also provides a lot of adjustment and the cut-away design provides a good grip on the knife.  If you are serious about using the TDI and you need a good sheath for it, this one probably won’t disappoint.  I am quite pleased with it.