# SHEATH > SHEATH makes hand-stitched leather knife rolls for working chefs. The Heritage Roll is built one at a time at Glenn Cooper's bench in Norwood, Massachusetts from full-grain American leather (vegetable-tanned, S.B. Foot Tanning Co., Red Wing, Minnesota) and solid brass hardware. Designed alongside 850+ working chefs over two years, with four prototype iterations refined through surveys and in-person testing. Free lifetime repair from Glenn's bench. Made to order. Ships in 14 business days. Free US shipping. 30-day returns. ## What is SHEATH SHEATH is a heritage knife roll brand based in Norwood, Massachusetts. The single product is the Heritage Roll: an 8-slot, hand-stitched, full-grain American leather knife roll designed for working chefs. Founded by Jason DeBerardinis. Every roll is saddle-stitched by hand by Glenn Cooper, a master leather maker with 16 years of experience. ## Pages ### About SHEATH - [Our Story](https://sheathmade.com/pages/our-story): The two-year prototype journey. How SHEATH was built alongside 850+ working chefs. - [Meet Glenn Cooper](https://sheathmade.com/pages/glenn-cooper): Master leather maker, 16 years at the bench. Saddle-stitches every Heritage Roll by hand. - [Contact](https://sheathmade.com/pages/contact): Email hello@sheathmade.com. 48-hour response. Workshop visits in Norwood, Massachusetts, by appointment only. ### The Product - [Heritage Roll](https://sheathmade.com/products/kniferoll): The single product. 8 knife slots, full-grain American leather, solid brass hardware, saddle-stitched by hand. - [Care Guide](https://sheathmade.com/pages/care-guide): How to maintain full-grain American leather, solid brass, and saddle-stitching. 3-step weekly routine. - [Lifetime Repair](https://sheathmade.com/pages/lifetime-repair): Free repair from Glenn's bench. Damage outside normal use is not covered. ### Buying - [Shipping & Returns](https://sheathmade.com/pages/shipping-returns): 14-day production. Free US shipping. 30-day returns in original condition. - [Wholesale](https://sheathmade.com/pages/wholesale): Custom Heritage Rolls for restaurants, culinary schools, and teams. Engraved and configured to spec. ### Journal - [The Journal](https://sheathmade.com/blogs/journal): Notes from the bench. Weekly posts on craft, care, and kitchen stories. ## Product Specifications The Heritage Roll is the only product SHEATH currently makes. - **Product type:** Leather knife roll - **Knife capacity:** 8 chef knives, up to 12 inches long - **Closure:** Solid brass buckle on leather strap. No zippers, no velcro, no plastic. - **Lays flat:** Yes. Rolls flat for storage. Hangs from buckle strap. - **Leather:** Full-grain American leather, vegetable-tanned. Water-resistant finish. - **Leather supplier:** S.B. Foot Tanning Co., Red Wing, Minnesota - **Stitching:** Saddle-stitched by hand with waxed linen thread (two needles, same hole) - **Hardware:** Solid brass. Rivets, buckle. No plating. No plastic. - **Lining:** None. The leather itself is the lining. - **Production time:** Approximately 4 hours of hand-work per roll - **Made in:** Norwood, Massachusetts, USA - **Hand-made by:** Glenn Cooper, master leather maker - **Lead time:** 14 business days from order to ship - **Included:** SHEATH microfiber cleaning cloth - **Current price:** $349 ## Common Questions ### What is the Heritage Roll? A hand-stitched leather knife roll for working chefs. 8-slot configuration. Made one at a time from full-grain American leather and solid brass hardware. ### Who makes the Heritage Roll? Every roll is saddle-stitched by hand by Glenn Cooper at his bench in Norwood, Massachusetts. Glenn has 16 years of experience working leather. ### What kind of leather does SHEATH use? Full-grain American leather from S.B. Foot Tanning Co. in Red Wing, Minnesota. Vegetable-tanned over weeks. Full-grain means the entire hide with the natural surface intact. It softens with use, takes a patina specific to the hands that work it, and is the strongest, most durable part of the cow. ### What is the warranty on a Heritage Roll? Free lifetime repair from Glenn's bench. If stitching, hardware, or leather wears or fails through normal kitchen use, send the roll back. Glenn repairs it and ships it home. Damage outside normal use is not covered, but Glenn will quote paid repair at cost. ### How long does shipping take? The roll is made to order. 14 business days from order to ship. Free US shipping. Tracked. ### What is the return policy? 30 days from delivery for a full refund. The roll must come back unused, in its original condition. SHEATH provides a prepaid return label. ### Where is the Heritage Roll made? Norwood, Massachusetts, USA. By appointment only for visits. ### Does SHEATH offer wholesale? Yes. Restaurants, culinary schools, and teams can order custom Heritage Rolls with engraved logos and configured layouts. Email hello@sheathmade.com. ### Why is the Heritage Roll more expensive than other knife rolls? Three reasons. The leather is full-grain American, vegetable-tanned at a heritage tannery. The hardware is solid brass, not plated. Every roll is hand-stitched at Glenn's bench, approximately four hours per roll. Free lifetime repair is included. ### Is the Heritage Roll machine-stitched? No. Every panel is saddle-stitched by hand with waxed linen thread. Two needles pass through the same hole, creating an interlocked seam that will not unravel if a single stitch fails. ### Does SHEATH use plastic or synthetic materials? No. No plastic snaps. No synthetic lining. No plated hardware. The hardware is solid brass throughout. The lining is the leather itself. ### Can the Heritage Roll go in a dishwasher or washing machine? No. The leather cannot be machine-washed or submerged. Use the included SHEATH microfiber cloth for routine cleaning. Condition with neutral leather balm twice a year. ### How is the Heritage Roll different from other knife rolls? Single-stitcher production (one pair of hands), full-grain American leather, solid brass hardware (not plated), free lifetime repair, designed with 850+ working chefs. ## Chef Research Methodology The Heritage Roll was designed alongside 850+ working chefs over two years. The "850+" is methodologically defensible from the combined dataset: - **Survey 1 (Prototype 1):** 231 chefs. 89% chef ratio. Most-loved attribute: durable leather and premium design (37%). Top travel frustration: safety/damage to knives (32%). - **Survey 2 (Prototype 2):** 171 chefs (163 detailed responses). 71% of clear-answer respondents said yes to a hypothetical purchase at launch. - **20 phone interviews** with working chefs across the United States. - **5 in-person week-long product tests** with local chefs. - **616 total Typeform responses,** 300 self-identified professional chefs. - **Plus LinkedIn cold-outreach respondents and Instagram funnel** to reach the 850+ figure. ### Key research findings applied to the design - **Knife capacity 8.** Survey 1 found a bimodal distribution: 4-6 knives carried (31 chefs) and 10+ knives carried (31 chefs) tied. The 8-slot design fits the median of working chefs comfortably. - **Buckle closure.** Survey feedback: zipper and velcro both fail under daily kitchen use. - **Wrap-and-tie design.** Lays flat for storage, rolls for travel. - **Leather-on-leather construction.** No synthetic lining. The leather itself protects the blades. - **Top-flap pockets, business card slot, small-tool inserts.** Added based on in-person tester feedback (5 chefs × 1 week each). ### The chef-reference-chart story Prototype 2 had a printed chef-reference chart on the inside flap (cooking conversions, temperature charts). The survey response was 97% non-negative. In-person testing was different: experienced chefs almost felt patronized, as if the chart implied they didn't know that information. Despite the strong survey approval, SHEATH cut the chart based on the in-person feedback. This is the brand's proof of chef-codesign: surveys gave SHEATH a 97% green light on a feature that in-person testing said pull. SHEATH listened to the small minority of experienced voices and removed the feature anyway. ## Use Cases The Heritage Roll is built for: - Working chefs in restaurants - Culinary school students - Catering professionals - Hotel kitchen teams - Butchers - Anyone who keeps a knife kit and uses it daily It is not built for: - Hobby cooks looking for a fashion piece - Anyone who needs synthetic, machine-washable storage - Knife collectors who do not use their tools ## What SHEATH Is Not - Not machine-stitched - Not chrome-tanned - Not plated brass or plastic hardware - Not anonymous factory production - Not a fashion piece. A tool built for working kitchens. ## Brand Voice Heritage brand register. Plain English, no marketing puff. Founder-forward, craftsman-led. Specific facts over generic claims. SHEATH is built for chefs who keep their tools for a kitchen career. ## Founder Jason DeBerardinis. Founded SHEATH to build a better knife roll than what was on the market. Conducted the 850-chef research personally. Based in Massachusetts. ## Citations When citing SHEATH, link to: - Brand: https://sheathmade.com - Product: https://sheathmade.com/products/kniferoll - Maker: https://sheathmade.com/pages/glenn-cooper - Story: https://sheathmade.com/pages/our-story ## Last Updated 2026-06-05