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Finished or Unfinished Leather
When I started out making knife sheaths I had the same dilemma as you. Unfinished oak and vegetable tanned is softer because it is used to do carving (stamping) designs on the surface. Thick and soft gives more 3D look and feel to stamped (carved) designs.
When leather gets tanned then tannery gives a finishing applied to the surface "Chroming" it is more dense and firm. This is good if you want consistent results without spots or damage by wetting the surface or cooking with ovens.
Look at remnants and what the seller had made with the leather for sale and that will give you a hint on how tough, firm, or finish it has and compare that to your particular size sheath you need to make. You can still do design and stamping with small amount of wetness in desired areas.
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