Quote:
Originally Posted by terrillja
Also, if you are going to buy a knife, buy a titanium knife. Zero maintenance pretty much other than an occasional sharpening, and no rusting.
|
Pish. I've had the same stainless steel knife since I started diving in the mid 1980s. I rarely do anything more to it than leave it in it's sheath, attached to the webbing, when I rinse the BC. I don't take it out of the sheath to dry, and I don't generally wipe it with oil or anything like that (I smeared silicone grease on it once, over 10 years ago). I sharpen it once a year, just to maintain the edge.
After over 20 years, it has a few minor tarnish marks, but cuts every bit as well as any other dive knife I've seen. IMHO, titanium is a lot of hype and a waste of money. In my experience, steel works just fine. There's nothing wrong with titanium if that's what you fancy, but if anyone is looking at this who hasn't purchased a knife yet, I advise thinking twice about it before assuming TI is necessary.
That said, the accessories I haven't seen mentioned here that are a standard part of my kit for ocean dives are a glo-toob strobe and a jon line. The former is good for surface signaling at night, gives off enough light to read by, and makes a good anchor line marker. The latter can be a real lifesaver for safety or deco stops in stiff currents, choppy conditions, or on crowded lines.
Also, a DSS lp hose connector "hat" is great for cold water dives with thick gloves. It makes disconnecting the power inflator underwater a snap in case of emergency.