Tips to buy a knife???

[Lone Frogman]

Originally Posted by danielh03

Looking for some good tips for buying a new dive knife. Don't want to spend a boat load, but with so many different kinds out there, and me about to make an order from ST's, I figured it was a good time to ask!!!

First ask yourself what you are going to use it for and where you plan on keeping it.

[wxboy911]

I got the Aeris SilverJack with my BC accessory kit and it works pretty well. I am thinking of adding a set of emt shears to my rig to make the fishing line a bit easier to deal with.

[danielh03]

I have lots of EMT shears laying around,(by product of doing rescue work) but I just figured they would rust up after the first good weekend of diving. I am undecided now on blut tip or pointed tip. I plan on mounting my knife on my bc. I want to mount it like I keep my K-bar, but thats to close to my hoses/neck for comfort under water. (Mounted upside down on my left shoulder under my inflator hose, just don't seem smart lol) the riptide zone does not offer many options for a waist mounted knife as well.... I hate to put in on my leg, I have seen many ppl lose one that way.

[Puffer Fish]

Originally Posted by texdiveguy

IMO ....I really don't suggest a 'leg mounted' knife for several reasons. Despite it looking kool....they present a great entanglement potential even when worn to the inside,,,,also they are difficult to reach in certain dive enviroments (small space areas/poor vis)....they can get knocked loose while finning, very common. Your best places for a knife or dive tool is at the belt level or attached to the bc were it can be reached with both hands. Always carry a back-up knife or shears.

I suppose there is a slight risk from entanglement (no where near as big as most fin strap attachments, and in some environments, that would be a concern. However, having worn one on the inside of my leg for...well, more than a week, I don't believe that is a major concern in most diving.

I don't carry one in kelp.. or in wrecks, but I do when spear fishing/lobster hunting or just taking pictures. But I also have a belt knife, a bc knife and and shears.

Having been intangled a bunch of times (mostly fishing line on wrecks), it is easy to get entangled where you cannnot reach one side or the other, so I have something on both sides.

Oddly, I had around 5 to 1 fin entanglements (versus every where else) while using jet fins, and have never had one since switching to apollo fins with springs. I have never had a knife or knife strap entanglement.

It should also be noted that most straps today, if they were entangled can be dissconnected by just pulling hard (if you cannot reach it).

And I think if I was going to loose one from kicking, it would have happened several thousands dives earlier. I have lost a grand total of one knife, and that was because I forgot to put it in my bag after taking it off.

I have lost BC knives... waistbelt knives... but never the leg knife.

[MxDiver]

I'll trow in my two cents with the following reccomendations:
- Get a knife with a blunt tip, not a point.
- Make sure it has a serrated edge.
- A line cutter is desirable.

[WV Diver]

The Remora is my personal favorite. It has multiple ways and places that it can be carried, it never needs sharpening, and it is relatively inexpensive.

[danielh03]

Originally Posted by MxDiver

I'll trow in my two cents with the following reccomendations:
- Get a knife with a blunt tip, not a point.
- Make sure it has a serrated edge.
- A line cutter is desirable.

Why a Blunt Tip?

[DiveSooner]

4", blunt tip, BC mount. Great for holding youself in strong currants on the sea floor. Haven't had the need to chase any sharks, but the James Bond looks is cool.

[Crimediver]

The tec guys will tell you all you need is a broken off Betty Crocker serrated kitchen knife but I want a big ole knife in case I need to slash someone's air hose or gut me a bull shark. My old Aqua Lung SeaHawk knife is a manly knife that allows me to shed some pounds off my weight belt. As far as a location for mounting it, just carry with your teeth so it is handy. I did not fight my way to the top off the food chain with a pair of scissors, either.

[MxDiver]

Originally Posted by danielh03

Why a Blunt Tip?

Less of a chance of sticking yourself or your BCD with it.
In my personal experience I have used a knife to cut lines and pry things, but I never had to stick anything while underwater, therefore my preference for a blunt tip.