Could you help me pick up some safety cutting tools for my best friend?

[wheezye]

Hey guys and gals,

My best friend is a newbie level 1 diver who just got a marine biology internship with Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. I'm not a diver myself, but I know entanglement is a problem for divers. She doesn't have any cutting gear yet, so I wanted to get her some as a graduation present this May to help her stay safe. I'm also curious about people's opinions on self-defense gear (huge knives perhaps? :blinking.

SAFETY - I've been reading the forum a bit and so far have decided I'm pretty set on getting her an Eezycut Trilobite tool. I considered a couple Bechmade tools since they get a lot of attention on this forum, but RJP's excitement over the trilobite and Malpaso's fantastic photo-documented test (showing z knives getting clogged occasionally) made me settle on these. They seem easy to handle, light weight, low-profile, and very safe to use. I like how it's double-sided too in case one blade clogs or breaks in an emergency.
1) I'm curious to know if anyone has anything bad to say about these (so far I've only heard good stuff and no criticisms)
2) Would you recommend any other safety gear besides cutters?

DEFENSE - I'm also wondering, do you guys ever have to worry about fighting off anything? I read some of the obituaries on this forum and saw the occasional animal attack. She's incredibly adventurous, so I have no idea which waters she might be in a couple years from now:
1) Would you guys recommend carrying a knife for self-defense underwater?
2) If so, how big of a blade? And what metal? --- I'm thinking Ti since it will never corrode and will stay sharp until it has to be used, but I've also heard that some people like to use their knives as pry bars (so maybe go SS? would it rust to heck if just taken for every dive and never actually ever used?).
3) Do you think carrying a knife would be more dangerous than it was worth? How easy is it to slice into air tank hoses? Have you guys ever drawn blood in the water on accident?
4) How awkward is it to unfold a folding knife underwater with gloves on?

I would love to hear your comments. Anything that pops into your head

 

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

I classify cutting tools to Primary/Secondary. My primary is the Trilobite Eezycut. My secondary (cutting, prying, digging) mounts on my harness on the left side of the buckle and is a Halcyon Titanium Knife w/Sheath. I have never had to use a knife to fend off animal attacks. If you are going to get a more traditional style knife, you need to factor in what BC, sheath/mounting options, features and size. I prefer not to deal with a folding knife.

 

[wheezye]

Thank you very much, Wayne. It's good to know that animal attacks are relatively rare.

I'd been eyeing the Halcyon-style knife w/ nylon sheath for low-profile. Just bought an Eezycut Trilobite w/ nylon sheath & an OxyCheq Ti knife (read: Rebranded halcyon) w/ nylon sheath off ebay (although I think now that I could've saved $10 if I got it from caveadventures oops at least I know the ebay one is WYSIWYG and the seller's not going to rip me off).

Together it's more than I'd usually pay for a gift, but I know I'm going to sleep better knowing she's safer on her dives. Just curious, what do you cut, pry and dig? I just want to be able to give her some ideas. Do you find the sharp tip to be a problem? I'm wondering if I should tell her she can get some SS blunt tips for ~20 and just swap them out in the same sheath. I might blunt the tip myself on a bench grinder.

 

[fisheater]

I can't think of anything out that a diver would be able to "fight off" with a knife.

If a shark's coming to take a bite, a machete wouldn't be of much use.

So, concentrate on entanglement uses.

I love my Benchmade Zknife, btw.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Pedro Burrito]

I carry a Trilobite EEZYCUT and Dive Rite Trauma Shears. A knife won't easily cut through the steel or kevlar fishing leaders that are frequently hanging around wrecks and the trauma shears will. The eezycut is excellent for cutting webbing and that takes a very sharp knife. DSS ships a knife with their BP&Ws. It looks like a steak knife with half the knife missing and the end rounded off. It's definitely not for fending off anything. I doubt that you will ever need a knife to fend off anything underwater.

 

[Jorgy]

I am a fan of the Dive Rite Z knife, I have one on each of my rigs.....M

Cutting Tools and Jon Line - Dive Gear Express

 

[wheezye]

Wow, trauma sheers! Why didn't I think of that? They could dig and pry if needed and would be free of the danger of cutting oneself or one's gear. Ok, I'm liking these suggestions. fisheater and Pedro Burrito, thanks for the tips on self-defense.

Do you guys know of any trauma sheers that have any special screwdriver bits built in or something like that? I did a quick search, but couldn't find anything. It just seems like that pokey bit on the end is for unfastening of the shears. I'd be interested to know if that's a part that's usable as a screwdriver.

I'm also really curious now, what are some advantages of knives over trauma sheers? (thanks to Pedro Burrito, I now understand the advantage of sheers being able to cut through tougher stuff than knives and being generally safer to use.)

 

[DM_cappie]

+1 on the sheers,
I don’t know where she plans on doing her diving, but I live just south of Charleston in Beaufort SC and the water here is full of old fishing lines and nets.
Personally for local diving I carry a simple SS razor knife from Lowes, instead of the original straight blade I use titanium coated hooked razor blades also available at Lowes. I like it because the knife never rusts and the blades are changeable. If I feel like ones getting dull I just change it out. The only downside I’ve found is that they don’t cut leader line, hence I carry trauma sheers. Be careful though when buying them, the arms are normally stainless steel but sometimes the rivet holding them together isn’t. I’ve replaced mine with a small stainless bolt and nut and hadn’t had any problems.

 

[TSandM]

Trauma shears are a good idea.

For the most part, you don't need tools. The essence of recreational diving is that the surface is always an option, and it's just about always a better option than attempting to repair things underwater. A good, simple toolkit in the back of the car saves a dive now and then, but you don't need them in the water.

 

[DevonDiver]

1) I'm curious to know if anyone has anything bad to say about these[Eezycut Trilobite tool]

Excellent for cutting lines and webbing. IMHO, the best tool for that job. But they do rust quickly, so need occasional blade change.

I am not sure about their performance on line/net with steel tracer, or metal core wires (like you get inside wrecks).

2) Would you recommend any other safety gear besides cutters?

I carry a small titanium knife on my waist harness. It doesn't rust or blunt and requires little/no maintenance.

DEFENSE - I'm also wondering, do you guys ever have to worry about fighting off anything?

Only girls