Diving knife

[alaxias]

Hi, I just got a diving knife for christmas, pointy tip. I'm wondering what is the different uses of the two types, pointy and blunt (my dad who bought it figured it was more usefull to be pointy for defense but I doubt I'd stab a shark...). There's still time to exchange it so advice is welcome

 

[Garrobo]

Practice using it in the pool. You can't believe the difference in distance judging while using a knife under water.

 

[micklock]

Hi, I just got a diving knife for christmas, pointy tip. I'm wondering what is the different uses of the two types, pointy and blunt (my dad who bought it figured it was more usefull to be pointy for defense but I doubt I'd stab a shark...). There's still time to exchange it so advice is welcome

When you see a shark you don't stab the shark, you stab your buddy and swim as fast as you can back to the boat

 

[ssidiv3r]

Do a search and you'll find this has been talked about many many many many times. I prefer a blunt point because I 1) won't stab myself, 2) can pry things with it, 3) can use it as a screw-driver for field repairs and 4) because my quarries don't have any sharks

 

[Doc]

Pointy tips are excellent for opening cans. That and deflating Zodiacs.

 

[covediver]

Congrats on what sounds like a nice gift. Sounds like your dad has in interest in what you are doing.

In the last 25 years, I have owned a number of knives, and still have all but one of them. Some have points, some are blunt. I have never really noticed a difference. It really is a matter of personal preference. Never used one as a screwdriver; I use a reversible blade screwdriver for that. A dive knife is a tool and not a weapon, although it is hard to convince most non-divers and even some divers of that fact. Not that it matters as their perception does add a bit of mistique to me as diver when I carry a knife.

The most used feature on my dive knife has been the line cutter for when I encounter monofillament fishing line. My basic scuba instructor observed that a pointed knife is one that have not yet had its tip broken off prying rock scallop whose base is cemented into the cracks of rocks. I always used a pry bar for that, content to have my knife in the sheath on the inside of my leg (to avoid kelp entanglement).

So if you like the knife, keep it. If you don't like it, trade it in. But, don't do so on the basis of the breaking off the pointed tip....chances are it will never happen. And if it does, so what. The only time anyone will know is when the knife is out of the sheath, which in my experience is seldom. Besdies, a broken knife tip just might have a good story to go with it....

 

[sphillips3]

The first thing to realize is that a dive knife is generally used as tool, not a weapon. In most cases the primary purpose for carrying a cutting tool is to free yourself or (more likely) your buddy from an entanglement.

A traditional knife is just one choice for a cutting tool. A knife has some attractive features in that a proper selection can be used as a prying tool and to saw through line (e.g. anchor line) too thick to cut.

A knife also has some disadvantages, the most obvious one is that it is easy to cut yourself or someone else, either when trying to use it or when putting it away. I like a blunt tip becuase it can be used as a prying tool and seems to be less likely to punch a hole in my gear when I'm stowing the blade.

With all that in mind, I tell my students that if they elect to carry a knife they should get a relativly small one (4 to 6 inch blade), made of titanium, with a blunt tip. I personally practice what I teach (although most of the time I carry a cutting tool other than a traditional knife).

Of course, reasonable people can disagree - there is a big market for huge, pointy-tipped, "stainless" steel blades so someone must be buying them. For example, underwater hunters have specialized needs.

I'm sure a bunch of folks are going to tell you that pointy tips are the way to go, titanium is too expensive, and any knife worth carrying has at least a 12" blade. At the end of the day it's your $$ (or, in this case you Dad's $$) so get what makes you happy. You'll probably use this piece of dive gear less than anything else you take into water.

 

[boulderjohn]

As others have pointed out, a dive knife is a seldom-used tool. I have a couple that are really pretty cheap. I have only used them in the water a few times to cut some fishing line that was an entanglement hazard.

I have seen boat crew members on liveaboards use them on the boat deck while they are doing their chores. When they need a knife, they look around for one on someone's BCD, use it, and then put it back.

I do want to make a comment that combines my statements above. I was once given a very nice knife as a gift, and on my last liveaboard trip I affixed it to my BCD when I made my initial gear setup. When I later began to prepare for a dive, I saw that the sheath was empty. Apparently a crew member needed it more than I.

That's why I keep it cheap. You don't need a great one, and great ones can disappear.

 

[Tortuga68]

...content to have my knife in the sheath on the inside of my leg (to avoid kelp entanglement)

Not always the easiest place to reach when you need it - waistband (or hose/BCD) mount is better IMHO

To the OP, FWIW I prefer blunt tip - for the reasons already stated - and small (3-4") blade, with a smooth edge on one side and a serrated edge on the other, and a line cutter hook built in

You could also consider shears or a dedicated line cutter

 

[steel-slinger]

Well i carry a blunt and a pointy knife. The Blunt one in a emergency back up and the pointy is the main knife. Now I am a spearhunter and i use the pointy knife to kill the fish if the spear doesn't. Also i dont want a fish bitting me in the leg while it is still on the stringer. If its your first dive knife i would keep it and get a blunt back up. You can never have enough knifes.