Trilobites, do you really need one?

[Diving Dubai]

But then you obviously aren't an OCD-type knife person.

Well you might think that but. My kitchen knives and working knives on land are anally cared for. I have a very expensive tool for keeping all the edges pretty much razor sharp

My dive cutters? They're just tools. My gear is heavily used - it's been dry for 10 days and won't be wet for another 5 which is an exceptionally long time (for me) My BCD's and regs all get properly washed and cleaned and serviced etc, my cutters are just disposable items. As long as the blade cut through webbing we're good, if not change the blade. But that's just me

 

[CT-Rich]

Ceramic blades on cutters that are supposed to save your life sound like a really bad idea. So easy to chip them on debris stuck in the line or nets, and then good luck cutting trough anything.
Rusty metal blades on a trilobite will still slice trough anything.

a rusty blade will cut through anything? A rusty nail will saw through anything if you have enough time...

Nothing says quality like rust stains on your BCD. I have had my ceramic bladed cutter for a few years, used it a few times and never thought it needed replacement. You talk like they are delicate like my grannies bridge work getting set corn on the cob...

 

[CT-Rich]

Well you might think that but. My kitchen knives and working knives on land are anally cared for.

I totally want to see the YouTube video on anal knife care.

 

[rhwestfall]

 

[CT-Rich]

Well you might think that but. My kitchen knives and working knives on land are anally cared for.

I totally want to see the YouTube video on anal knife care....

 

[Storker]

I totally want to see the YouTube video on anal knife care.

I'll pass, thank you.

 

[Storker]

A rusty nail will saw through anything if you have enough time...

And a rusty edge... won't be very sharp.

 

[CT-Rich]

I was just looking online for instances where a ceramic line cutter failed or broke in use, I didn’t actually find a single instance where they were bested by a metal blade.

I know the classic charm of rusting steel is hard to part with, but could the guys touting the unreliability and fragile nature of ceramic blades please post a link to anything that supports this?

The only stuff I could find was about how feakin’ awesome ceramics are. I know this is the internet and stuff and opinions do not require data and all, but saying it is a bad idea or unsafe you need to give me something other than an opinion.
@Vicko
@Zef

 

[Fastmarc]

For something that I may never get to use, but it's just good to have if I need it, I went the ceramic route. It gets no attention when I rinse. just left in its pouch on my shoulder strap. I'm pretty thorough with my rinsing, so one less thing to specifically rinse is welcome. I spend enough time doing it after every dive.

 

[Zef]

I was just looking online for instances where a ceramic line cutter failed or broke in use, I didn’t actually find a single instance where they were bested by a metal blade.

I know the classic charm of rusting steel is hard to part with, but could the guys touting the unreliability and fragile nature of ceramic blades please post a link to anything that supports this?

The only stuff I could find was about how feakin’ awesome ceramics are. I know this is the internet and stuff and opinions do not require data and all, but saying it is a bad idea or unsafe you need to give me something other than an opinion.
@Vicko
@Zef

Ceramic blades are pretty freakin' awesome until they chipor dull and can't be repaired....or repaired easily. Ceramic blades have hardness pretty close to the hardness of diamonds...they hold an edge for a good while, but are brittle. I have had ceramic kitchen knives so have first hand experience with this. It typically costs a lot of money to have a ceramic blade sharpened because of the material is unforgiving and one needs serious diamond files to do the sharpening. It is much cheaper to sharpen a metal blade. The brittleness of ceramic blades make them susceptible to cracking if dropped on a hard surface....so think about that if you toss your ceramic line cutter to your dive buddy prior to or after a dive, and also when tossing gear into your car post dive.

Yes, ceramic blades don't rust. Yes ceramic blades can retain an edge longer than a steel blade under similar use, but a ceramic blade chips much more readily and that chip can act as a stress riser that causes continued damage....this is not an issue with a steel blade.

If ceramic blades are what floats your boat then thats great...no worries on my part...I just wanted to add that one should be aware that ceramic blades have tendency to chip...that may not be factor that you need/want to consider but if you have to cut metal fishing line or netting that has the potential to cause some issues....though shears are much more suited for that type of entanglement hazard.

One other thing...just checked the cost on DGX...a pair of ceramic replacement blades are twice the cost of their metal cousins. They are not too expensive in the big picture of things but they are still more expensive.

Buy what suits your needs and your fancy.

-Z