Unless you need a "big f***ing knife" for very specific things, there's no need for anything other than a line cutter like a Trilobite. Especially when Johnny Scuba Advert is wearing it on his calf.....but hey, you might fight off a shark sometime.
What do you look for in a dive knife?
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cb5150
Contributor
The only dive knife I've ever used or needed. I love it.
Plus trauma shears and an Eezycut
none of which would be strapped to any appendage
drrich2
Contributor
It would either by a Spyderco with H1 steel, or one of the titanium (not just titanium-coated; tried a cheapy like that & it rusted readily) knives.
A knife I use will not be diligently rinsed with fresh water & dried after diving. My current Spyderco folding knife is in a very small pocket on the outside of the BCD pocket on my Sherwood Avid BCD. I've had about 3 dive knives (2 stainless steel, 1 'titanium-coated' at an unbelievably low sale price) rust. So cost-wise, the Spyderco H1 steel is doing well over time. (Not all Spyderco knives use H1 steel; those that do come in a variety of sizes & forms).
I also have a Trilobyte on the top cross-strap of my BCD. It's so small & low profile, the blade rusts but pretty slowly, and replacement blades are pretty cheap. I still wish it was H1 steel.
My cutting tools are there in case one of us gets entangled; I don't normally use them much.
Richard.
A knife I use will not be diligently rinsed with fresh water & dried after diving. My current Spyderco folding knife is in a very small pocket on the outside of the BCD pocket on my Sherwood Avid BCD. I've had about 3 dive knives (2 stainless steel, 1 'titanium-coated' at an unbelievably low sale price) rust. So cost-wise, the Spyderco H1 steel is doing well over time. (Not all Spyderco knives use H1 steel; those that do come in a variety of sizes & forms).
I also have a Trilobyte on the top cross-strap of my BCD. It's so small & low profile, the blade rusts but pretty slowly, and replacement blades are pretty cheap. I still wish it was H1 steel.
My cutting tools are there in case one of us gets entangled; I don't normally use them much.
Richard.
Bigd2722
Contributor
I carry 3 cutting tools. A trilobite on my harness, trauma shears on a lanyard in my emergency release pocket, and a BAK strapped to my leg. I have never used a cutting tool underwater.
Dr. Lecter
Contributor
I find a Busse NMFBM is ideal, just in case I need to cut my way through a bulkhead or something. And at roughly the same overall length as my lower leg, it really helps secure the long hose if I'm diving without a can light.
Aqua-Andy
Contributor
This is what I use. Can be purchased at Walmart for $5 for a pack of four.
UTD Harness Dive Knife | Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL - Dive Right in Scuba
UTD Harness Dive Knife | Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL - Dive Right in Scuba
Dr. Lecter
Contributor
I love Trilobites and carry two of them while diving, but why don't you try cutting through the wire leader on a deep sea fishing hook with one (especially if you're hooked while doing so) before declaring all anyone needs is a line cutter. Shears are pretty indispensable for worst-case scenarios.
A big ass knife would work just as poorly as a trilobite in that situation. If I were diving somewhere that it was a possibility, I would carry tools to reflect that situation. That is a specific thing that requires a specific solution, and should be tailored to suit. In that case I wouldn't be carrying shears either, I would be carrying a small set of wire cutters, they work much better, and can be had cheap at any local hardware store.
Just like you use your giant knife for working on a bulkhead, if I were in a situation where entanglement by wire is a possibility, I would be using a better tool. But again, that is a very specific situation not likely encountered by most of the divers that dive knives are marketed towards. Most divers aren't John Chatterton and Richie Kohler.
I think that he was joking------.
I have a Tekna dagger (three of them, two stainless and one titanium) and carry one always on my left waist strap. I have a line cutter on my left shoulder strap. If I am in an area where fishing line is a real problem (which is about everywhere) then I have some mini trauma shears I fasten to my left shoulder strap.
I would really like a shear with titanium or high grade stainless but with a solid pin and a full tang or simply all metal, no plastic handles. I have had shears fail, handles snapping off and the rivet failing as well. They are just not trustworthy.
N
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