Disappointed with Buck Intrepid

F

fandorin

Joined
Jan 9, 2001
Messages
127
I just came back from my trip to Mexico. I knew that I would be diving there so I have decided to get a scuba diving knife before trip. Since I wanted the one that would not look too agressive to a mexican customs I have decided to buy Intrepid with the blunt edge. I went for the smaller model because it had the kydex sheath to which i could attach rubber straps. By the way I have expected that they would be included with knife, however they were not. It was strange , because the scuba knife is supposed to come with rubber straps. Even the cheap ones do. Anyway, I have bought the straps separately. To see how the knife would perform in the salt water I have decided not to take Tuff Cloth with me. Big mistake. My first dive was 45 minutes long plus 15 minutes boat ride back to resort. Total 1 hour in salt water. When I pulled the knife out of the sheath to rinse it in fresh water it had rust all over it. At least 1/3 of the blade surface was covered with rust. Simple water rinsing did not help. I had to clean it for half an hour with the soap and rough sponge just to get some rust out. I do not know what kind of steel Buck is using on this knife but I have seen far better performance from cheap Taiwan made scuba knives. Last year I was diving with little Hai Hocho made by Cold Steel with AUS 6 steel. This knife was in salt water in Cozumel for one full week without washing and did not have a single stain. Whatever steel Buck is using I think that such a great design by Mr. Carson deserves a better steel.
 
Rust means that the steel actually has some carbon in it; which is more than can be said for most dive knives stamped from 420 and "surgical stainless". For diving one of the Mission Ti knives, or a Talonite knife would be outstanding.

n2s
 
As a diver, I would suggest that you not strap the knife to your leg. This is really not such a good idea. A knife on your leg is just another entanglement hazard, adds to your drag in the water and is harder to access. If you can, try to mount the knife on your waist strap or cumberbund...it's easier to get to this way.

I was also looking for a good dive knife recently. Mission knives has an all titanium knife that has about a 3 inch blade. It looks perfect for diving and is a reasonable $150.00. I think it even comes with a kydex sheath, exactly what you need for diving.
 
Have you guys considered the Timberline Zambezi as a dive knife?
It's 6" blade is epoxy coated 440c and is thick enough to pry with should the need arise. It has a green Kydex sheath with nylon leg and belt straps. The handles are Zytel with a kraton insert. I'm not sure how that will hold up to salt water but the whole she-bang is able to be dis-assembled for cleaning.
 
Dang what is wrong with you guys? Give the man some well deserved sympathy! A knife made for diving should be rust resistant (minimum) and still perform. If plain jane ugly 420 is forged and heat treated up to say Hubertus standards then it does not need extra Carbon.

I hate rust, yet I love carbon blades. If I would dive I would probly get the most "rustfrei" knife that would do the trick.

This post pissed me off enough to finaly join this group ( how Ironic ):mad: I really should have earlier as I buy knives all the time. :rolleyes:

Deo Vindici
 
Fandorin: I checked with the Buck people, The Intrepid is not advertized as a dive knife,It is advertized as a Survival\ Utility knife. It is 420-HC heat treated to R/C- 57-58 and bead blasted, not to good for salt water. They do make a water sport knife called the Tiburon, it is made out of 17-7 PH. St\Stl. that dose have good corrosion resistance and is a R/C- 48-49. I know a survival type knife should be able to do many tasks,but higher carbon steels, bead blast finishes dont do good in salt water. Paul
 
I also dive, and the best dive knife that I have ever used so far are EMT shears. They work great, and are blunt.
 
I actually carry a pair of EMT shears AND a knife when I go diving. You really should have a backup cutting device. Some tasks are actually easier using the shears over the knife. I would also suggest that a knife have a blade of 4 inches or less...you really don't need anything bigger. Also, avoid all types of sheaths that involve velcro or snaps. The sheath needs to be like the kydex type so you can draw it with either hand in one quick movement...no straps or buttons to undo first. I can tell you that knives are one item that people seem to lose often, so make sure yours is secured properly to your rig. (Mount on waist strap so you can reach it with either hand) Also, please note that the vast majority of knives sold at dive shops are absolute junk.

Lately I've been using my CRKT fixed blade KP with the kydex like sheath. (Actually zytel I think) It's an AUS-6 blade so the corrosion resistance is ok, and it sharpens up easily. I'll probably go the titanium route once I research it more.
 
Thank you for the feedback and opinions. Of course I was aware of the fact that a titanium knife would perform better than steel and something custom made from highly stain resistant steel would perform better than a production knife. What I did not expect was the amount of rust and how quickly it appeared on the knife. As I have said before last year I was diving the whole week with Cold Steel Hai Hocho made out of AUS steel without even washing it once. The reason I thought ( apparently wrong) that Intrepid was a diving knife was first of all because it is based on Kit Carson U2 which is advertised as diving knife. Secondly, on the Buck site it says in the description of the knife that " handle slabs are removable for washing the knife after salt water diving". I guess what it should say instead ," Not recommended for salt water diving". Since this forum is for knife reviews, let me say it again I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT FOR SALT WATER DIVING.
 
I dont own this knife, nor do I do any diving (saltwater or otherwise). I do however sweat alot during the summer, and can rust just about any knife out there.

I have had bead blasted knives completely rust on me when using them and handling them all day while working. As it turns out it is usually just surface rust, and a bit of polishing with Flitz or similar polish cleans it right up with no damage or pitting of the blade.

Dont know if thats the deal with your knife or not, but you might give it a shot before writing it off as useless or ruined for your needs.
 
The reason I thought (apparently wrong) that Intrepid was a diving knife was first of all because it is based on Kit Carson U2 which is advertised as diving knife... Secondly, on the Buck site it says in the description of the knife that " handle slabs are removable for washing the knife after salt water diving".
Click to expand...

I am under the same impression, and so was Kit Carson.

"The Intrepid is a series of four models consisting of two sizes of two different blade shapes - a tanto (189T and 187T) and what Buck calls a chisel pointed blade (189CP and 187CP). The Big ones are designed more for deep-sea divers, the smaller ones for the recreational diver, Carson observed." (Blade Jan 1999, pg. 120)

A little surface rust might not be a bad thing. With a little care the knife can be cleaned and perhaps protected while delivering a good cutting edge and providing plenty of strength. Talonite and Ti have alot going for them in that environment. But, its a trade off, neither material would make as strong a knife, or probably as durable an edge, and both would cost substantially more. Perhaps we can suggest that Buck produce a new version with a polished finish.

You may want to clean the blade with a light metal polish and re-test it after coating it with a thin layer of wax. Let us know how it works out.

n2s
 
Get it coated with Bodecoat's Diamond DLC. then it will be very highly scratch & rust resistant ( except the edge itself ).

They charge $25.00 for the first blade & any other blades to be done at the same time at $2.00 an inch.

They will blast the blade, no extra charge, if you can't get all the rust off it first.

Just remove the handle slabs when shipping to them.

They are great to work with.
 
Uncleknife,

What kind of coating is this? A heavy coat (like hard chrome) can be a real problem for salt water use. The rust can penetrate under the coat at the edge, where it impossible to control.

n2s
 
I emailed Ann Spuller at aspuller@bodycote-na.com

She was wonderful to work with, she kept a close eye on my knife's progress & checked with me as I had mentioned in earlier message that I did not want to be able to see the "graphitti" writen on the blade to see if I wanted the blade blasted first. the coating is so thin that it will take the finish of the knife, example if mirror polished will stay mirrired, if satin will stay satin, etc.

You are right, if you leave the edge go a long time with rust, it could concievably rust under the coating, but if you just rinse the blade & the sheath with fresh water when you get back on the boat that will be unlikely. Most divers that I know, keep fresh water on their boat just to rinse all their gear so the salt water does not eat into their stuff with contact with air, or dry & leave salt crystals all over their expensive gear.


Darrell Lewis of Bodecote darrellglewis@cs.com is the expert on what is the content of the Daimond DLC, but if I remember corectly, it is a 3 step proccess, crome is part of it, but to what extent, I do not know.

I have only had my knife a few weeks, but love it that it will look new for a long time.

Searching the forum for dlc I saw a few threads that tested the coating by trying to scratch it, wear it off etc., you CAN wear it off, butyou will need a belt sander!!!

Hope this helps.
 
Just an observation / suggestion.

WD-40.

I use an Intrepid chisel point as a dive knife. I hook it to my BC.
It stays in the water with me. When I get out, I wash it off, dry it off, coat it with WD-40 and put it on the shelf. Next time I dive, same routine. I've been using this knife on my BC for a few months now, and no rust at all.

Just a suggestion.
 
just put a heavy coat of car polish wax or floor wax even. on it. and other than tapping on your air tank, cutting fishing line or rope or prying a abalone off the rock these really dont need super edge retetion. your dive is less than a hour! and if you drop it in 200 ft of water its! bye bye! so stick with the cheap stuff. pass on the titanium stuff unless you are defuseing bombs etc, i love top notch tools. that why i got into knife making. there is a point were you need to look at the practically of were you dump you dough.
 
Dropping your knife is a real concern...perhaps a tether is needed.
 
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