Dive knife

H

Hoodoo

Joined
Aug 18, 1999
Messages
2,355
Any suggestions? I have a friend who is a diver and is looking for a knife. I think he does mostly freshwater diving, if that makes a difference but all suggestions are welcome. He's a starving student so price might be a major consideration in his purchase but I'm not sure what his price range would be. I'm guessing maybe $200 max.




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Hoodoo

The low, hoarse purr of the whirling stone—the light-press’d blade,
Diffusing, dropping, sideways-darting, in tiny showers of gold,
Sparkles from the wheel.

Walt Whitman
 
check Rec.Knives Newsgroup quick.
There is a Randall for $225. Great knife at a super good price. It's a bit more than you posted but well worth the extra if the deal can be made.
 
When I mentioned a ballpark figure of $200 to my friend, he said he would have to save up for awhile. So unless the price is really cheap, he won't be buying his knife for awhile.


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Hoodoo

The low, hoarse purr of the whirling stone—the light-press’d blade,
Diffusing, dropping, sideways-darting, in tiny showers of gold,
Sparkles from the wheel.

Walt Whitman
 
Tell your friend to keep in mind that the best "dive knife" is not necessarily one which is advertised as such. If he is looking for a fixed (which is really much better than any folder), then any of the quality stainless models touted on the forums will do fine.

I'm hoping (finally) to get back into diving this summer, after some years' hiatus. I have been considering the Fallknivens, since they are high quality fixeds which are relatively inexpensive and widely available -- i.e., losing one will not mean gagging over the loss of a month's pay, etc. Plus, it is easily replaceable.

FWIW, I used to dive with a Spec Plus Parachutist (yes, a carbon blade), and it did fine. All I did was wipe it down and oil it (this was before I knew about TuffCloths). Which is just to say that just about anything can work for diving.

.02 --
Glen

[This message has been edited by storyville (edited 05-02-2000).]
 
What about the Buck Intrepid? I'm looking at this knife myself for the same thing. Comes in Pry or tanto blade, small protected secondary blade on top for chopping, etc. comes in 2 sizes and is less than 150 if you look hard.
 
Does your friend know what characteristics he wants in his dive knife? If not, my advice is for him to go out and buy one of the cheapie stainless knife with colorful handles and a line-cutting notch. This way, he doesn't spend much money, and gets to figure out what he actually wants the knife for.

This is important because for many divers I know, their number #1 priority is that the knife must be very cheap, because they lose them so often. Other priorities might be that the knife float, or have good prying ability. Many divers stick to those cheapie dive knives permanently, because they meet those needs just fine: cheap to replace, float easily, okay for prying, knife edge not so sharp but who cares, line-cutter is sharp.

I think it's a bad idea to buy a high-$$ knife out of the shoot, without really knowing what it's for.

Joe
 
I like the Kershaw Amphibians. They have several different models some with dagger points others with blunt prying points, some with line cutters others without. They are a little on the small side but well made and reasonably priced. No matter what type of fixed blade he decides on, he should add a zytel Spyderco serrated folder. Rinsing it well after use, then drying it and wiping it down with Sentry Marine cloth should keep it in good shape.

phantom4

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who dares, wins


 
I'll second the suggestion above for the Boye Saltwater Knife made of dendritic cobalt. It's on the expensive side but simply can't rust since it has no steel in it. If you want something affordable consider of the several models from Gerber - River Runner etc. Take care.

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Fred
Knife Outlet
http://www.knifeoutlet.com
 
Great suggestons, guys! I think my friend might want to opt for a cheapie although being the proud owner of a Fallkniven I can see where that might make a good dive knife.

Joe, did you have any specific cheapies in mind? I guess I'm not familiar with the kinds of knives you are describing.

This friend of mine was diving in a local lake and found a bunch of anchors and he needed something to cut the rope with. Don't know what else he wants to use a diving knife for but I'm sure he'll find something to cut down there.
smile.gif
He's not really a knife person per se but he is a trapper and hunter so he knows a little about using a knife although I'm sure that he probably uses some kind of old timer slip joint or variation on such. I'm trying to turn him into a true believer.
smile.gif
I could see a gleam in his eye when I showed him my Busse Mean Street. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before.
smile.gif
I'm sure he was trying to figure out how many muskrat he had to trap to buy one of those.




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Hoodoo

The low, hoarse purr of the whirling stone—the light-press’d blade,
Diffusing, dropping, sideways-darting, in tiny showers of gold,
Sparkles from the wheel.

Walt Whitman
 
As a Working Commercial Diver and sport diver for 40 years I must agree with Joe Talmadge, Tell your friend to get a CHEAP Knife because first off he will probably NEVER use it!..The flea markets around here are full of (junk) Dive Knives.They seem to be a macho thing with some divers..Most of them don't cut very well underwater (or on the surface) I have found as the newer synthetic line is just a form of plastic, we use hacksaws on it..I have a Randall #16 Dive knife, got it years ago and I tried to use it a few times it was a joke, it would be good for prying but not really the right tool! Get a Spyderco Rescue They are 50 times sharper than most 'dive knives' or some cheap dive shop special untill you actully have some good reason for a better knife...Barry
 
HooDoo.. You posted your last while I was writing mine..Since your friend actually has a reason to cut some line underwater to salvage the anchors, then I suggest a hacksaw as It's much safer than a knife, especially if he is using gloves or there is low Viz! Wet twisted synthetic line is tough stuff! In California along the coast the water is cold enough that gloves are always used, and sometines I work in ZERO viz..Ya just don't want to slip or poke yourself underwater, Thats the reason for the Spyderco Rescue Blade shape.......Barry
 
Hoodoo --

The kind of cheapie I had in mind can be seen at: http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/united/typhoon.html and at http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/kershaw/krshw9.html

Although that 2nd one is much too expensive. It's easy to find a cheapie fixed blade for $20 or less that will work as a good starter blade, while he decides what he really wants in his dive knife.

There are loads of these kinds of diving knives around, made by many different companies. 420J2 stainless, so it's very rust resistant, though it won't cut all that great. It's also tough for prying (but easy to bend). Sharp line cutter, which may very well be the only part he uses on the knife. Serrated edge for what it's worth, and a diver's sheath.

Actually, adding a Spyderco Rescue, in case he really needs to cut something, sounds like a wonderful idea

Joe
 
Walt, tell him about the Buck Intrepid series designed by Kit Carson. They make excellent dive knives due to material and the fact that you can remove the handles for cleaning if need be. Also, they are pretty hefty and are as tough as you will find. Price would be around $100 for it. Of course the nighthawk is much cheaper, but the handles cannot be removed.

Sog also has a lot of good offerings in 440A, which is one heck of corrosion resistant steel.
 
Originally posted by Cobalt:
Walt, tell him about the Buck Intrepid
Click to expand...

Walt is my uncle. He's a farmer. He doesn't have a beard like me.
smile.gif


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Hoodoo

The low, hoarse purr of the whirling stone—the light-press’d blade,
Diffusing, dropping, sideways-darting, in tiny showers of gold,
Sparkles from the wheel.

Walt Whitman
 
Hoodoo, I will call you CCR from now on. They had a song which some of the lyrics were Hoodoo.

Oh, I forgot to mention the GINSU knife, cheap and can cut a penny in half.
 
SOG Seal Pup. I dive and snorkel quite a bit here in California, and this is the only knife I found that takes a good edge but doesn't rust. The kydex sheath is great for holding the knife in but easy to pull knife out. Price is also awesome at about $50.
 
Originally posted by Cobalt:
Hoodoo, I will call you CCR from now on. They had a song which some of the lyrics were Hoodoo.

Oh, I forgot to mention the GINSU knife, cheap and can cut a penny in half.
Click to expand...

I caught an interesting story about the Hoodoo in the CCR song. It seems John Fogarty (I haven't a clue as to how to spell his name) and another CCR band member were visiting some friends down in the swamps in Louisiana. A hoodoo is some kind of ethereal creature that roams the swamps down there.



------------------
Hoodoo

The low, hoarse purr of the whirling stone—the light-press’d blade,
Diffusing, dropping, sideways-darting, in tiny showers of gold,
Sparkles from the wheel.

Walt Whitman
 
Hi,

Tell your friend to take a look at the KATZ "bootknife" Model BT10-S with the divers sheath (plastic) also called Avenger.

It has a 4" very sturdy double edged blade with one side serated (very sharp pattern) and one side smooth.

I have held one in my hands and it has 1A finish a very good kraton-isch handle that seems to cling to your hands even in water and a solid stainless steel hilt.

It probably is big enough for 99 % off what one would want to use a dive knife for.
And it makes a hell off a small backup knife above the water.

It seems to be adopted ? by some Swedisch Navy underwater demolition team or something like that.

Go take a look at: http://www.discountknives.com/Katz/page05a.jpg

Brian sells a NIB one for approx. $ 90 I know a slightly used LNIB one (The one I held) for $60 including postage.

Cheers,

Bagheera

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[This message has been edited by Bagheera (edited 05-03-2000).]
 
I've used a Glock field knife for a couple of years for saltwater diving.

Good points: it's cheap, doesn't take up a lot of space, and the sheath holds the knife securely.

Bad points: starts to rust during the dive.

Overall, for the price it's good but needs a lot of maintenance and will need to be replaced fairly regularly which isn't really a big deal at $20 a pop.

Since I don't loose my dive knives (usually), I did upgrade to a mirage X hunter last year. Never rusts but don't even think about prying with it.
 
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