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Infi Dive Knife
- Thread starter BubbaThud
- Start date
Ban
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soooo.... then would the scotch dispenser be a good option???i think with one of those kydex sheaths for it that are floating around, it might fit the bill perfectly!
It really depends on the individual diver's needs. I can see a SD being a good dive knife because of the extra retention from the ring. :thumbup:
Jerry made a small run of Stealth Hawks for seal team 5 that had replaceable stainless razor blades for cutting line and rope since the teeth on the Hawk would have hung up....wish I had one of those now
I was told they were very happy with the results.:thumbup:
I was told they were very happy with the results.:thumbup:Thank you! In order to prove it with pictures, I did a quick test at home. Sorry for the quality of the pictures! I didnt have any proper camera with me, so I used my mobile phone.
I took a CS AUS8, one polished S30V custom and my Busse Custom AD and put the blades in a bath of seawater.
I let them sit in the bath for 1 hour. When I checked I could see small spots on the AUS8 and S30V steels- but nothing on the INFI.
I let the knives be in the seawater bath for another 30 min, with a total time of 1-1/2 hours. I then took a paper towel and wiped each blade dry before inspection.
The AUS8 steel had small spots on the blade and the logo got like a brownish cloud around it.
The S30V steel, polished to a mirror image, got plenty of spots all over the blade.
And finally, our dear INFI clearly came out as the clear winner! No patina, no spots- other than one small spot at the edge near the choil (I put a red circle around it). This spot I could remove with my finger nail.
When you go for Scuba diving using normal compressed air, you usually spend 45- 60 minutes under water depending on which depth you are at. If you wipe you INFI dry after a dive- you should never have any problems.
There is no reason at all why you shouldnt use INFI in or around seawater. This steel has much better corrosion resistance than many stainless steels I have tried.
Long live INFI! Use and abuse your Busse wherever you are!
Boar-gen
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soooo.... then would the scotch dispenser be a good option???
Personally I don't think it would be a good choice. The blade shape and handle configuration would not do the required tasks readily. The blade profile would make it difficult to cut line and I would not want to use the tip to pry. The hole would be great for retention but I think it would be hard to get ahold of in a situation especially if you were wearing gloves.
I think a better knife would be a Scrofa. The plade profile would cut line better and the optional serations would add to it ability. The tip is not a pointy so you are less likey to poke a hole in yourself, your BC or your hoses. It still wouldnt be the best for prying but think it would be better then the SD plus it has another possibly pry area on the butt. For retention I would either put it on a leash or a wrist strap.
Just my thoughts feel free to ignore.
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That is about the extent of rusting that I've experienced with infi as well. I never worried about it, just used it some more and the edge would polish right up. Its good to know that it performs the same in salt water; thanks!
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I think the term stainless has always been attached to alloys with a certain minimum amount of chromium. Infi doesn't have enough to be "stainless".
Results are all I'm after so Infi is fine with me.
Ban
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Agreed! :thumbup:
I find INFI to be more stainless than most of the so called stainless steel out there.
It's been a few years, but I used to canoe whitewater rivers in th NWT until I basically switched to ocean kayaking. I always have at least one big knife close, in addition to the personal or pfd knife. For the utility, talonite or stellite are really good and, of course, rust proof. But that's not really suitable for a big knife because it is too soft and easy to roll an edge.
Initially, before I got an education, I was in love with my Carbon V Trailmaster. Until on one particularly wet trip, it pitted badly (and had the worst handle in the world for prolonged chopping). Then I tried a Busse.
Infi does rust, but unless you let it go it is really superficial and it wipes right off.
As far as marine tuff cloth and renaissance wax etc?, I tried them all and wanted them to work real bad. In rough conditions, they don't work at all. Better just to use whatever oil you prefer and mainatain your knife like you would a gun.
What I have not tried is a full size titanium knife. Does it hold an edge and how good is it for a little chopping and digging?
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Titanium has it's place in the knife world. You will get first hand reports if you go to the Mission web-site an read about people who use them. You can not compare the two metals, steel and Titanium, because they are so different. I could dive with my Hartsfield, but that won't happen.
Ban
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Hmm... That is interesting. Did you periodically maintain those knives during the trip? Was there rust already to begin with. I find that metal tends to rust a whole lot faster if there are traces of previous rust on the surface.
Given that INFI is already very stain resistance. A little extra help should go a long ways.
Not to dispute your personal experience but I did my own corrossion testing with various products many years back. I submerged metal nails treated with various products into a heavy solution of salt water. The best performers at the time was Eezox and breakfree followed by Marine Tuff Cloth. I also remember Miltec doing very bad in the corrossion test. I didn't use Ren Wax at the time but would imagine that it should do well. All those nails treated with Eezox, Breakfree, and Marine Tuff Cloth took at least one whole day to even start showing signs of rust compared to most other oil treatments.
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The problem with using protectants on an extended trip is that they wear off after actually being used. Unless you bring along your tuff cloth or your oil of choice you won't be protected for much longer than the first time you use it to cut something.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boar-gen
And finally, our dear INFI clearly came out as the clear winner! No patina, no spots- other than one small spot at the edge near the choil (I put a red circle around it). This spot I could remove with my finger nail.
thanks for the test boar-gen!
i don't dive but i fish a lot, and almost only use infi. matter of fact i was using my skelly warden to open surf clams for striper fishing friday nite. rinsed it in the bay and dried it with a rag. i just looked at it and there's not a speck of rust on it.
if someone who knows what i'm talking about can explain this please do.
i know in my experience infi has been more stain resistant than ats34 and MUCH more so than d2.
BUBBA-
if i was gonna dive i'd have the shop or someone else put a chisel point on an older satin jack or better yet a basic 7, and i'd use marine tuf cloth on the edge.
Originally Posted by Boar-gen
And finally, our dear INFI clearly came out as the clear winner! No patina, no spots- other than one small spot at the edge near the choil (I put a red circle around it). This spot I could remove with my finger nail.
thanks for the test boar-gen!
i don't dive but i fish a lot, and almost only use infi. matter of fact i was using my skelly warden to open surf clams for striper fishing friday nite. rinsed it in the bay and dried it with a rag. i just looked at it and there's not a speck of rust on it.
i think the ratio of chromium to carbon is what actually determines stain resistance, but i'm drinking and not terribly well educated.
if someone who knows what i'm talking about can explain this please do.
i know in my experience infi has been more stain resistant than ats34 and MUCH more so than d2.
BUBBA-
if i was gonna dive i'd have the shop or someone else put a chisel point on an older satin jack or better yet a basic 7, and i'd use marine tuf cloth on the edge.
Submerging nails,or even knives, in a static test bears very little relationship to reality where you are using the knife. No applied coating can stand up to hard use. That's not my experience alone.
In normal hard use you have plenty of time to clean, dry and oil your knives. But not if you are in seriously adverse conditions or on the move. You can be stuck for 30 hours in ice in a kayak in the Kane Basin or make a dumb mistake, leave your knife in the wet overnight on the Nahanni and watch the Carbon V literally pit overnight.
The coatings are great for show knives. I prefer Ren Wax and the lighter Tuffcloth for my fancy blades. But I tried everything and was always disappointed for my users. Especially surprising was that Marine Tuff cloth didn't really work at all to protect the knives I wanted to lash to my pfd in saltwater. I asked, I think here on BFF, and it was suggested, reasonably I thought, that I applied it too cold. So I also tried warming the knives before applying, and I used th concentrate that impregnates Marine Tuff Cloth, and.... No real difference. Maybe it was abrading against my pfd, or my clothes when I wore it as a necker, but the idea of it bonding on a microscopic level didn't play out for me. I use a light oil and my knives don't rust, but I don't take as many unplanned swims anymore either.
I've used my Busses in very wet conditions with a lot of chopping and hard use, and they stood up really well. Even if a spot does develop, it is very easy to clean and is superficial, not like my old trailmaster.
Ban
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That is true to point. A good protectant would not come off that easily unless the knife was used really hard which I really don't see happening during a dive. Even then... protectants are just that...they are not 100percent but drastically helps with corrossion. I don't think having a tuff cloth in your gear bag is all that unreasonable. It only takes a second or two to wipe down a knife before and after use. I still think that the combination of tuff cloth and high corrossion resistance of INFI makes Busses a reasonable dive knife.