Recommendation? Knife for USN SEAL diver- am I off base?

he probably knows what he needs in a "work" knife.. let him pick his own.
if it were me, I'd get him something nice like a sebenza to carry on his free time
 
19-3ben said:
I clarified with my coworker. As the dive master/supervisor guy, he does go on missions. He supervises the team during dives, and handles the administrative aspects of the dives while the guys are in the water. Or so she says.

I realize i'm getting the info second hand (and she's getting it from a guy who is limited in what he can tell), and you're getting the info third hand, so we're all sort of flying blind here.
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Well, the beauty of the Salt line is you really can't go wrong. :)
 
19-3ben said:
It has been decided. She is getting, drumroll please.....

Spyderco Autonomy.

I showed it to her and she said it has a set of features that are perfect for what he'd need. She was willing to stretch the budget to give him something that will just be better for his purposes.

Thank you to all who contributed. The information and discussion is greatly appreciated.
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Is the autonomy truly saltwater proof though? It has a spring since it is an auto and if that spring rusts it is liable to break.

I believe that Spyderco produces a clipless version of the autonomy for the US coast guard. The knife would have to be kept in a pouch or something. However if you contact Spyderco and show that it is going to US Navy use they might be able to sell it to you at a discount.

I think Spyderco might offer a discount on alot of their knives for service members. Might be a good idea to shoot them an email and find out.
 
I work with these guys often. Most of the time, you will not see a guy carrying a high end custom in the field/on the sea. Plenty of Benchmades, Spydercos and Emersons (amongst others) are issued. I would instead focus on what does the kid like to do off duty (i.e. fishing, hunting, rafting, rock climbing) then get him a custom (or high end production) knife in that vein.
 
Lapedog said:
Is the autonomy truly saltwater proof though? It has a spring since it is an auto and if that spring rusts it is liable to break.
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I just called Spyderco to ask about the spring. Their response is "it would be pointless to make a knife with H1, but the other components so they would rust. Our H1 knives are designed to be in and around salt water constantly. Everything in the knife has extraordinary corrosion resistance."

navman said:
I work with these guys often. Most of the time, you will not see a guy carrying a high end custom in the field/on the sea. Plenty of Benchmades, Spydercos and Emersons (amongst others) are issued. I would instead focus on what does the kid like to do off duty (i.e. fishing, hunting, rafting, rock climbing) then get him a custom (or high end production) knife in that vein.
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Thats very interesting. I'll check with her to make 100% sure before she drops 2 bones on a knife that may be redundant to what's issued.
 
19-3ben said:
I just called Spyderco to ask about the spring. Their response is "it would be pointless to make a knife with H1, but the other components so they would rust. Our H1 knives are designed to be in and around salt water constantly. Everything in the knife has extraordinary corrosion resistance."



Thats very interesting. I'll check with her to make 100% sure before she drops 2 bones on a knife that may be redundant to what's issued.
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Great! I didn’t know the Autonomy was in H1!

Please, if you’re going to spring for the Autonomy (pun intended) then check out the David Boyd boat knife.
 
The only experience I have with H1 is with my spyderco ladybug hawkbill. I bought it as a keychain/secondary knife to use at work. And I used it quite a bit, the first day. I only used it to break down about 10-15 boxes and after that it was completely dull. And since I’m not skilled enough to properly sharpen spydie edges it’s pretty much useless to me now. I removed it from my key ring and now it just sits in my junk drawer because I wouldn’t even give it to someone for free. I obviously can’t speak on it’s corrosion resistance abilities which I’m assuming are very high because that’s how it’s marketed but as far as edge retention in my experience H1+Spydie edges= junk drawer.
 
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Weird. My keychain knife is a USN Ladybug with the serrations and it came razor sharp and has been my first go to knife for years. The serrated H1 is super easy ot keep sharp on a sharpmaker. Given the tiny handle I'm not sure it would ever be my go to for breaking down boxes. It's probably one of the knives I've cut myself with the most being that is it so small and so sharp.

I had thought about replacing it with the Rescue Manbug but I like the hawkbill shape and the needle tip better on this.
 
19-3ben said:
Because serrated H1 is known for having incredibly good edge retention. Plain edge, not so much. But the serrated H1 is a known and well established quality steel in that regard.

edit to add:

Per Sal, Himself:
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OK. You didn't say anything about "serrated". I'm sure you know that H1 isn't a "hardened" steel and retention is not very good.
Mr Y. Sakai told me himself and he makes all of Sal's H1 knives.
 
KenHash said:
OK. You didn't say anything about "serrated". I'm sure you know that H1 isn't a "hardened" steel and retention is not very good.
Mr Y. Sakai told me himself and he makes all of Sal's H1 knives.
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I'm still awaiting a definitive answer : https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/spyderco-serrated-h-1-edge-retention-and-work-hardening.1601132/

I'd like one of these to take to the beach for "research" :https://www.knifecenter.com/item/SP...-hawkbill-blade-orange-frn-handles-sprint-run
 
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I'd recommend the Spyderco Jumpmaster 2 or a Spartan Harsey Difensa in black.

Spyderco Jumpmaster 2

"The original Jumpmaster was designed at Ft Bragg by the Jumpmasters I worked with there. It was developed for Military applications" said Sal. Sal or Eric also said that the H1 serrations tested out to btwn 62 and 67HRC.

The original Jumpmaster knife was developed in close cooperation with the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division's Jumpmasters (IT DOES NOT HAVE A BLACK BLADE) as an emergency cutting tool to free "hung" paratroopers during airborne operations. A distinguished member of Spyderco's Salt Series of knives, its 100% rustproof H1 steel blade and fully serrated SpyderEdge not only made short work of military static lines, they also offered the most impressive edge retention of any knife we’ve ever made.

The Jumpmaster 2 proudly continues that tradition, taking the extreme cutting power of a fully serrated H1 blade and packing it into an all-purpose leaf-shaped profile that offers greater point utility and eagerly tackles all cutting tasks. Like the original, the Jumpmaster 2's nitrogen-based H1 blade is hollow ground and features a full-thickness spine and a skeletonized full tang for an outstanding combination of balance, strength, and light weight. Its injection-molded, fiberglass-reinforced-nylon (FRN) scales include Bi-Directional Texturing that, together with the handle's refined, ergonomic shape, ensure a positive grip in even the most demanding circumstances. To complement its versatile, do-everything spirit, the Jumpmaster 2 comes complete with a snap-fit, custom-molded Boltaron sheath and a versatile G-Clip mount that supports a full range of carry positions.
 
I'm always curious about these SEAL questions/threads. Shouldn't he be able to get the input he needs from his fellow SEAL's? Are we re-inventing the wheel here?
 
Well one the 'Jumpmaster" doesn't' fold. So that won't pass muster. If the dude wants a folding knife I think he knows what he'd getting into.

Two this knife is a gift. Only the worlds biggest jerks dictate what a gift should be. So it sounds like they've sounded him out and he's chill enough to provide the broad strokes and let the person getting the gift make the call.
 
bobobama said:
I'm always curious about these SEAL questions/threads. Shouldn't he be able to get the input he needs from his fellow SEAL's? Are we re-inventing the wheel here?
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Danke42 said:
Two this knife is a gift. Only the worlds biggest jerks dictate what a gift should be. So it sounds like they've sounded him out and he's chill enough to provide the broad strokes and let the person getting the gift make the call
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Danke nailed it again. You're on a roll!

Yes he most certainly could get input from his fellow SEALs. I've never met the guy, but I'm also not giving him input and not dictating what knife would be best for him. HE has given the usage, and some basic criteria to his mother in law, who has now come to me saying "here are the specs. What knife fits the specs?"

I'm not reinventing the wheel, so much as selecting which wheel we're discussing, based on the description of of uses and desires of the end user.
 
19-3ben said:
I just called Spyderco to ask about the spring. Their response is "it would be pointless to make a knife with H1, but the other components so they would rust. Our H1 knives are designed to be in and around salt water constantly. Everything in the knife has extraordinary corrosion resistance."



Thats very interesting. I'll check with her to make 100% sure before she drops 2 bones on a knife that may be redundant to what's issued.
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. Ben, As a Maker, nothing that has “Steel” in it is completely salt resistant.————— I’m sure this man has enough training & sense to wash it out in Fresh water etc like we do with all of our gear after a dive, boat trip etc... never served, but I am a Scuba diver and everything gets cleaned and taken care of and I’m sure he knows that!!
 
You guys keep ignoring David Boye's knives. Not only did it rank among the top line cutters in "Practical Sailors" tests, it is corrosion free and non-magnetic. He makes it in both fixed blades and folders. It will definitely outperform Spyderco and Emerson. It is expensive but I suspect the Seals take care of their equipment and it will not "walk" away.
 
Dive knifes are suppose to be fixed blades for emergency. I can't see diving with a folder as practical. Let alone a automatic knife. It's like your asking the mechanism to fail on you underwater when you would need it in a emergency.
 
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