I am a whitewater kayaker and have been looking for a new knife for my PFD. I have an Atlantic Salt folder and love it, but would prefer a fixed blade, sheepsfoot serrated with a retentive sheath I can mount on my PFD. The Caspian series looks like it would fit the bill nicely, however obviously that has been discontinued. It looks like a great design, I am surprised they are not still being made. I would think a fixed blade Salt series river knife with H1 steel like the Caspian, perhaps slightly shorter length with a sheath compatible with PFD lash tabs and in the 40-80 dollar price range would totally dominate the river knife category, with most current options having either inferior steel, design, and/or sheaths with rivets that rust easily and don't retain the knife, such as the NRS pilot series, CRKT Bear Claw, etc.
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River knife options
- Thread starter Arkansaw
- Start date
I've looked at the Enuff, however, I don't see the sheath being able to retain the knife well if it takes a hit, such as being bumped by your arm or paddle or while entering a raft. This can be overcome by tying a string to the lanyard hole and attaching it to the sheath, but that just keeps you from losing it, not from it coming unsheathed. There doesn't appear to be a finger-activated retaining mechanism on it to release the knife, like the Ark or the Caspian had. The Enuff is also a little thick and heavy for a PFD knife, at almost 6 ounces.
The idea behind using a sheepsfoot/blunt tip is so that the tip of the knife won't stab into you if you need to cut close to your body, such as in an entanglement scenario. You want to be able to reach the blade and deploy it in-water to cut your way out quickly if you become wrapped up. While it sounds unlikely to happen I have seen a swimmer become entangled by a throw rope caught on a rock in current and luckily they were in shallow enough water to get their head up while they untangled themselves.
Edit:
I actually found a description of the Enuff that says it "features two ears at the mouth of the sheath that snap around the leading edge of the handle scales". I guess I'll have to check this out in person. I still wish it was a few ounces lighter, however.
The idea behind using a sheepsfoot/blunt tip is so that the tip of the knife won't stab into you if you need to cut close to your body, such as in an entanglement scenario. You want to be able to reach the blade and deploy it in-water to cut your way out quickly if you become wrapped up. While it sounds unlikely to happen I have seen a swimmer become entangled by a throw rope caught on a rock in current and luckily they were in shallow enough water to get their head up while they untangled themselves.
Edit:
I actually found a description of the Enuff that says it "features two ears at the mouth of the sheath that snap around the leading edge of the handle scales". I guess I'll have to check this out in person. I still wish it was a few ounces lighter, however.
Last edited:
Barman1
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I've read there's some slight discoloration around the hardware when used in salt water so yes, it's stainless.
joeldworkin307
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Closest to what you want still in production is the jumpmaster, although it's too big for a river knife. It'd take up your whole pfd. The enuff is too fat and short for me to rely on to get under a strap and cut it in one go. My personal ideal would be the height and length of a rescue but fixed. My last river knife was a crkt with a broken tip so take my opinion with a grain of salt, no pun intended.
This is also what I'm finding. a Fixed rescue with a sheath and retention method like the Caspian's would be ideal. I think the enuff is just too heavy, thick, and long for what I need on my PFD. I have had CRKT Bear claws, NRS co-pilots, and Gerber river shortys, and either lost them due to them coming unsheathed in a swim or they broke.
So I decided to take a leap and try the Enuff Salt out. I am really happy with the results! I was able to rig up a system that sits snug on my PFD without being in the way, while keeping the knife from coming out via incidental contact. I am really happy with the knife and sheath itself as well. The H1 blade is very sharp and the fit and finish are great. I took it to the river with me last weekend for 3 days of steep creek boating and it stayed put the entire time. The true test of mounting a river knife to your PFD is if you don't even notice it's there but can easily reach it if the need arises. Below are a few pics I took of my setup:
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RE: the ENUFF & sheath retention.
As for added retention, you could alternatively drill through sheath & knife and insert a retainer (pin, paracord, etc.) that attaches to the sheath to prevent loss (a metal leaf-style spring with attached pin could be thumb operated locking/release option). IN general, I think the retention on my ENUFF is pretty secure (but I thought that too with my Brous Silent Soldier 2 - lost from secure fitting Kydex on mountain knife-day trip :-(
As for added retention, you could alternatively drill through sheath & knife and insert a retainer (pin, paracord, etc.) that attaches to the sheath to prevent loss (a metal leaf-style spring with attached pin could be thumb operated locking/release option). IN general, I think the retention on my ENUFF is pretty secure (but I thought that too with my Brous Silent Soldier 2 - lost from secure fitting Kydex on mountain knife-day trip :-(