Water rescue knife?

S

s2welee

Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
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I am an avid whitewater canoeist and camper. I am looking for a good water rescue knife, and I have yet to find one. Currently I carry a SOG seal pup, but the size is a bit of an issue (too big to wear on a vest).

The things that I would like to have a kydex type sheath (something that holds the knife firmly in cases of upset), serrations (whole blade is OK) and an easy to hold handle. Folders are OK, but keep in mind that in extreme cases a plastic or royalex boat may need to be cut or rope in a difficult situation. I just hate the options that the river supply shops offer, none are really that great. Thanks for the advice.
 
Man, that benchmade looks like something I can get behind. Thanks for the tip.

Do you have any model names of the Spyderco's for wet environments?
 
We raft a lot and I purchased a spyderco h1 folding knife and kydex sheath from Mike Sastre at a gun show a few years back. He is also a river nut. I would recommend using google to find his website and look at the rigs he makes. The knife is lashed to my lifejacket in the outbuilding right now since the only thing floating down the river now is ice.

The Spyderco salt series has gotten rave reviews on the forums here. I have not used mine very much, but I can say that if I had treated and neglected any other knife this way it would be a wreck by now. Mine looks the same as the day I bought it.

Hope this helps,
Randy
 
This subject keeps coming up from time to time, in fact I think there was one a similar thread a couple of weeks ago. Anyway, I've got well over 20 years experience with whitewater kayaking, been in a few rescue situations, and highly recommend the Spyderco H1 series - whatever your blade shape preference is. My personal recommendation would be the Tasman Salt in one of my sheaths. You can see them here. http://rivercitysheaths.com/whitewater.htm
 
scarysharp said:
Welcome to the forums, While I dont really own this knife http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=100SH2O
I do own a couple of Benchmade knives and I can tell you they are one of the better knives out there.
Spyderco has a line of knives dedicated to a wet environment. I recommend something along those lines too.

Keep us posted
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Stole my thunder - I was going to suggest the same thing even though I don't own such a knife - but I do own Benchmades and this one looks like a killer!
 
I have one of the benchmade h20 knives, and I highly recommend it. it's small enough that it's not going to get in the way if it's clipped to a PFD, and it comes with a special clip specifically to attach it to a lash tab on a vest. it's the sharpest knife out-of-the-box that I've ever owned, and the steel holds a great edge.

if it isn't prohibitively expensive for you, I'd suggest picking up one of the BM h20 knives and one of the spyderco H1 folders. why buy one knife if you can buy two?
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I am leaning towards the benchmade, but the spydercos look good too.
 
I'm about to buy the Benchmade H2O as it looks like that company is going to shift its method of distribution to authorized dealers only. That means Benchmade wants to control (dictate) the end-user's price, and many suspect that prices are going to get closer to MSRP. If you're going to pick one up, now's the time. $100 shipped is better than $140 plus shipping. I've actually seen a few cheaper deals online, but the vendors do not look all that reliable. Even saw some complaints lodged against one of them. I'd rather pay $10 or $20 more and know I'm going to get the knife I ordered without any hassles.

In that other thread Mike mentions, the point was made (validly I think) that a folding knife would be harder to deploy in a true emergency. Think here of being upside down in the water and tangled up in a line. Think cold, wet fingers. Currently, I keep a Spyderco Rescue in H1 clipped to my PFD, but I'm about to change it to the Benchmade fixed blade.

One alternate solution mentioned is to make (or have made) a sheath for a Spyderco H1 folding knife in its locked, open position. This way, you basically have a fixed blade knife ready to deploy, but you can also fold it and clip it for pocket carry if you so desire. I own two Spyderco H1 blades (and just won another one), and I recommend them highly for use around water, fresh or salt.

Do take care if you shop for the Benchmade. As the above link points out, the company "upgraded" that knife from X15 to H1 steel a couple of years back. Some vendors still have the X15 in the pipeline, and I prefer the H1 steel if Spyderco's H1 knives are any indicator of how the upgraded Benchmade knife will perform.
 
Here's the thread from a few weeks ago: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=610840

Edited to add: I was already ordering some mountain biking books from Amazon. On a whim, I looked to see if Amazon had any river/water knives. They did have the Gerber River Shorty available and eligible for the free shipping. So I grabbed one with my order. Even if I do pick up and use the Benchmade, I'll have an extra fixed blade that I can attach to my wife's PFD for the few occasions a year when she paddles.

Gerber appears to have three fixed-blade rafting/kayak knives in the $20 to $30 range:

Gerber River Shorty:

05640-1.jpg


Gerber River Runner:

05740-1.jpg


Gerber Rivermate:

22-01028-1.jpg


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The Benchmade H20 or the Spyderco Caspian Salt2 would be excellent fixed-knife choices for whitewater activities.

:thumbup:
 
Well, I did order a BM H2O with the H1 steel. I'll post up some comparison pics of it alongside the Gerber River Shorty when they both come.

I would very much like to try a Spyderco Caspian2 Salt or an Aqua Salt. Those need to go on "the list."
 
s2welee said:
Do you have any model names of the Spyderco's for wet environments?
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Yes i have a fully serrated Pacific Salt and Atlantic Salt...I took them to the beach (salt water) and no rust. They are made from H1 steel which gets harder with use. Spyderco did a great job with this knife. I would highly recommend one, yea i know its not fixed but with the spyderco hole its never an issue to open one...just look around people sell them on the forum heck i got 3.
 
One poster at the Benchmade forum noted to me that the H2O has been discontinued this year. That means two things: (1) you might be able to pick it up on closeout somewhere on down the road... maybe... (2) you might find it harder to get this knife pretty soon. Just a heads up.
 
Gunyon,

While the River Shorty is a decent and popular river knife, the factory sheath has been notorious for losing knives. I've been making retro-sheaths for it since I first started making sheaths.
 
scarysharp said:
Welcome to the forums, While I dont really own this knife http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=100SH2O
I do own a couple of Benchmade knives and I can tell you they are one of the better knives out there.
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I have had that Benchmade on my PFD (flatwater/touring) for no less than 4 years. The sheath stays securely on the the PFD, and the manual lcok keeps the knife securely in the sheath. It holds an edge pretty well from what I can tell, although I really haven't had to use the knife a whole lot. It is small enough and light enough that it isn't a burden. I know it's there but I don't feel it there.

MarcBoat.jpg
 
Guyon said:
Do take care if you shop for the Benchmade. As the above link points out, the company "upgraded" that knife from X15 to H1 steel a couple of years back. Some vendors still have the X15 in the pipeline, and I prefer the H1 steel if Spyderco's H1 knives are any indicator of how the upgraded Benchmade knife will perform.
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The above post is wrong

I glanced at the Benchmade info too quickly and had my timeline bass ackwards. Benchmade USED to make the knife in H1 and then switch over to X15 T.N sometime around 2005. They changed the knife steel info in their 2006 catalog. I ordered from a vendor who advertised an H1 blade (part of the reason for my confusion above), but since he'd only had the knife in stock for about 9 months, my guess is that it's really X15 T.N--a French steel used in the aircraft industry. The vendor looked at the knife for me, but could see no way to tell what steel is in it.

hikeeba, if you've had yours for four years, then you definitely have the H1 version.

I called Benchmade to see if there's a way to tell the difference. First person in customer service swore up and down they stamp all their blades. I already knew this wasn't true after talking to the vendor about my knife and after reading a few threads online. They don't stamp this model so that corrosion won't have any small pits in which it can set in. Anyway, a more knowledgeable person in Warranty and Repair said that the only way to know which steel I'm getting is to send in the knife and have it tested by Benchmade.

Here in TN, I'm not going to be around salt water, so I imagine either steel will be fine. I do plan to disassemble the knife, give it a good coat of Marine Tuff Glide (under the scales and on the hardware), and put it all back together. Just to be on the safe side.

On another note, I asked Benchmade if any of these knives had been coated at some point. I was told that they weren't. However, in shopping for the knife, I saw what I thought at first to be two different models. Does anyone know why these pictures depict knives that look so different?

216WAFV40NL._SS500_.jpg
100SH20.jpg


Guyon said:
One poster at the Benchmade forum noted to me that the H2O has been discontinued this year. That means two things: (1) you might be able to pick it up on closeout somewhere on down the road... maybe... (2) you might find it harder to get this knife pretty soon. Just a heads up.
Click to expand...

My call to Benchmade made this info out to be rumor. According to the lady in Warranty and Repair, the model is not being discontinued.

Mike Sastre said:
Gunyon,

While the River Shorty is a decent and popular river knife, the factory sheath has been notorious for losing knives. I've been making retro-sheaths for it since I first started making sheaths.
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Thanks Mike. I've also read the factory sheath can be tough to attach, depending on your PFD. I may bend up some kydex and use a small Tek-Lok on it.


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