scuba diving knife

The Bear

The Bear

Joined
Nov 23, 2001
Messages
162
I'm looking for a good scuba diving knife!
Any suggestion?
Is VG10 steel stainless enough for scuba diving purpose?
Thanks
 
You might want to consider the SOG Seal Pup. or the larger Seal knife. 440A seems to handle salt water, etc.., well. At the top end, a Titanium knife(Mission,etc..) would be great.

:D
 
I'd look into Talonite. Much better knife material than titanium and you still don't have to worry much about corrosion.

I used to carry 2 knives in different places and a pair of EMT shears in my BC pocket. You never know which hand will need to cut the other loose and what movement will be restricted.
 
I dive quite a bit, going to Florida Thursday actually, and carry a pair of EMT shears in my BC pocket and a Delica. Most of the knives that you find at dive store are absolute junk, don't buy them. I've tried some of the 440-A blades but had a hard time resharpening them. They too will rust, just not as bad. I havn't had any problems with rust on the Delica (ATS-55 version). Just make sure you rinse it and put some sort of protectant on it. I used to carry fixed blades on my leg but have found that I can be more streamlined with a folder. Anyway, for about 99% of your diving, a folder is fine.
 
The main application for which my friends use a heavy dive knife is wreck diving. They basically want a sharpened prybar. They find that the Buck Intrepid II is pretty sturdy for wreck diving (but, as ElectricZombie notes, overkill for most divers).
 
Bear, Underwater Kinetics makes several nice dive knives, the one I like best is the Blue Tang. Comes with either blunt or drop point tip, partially serrated and has a line cutter. Also, it has a metal butt cap, which can be banged against your tank for signalling. Also, fully disassembles for cleaning/oiling.Runs between $50 and $60. U.K. is based, I think, out of Germany, so it shouldn't be too hard to find in Sardinia.
Ocean Master makes a really nifty one, it's made out of Beta Titanium alloy. Cosmetically it looks similar to the U.K. knife. If I were going for really hard use I might select this ($80 - $90).
Finally, Parkway makes a unique knife called the FOG cutter. It is a standard knife that can split apart to form a pair of shears. Don't know about the cost or quality of this one, but the other two have gotten good reviews from the divers I've talked to. If you run across any other good ones let me know, I'm currently interested in one myself.
Lagarto
 
I dive a lot in lakes in our region and encounter lots of fishing line. The knife I carry to take care of entanglment is a Spyderco clipit. When diving at the coast I am often guiding visitors in my job(very part time) as a dive controler and we are required to have a good fixed blade, nothing beats the Wenoka "Blakie Colins". Good strong knife and the handle can be removed so you can clean the tang.
Mick
 
Hello Mick,

I would recommend Kit Carson's dive knife in Stellite, Talonite or Titanium. He does a real nice job with it.

Good luck,

Larry Connelley
 
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Kit Carson U2 (Underwater/Utility)

I have been working with Navy Special Operations/EOD teams for almost 2 years on this design. It is popular with them and many SWAT team personnel. A great entry tool and utility knife.

Large models have a 6 1/2 inch long, 1/4 inch thick blade.
Small models have a 5 1/2 inch long, 3/16 inch thick blade.

Several other blade styles are available with this handle configuration. Serrated edge is standard. Sheathes are Nylon web with kydex liners and range from simple to the very complex one that goes with the Navy EOD teams.

Large - $375.00 plus sheath
Small - $350.00 plus sheath

carsonknives@kvnet.org
 
I spent many years diving the ship wrecks of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior and some time diving in caves in northern Florida. My suggestion is to carry two knives if you dive in similar environments.

I carried a large clip point Dacor on my left calf and a small double edge Scubapro dagger invested on a harness I wore beneath my tank straps. (To this harness, I attached my second dive knife, lights, tools, etc.) This may sound like overkill, but my reasoning, which proved to be correct, was that there would come a time when I would be unable to reach one knife and would need a backup. In the great lakes, to protect against the frigid water temperatures at depth, or on the surface in Lake Superior, I began wearing a Unisuit which was quite bulky and retricted my movement. That restricted movement, combined with the sometimes confined spaces in which I found myself, made two knives important.
 
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