How to Choose a Dive Knife
Do you go for the biggest, the smallest, the prettiest, the most odd-looking... the options available seem endless!
Steel Dive Knife or Titanium Dive Knife?
This is more a question of costs - a titanium dive knife typically
costs twice the price of the same dive knife in steel. The reason is
that titanium does not rust - steel definitely does! Titanium is also
lighter and stronger than steel, although this isn't too important for
a dive knife.
Unless you only need your dive knife for a short time - a holiday say -
you should go for the titanium dive knife option, it is a worthwhile
investment and you won't regret it, especially when the rest of the
scuba divers on your dive boat have rusty dive knives!
A Good Sheath
Without a good sheath your dive knife could fall out in your first dive
- it really is the most important factor; you can buy the most
expensive dive knife in the world but if it slips out of its sheath
you've lost it!
Good things to look for are whether it clips in flush (good) or you
have to jiggle it about a bit to get it in (bad). You should also make
sure you can put it back in either way round because you may not be
able to see too well when diving.
What edges does it have?
A good dive knife will have:
1) A standard smooth blade
2) A serrated blade - allowing you to cut through things without applying much downward pressure
3) A net cutter
If these aren't enough for you, for example if you regularly have to
cut stronger materials with your dive knife, then some trauma shears
may appropriate.
Dive Knife Attachments
Some knives come only with straps, others with everything you can
imagine. If you only intend to strap it onto your leg, then don't get a
dive knife with hose attachments! If you are unsure, then go for a dive
knife with many options; the T-Rex knife (from Lumb Brothers) is a
particularly good option.
When deciding where to put your dive knife decide whether you can reach
the dive knife - strapping your knife onto your leg is notorious for
being difficult to reach. Another common place is on your arm - note
that if one arm gets snagged you'd better hope its not the one you need!
The best place to put a dive knife in my experience is on your BCD.
Conclusion
Go for a titanium dive knife unless you only want it for a month or
two, and get one that suits your needs - in many cases a no frills
titanium BCD dive knife is perfect!
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Article added to SearchWarp.com on Thursday, September 20, 2007 View other articles written by Dave Huscroft(82)
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