Knives
Jill I am a recently qualified PADI Advanced Open Water Diver and am about to buy a dive knife. Can anyone make recomendations, should I go for blunt end or pointed.
divermole Titanium knioves are wonderfiul and stay very sharp with no corrosion. Unfortunately they are as brittle as hell and cant be used for levering or hammering Personally, over the 28 years I've been diving, most of the time when I needed a s knife, I needed a "Knife" so I personally carry a 10" on my leg. This is for thick ropes, thin wire, hammering, levering, prop freeing etc and a smaller titanium blade on the BC for thin rope or in case I cant reach my leg. Also carry a net slasher and shears in a pocket. Trying to cut thick hawser or thin wire with a 5" or smaller knife is a waste of time Their are several grades of stainless steel. 316 corrodes less by doesn't hold an edge without sharpening, 320 is harder and stays sharper longer, but its higher Fe and C content means it does discolour and corrode faster. When you get a new knife give it a good coating of silicon spray and regularly clean, sharpen and silicon it for a long life
Jeff Depends on the diving you plan on doing. Blunt end knives are the safest way to go. Less chance of damage to yourself or equipment. The blunt end can also be used for prying as well. You may also want to look at shears, in place of the knife, or as a supplement. Shears are quicker at cutting fishing lines. If you are a hunter, (spear fishing) the point is needed. jeff
ian.wood0 Hi Jill Dont be thinking that the bigger the knife the better. I carry two knives one on my leg, this has a 5 inch blade and I have ground the point off for safety. The second I have attached to my BC inflater hose with the aid of zip ties this has a 3inch blade. I feel the need to carry two knives because if you are tangled in a net your knife may be out of reach so a second gives you more chance of reaching one. A knife with a shiny blade it will not be as sharp as one with a blade less shiny this is due to the metal content. A line cutter is also a important piece of equipment as some knives will not cut you out of monofiliment nets. Happy buying Ian
Jill Thanks Jeff and Ian. I get your point ( excuse the pun ) about blunt point blades. Ian you say
quote:
A knife with a shiny blade it will not be as sharp as one with a blade less shiny this is due to the metal content
Are you referring to titanium blades, are they worth the rather large difference in price.
ian.wood0
quote:
Originally posted by Jill: Thanks Jeff and Ian. I get your point ( excuse the pun ) about blunt point blades. Ian you say
quote:
A knife with a shiny blade it will not be as sharp as one with a blade less shiny this is due to the metal content
Are you referring to titanium blades, are they worth the rather large difference in price.
Jill No.... If you buy a stainless steel knife it may look fantastic but you will find it will not be sharp for very long. Buy a knife with a higher ferrous metal content it may not look as good but it will stay sharper longer and at around £15 you can afford to replace it more often. ( Iv,e had mine for 5 years and it,s still going strong with the help of a little oil )