What Gear Not To Buy

[Littlerayray]

I do have 2 knives a bfk and my little one both have their own use

 

[george_austin]

One more thing a giant chrome plated steel knife is good for - - hold it up in front of a fish and let her see herself like a big mirror - - cracks me up every time - they either kiss the knife or start attacking it

 

[george_austin]

ScubaPro was the first on the market with that design and they sold millions of them. I don't use that type but I can see the advantages for single hose divers. I just twist my snorkel "J" bend out of the way on the dive. If I'm diving the double hose I tuck it into the weight belt or tie it up somewhere

 

[tarponchik]

Ever harvested big scallops off an oil rig with a child's knife? Or killed a 20 pound halibut? There's a reason why a 12 inch blade is preferred over a toy. I haven't replaced my Voit Swimmaster 12 inch knife in 30 years. And it still looks as good as the day I bought it. I've had quite a few fancy little titanium big dollar knives in my career and they're all gone now - the Voit is still here and strapped to my leg in every dive with the USMC Mk 2 K Bar fighting knife strapped to my left shoulder strap or weight belt.

Quality never goes out of style

Sure, scallops in Texas are bigger than elsewhere. So must be the knives.

 

[ZzzKing]

Ever harvested big scallops off an oil rig with a child's knife? Or killed a 20 pound halibut? There's a reason why a 12 inch blade is preferred over a toy. I haven't replaced my Voit Swimmaster 12 inch knife in 30 years. And it still looks as good as the day I bought it. I've had quite a few fancy little titanium big dollar knives in my career and they're all gone now - the Voit is still here and strapped to my leg in every dive with the USMC Mk 2 K Bar fighting knife strapped to my left shoulder strap or weight belt.

Quality never goes out of style

Doesn't your Kabar rust? Mine certainly isn't stainless and I am afraid of the saltwater getting in between the leather handle pieces and rusting the tang away. What's your secret?

 

[tarponchik]

Doesn't your Kabar rust? Mine certainly isn't stainless and I am afraid of the saltwater getting in between the leather handle pieces and rusting the tang away. What's your secret?

The original WW2 Mk 2s certainly were not stainless but this changed in 1995. The handle was also changed to plastic.

 

[Storker]

I'll add someone mentioned in another thread that people wearing thick gloves can find folding knives difficult to deploy, so if you plan much cold water diving, something to think about.

I, for one, don't like folders at all, exactly for this reason. In my home waters, I'll never wear thinner gloves than 5mm neoprene.

Plus, they have more crannies and nooks where stuff and seawater can hide, so they should be rinsed rather carefully.

Proposed motto for the thread; one man's trash is another man's treasure.

I'll vote for that

 

[Reku]

I would not trust myself to be able to open a folder in a high stress situation - fixed blade all the way - and a blunt tipped one at that. 2" blade seems appropriate for all applications...that I may encounter.

 

[Storker]

2" blade seems appropriate for all applications that I believe I'm likely to encounter

Fixed that for you

 

[Reku]

Fixed that for you

Sounds good to me! I've been awake for 3 days.