Knife

[Sandie7]

Where do you put your knife ?

I seached for threads about this, and I've read them, but I still have doubts, and here is the problem: I saw divers with knives placed on hoses, and was told that this is now the right place to put them. I asked about safety concerns, and was looked at as "new diver".

I wondered about placing it on the right leg, on the outer side, and was told that the position is old fashioned. That now it has to be on the inside of the left leg, because in the outside it can get entangled.

So, I would really like to hear your opinions on this ...

 

[rongoodman]

On the belt of my harness, left of the buckle. (And it's a Trilobyte). Back up folding Spyderco in my right leg pocket, or rear pouch if diving sidemount.

 

[nimoh]

The advantage of the knife being on your waist belt in the front (i.e. near your belly button) is that it is easily reachable with either hand without much effort. This is a convenient place that is for the most part out of the way when not using it.

Mounting it on hoses (in my opinion) puts the knife in the way for many things you are doing, while the knife is very rarely used. It also moves the knife away for you body making it more likely to snag on something like fishing line.

Mounting it on your lower leg will mean that you must bring your foot up to your hands in order to reach the knife. Not the end of the world but not all that convenient.

 

[Crush]

What rongoodman said. Left of the buckle for me because my buckle is on the left part of my belt and keeps the knife from falling off while the right part of the belt is nothing - just webbing. The knife might fall off when I undo the belt if mounted on the right.

Being lazy I prefer a titanium knife so that I don't have to worry about rinsing it.

 

[JohnN]

Where do you put your knife ?

I seached for threads about this, and I've read them, but I still have doubts, and here is the problem: I saw divers with knives placed on hoses, and was told that this is now the right place to put them. I asked about safety concerns, and was looked at as "new diver".

I wondered about placing it on the right leg, on the outer side, and was told that the position is old fashioned. That now it has to be on the inside of the left leg, because in the outside it can get entangled.

So, I would really like to hear your opinions on this ...

Although they lack in the "cool" factor, a set of EMT shears is much more useful than a knife. They won't do you much good in hand-to-hand combat with a shark, but will beat a knife cutting through entanglements. As a bonus they are quite inexpensive and will not cause airport security to come unhinged if you leave them in your carry-on baggate

 

[Rich Keller]

When I wear a large knife it is on my right thigh so the handle is where my hand normally comes to rest. This way you do not have to bend to reach it and if it gets tangled on something it is easy to reach and clear. My smaller folding lock blade is clipped to my harness on the right. Both are on the right only because I am right handed. Stop listening to the people who are making their choices based on what is currently fashionable and do what works best for you.

 

[TMHeimer]

I put it on the inside of my right leg just below the knee. It may be a little inconvenient, but considering where I've done most of my 481 dives and have yet to touch it...

 

[covediver]

Diving in California meant diving in kelp. Knives were big. We were instructed to wear the knife on the inside of the leg, to avoid snagging kelp, although I don't recall there being a preference for left or right, it was more the matter of wearing it opposite the hand with which you would take the knife from the sheath.

Then concerns were expressed about not being able to reach your knife in case of entaglement, so knife got smaller and it moved to the BCD strap/harness for some and the gage console for others. Some folks even wore them on the forearm.

The we were advised to forego knives and use shears, like the kind EMTs use.

I have different knives (lots) everything from the kabar usn model to benchmade h2o folder and fixed blade and a lot in between, although I do favor my Wenoka Blackie Collins Sea Style. Still wear mine on the inside of my leg for the most part. Old habits die hard.

I wear a knife as a tool, best part of it is the blunt tip and the line cutter. The length of the knife is of my own personal choice, not some other fellow's who thinks everyone should be like him.

None of this involves a "cool" factor, just what works for you.

 

[Storker]

IMO the choice of cutting tool depends on what you're going to use it for. However - also IMO - you should definitely carry some sort of cutting tool, for safety.

For me a diving knife is a multitool. In addition to being a cutting tool, my knife is also a prybar, a hammer, a hunting weapon and a few other things I can't remember right now. It also serves as a general knife topside, because I don't go on an outdoor trip without bringing at least one knife. For that kind of use, the old-fashioned "BFK" (big effing knife) is the best tool for me. Such a knife is too big to carry on my waistband, my HP hose or my wing inflator hose, and my DS pockets are in the way for mounting it on my thigh. That leaves the calf, and I prefer to have my knife on the inside of my left calf (I'm right-handed). My son carries his on the outside of his right calf, so to a certain degree it's a matter of taste. I'm also carrying a small (5cm/2" blade) knife on my waistband, primarily to use as a kill knife if I've speared a flounder with the big one. However the small one is my secondary knife, the calf-mounted one is my primary.

For the kind of use I put my knife to, shears or the GUE-style steak knife just won't cut it (pun intended). Think about what you want the knife for, and shop accordingly. Just remember that cheap = good, because sometime or another you're going to lose it, and it sucks to lose an expensive titanium knive. Besides, titanium is a b*tch to sharpen, and it can't hold a half-decent edge for long.

 

[tbone1004]

thoughts on knives. The links start primarily with DGX because they have a good selection, but they're available at most dealers

At your level, new diver, likely not doing any technical dives etc, you don't need a "knife" you need a dive tool. Every diver should have some sort of way to cut line, webbing, and any other potential entanglement hazards. EMT/Trauma shears are the best overall tool for this job. They lack in the "cool factor", but when tied to a bolt snap and clipped inside of a pocket, they are quite inexpensive, very versatile and easily replaced if lost. $7 usd for titanium trauma shears, hard to argue with that. These are more versatile than any other type of knife for cutting lines and other entanglement hazards, but not the best for each job.
https://www.divegearexpress.com/tools/daisychain.shtml you can see the trauma shears with and without the pocket here


After that comes a Z-knife which makes cutting lines and webbing quite easy. Trilobyte is a brand recommended by many and uses a double edge razor blade. I use a Benchmade 7 rescue hook which can cut through damn near anything. It is more durable and beefy than a trilobyte and will cut through more than the trilobyte will, but it does require a bit more effort to initiate the cut. I like this because it causes you to be deliberate with what you're cutting. Once the cut is started it propagates almost effortlessly. These usually live on the wrist straps of a computer or wrist slate for technical divers depending on which one is on the non-dominant wrist.
Benchmade 7
7 Hook/ Safety Cutter Product Detail
Trilobyte
https://www.divegearexpress.com/tools/eezycut.shtml
Traditional Z-knife is on the trauma shears page above

Next in line is a normal blunt tipped knife, preferably with a serrated portion. These are generally kept on the waist belt for easy access. Quite small, these originated with grinding down steak knives from the kitchen. This can go up to a bit bigger handle knife for cold water use or for those with big hands etc.
https://www.divegearexpress.com/tools/cutting.shtml
Alli Rescue Knife
Atomic Ti6 Dive Knife ÌÎÌ_Ì´å¢Ì´Ì_ÌÎå¢ÌÎ̴̢Ì_ÌÎ̝ÌÎå Blunt Tip - Northeast Scuba Supply Store

Last is the Sea-Hunt style big ass pointed tip knife. I do have one of these, I do use it somewhat regularly but only under very specific circumstances. This lives on the inside of my left leg, I'm right handed, quite easy to cross-draw. This is only useful as a flounder gig, or if I'm knowingly diving around aggressive fish and need to use it for defense. Not going to link one of these because they are a bit hard to find now, but Piranha Dive MFG does have a few it appears if you really need one.