Dive knives: Tester's choice or go cheapie?

[kelemvor]

If you want a traditional knife, I'd go inexpensive as you can find with Titanium being my metal of choice. Here's a titanium knife for $42 but that's a brand name (mares). $42 is more than I would spend on any knife personally. I got an off brand titanium knife at my LDS for about $25. I'd probably pay as much as $15 for a stainless knife.

Titanium or even Stainless will probably get lost before it has to be replaced.

I started with a stainless knife. Lost it after a year or two and bought a titanium. Turns out that titanium is equally susceptible to loss .

When I lost my titanium knife a few years ago I switched to a trilobyte eezycut and don't carry a knife anymore. I found the knife to be something I only used on the boat to do stuff like cut webbing and my line cutter works even better than a knife for that. Plus the thing has never come out of the sheath unlike my long lost knives. The sheath is attached to my dive computer so I can't really forget or lose the cutter. The blades do rust, but I got about 2 years of salt water diving before I had to replace the blade. Luckily it came with one spare blade!

 

[Wookie]

I have had 3 titanium knives. They sharpen with the standard kitchen knife sharpener just fine, they don't rust. I don't lose them, I wear out the holsters. Only recently have I been able to acquire replacement holsters, so I don't imagine I'll ever buy another knife.

 

[npole]

If you want a knife just because... buy the cheapest.
If you want a knife that you'll be sure to work when/if you really need it, buy the Alligator (Cressi.. but any other brand will do fine) like the one posted in the first page (knife, scissors, etc.), it'll be the only knife that will actually work in most situation. I can't count people trying to cut stuff with their knife and fail and then I try with the scissors and make it in half second.

This (or similar):

 

[stuartv]

At the DGX link I posted earlier, you can find a titanium knife and a titanium line hook for $25 each. And they have a Sharp Cut, which is just like an Eezycut, except that it is less expensive and has ceramic blades, which will never rust. And they have Titanium Nitride coated trauma shears for $7.95. I have pair of those that has gone with me on most of my saltwater dives over the last more than 3 years and is still holding together and working fine. They have started to develop some rusty areas, so maybe I'll toss them soon.

 

[dmaziuk]

Just get a $2.95 folder from your local hardware store's bargain bin and throw it away when it rusts to the point where it no longer opens, or locks. Which should be a couple of years.

 

[kelemvor]

They have a Sharp Cut, which is just like an Eezycut, except that it is less expensive and has ceramic blades, which will never rust.

That's pretty cool! Hopefully, I'll remember it when my eezycut blade needs to be replaced.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

I can't find a direct source but the "prohibited items" list here is repeated on multiple sites Marine Park Rules

Interesting. OK. I doubt it'll change how I dive, but interesting none the less.

 

[npole]

In Cozumel they want you to put the prohibited item in the bucket.. I had to come up with an (invented) medical certification to wear the gloves... and hide my knife in a pocket.
I may accept to dive without a knife in a Caribbean protected area (where it's not easy to get entangled because of no nets and such) but not without gloves (as I never dive without a full suit, no matter the water temperature) because u never know with what you may get in contact, even unintentionally.

 

[maudiver216]

I have to look up some of the acronyms in this thread...

 

[tbone1004]

I have to look up some of the acronyms in this thread...

which ones?