BIG KNIFE or little knife ??

[Rick Murchison]

I carry a small belt mounted knife and some heavy duty shears on all dives. When spearfishing I carry my pig-sticker drop point for quickly dispatching speared fish. If not spearfishing the big guy stays home.
Rick

 

[99heritage]

So is a 5" Blunt Tip blade considered Small, Medium or Large?

 

[FredT]

medium, if it has a full size handle to grip.

 

[ibnygator]

where the instructors were all ex-military and we started diving to impress the girls. I wear a 6" blade, calf-mounted on the outside of my leg. I've never caught it on anything, but then again, except for using the blunt end to bang on my tank to get my buddy's attention, I've never needed it.

Since reading this thread, I think I will try it on the inside of my leg. It makes sense to avoid entanglement whenever possible, but I'll be VERY careful while unsheathing it...

 

[MFarrar]

I've been diving with a big knife for over 25 years...seems like much debate these days over size. I don't think blade size is as important as sharpness. Hey...if you want to use a small knife great, if you prefer a larger blade, also great. Personally I don't understand all the fuss and argument over what is probably a matter of taste. I do think all the propoganda about a knife being a tool for digging any prying is nonsense. I have a crowbar to that such things. I good sharp knife can save you life...on land or in the water.

 

[DM462432]

Jonathan once bubbled...
First welcome and did you realise that you were member no 9,000?!

I have a small knife atached to my inflator hose and sea snips on the waste band of my bc.

Jonathan

If you were to pull the knife out, would it create a stress on the inflator hose?

 

[SueMermaid]

I wear a small pointy-tipped knife on the shoulder part of my BC. It's very easy for me to get to if I become entangled, which has not happened yet. I have never unsheathed it underwater. I carry it cause the boat captains require it in NJ.

If I were in a situation where, say, my buddies and I were playing "Sea Hunt", I'd carry a big knife, that way, it's easier to cut someone's hoses. ut:

Oh, and by the way, about big knives to impress women: That's a fallacy. Size doesn't matter.

 

[Steel Tanker]

Optimally, one should be able to reach one's knife with either hand without the need to hold it with the other hand. It should not only be easy to get to but also easy to put back. It should be out of the way of entanglement hazards. It should also be cheap, i.e., it does not need to be titanium. Also, they should be blunt tip so one does not stab one's self.

I have big hands. I need a knife with a decent sized handle. A medium knife is enough. My main knife is a Wenoka EZ lock ($30). It is attached to my console. This particular knife is easily removed and replaced in its sheath. But it is usually a two-handed operation. I use a UK Remora ($24) as a backup on my waist belt. It is small but shaped well. It is easy to get to but difficult to replace.

I find that attaching a knife to my deflater or BC causes the knife handle to stick out and is almost impossible to put back. Try it. Also, I have found that trying to get at the knife on the inside of the thigh is very difficult with drysuit, et al. If attaching to calf or thigh, one should use surgical tubing to take up for compression.

 

[GLWeek]

I have two knives. My primary is a bluetang wich I wear on the inside of my left leg (I personally have been diving like that for a few years now and don't find it hard to get in and out at all) and as a backup I have a wenoka squeeze lock which I have mounted on my bc inflator.

 

[drbill]

I haven't been diving with a knife since the early 70's even though I dive routinely in kelp. I have used Sea Shears on occasion for cutting fishing line and am considering adding a small BC knife. Large knives on the inside or outside of my leg just seem more of an annoyance than a utilitarian piece of equipment.

Dr. Bill