Dive knives and back inflation bcds

[rye_a]

The bit about back inflate BCs leaving you face down has been around so long it is one of those urban legends. Not true - unless all your weight is in forward mounting weight pockets, you are significantly overweighted, and doing this to try to prove a point. With my set-up,properly weighted I float face up at the surface.
Dive knives - love the Wenoka Tanto Tip titanium squeeze lock - under $50 Never ahd any rust issues and it stays sharp.

I second the Wenoka line of knives. I have a $30 blunt tip squeeze lock without a spot of rust that I can't seem to lose. If you like you can spend more for a fancy Spyderco Salt series knife that will also never rust.

 

[CamG]

Ok, extreme newbie questions here.

The owners of the store have tons of experience and have dived since they were young (they're older now, probably 50's, and still diving). But they look down their noses at new people so bad that I refuse to ask them any questions. What do you all think? Are these just two unintuitive questions, or are the people at the dive shop a little wacky?

Greetings vince I have to say that I love visiting new shops where ever I find them.
You assumptions are quite common in dive shops across the US but in fairness it is not always the shop but the person behind the counter or on the floor at that time.
Either way a LDS lives and breaths with customer service from start to finish!
Call me crazy but I love messing with those like you have mentioned by asking them to explain their comments.
I try to appear uneducated so they will spill the entire can of beans.
Then I always love to ask them if they have ever tried back inflate or sharpening a knife?
It is like being in a sitcom some of the stuff that comes from the mouths of those who have never even tried the afore mentioned gear.

I have tried a lot of different gear and had a blast doing so.
Even jacket bc's are fun to try and if that is all there is well I am going to dive it!
Fins are a party there are more over engineered fins than any other piece of gear!
The key is to find the gear that fits and works for your style of diving.

Knives....I love knives always have! ALL kinds but my favorite dive knife a cheap 420 stainless that I can shave with! I sharpen it frequently and oil it as well! NO RUST!

Bottom line visit more shops , dive more, try all kinds of gear, and have fun!
The key is to learn and keep moving in the right direction to achieve your dive goals.
Tear it up and start a journal to record your dive experiences!

CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!

 

[Divedoggie]

I used to shoot and had a compound for a long time. I never did like it as much as my 55lb Bear full recurve. Used to get my uncle's 70 lb long bow and put 10 or 12 dozen arrows thru it a week for about a month and a half before deer season. When it came time to draw and hold the 55. Easy as pie.

That said I only use a non back inflate when I have to. Like maybe one pool session for OW classes to show students.

Advance apologies for the hijack:

Recurves are wonderful. Elegant to the eye. Traditional.

The older compounds and the new compounds are like night and day. If you get a chance, wander into an archery store and give that Mathews Z7 Xtreme a try. It is fantastic.

Hoyt makes a bow called the Carbon Matrix that I'd really like to try as well.
My current bow, for anyone curious, is an Elite GTO.

Back to the regularily scheduled program:
I have daily frustration with my LDS, and I teach there. Things may change, I do have numerous tanks, a lot of lead weight and a good compressor.

 

[Max Speed]

Stainless steel requires a passivated surface to prevent rust. Similar to aluminum or zinc in that regard. Disturbing the surface by scratching, abrading or localized heating will cause that area to develop iron oxide rust in a corrosive environment. This is true of 300 and 400 series. Left alone for a while before exposure to a corrosive environment will restore the passivated surface on the abraded areas. I sell stainless steel equipment for wet environments and we frequently see iron oxide in scratches. Acid cleaning restores the surface.

 

[VooDooGasMan]

temet, how many dive shops are there in Arkansas, if not many, then keep asking questions you know the answer to and figure out what here angle is, and thank her a lot, being there friendly customer is what they want. If you have any thing you really want to know, just ask on SB, and judge for your self the feed back you get.







Happy Diving

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Scanned many of the responses.... Don't you people use knives? I often use my knife 3-4-6 times every dive (to stab fish in the head after I spear them). I often use the same knife to gut the fish afterwards. If you use a knife it will need to be sharpened, however as mentioned previously, the serrated portion will hold an edge for a long time.

If/when you sharpen the SS knife you will remove the smooth shiny finish from the knife and yes this absolutely will accelrate rusting on this ground down surface. Some of the newer knives have a black teflon? coating, that is better left alone as well.

So if you hardly ever use the dive knife, it IS good advice to not sharpen it, unless it really needs to be sharpened. I coat my knife blade with a thin coating of vasoline and it protects it from rust pretty well.


Edit: didn't read last page and max speeds comments..

 

[temet vince]

temet, how many dive shops are there in Arkansas, if not many, then keep asking questions you know the answer to and figure out what here angle is, and thank her a lot, being there friendly customer is what they want. If you have any thing you really want to know, just ask on SB, and judge for your self the feed back you get.
Happy Diving

There are some around this area because of Beaver Lake, but there aren't many. However, I don't brown-nose shop owners who lie to me to get me to buy from them. I'd rather drive 2 hours or buy a product off the internet. But that's just me

I did get my regulator serviced there, but that was before I posted the questions on here. I've only been posting on here for a extremely short amount of time, but I have met enough people to find out that there are much nicer divers out there than what I have to deal with at that shop.

I do appreciate the advice though. If I were to go ahead and shop there, your advice would be golden, especially the asking questions part to see what her angle is.

 

[smootie]

I don't know about the dive knife question. Would be interested to know as well.

However I disagree with her about the back inflate BC. I use the Ladyhawk which is a back inflate and I love it. I feel more stable underwater and I can very easily stay vertical if I want. The only complaint I have heard is some people feel it pushes you forward at the surface. I found if I put a couple pounds of weight in the back trim pockets, which I do anyway for trim underwater, and I lean back, I have no problems with getting pushed forward. It's completely a preference thing. But I really enjoy my back inflate over the others. And mine is NOT a tech diving BC. Sounds like the dive shop owner was just showing bias when the customers were asking questions, channeling her own preferences perhaps.

I do this with my Zeagle Lazer, too! *high five*

 

[CuNanoTube]

My main dive knife is stainless steel. I sharpen it when it needs it. After 12 dives without even drying it off the knife has not rusted. If you are worried take some 3 in 1 oil and rub it onto the blade, that is what I do to keep my steel hatchet from rusting while camping.

 

[knowone]

This sort of thing happens in every walk of life. Someone hears something somewhere, assumes it is true, and repeats to several people. They assume it is true, repeat it, and a myth is born. Before long people will go to the wall to defend that myth.

No myth


Yes, particularly true of the haste of some, of the ScubaBoard Villagers
who with pitchfork in hand immediately avail themselves and scramble
up the hill and slander our beloved Shrek without any defence from an

overheard interpretation

known naivety exchange


There are apparently different skills required in sharpening knives per say
the latitudinal rough file for rope and the smooth stone circular for beaver