Does One Exist?

[College Diver]

thanks, you just saved me from 10 minutes worth of hazing this morning.
I am preparing to do the first 3 of my OW qual dives in about 4 hours, I have a Blue Tang full size, which I was planning on strapping to... my calf :shakehead

In light of the very good point you raise, as to the knife intended for use in freeing myself from an entanglement being the very same device which could ultimately cause an entanglement (the irony...) do you have any suggestions as to where I might place it (aside from my car)?

I was thinking the right shoulder strap, but I have a dump valve "ripcord" which I have become accustomed to using for deflation... maybe the cumberbund, but how do I go about fixing it in a rigid manner? perhaps the right arm? (I am right handed, so I would be grabbing weak)

 

[D_B]

Or, has anyone tried one of these?

I fixed the link (I think) looks like a good selection of sharp, compact, Z knives ... http://www.newgraham.com/SearchResult.aspx?KeyWords=hook

The Fog Cutter knife/scissors did not test well as ether a knife (big) or scissors (line could go between blades)

If you want to wear a knife on your leg, wear it on the inside of your calf

 

[Walter]

Tin snips work like a charm every time, unlike EMT shears which sometimes work and sometimes don't.

 

[Cheekymonkey]

The Z-knifes are incrediblly fast for monofilament

 

[College Diver]

Tin snips work like a charm every time, unlike EMT shears which sometimes work and sometimes don't.

tin snips... okay; what brand do you recommend (using), and how/where do you fix to your gear?

 

[Walter]

Brand doesn't matter. I have a pouch on my BC waist strap into which it fits quite nicely.

 

[CompuDude]

Z Knives are great, I have one. Problem is they rust like crazy, even if you're careful to rinse well, and the blades aren't replaceable in the smaller, cheaper ones.

The nice Benchmade hooked cutters would do the job nicely as well, but I would equally concerned about rust with the nice, high carbon steel those are likely to use.

I don't know why more people haven't posted about these as an alternative to the Z Knife:

"The OMS® Compact Line cutter measures 4.87" in overall length, incorporates a sharp serrated and standard cutting edge and is fabricated from pure non-magnetic Titanium. The supplied pouch allows mounting in a horizontal or vertical position. There is also a mounting hole in the handle that enables the user to tether the cutter to a pouch or harness.

The Titanium compact line cutter is a logical selection when low maintenance as well as non magnetic properties are required."

They're in the neighborhood of $30, making them close the price of two Z Knives (like, when you replace the first one due to rust!) but they should last forever and be completely care-free, being made of Titanium.

 

[ghost68]

A little late in the game, but I would like to add my thoughts on the original XS Scuba FogCutter knife... Honestly I was sold by the perceived versatility of this knife. As a Scuba Diver and as Free Diver I figured this would be great if I ever got into any entanglement issues while free diving as well as just be a useful non Rambo style knife. At first when it was shiny and new it was awesome. It snipped through everything I threw at it from monofilament fishing line and nylon rope to 1500lb test tuna cord. It has comfortable handles, snaps open with ease and releases from the sheath easily. Compared to other knives at the dive shop this seemed to be in the mid size range but after the ether wore off I realized this knife is huge and only reasonably fits on my legs. Not the best place in my opinion but something I could deal with. Another issue is that there is no way to mount this knife other than the supplied straps. It became apparent that mounting the knife to my BCD while scuba diving was not going to happen. Ok size and mountability aside here are the issues that became apparent after a few dives. And just for the record I am very adamant about thoroughly rinsing all of my gear after every dive overnight in fresh mildly soapy water and I have only had this knife for about 10 dives.

1.) The blade rusts like mad especially around the hinge in the middle.
2.) Because the knife rusts at the hinge it doesn’t spring open like it should anymore.
3.) It has issues snipping through el cheapo nylon rope now, like the hinge loosened up somehow.
4.) This knife is HUGE. I can’t imagine the larger version of this knife…

So I made a purchase that I now regret. The knife is ok at many things and good at none. Maybe if they made it ½ the size and out of titanium it would be better. My next purchase will be a cheap 3” hose mount knife and a few disposable line cutters