Help me choose my birthday pressie!

[Chipstix]

Hi All

Got a birthday coming up, and am asking for a Dive knife! Need a little help having narrowed it down.

I want the knife to be:

Compact
Mounted on BCD
Good quality
Stainless or Titanium blade (more about this part below)
<£35-40
Preferably available in the UK.

I'd like to have it as an emergency knife in case of entanglement (though unlikely where I tend to dive). Handy if it is small and light as I will generally be travelling abroad with it (in the hold of course!!!)

Found this ~3" TUSA knife, and thought it ticked all the boxes, and is a reputable brand - also quite like the mounting method. Can't really tell but I don't think its a folding knife? Also blunt or pointed version, which is best?

Tusa FK10/11 Knives - Only £22.05 - Mike's Dive Store

But then I started wandering about the benefits of a titanium blade, light, strong, and will never corrode. (As an Engineer, I have a bit of a 'thing' for titanium anyway....

I saw this 3" knife.

N.Diver Titanium Knife Small at Deep Blue Dive

Have seen it in a couple of places, with different branding, so wonder if its a generic brand - quality issues? Not sure. Also apparently it has a backplate which you have to screw in to the webbing on your bcd. Not sure what the metal lump on the back of the handle is for?

Thoughts, comments? Another option that I've missed?

Thanks, Chris

UPDATE: It looks like the knife is made by Aquatec of Taiwan, and I have seen unbranded, and branded (Northern Diver versions) which look identical but are slightly different prices.

 

[jupitermermaid]

I'm not a pro on knives by any means, but I would vote for anything titanium. The stainless steel rusts very quickly, even taking better care of it than a husband (oh, wait a minute, that might not be a good analogy...lol). I'd be interested in what other people have to say, as I, too, would like a good knife that won't corrode as soon as the scent of salt hits it.

 

[HenrikBP]

I bought and then returned the Tusa knife you listed. The knife is fine, but the sheath seemed too flimsy to me - the locking mechanism in particular. The plastic on the handle seemed like it could easily crack as well, but as I'm fairly careful with my gear, it was the sheath that put me off.

Don't know about the second one you list.

Instead I bought one of these for the waist strap on my harness:

Knife-Harness-Yellow [Knife-Harness-Yellow] - $15.00 : Tech Diving Limited - Home of Nautilus Dive Planner

Inexpensive, seems solidly made. Sheath is simple but works. I drilled up the lanyard hole (*very* difficult to drill stainless) and added a 1/8" bungee loop that slips over the bottom of the sheath and further secures the knife in the sheath, and also can go around my wrist to keep from dropping the knife.

Being a belt & suspenders person I also bought one of these to carry in a pocket:

:: Spyderco Product Details ::

It too has a bungie loop with a SS snap that secures to a bungee inside the pocket.

Henrik