Aotus
Contributor
Really excited about this find: Leatherman Raptor Shears Medical Multitool
I'm a new diver but I picked up right away on the silliness of going underwater armed for war (unless that's actually what you're doing)...my daddy taught me well - "never open your knife in the car" "never open your knife on a bike" "always be sure you're on steady ground when you're knife's open" - and while he never said anything about scuba diving, he programmed me to imagine about that 7" rambo blade cutting a hose or an artery when I'm moving underwater. Just a week ago I was diving with three cops during our AOW class. All three had big brand new knives strapped to their calves. One kept taking it out to make jokes - on the boat while we were crashing through waves, in the surf as we made our way in to a shore dive, and underwater when we were all close together descending along an anchor line. Another one kicked his knife right out of the sheath and lost it to the bottom. I still don't have a diving knife, but I've collected knives for 25 years (my most cherished is the swiss my dad gave me at 8years old). Knives are sexy, men like knives, we want them. I won't go into the psychology but I think most of us just get that a knife is an admirable thing. BUT, a knife is also a tool, and just like bringing a hammer into a cavern dive, a bowie knife is just a stupid choice for the task at hand.
A knife IS important, I'm told, for diving. Or rather, a cutting device is important. Trauma shears and line cutters seem to be the favorites among veteran divers who aren't planning to kill something (e.g. fish, combat diver, nearby buddy). So, I've been looking for some cheap option that can stow away on my BC securely and with a low profile. I can't believe what I found. Leatherman makes a folding trauma shear and line-cutter ("seatbelt cutter") with a locking plastic sheath that can me mounted at any angle. It's not really cheap, but cheaper than the titanium knives I saw, and for me it was a no-brainer because I had dividends from REI that covered the whole purchase. I'll follow up when I get them and try them in the water. If I can keep these rust-free (might be exclusively for my fresh-water kit), and maybe dip the handles in yellow paint, then I am going to be a happy diver!
$60 at REI.com Youtube review here
I'm a new diver but I picked up right away on the silliness of going underwater armed for war (unless that's actually what you're doing)...my daddy taught me well - "never open your knife in the car" "never open your knife on a bike" "always be sure you're on steady ground when you're knife's open" - and while he never said anything about scuba diving, he programmed me to imagine about that 7" rambo blade cutting a hose or an artery when I'm moving underwater. Just a week ago I was diving with three cops during our AOW class. All three had big brand new knives strapped to their calves. One kept taking it out to make jokes - on the boat while we were crashing through waves, in the surf as we made our way in to a shore dive, and underwater when we were all close together descending along an anchor line. Another one kicked his knife right out of the sheath and lost it to the bottom. I still don't have a diving knife, but I've collected knives for 25 years (my most cherished is the swiss my dad gave me at 8years old). Knives are sexy, men like knives, we want them. I won't go into the psychology but I think most of us just get that a knife is an admirable thing. BUT, a knife is also a tool, and just like bringing a hammer into a cavern dive, a bowie knife is just a stupid choice for the task at hand.
A knife IS important, I'm told, for diving. Or rather, a cutting device is important. Trauma shears and line cutters seem to be the favorites among veteran divers who aren't planning to kill something (e.g. fish, combat diver, nearby buddy). So, I've been looking for some cheap option that can stow away on my BC securely and with a low profile. I can't believe what I found. Leatherman makes a folding trauma shear and line-cutter ("seatbelt cutter") with a locking plastic sheath that can me mounted at any angle. It's not really cheap, but cheaper than the titanium knives I saw, and for me it was a no-brainer because I had dividends from REI that covered the whole purchase. I'll follow up when I get them and try them in the water. If I can keep these rust-free (might be exclusively for my fresh-water kit), and maybe dip the handles in yellow paint, then I am going to be a happy diver!
$60 at REI.com Youtube review here
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. I'll stick with my $5/ea bulk purchased trauma shears with the cheap PVD coating.
