so hard to find the perfect knife

[doctormike]

I would like high quality tools when it comes to saving my life. Rust on a blade is one thing, but most cheap shears use a rivet which tends to rust first and is the most likely point of failure. If we're talking about the difference between $3 for cheap shears and $20 for something better (performance, durability, even convenience), I don't really mind.

Dunno. That's possible, but have been using the same set for years and have never seen that. Especially if you just replace them at regular intervals, it should be fine.

The DGX titanium coated shears are interesting. They have only 1 review, so I wonder how rust resistant they are in practice. Does anyone have them? There's a number of titanium coated shears on Amazon, many with poor reviews. Apparently opening/closing the shears wears the blades and they rust. Similar thing happens with the black coated shears. Still it's probably better than no coating, assuming the metal under the shears is stainless. The DGX shears do look different (gold color) from the other titanium coatings.

I think that you may be overthinking this. The rivet is one thing - that's a reasonable concern. But being worried about the long term rust resistance of a $6 set of shears is probably overkill. Worry about your hoses, worry about your o-rings, worry about reg maintenance and service - but don't worry about a bit of rust on your shears. Just buy a box and replace them when the color bothers you.

The DGX sheath is friction fit, is that really DIR? Seems like if it snagged on anything, the shears could be lost. Probably a loop of webbing through the shears handle with some velcro could make it more secure, but I'm not exactly a whiz with a sewing machine.

I like the 3.5" shears I linked above for their size. Those seem to be the only 3.5" trauma shears available, all the others are 5.5" or 7.5", with 7.5" being the standard size (which is huge). The 3.5" still cut a penny, so it seems like they'd work fine. I'd preemptively replace the rivet with one that won't rust (as fast). The only issue is how to mount them. I'd probably have to make my own sheath, which may be possible. I'd have to solicit my mom's assistance!

Are you saying "is that really DIR" because if it isn't specified in the GUE equipment guidelines you think that it would be unsafe, or because you are planning on doing Fundies and want to have the correct equipment for that agency's course? If the latter, I guess you had better ask the instructor. If the former, I can tell you that the fit of the DGX sheath is snug and fine, and has never accidentally dropped the shears in my experience. Also, it makes them very easy to deploy and replace.

If you look on the page with the kit, you can see that it also comes with the blunt steak knife which I believe IS standard DIR cave diving issue (maybe someone who knows something about this agency can chime in here). They also offer a sheath with that velcro holder that you want, if you prefer that (I don't).

---------- Post added September 14th, 2015 at 11:10 AM ----------

So far I like the 3.5", then the 5.5" Prestige, then the 7.5" DGX.

The 3.5" looks very small, which would be a big disadvantage if you are diving with heavy gloves. You don't get anywhere near the same amount of leverage with one finger (as in the 3.5) compared to three fingers (as in a standard trauma shears).

You don't say where you are diving, but unless you are diving gloveless, I would pick the standard size model. And even if you are diving gloveless, I would pick the standard size model. Tiny things are easy to drop underwater.

 

[NateS]

I think that you may be overthinking this.

I agree, I'm definitely overthinking this. Too much free time between dives.

I can tell you that the fit of the DGX sheath is snug and fine, and has never accidentally dropped the shears in my experience. Also, it makes them very easy to deploy and replace.

Thanks, this is all I care about.

You don't say where you are diving, but unless you are diving gloveless, I would pick the standard size model. And even if you are diving gloveless, I would pick the standard size model. Tiny things are easy to drop underwater.

I'm diving in warm water, gloveless. I'll give it some thought, thanks for your input!

---------- Post added September 14th, 2015 at 12:09 PM ----------

I called Benchmade about mounting the 112 H2O on 2" webbing. They were extremely friendly and nice, great customer service. Unsurprisingly the sheath doesn't have 2" slots so options would be to attach it with the existing slots and holes by lacing it with paracord or zip ties. I really like the knife so think I'm going to get one and try to figure out a way to mount it. Worse case I'll have to return it.

I'm planning to also get shears, just not sure which. I ordered a 3 pack of 3.5", 5.5", and 7.5" for $9, just to get a feel for the sizes firsthand.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

I would like high quality tools when it comes to saving my life. Rust on a blade is one thing, but most cheap shears use a rivet which tends to rust first and is the most likely point of failure. If we're talking about the difference between $3 for cheap shears and $20 for something better (performance, durability, even convenience), I don't really mind.

These are the ones I buy:
Think Safe 1095TS 7" Trauma Shear: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

There's no functional difference between these and the $20 shears. Buy a box of them. Throw them away when they get rusty.

If you want good quality, you want these:
http://www.amazon.com/Leatherman-RA...TF8&qid=1442268578&sr=8-4&keywords=ems+shears

But I'll tell you this. I've been using trauma shears on a near-daily basis for decades. There's no real difference in performance in or out of the water based on rivets vs bolts vs titanium coating vs unicorn horn studs.
Consider them a consumable. You carry them for a while, then you throw them away. They're far too cheap to worry about.

 

[NateS]

The Leatherman seems to have too many features, is expensive, and would rust the same as the cheaper ones. I'm ok with the cheaper ones (at least with a stainless rivet).

The 7.5", 5.5", and 3.5" shears came today. The blade serrations on the 5.5" and 7.5" are the same size, while the 3.5" serrations are about half the size. With the 7.5" I can fit a thumb and 3 fingers, the 5.5" fits a thumb and 2 fingers, and the 3.5" fits a thumb and 1 finger. All 3 cut a penny without a problem, though the 3.5" wasn't going to cut with just a thumb and finger through the holes, it required palming the handles and squeezing. Because of this, I'll eliminate the 3.5" from the running, plus the 5.5" isn't much larger. The 3.5" is still a neat tool and could be a backup. The cutting blade on the 7.5" is only about 1/4" longer than the 5.5", the only benefit is the handles are larger, which means they'd be easier to use with gloves and give more leverage if cutting something difficult (like a penny). The downside is that the 7.5" handles are quite a bit bigger than the 5.5". I think the 5.5" is the winner for me, given that I won't be using gloves. I just need to figure out a sheath for it. I'll ask my LDS to assist.

The Benchmade 112 hasn't come yet. I'm looking forward to it!

 

[NateS]

I got my Benchmade 112 H2O! The knife is super nice. It has all the features I wanted, including that it can't rust. I couldn't be happier. Now, how to mount it on 2" webbing when it only has holes for 1" straps? This is what a malice clip looks like:

It's like a super thick zip tie, used by military to attach things to straps on a backpack. It's 1" wide so I was able to jam it on like this:

This is the side that would face outward, and the ends of the malice clips would point downward. I tried the clips on various ways, but this seemed the best. It's probably not ideal that there is so much stress on the thinnest part of the malice clips, but the clip plastic is extremely tough (I'd say stronger than a zip tie even at this thin part) and would have to break in 4 places before the knife would detach. The back side:

This is the side facing inward, which is round and comfortable. The strap would go through the clips. You can see better here, from the sheath tip:

The strap would go between the two layers of the malice clip, which pinch it tight enough it won't slide around, like this:

Here's how it looks from the opening:

The sheath has a flair where the knife locks, so the malice clips don't actually add width to the knife. Here's looking straight down the sheath:

I don't have my gear so unfortunately I can't try it on actual webbing yet. Do the malice clips seem like a good idea? Maybe I should just go with zip ties? They would probably be slightly smaller since the malice clip head is pretty big (~1" square).

 

[Dirty-Dog]

The malice clips should work just fine. They're used as belt loops on a couple of magazine carriers I use, as well as a custom kydex IWB holster to fit a Glock 41 with an extended/threaded barrel and a TLR4 light/laser. The double stack 9mm carrier has been worn nearly every day for about a year without any sign of wear whatsoever.

As shown, your knife will be mounted horizontally on the waist belt. If you'd prefer to have it vertical, just use a Dremel (or similar) to remove the bar that separates the two 1" belt loops, to turn them into a single 1.25" (guesstimating...) belt loop.

 

[NateS]

Thanks, nice to hear they are as durable as they feel. I considered cutting the little wall between the 1" slots, though the 1" slots are actually a little wider than 1" (notice the space to each side of the malice clips) and the wall is pretty wide. The resulting single slot would be about 3.25".

Another option would be to attach a third malice clip to these two so the sheath would hang vertically.

 

[Bison Ravi]

I got my Benchmade 112 H2O! The knife is super nice. It has all the features I wanted, including that it can't rust. I couldn't be happier.

I'm too late, but it case it can help other people: I was looking for exactly the same things as you, and also found that the benchmade 112 h2o was the closest to my ideal dive knife. I bought one and used it for the last year, and unfortunately, I'm very disappointed with it.

Size, shape, weight are all perfect. The sheath while not perfect can be made to work OK, and I haven't lost the knife yet. The worst thing about the knife is that it does rust. Pretty easily actually, in salt water.

The other thing that I really don't like is that the handle is molded over the blade, so water can stay underneath the handle and make the steel rust, and then you can't remove the handle to brush the rust off.

Pretty disappointing for an expensive knife supposedly designed for salt water use...

 

[NateS]

Yeah, you are a bit late! :blinking: To be clear, you have the 112 and not a previous version? I'll be pretty bummed if it rusts. Did you rinse it after dives? What do you use to brush off the rust? Does it rust all over or in a specific spot? Can you post a pic of it rusted? Have you called Benchmade about the problem?

How did you attach the sheath?

I like the molded rubber design (as long as it doesn't cause rust problems). For any knife, unless you have a single piece of metal as both the blade and handle, the blade needs to go in the handle and you have the potential for water to be trapped.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Yeah, you are a bit late! :blinking: To be clear, you have the 112 and not a previous version? I'll be pretty bummed if it rusts. Did you rinse it after dives? What do you use to brush off the rust? Does it rust all over or in a specific spot? Can you post a pic of it rusted? Have you called Benchmade about the problem?

How did you attach the sheath?

I like the molded rubber design (as long as it doesn't cause rust problems). For any knife, unless you have a single piece of metal as both the blade and handle, the blade needs to go in the handle and you have the potential for water to be trapped.

Hence the popularity of titanium (which really does not rust) and cheap knives (which can be thrown in the trash when they inevitably rust).