What do you consider "gimmick" gear?

[Littlerayray]

Tank bangers I find useless since I can't reach my back and if you get close enough to bang on another person's tank you might as well just tap em on the shoulder I have two knives one on my left and one on my bc the one on my leg I use for pulling myself along in strong currents it gets dull quick my bc knife I keep it razor sharp for cutting ropes and fishing Line you can never have too many knives I agree with you about the snorkels with the Chek valves I don't like em I have even cut my snorkel short I also have a purge valve on my snorkel it's actually a nice feature I use ankle weights on my drysuit cuz I have light fins

 

[gkrane]

How do you use your knives to pull you along in currents? Digging into the bottom?

 

[Littlerayray]

How do you use your knives to pull you along in currents? Digging into the bottom?

Yep jab your knife in sandy bottom and pull yourself along it works well but dulls it that's why I only use my leg knife for that

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I'm not dead yet! I had them on a horse collar and two BC's, once a year I would pop them at depth to insure the system worked and then replace the cartridge. I never had a problem, other than the canoe incident of '78, which is why I never SCUBA dive out of canoes anymore.




Bob
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All my life I've wanted an excuse to wear a knife, and here I have found a sport where it is actually encouraged~ Dave Barry

Tell us about the canoe incident of '78.
Sounds like a good story

 

[Littlerayray]

Yes what about this canoe incident

 

[Bob DBF]

I'll think about writing something for Near Misses and Lessons Learned.


Bob

 

[Littlerayray]

Well hopefully you get on it and title it the canoe incident of 79

 

[Freewillow]

snorkel if you are diving from a boat, air integrated computors, pony bottle if you are not solo diving, big knife on the calf........................... But I know it is controversial.

On the other hand, what is consider gimmick gear for some but indispensable for me: a small lamp, a mirror, a large SMB and a compass.

 

[FinnMom]

The fact that otherwise identical fins, masks and snorkels are produced in many different colors.

Like the model T: we could have had any color we liked, as long as it was black.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

....big knife on the calf........................... But I know it is controversial.

See now for me this is not a gimmick, but only when I'm harvesting scallops. Some rock scallops get quite big and they attach themselves firmly to rocks almost like they were JB welded to the rock. The only way to get them off is to sneak up on them and slip a large knife into the shell before they slam shut. Once the knife is in between the two shells it has to be big enough to be able to cut the meat loose from one side so the shell can be pried open and the rest of the meat removed in tact. A blade in the 7" range works very well for this. Some of those shells get up to 7"-8" wide and small short knives just wont reach in far enough.

But yes, there is a huge controversy, and big knives have become quite the laughing stock and regarded as "redneck" or "ignoramus" by certain diving groups. But if used as a tool for certain applications (such as scallop harvesting) they can't really be substituted.
Now if someone is wearing one just trying to look cool and that's the only reason then I'd say they might want to rethink their gear choice before they become material for ridicule.