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How to Choose: A Dive Knife
Choosing a Dive Knife: Contents
When shopping for a dive knife, there are several aspects that you should pay close attention to, which are:
Material
Diving knives must be made of corrosion-resistant metal, typically titanium or stainless steel. If you’re looking for something that doesn’t break the bank, you should go with stainless steel, while if you’re looking for something that’s super durable and effective, opt for titanium. Bear in mind, however, that titanium is harder to sharpen since it’s a lot more corrosion-resistant.
By all means, you should always rinse your knife after each dive to extend its lifespan and durability.
As for the handle, make sure that it feels comfortable and firm in your grip. While rubber-coated ones are better for grip, they may not be as comfortable as plastic to hold. Finally, rope-bound ones are the most superior in terms of grip.
Sheath
To maintain a secure blade, your knife must come with a folding sheath. Ensure that it’s compact, easy to travel with, and provides a good grip with gloves if you dive in cold waters.
Serration and Line Cutter
The serrated side of your dive knife allows you to hack and saw in the water, so it should be rugged enough to make its way through ropes of thick materials.
On the other hand, you’ll find a backward-facing blade that goes by the name of “Line Cutter,” and whose purpose is to cut thinner materials like thin ropes, nets, and fishing lines. Most of the time, cutting those materials won’t require the utilization of the full blade’s length, so you can make do with a smaller section.
Multi-functionality
It’s always better to opt for a tool that provides you with a wider range of functionalities. This includes doubling as a bottle opener, pair of scissors, screwdriver, or hammer. Also, some knives come with blunt tips that help you in prying while keeping you and your gear safe.
Not to mention, multi-purpose dive knives are super handy for rebreather, side-mount, and technical divers. This is because these ones require fine-tuning their equipment while they’re in the deep, which is something a multi-purpose knife can make a lot easier.
Interchangeable Blades
Replaceable razor blades can be screwed on or off the knife, and this facilitates changing your blades to suit different purposes or upgrading to a sharper blade between dives.
Safety
Safety is one of the most important factors to consider when you’re browsing through dive knives. A sheath with a safety lock that you can trigger by squeezing is an incredible tool to firmly keep your knife in place until you need to use it.
Moreover, you can opt for a spring-loaded safety lock, which works in a similar way to a pocket as it conceals the tool until you flip the pocket open. To close it, you need to apply pressure to the back of the blade. However, this may not be as comfortable as other mechanisms.
Finally, you can opt for folding metal, a latching safety feature that’s typically used with shears, scissors, and multi-purpose tools.
In Summary
Stick to our guide and you won’t go wrong. As you can see, there’s a lot to consider when selecting a new dive knife – we hope this article will help you choose with confidence.