Anybody try the Daga Knives?

[Hypersquid1]

hi everyone,
has anybody tried using the Daga Knives by O.ME.R.? they look pretty good as far as knives go... if anybody hasnt tried them, what other knives would you reccommend. thanks,

hypersquid1

 

[Alison]

Funilly enough I lost my knife yesterday and we've ordered a Daga as a replacement, not sure about the blackened blade rofl but the rest of it looks OK, one long sharp edge and one long serrated edge. My only concern it the spring clip on the scabbard, the last one I had (Typhoon) was total crap! hence its eventual loss! Im going to put a loop of bungie over the handle this time just in case unless someone has a better idea?

 

[Alison]

Well my knife came the other day, this is what we think of it.
First impression was very good but on closer inspection:
The edge was not very well ground at all, so this had to be redone. The blade attachment to the handle is doubtfull, that round metal butt is infact a nut that screws onto a threaded tang rather than being moulded in the plastic piece that holds that nut was broken along its rim, this doesnt affect the usability but still for a sealed item in a box?? The scabard I think is very high (as in not low profile) but thats just me, it wont affect its use much. The clip that holds the knife into the scabard is awfull to say the least. Oh and the Omer badge on the release button was loose in the box too
All that said, the knife isnt expensive so maybe some of the above could be forgiven and worked on; we've re ground the blade so it can be made sharp, as for that nut, we're thinking of filling up the hollow inside of the handle with west epoxy and fixing that nut also, with the securing I'm going to add an elastic ring to be safe or some sort of lanyard (any ideas?)
So maybe I'm being a bit fussy but I'd rather pay just a little more and have this sorted right from the start, going by Omer's usual quality Im pretty dissapointed and wonder how much this knife actually has to do with them. A shame really because it has the makings of a good knife

 

[UK Spearo]

I use the Sporasub 'snake' it's a brilliant dive knife. check

http://www.scubastore.com/shop.asp?id_familia=1&id_subfamilia=7

 

[Fondueset]

I have a hammond ABC from CRKT. It's aus8 steel and very nice. They sent me a yellow grip for it for nothing

[ame=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7124580355&category=42577&ssPageName=WD1V&rd=1]CRKT Knife on Ebay[/ame]

I paid $34 us new for it on ebay. It came ridiculously sharp. I ran it along my arm it was instantly shaved smooth. It cuts rope just pushing straight down with little or no horizontal movement. The blade design is also extremely strong.

 

[Mr. X]

I use the Sporasub 'snake' it's a brilliant dive knife. check

http://www.scubastore.com/shop.asp?id_familia=1&id_subfamilia=7

That does look like a great design for a spearo knife - just about perfect. Bit pricey though. I liked the look of the Daga but having read Alison's feedback sounds like the quality isn't there -- also the sheath looks too bulky (like the 3 different cheapo ebay knives I have used recently -- good knives for the most part, but rubbish sheaths). I almost wonder if one should buy sheaths separately (or make one's own) ... the Rob Allen Limpet sheath is available for about 3 or 4 pounds and seems really good, low profile; it seems to be designed for flat knives though - like RA's rather stylish but pricey Assegai dive knife (several other companines, inc. Omer & Immersion offer flat knives too - and there are some cheaper Taiwanese ones on sale too).
e.g.
https://sslrelay.com/s87910425.onea...shing/0050_Knives/product_overview.shopscript

http://www.apnea.co.uk


I like the look of OMER Hunter too [see link above] -- reasonable price and apparently popular with Channel Island Spearos. I feel more comfortable with a big knife with saw blade though, for cleaning the fish, fast cutting, etc.. However, I might give the Hunter a go -- it looks like it could be arm mounted comfortably & the sheath looks decent. The blade does seem strangely short though; I do not subscribe to the current trend for small and/or flat tipped knives (although chisel-sharpening a flat tip makes it more useful).

BTW Has anybody tried that Rob Allen dispatching tool, the Iki Spike (like the medieval weapon they used to dispatch badly injured, armoured knights with) -- it looks like the end of a spear with a handle ... it has a steal sheath I believe!? [Update: one of the forums has instructions & images for making a simple homemade Iki spike -- quite neat].

 

[sturgeon]

My favorite is a Hattori. Small yet big enough to dispatch any fish with, razor sharp, nice shape, and very convenient case for easy and positive insertion/drawing. My first was a double edged (still have it) but now I use a single edged. I got mine from Hana Paa in Hawaii. You can mail order. Somewhat expensive ~$50 but I'll use no other.

Scott

 

[fuzz]

My favorite is a Hattori. Small yet big enough to dispatch any fish with, razor sharp, nice shape, and very convenient case for easy and positive insertion/drawing. My first was a double edged (still have it) but now I use a single edged. I got mine from Hana Paa in Hawaii. You can mail order. Somewhat expensive ~$50 but I'll use no other.

Scott

I second that. I've gone through quite a few knives. haven't lost any, but the hattori is just such a solid knife. I've even used it to pry scallops off the rocks!(not reccomended).

I still have the original double, but also have a single edged one that was given to me

 

[Alison]

An update on my Daga
Well we filled up the void in the handle with west epoxy (could have used car body filler), which has stopped the endless stream of bubbles coming from it and stopped the metal top from unscrewing. The blade has been reground and sharpened, we also ground sharp the top section of the read of the blade that was unground previously, we've put a bungee elastic loop on the scabbard to stop it falling out and replaced the straps with some plain buckled ones because the supplied trident buckles kept popping open.
OK so 20 minutes work (for him not me rofl) and about 40 dives futher on this is whats happened: Nothing, the blade is rust free and still sharp, its bubble free and saying goodnight to Bass is effortless, none of that stabbing here and there business, just stick it in, a quick side to side wiggle (the blade not me! ) and its done.
So would I recomend the knife? Well that depends whether you are prepared to do some work on it, if you are then yes buy it, its not an expensive knife and it does its job very well, the concept being sound. Its just a shame that the build quality is not up to Omers usuall high standard, for a few dollars more to sort that out it could be a classic.

 

[Marwan]

Allison,
I have the Riffe teflon coated knife, its the best ive used so far ( ihave used quite a few), its lightweight, doesn rust and very low maintenance, it's also deadly when i comes to silencing prey. I heard very good reviews of the sporasub snake as well.

 

[Alison]

The Riffe knives have a similar blade to the Omer daga, I wondered if they were made by the same factory? Its a shame that we dont have a Riffe dealer in the UK (Jay are you reading this?)

 

[Marwan]

funny enough they have a dealer in cyprus, thats where i got mine