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what knifes do you use?
- Thread starterwillloomy
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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RE. lanyard snagging, I know what you mean James. I found I can easily break the (old) 30lb mono that I use, so that is not much of a concern. However, it sometimes broke in normal use, so I added a bungee at the sheath end to stop unintended breakages while keeping the "weak link" otherwise unchanged. I tuck the mono & bungee behind the thick elastic leg band & sheath of my RA limpet sheath; of course, if you draw the knife, you need to tuck that stuff back in again - so not perfect by any means but seems to work ok for me.
Re. being a gear tart, I think we all know that feeling
. I hear the Mares Spider calling to me now...
Re. being a gear tart, I think we all know that feeling
. I hear the Mares Spider calling to me now... 
Don't make me break out my knife pictures :t ~ Strangelove is really on the money, I think that much like spearguns, one dedicated style of knife can't effectively perform multiple tasks. A killing dagger is not a good fillet knife. So when I finally eliminated the style / cool factor from my mind, I accepted the fact that the dagger / spike is the best method to dispatch / brainpunch all fish. I have 'on occasion' ruined the memory of an otherwise happy spearing session by the act of dropping,forgetting,theft of this piece of 'male jewelry'. In short, I'm much happier entertaining the idea that I am 'hardcore' and I will struggle to the bloody death with adversaries from an alien environment. So in short I carry into the water (for killing) a sharpened screwdriver. It has a cheap synthetic sheath, nice 'gripability' (I don't know if that is a real word) and at the end of the day,I'm a happy camper!
and at the end of the day,I'm a happy camper!
Less than 2 weeks after I ordered it my knife's arrived from the States. I've joined the Titanium set . Pic's and report to follow.
Dave.
. Pic's and report to follow.Dave.
Omer USA mini-laser
Missing you Dave.
Although the sheath seems unnecessarily large/bulky, I was expecting that and, if anything, it was a little smaller than I expected. It has a nice, big, secure loop over than handle to prevent loss. It comes with 2 straps, which I haven't checked yet - some knives come with straps too short for my large calves, let alone thighs. I would prefer a flatter, smaller sheath - perhaps tape (like Rob Allen's limpet sheath or Pelaj's pancake sheath) or moulded Kydex. Maybe I'll make a flat sheath for it one day. [Funnily enough, the plastic sheath that comes with the cheap Taiwanese Union economy spearo dagger is actually very good: small, fairly flat & secure - although I don't use mine; the straps are too short for my leg but might fit my arm.]
I'm thinking of wearing the Omer USA mini-laser upside down on my upper left arm - so that it's easy to access when dispatching fish. Will probably attach a stetchy lanyard and/or wrist-loop of some kind. I'd quite like to wear it on my belt but that's already full of lead, and I'd hate to have to drop it along with my weights in an emergency. Thigh mounting might be handy (did spearo dave say that he does that?) but can't see how to make it work without a lot of work & hacking my wetsuit. I'll keep my current Union economy spear dagger on my calf - I've sharpened & shaped it over several years and it's bigger for emergency use but still sleek & unobtrusive.
Missing you Dave.
I finally bought an Omer USA mini-laser mini-spearo dagger - Scubaland.fr have a keen price - and I love the design. The blade and handle look perfect for a spearo dispatching knife. I've only taken a quick look, before it got spirited away for Christmas - but it looks great. I love the blade shape, size and sharpness, which seem perfect for dispatching fish. I was surprised that the back edge is not currently sharpened, except for the saw-blade part, but I may leave it that way. The handle is quite short but well designed for secure holding and most importantly includes a substantial guard to allow the blade to be pushed firmly, securely and safely into a speared fish's hard skull for a quick, clean dispatch (sorry to be so graphic but it's important not to overlook this knife's primary purpose)....
My current preference is for the Omer mini laser USA or an iki-spike (for dispatching, fixed on belt or arm) and/or the Mares/Sporasub Snake (for general/emergency use, fixed on leg/calf) - although I'd miss the sleek unobtrusiveness of the flat RA limpet sheath and security of the unbroken elastic leg bands (although buckles are probably easier to put on).
Still waiting for somebody to come out with a cooler profile flat, slim, affordable spearo dagger - preferably in a flat tape Limpet/Pancake sheath. An Omer laser or mini laser USA with a flat, metal handle & flat tape sheath perhaps?
....
Although the sheath seems unnecessarily large/bulky, I was expecting that and, if anything, it was a little smaller than I expected. It has a nice, big, secure loop over than handle to prevent loss. It comes with 2 straps, which I haven't checked yet - some knives come with straps too short for my large calves, let alone thighs. I would prefer a flatter, smaller sheath - perhaps tape (like Rob Allen's limpet sheath or Pelaj's pancake sheath) or moulded Kydex. Maybe I'll make a flat sheath for it one day. [Funnily enough, the plastic sheath that comes with the cheap Taiwanese Union economy spearo dagger is actually very good: small, fairly flat & secure - although I don't use mine; the straps are too short for my leg but might fit my arm.]
I'm thinking of wearing the Omer USA mini-laser upside down on my upper left arm - so that it's easy to access when dispatching fish. Will probably attach a stetchy lanyard and/or wrist-loop of some kind. I'd quite like to wear it on my belt but that's already full of lead, and I'd hate to have to drop it along with my weights in an emergency. Thigh mounting might be handy (did spearo dave say that he does that?) but can't see how to make it work without a lot of work & hacking my wetsuit. I'll keep my current Union economy spear dagger on my calf - I've sharpened & shaped it over several years and it's bigger for emergency use but still sleek & unobtrusive.
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Nice, obviously works. Not sure that I'd want serrations on both sides but, to me, they do seem to cut through rope, etc. fastest - and they look like good deep serrations (much like the Omer's but unlike the Union knife, where I have re-cut the serrations deeper myself with a triangular file). More details at: Red Tide Knife - Pursuit Freediving & Spearfishing Gear <-- well worth reading.
E.g.
Re. the Red handle, I guess that might help keep track of the knife, and (low-frequency) reds disappear quickly underwater, such that they appear grey - so not as obtrusive as it might at first appear (like Pastor's Red Dragon spear-gun - the Welsh Excalibur? - & red float-line). On the other hand, might not be as easy to find if dropped as one might expect (my home-made iki-spikes have red thermo-plastic chainsaw-file handles - lost the first one in shallow water while untangling spear-line & float-line from string-weed after spearing a large mullet).
. Not sure that I'd want serrations on both sides but, to me, they do seem to cut through rope, etc. fastest - and they look like good deep serrations (much like the Omer's but unlike the Union knife, where I have re-cut the serrations deeper myself with a triangular file). More details at: Red Tide Knife - Pursuit Freediving & Spearfishing Gear <-- well worth reading.E.g.
Re. the Red handle, I guess that might help keep track of the knife, and (low-frequency) reds disappear quickly underwater, such that they appear grey - so not as obtrusive as it might at first appear (like Pastor's Red Dragon spear-gun - the Welsh Excalibur? - & red float-line). On the other hand, might not be as easy to find if dropped as one might expect (my home-made iki-spikes have red thermo-plastic chainsaw-file handles - lost the first one in shallow water while untangling spear-line & float-line from string-weed after spearing a large mullet).
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Regarding the two serrated edges. I was at first surprised when I saw this knife. Then I started to analyze what I actually use the knife for in order of most frequently:
1. Gutting fish.
2. Braining fish. I put this second because I use the spike on my gun or the spear point to do this most often, unless I know I'm going to gut at the same time then I might as well pull out the knife.
3. Cutting up fish for chum.
4. Scaling fish.
5. Chipping away rock if shaft gets stuck in the reef.
6. Cutting mono or other line as part of rigging or an emergency.
For all of the above except where the knife edge is irrelevant such as for braining, the serrated edge does a superior job. It's convenient to not have to pay attention / turn the knife to find the serrated edge. I never fillet with my dive knife, the serrated edge admittedly will do a rougher job filleting, but if you're careful it's very doable.
Another advantage to this knife is that it comes ready with a bungee; the best system for maintaining the knife in the sheath securely yet ready for fast deployment in case of emergency. Also prevents losing the knife / allows you to let go of the grip temporarily if necessary, if you slip the loop over your hand.
The red handle is just cool
1. Gutting fish.
2. Braining fish. I put this second because I use the spike on my gun or the spear point to do this most often, unless I know I'm going to gut at the same time then I might as well pull out the knife.
3. Cutting up fish for chum.
4. Scaling fish.
5. Chipping away rock if shaft gets stuck in the reef.
6. Cutting mono or other line as part of rigging or an emergency.
For all of the above except where the knife edge is irrelevant such as for braining, the serrated edge does a superior job. It's convenient to not have to pay attention / turn the knife to find the serrated edge. I never fillet with my dive knife, the serrated edge admittedly will do a rougher job filleting, but if you're careful it's very doable.
Another advantage to this knife is that it comes ready with a bungee; the best system for maintaining the knife in the sheath securely yet ready for fast deployment in case of emergency. Also prevents losing the knife / allows you to let go of the grip temporarily if necessary, if you slip the loop over your hand.
The red handle is just cool
I also use this same knife and have sharped the tip edges. I plan on testing it against wire rope before my next trip to Baja Mex.
Than there is the color...:t Red is the new Black.. The rubber straps and leash remind me of the 70's when a product would last 20 years of hard service.
Cheers, Don
Than there is the color...:t Red is the new Black.
. The rubber straps and leash remind me of the 70's when a product would last 20 years of hard service.Cheers, Don
The larger knife & serrations make sense for the uses listed. And yes, I too would only use a proper, flexible filleting knife for filleting. One of your comments intrigued me:
What is "the spike on my gun" - is it one of those fold-out bayonet affairs that a couple of members (perhaps yourself?) have mentioned in the past? [Do you have a picture?] If I was regularly dispatching fish the size of that shown in the picture, I think I'd be tempted to invest in one Rob Allen's superb but pricey iki-jimi spikes - if its anything like their float stringers (and I think it is), it'll be very sharp (v. long tri-cut point) and hard (hard to sharpen but then it doesn't seem to get blunt).
Yes the red handle is cool/cute - you could call it Rosebud...[ref. to Citizen Kane/Herst].The red handle is just cool
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The spike is for the tax man, but more often gets used to brain smaller fish. I put it on all my guns. It's not a fold out, it can be easily removed but it stays as you see in the pic. I need to see that movie..
Just came across something similar, but lacking the cool red handle & less serrated: Spearfishing Knife
Hey guys, I havent read earlier posts =[ But I would sugges a knife made by SporaSub. It has a nice shape, it is easy to retrieve it from its' "H2O case", and what I find really good about it is a special notch it has right by the handle. The aim of it is to help you rotate the shaft once it was shot somewhere inder the rock and it was stuck. I dont think blue water spearos would really appreciate that innovative knife, but reef hunter gotta check it out. THe downside is that I find the steel to soft. Maybe its simply because of big fish being stuck under the rock, but it did bend that notch a little.
I was surprised to read recently that stainless steel, various versions of which are typically used for dive knives (esp. before Titanium was widely available), are usually quite a lot softer than the carbon steel used on good carving knives, bushcraft knives, pen knives, etc.. I'd always thought the stainless steel blades were harder and harder to sharpen (requiring synthetic sharpening stones or diamond sharpeners) - I'm sure I read that somewhere. I usually find it pretty easy to create and maintain an impressively sharp blade on a carbon steel knife (which often arrive sharp) while stainless knives seem to vary much more. I often find it hard to create a satisfactorily sharp blade on some stainless steel knives - if they really are softer (I guess I'm still coming to terms with this!), I would expect them to be easy to sharpen but I would also expect them to require frequent sharpening (which I tend to do anyway).:hmm
The spike is for the tax man, but more often gets used to brain smaller fish. I put it on all my guns. It's not a fold out, it can be easily removed but it stays as you see in the pic. I need to see that movie..
Ah so that's what it's for!
I've always presumed the spike could be to fend off sharks in the post-shot when gun's unloaded. Brilliant! Not that I need one, as there are practically no dangerous sharks here in the upper Med: probablity to a close encounter are much lower than "once in a lifetime".
But hey, I could still use it for the real tax man: no sharks here, it's taxes killing us :vangry
Knives: anyone said knives? Deeperblue friend Jon sent me a Riffe Silencer from the Usa. When I unwrapped the parcel I found out it's made in Italy.
Very sharp, very "natural" to handle. The blade doesn't feel as tough as my old rusty Cressi Killer, but it still feels like a very good knife for my fish: handy, sharp and pointy. What more? Durability? I still can't tell. Time will tell about durability. The lock button on the sheath is bitchy, but overall I'm very pleased with my italian Riffe.It's this one:
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Spaghetti, you were right with your original idea, the purpose of the spike is to fend off sharks. Braining fish is a secondary function if the gun happens to be floating near by.
BTW I find the sheath of that Riffe silencer knife to be too bulky and stiff for my preference. And you're right, it is made in Italy as well as the rest of Riffe's knife lineup.
BTW I find the sheath of that Riffe silencer knife to be too bulky and stiff for my preference. And you're right, it is made in Italy as well as the rest of Riffe's knife lineup.
I just got this one for christmas to replace my old "rambo" knife
but I find it lacks sharpness on the smooth edge, the serrated one is good, also the line cutter is nice (I wanted that as that is probably the only thing usefull if you get tangled underwater) but I have no idea how to start sharpening the smooth blade without ruining it...