Which of these ...Knives

[Mr. X]

Maybe one of those hook shaped line cutters on the right arm would be an idea spaghetti?

Magpie was kind enough to let me have his old Effesub spearo knife, after I started a thread on the same model, http://forums.deeperblue.net/hunting-equipment/77783-effesub-better-knife-uk-spearo.html - it's a flat, short, spearo dagger, exactly what was I was looking for. I will update that thread when I have had a chance to use it. It includes (among many feature) a hook shaped cutting notch, however on close inspection (when looking at sharpening it) the metal is quite thick there & the the edge quite blunt. I tried cutting some thick braid cord with it and it failed. Like you, I find the serrated edge of a knife normally cuts quicker & more reliably than the flat sharpened blade - maybe that's why wood saws don't have flat, straight blades.

Settingsteel, the above knife's camo sheath has been modified by magpie with velcro for arm mounting - as you describe. I used it like that last week & it worked fine. However, I prefer continuous, thick elastic loops as they can't come undone - slightly harder to put on & take off but one less thing to worry about. I've seen dive computers held on with two loops 3mm/4mm bungee, so I might try something like that in the future.

 

[Agar4Life]

I find the serrated edge of a knife normally cuts quicker & more reliably than the flat sharpened blade

While a serrated edge will often cut rope better than >most< straight edges. It will not outcut a SHARP edge.

I challenge anyone with a serrated blade to outcut me with a blade i've got nice and sharp. Sure it takes more maintenance, but i once cut a 3cm thick splice of nylon woven rope (you know the real scratchy stuff) in a single cut with an inch and a half long blade.

I know which I prefer to keep with me.

 

[Crazys13]

a combo edge dagger shines in such a situation! I use a Riffe Spearfishers knife, works a charm for dispatching a fish, but the combo serrated/straight edges on the 4 inch blade will also get you out of a tangled situation in a hurry. I do agree with agar4life though, I would rather have a straight edge which is far easier to keep sharp, than a serrated edge that "works better" and is harder to keep sharp.

 

[Mr. X]

Yes, combo edge knifes seem like they might work well. I saw a rather nice new Gerber (thought they made highly processed baby food) one being sold on eBay out of the US but turns out the handle would be too thick for my dive sheath.

[ame]http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150138973137&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123[/ame]

I guess I have never experienced a straight blade with the impressive sharpness you guys describe. Perhaps partly because my dive knives are thick, diamond cross-section spearo daggers. I'll have to get Pastor to sharpen my knives up with his wonderous sharpening machine (a guy at work brought in his Lasky system but it couldn't handle the shape of spearo dagger). :hmmI guess my thin bladed Rapala filleting knife is pretty sharp.

 

[bluedeep]

Get the cheapest one !
I like my knifes cheap and sharp, this way won't ruim my day if I lose them.

+1 I agree with u totally :king

 

[Mr. X]

+1 I agree with u totally :king

Also, you never loose the cheap ones - only the fancy ones
BTW the Gerber knife above is Chinese made & sells for $17.99/£9.13.
Apparently many Italian spearos are using these currently:

[ame=http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Samuri-Wrist-Knife-for-Divers-Spear-Fishing-SEAC_W0QQitemZ250256731174QQihZ015QQcategoryZ29577QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem]Samuri Wrist Knife for Divers & Spear Fishing - SEAC on eBay, also, Dive Knives, SCUBA Snorkelling, Sporting Goods (end time 12-Jun-08 22:08:35 BST)[/ame]

Interesting sharpening contraption:

Warthog V-Sharp Professional Diamond Knife Sharpener B on eBay, also Knife Sharpeners, Kitchen Knives, Kitchen, Home Garden (end time 01-Jun-08 19:18:04 BST)

So how are you guys getting these super sharp edges? After I file an edge sharp, I find using a coarse & then finer stone afterwards just doesn't seem to improve it - often the edge feels significantly duller.

 

[irtrogdor]

I use a sharpener similar to the one you posted, except mine is hand-held. All it does it make sure that every time sharpener hits knife its at the same angle. Anyways I use that to get an edge on my knife and then use a hand-held fixed angle ceramic sharpener to get it really sharp.

If you have to do it by hand however, the optimum angle is in between 19 and 20 degrees, which is practically flat on the sharpener. I like to use a Ez-Lap, which is just a piece of steel with diamond flakes or dust on the sharpening surface.

 

[Mr. X]

I got a bargain in a local charity shop 2 weeks ago, a kitchen filleting knife and Kitchen Devil knife sharpener (both for 1 pound), seems ok, easy to use:

Legend Cookshops

Also saw a youtube video for the aforementioned Warthog sharpener:

Bet this guy can:

 

[Mr. X]

Came across this article on sharpening yesterday, quite interesting, especially in light of some of our earlier discussion on razor sharp v. micro-serrations (it has a name!): eG Forums -> Knife Maintenance and Sharpening

 

[settingsteel]

thx for input X:friday

 

[irtrogdor]

Thats really interesting, I came across that same article a few months back. It was really helpful!

 

[Amphibious]

I understand that you can get diving scissors, which are far better at cutting monofilament.

Innovative Scuba Sea Snips with Sheath - Sea Snips - Diving Scissors
These can apparently cut through steel leader. Always handy.

having cut myself out of gillnets more then once, a good sharp knife works just as well as a pair of EMT (diver) shears.

 

[Mr. X]

...
Can you do this with your dive/spearing knife (Japanese knife seller):
YouTube - Japanese knife-maker at Osaka flea market
...

BTW I recently came across an interesting explanation for why some Japanese knives, such as those in this video, are so sharp (apart from the Japanese hundred's of years of experience and craftsmanship re. blades ). Many of their knives are sharpened on just one side, effectively halving the angle of the edge compared to conventional double-side blades - i.e twice as sharp. Cunning but elegantly simple!