Introduction
I had a dive knife already, the XS Scuba Beta Titanium Knife. It is a good knife generally but the tip is not great for braining fish, as explained here. It is also too long for that task and another issue is it is quite big and can get tangled up in line or algae (I carry it on my leg). I mostly use it for:
- Braining fish
- Cutting up bait fish
- Gutting my catch (I do that in the water right after braining it)
- Cutting line
- Digging my spear out if tight spots
I decided to look into getting a proper braining knife, I was looking for:
- Small size: allows better control
- Sharp stiletto point: slides right in the fishes head, even fish with hard skulls
- Serrated on one side: it is useful if you have to saw anything, like bone
- Stainless steel or Titanium: I don't want a high maintenance knife
- Flat profile: so it doesn't attache itself to everything when not being used
- Robust but easy locking mechanism: this keeps the knife from falling out but if it is too complicated it can hinder using it.
- Arm band: I wanted a quick access knife
I decided that for now I will keep on bringing my bigger knife for the reasons I listed above and have the small knife mostly for braining. I narrowed down the list of knives to:
- Salvimar ST-Atlantis Knife
- Riffe Silencer
- Extrema Ratio ULTRAMARINE
- Speardiver Skene Spearfishing Knife
- Beuchat Mini Mundial Knife
- Omer Laser Mini Knife
The Salvimar ST-Atlantis has most of what I needed, except the arm band and that it is made to go on a belt. It has an interesting handle strap but I wondered if that could not get in the way. It looks like it can be useful to hold the knife in a stabbing from above or in front but these aren't things you usually need to do underwater. I couldn't find anything (reviews) on the locking mechanism either. I decided not to get it because of those reasons (missing arm band, no locking mechanism reviews & possible hindrance of the handle strap).
The Riffe Silencer looks like an excellent knife, it has everything I need but I read several reviews of people that lost their knife because the locking mechanism failed, this is why I did not get it.
The Speardiver Skene Spearfishing Knife is a great knife, it has everything I need but I was not moved by the locking mechanism. It is simple, yes, but I am not sure I would trust it. I am sure it is great though but I didn't want to take a risk.
The Extrema Ratio ULTRAMARINE is just a beautiful and functional knife, it has everything I need but it is extremely expensive (€549.50!), this is why I did not get it.
The Beuchat Mini Mundial was not as flat as I would have liked and looked cheap; I also found the locking mechanism not as convenient and easy to use one handed.
That left me with the Omer Laser Mini which had everything I was looking for:
Specifications
- 8cm blade
- AISI420 Stainless Steel Blade
- Squeeze Lock Positive Retention Mechanism
- Serrated and flat blade
- Stiletto blade shape
- Arm Holder Sheath
Build
The build quality is very good. Being a only knife you would think this can be taken for granted but many knives (diving and non-diving) don't have a good build. The locking mechanism is usually where some dive knives fail in quality but here it is good, I will see how it fairs after a couple of years of usage.
Blade
The blade is partially serrated on one side and flat on the other, it has a stiletto profile:
It is made of AISI420 which is a rust resistant stainless steel (but not rust proof). This is because the more rust resistant steel is the harder it is to keep an edge (i.e. dulls fast) because of the high Chromium and low Carbon as explained here. It has a Teflon coating on the blade (except on the edge) to protect it from rust (like the Ka-Bar US Marines knife has), this will however were off after a while. I was more inclined to a stainless steel blade instead of a titanium blade. Titanium is light and keeps an edge but it is difficult to sharpen and I'm always afraid it will snap (this is purely psychological). The blade does not have the line cutting notch, this may be a problem for some people but I don't mind so much as I can use either side of the blade or even my big knife which has it.
Handle
The handle is very flat:
here is another picture:
here is another picture:
I cannot say it is very comfortable to hold because of its flatness and also because it is not very long. I wanted a knife mostly for braining fish, gutting them and the odd line cutting if tangled, for this I don't need to hold it a long time. Its flatness also means it is closer to my skin and less likely to get caught up in line and algae.
Locking mechanism
The locking mechanism is on the sides (the grey parts):
to release you must push on both sides and to engage just slide the knife in. I think it is a quite natural way of unlocking the knife as I don't have to do anything special other than squeeze a bit when taking it; I can have a good hard hold on the handle at all times and take it out one-handed. A safety on the front part of the sheath like lots of knives have makes you have to press it either with the other hand or hold the grip with two fingers and use the index to push; in certain circumstances you could lose hold of the knife (struggling, panic, etc).
Arm Band & Sheath
The arm band is great, it even protects your arm a bit around the sheath:
Personally I like it a lot, however some people may not since the sheath is permanently affixed to it (e.g. you can only use it on your arm or bottom part of the leg). It has a rubber strap to attach and tighten it. It used to have a Velcro strap but it apparently slid down too much. I do think they could have used a different type of attach-point/buckle because it is not great to put on or take off quickly. It does however not fall off or slide down so I guess that is the most important part since you only put it on and take it off once action per dive. The special strap/sheath is actually one of the points that made me choose this knife.
Maintenance
It does require a bit of maintenance since it is not 100% rust proof or titanium, but it is not much more than what I usually do:
- Rinse it well every time in fresh water, including the sheath (I already do this to all my stuff)
- Dry it well after rinsing
- Use a bit of silicon lubicant when storing
Conclusion
I am very happy with this knife, it does everything I need. Like I said above it is just missing the line cutting notch and has a little maintenance but it is well worth it. I recommend this product.
