Hikers and scuba divers are engaged in separate sports. Hikers are into mountaineering. They are trudging in high elevations. Scuba divers, on the other hand, are into scuba diving aiming to view the submarine life and to navigate to the deeper waters. While they are in different sports, they carry with them conventional tools for cutting. A hiker named their multi-purpose tool Swiss army knife while scuba divers make use of a dive knife.

A dive knife is used by scuba divers when they trail in a forest of kelps underwater or are entangled by an object. It is a conventional tool for cutting objects, prying and for other emergency uses. A dive knife should not be considered a weapon. Though a sharp-edged object, it should not be used for killing fishes, sharks or other marine life. Nor it should be used for stabbing a fellow scuba diver.

A dive knife should be sharp to easily cut object. To prevent temptation from committing a murder, some dive knives are designed with a screw head for wedging. Some have flat-edged and retractable design. A folding dive knife is an inconvenient design especially during emergency. It would take a long time to position the folding knife and use it for cutting.

Dive knives are mostly, but not exclusively, used by scuba divers. They are made from either stainless steel or titanium. Titanium is the best material for making dive knives. Titanium dive knife has the property to last longer than conventional stainless steel knife.

Titanium has the properties that are practically better than stainless steel. Stainless steel can be corrosive resistant depending on the grade of alloy that is integrated and coated on the material. The higher grade of alloy, the greater is the stainless steel’s resistant to corrosion. However, stainless steel is still prone to corrosion.

Titanium is lighter in weight, more durable and perpetually non-corrosive than stainless steel. Titanium is the best material for use in dive knife. Its lightweight attribute makes it easy for scuba divers to grab the item for use in cutting a submarine object. It is considerably durable for the material can withstand the salinity of water. The salinity of water contributes to the oxidation of a metal causing it to corrode.

When purchasing a dive knife, the considerations for having one are the quality, the design, convenience and price. When choosing a best-quality dive knife, titanium beats stainless steel in longevity and durability.

The blade of a dive knife can be in different forms. A dive knife with serrated edge is practicable for use in cutting, ropes, nets or kelp. Plain edge dive knife is suitable for severing fishing lines.

A dive knife has a standard 4 to 5 inch blade. It can be mounted or sheathed. A mounted-type dive knife is worn on legs. This makes the convenience of an instant release for immediate use. A sheathed knife is stored on the pocket of buoyancy compensator. This provides lesser risk than a mounted dive knife.

Considering the price of dive knives, a titanium dive knife is more expensive than a stainless steel dive knife. The durable properties of titanium make the item considerably higher in price than stainless steel dive knife.

Titanium dive knives are rated highly by scuba experts. Wenoka is a brand of dive knife that uses titanium in making the model Big Squeeze dive knife. Oceanic dive knife also another brand of dive knife that has titanium in some of its models. Stainless steel dive knife is also available in Wenoka and Oceanic brands.

Dive knives are reviewed on the reliability of its use and design online. Purchasing a dive knife online may get you the opportunity to acquire it at a lesser price than buying from a dive shop.