GEAR AID Tanu Dive and Rescue Knife with Sheath, 3” Blunt Tip Blade

Great second knife for my scuba kit.

The "Tanu" model is very nice and underrated dive knife/tool for the price. And that is key. Don't expect an amazing knife out of the box for under $50. Look for good bones and with a little effort you can make it a great tool. And if you break, abuse or lose it, you won't be nearly as upset when you have to replace it. The Key take-aways include the superior 304 stainless steel is very good, sheath retention is very good, size is great, grip and feel in hand is superior. First off, it has a full tang and is made of 304 stainless steel. Very important for corrosion and saltwater exposure. This isn't gonna be as good as H1 or even 316 steel. But it is far superior to the 420 stainless a vast majority of the dive knives out there are. You will still need to take care of it. Rinse the knife (and the sheath) after each use. Dry it good and lube it up. Also ANY steel knife if gonna be easier to sharpen and maintain over titanium. Yes titanium is corrosion free, but if it is dull, then what is the point of having it. That brings up the second thing about this knife. It was actually pretty dull out of the box. It had about 25° grind. It cut rope and Paracord just fine still. But could definitely be sharper. I took the time and worked it down to a 20° edge on the smooth blade side and also sharpened the top 3/4-inch on the serrated side. Also just be aware that the base of the blade is basically useless (see red markings in photos). It's there for stregth as it tapers to the sharpened edge. Just an FYI so you know what you are getting. It doesn't bother be. The overall blade length compensates for this. Third, the size of the knife is perfect. It fits right inbetween the big bulky knives and the mini backup knives. I tried the Cressi Grip, Tusa Mini, and Scubapro Mako. They all are decent backups. But I have small hands and even I found them to be a little too small for a primary knife. The larger handle on this one really helps out too. Though you do you. This is my preference. The rest of it is straight forward. It has a very firm retention. It's not going anywhere unless you want it to. The release mechanism may be an issue if you are wearing heavy gloves though. Probably not for cold water diving. You want a big, easy to handle knife for that. The grip also is great on this knife. It's got a nice fat grip with a good rubbery stipple. Very easy to hold and not slip or torque on you when using. Also I removed the belt clip and had attached a pair of rubber leg straps. Unlike other knives, the sheath fits very snug to the leg. This is good for reducing snagging. The style of sheath also offers many options for attaching to a variety of locations. As another reviewer mentioned, I ground down the end of the screw a bit so it doesn't scratch the blade after removing the clip. I also plan to glue in the hex nut so it doesn't get lost when switching out the belt clip. BTW, I don't recommend the Akua, Buri, or Kotu knives from Gean Aid due to the inferior steel with regards to corrosion protection. The 5Cr15 steel is about on par with the 420. It will rust. The thinner grip is also harder to hold. Stick with the Tanu. Once again. It is a GREAT knife for the money if you have reasonable expectations and plan to actually use it. It's a tool. Not a fancy bobble. Use it. Abuse it. Resharpen it when it gets nicked or dull. You will be glad you have it.

I bought two for me and my son. I did some research and this is the best type of steel for salt water. It sharpens easier than titanium and the blunt tip helps to not attract sharks :) It has a keen edge and is great for cutting through nets and lines that a smaller line-cut blade would not handle.

BCD mount fits perfectly on my Aqualung Seaquest BCD. Only gripe is the screws are way too long. I had to use a few washers on each screw to prevent it from interfering with being able to pull the knife out of its sheath. Easier solution is to get some shorter M5 screws to swap with. I purposely got this knife because of the BCD mounting option.

I got these for me and my daughter to attach to our BCD and have a ready accessible knife if needed underwater. They are sharp but not overly sharp, good grip on the handle and seems to be built well. I haven’t had the need to use it yet underwater and hopefully won’t find either myself or my daughter in a situation where they are needed. But I don’t doubt that they will work just fine in most situations.

Nice knife. Decent filled with a handle. Nice retention on the holder decently sharp.

I've had this tool with me on multiple dives, and it has shown no signs of rust. Its blade remains incredibly sharp and securely fits in its sheath. With its snub-end design, it prioritizes safety above all else. The best part is, it comes at a fantastic price! I plan on utilizing it for both my SCUBA diving adventures, attaching it to my BCD, and for kayaking, where it will be a valuable addition to my PFD. Of course, I sincerely hope that I never have to actually use it in an emergency situation.

Bought this for a small craft adventure race. They require you to unsheath the knife with one hand - both right and left. If you leave the entire assembled sheath/clip assembly as is, this would not be possible without modifying the unit somehow. I drew/resheathed it several dozen times, which took some plastic off the sheath, and it loosened up a bit. Otherwise, this thing is a beast to open. Taking the metal clip off made this much easier to wield, but that limits the attachment option. For this reason, overall not happy with this knife. If this is not an issue for you, it seems like a well-built knife, but not useful for my purposes.

Habe mir das Messer für's Kajak-Wandern bestellt. Ich hatte nun nämlich schon zweimal Situationen, in denen ich festgestellt habe, dass ich mich im oder am Boot mit irgendwelchen Leinen verheddert habe bzw. die Rettungsweste sich verheddert hat. Ich habe deshalb im Nachgang gedacht: Beim normalen Aussteigen war das einfach nur lästig, beim unfreiwilligen Aussteigen und Treiben im Wasser wäre es unter Umständen ziemlich gefährlich gewesen, denn dann kannst du nicht in Ruhe alles auseinander fummeln. Also habe ich nach Rettungsmessern/Tauchermessern gesucht. Habe mich nun für dieses entschieden, weil es vorne nicht spitz ist. Denn es soll ja im Notfall nur dafür da sein, Leinen und Gurte zu durchtrennen. Dabei will ich weder mich noch andere (Retter) verletzen und ich will ja dafür ein Werkzeug und keine Waffe haben. Das finde ich also schon mal eine gute und notwendige Eigenschaft. Gut ist auch, dass das Messer nicht zu groß ist. Es soll ja einfach nur dabei sein für den Rettungsfall und mich nicht behindern oder noch mehr Platz wegnehmen. Allerdings könnte der Griff m.E. einen oder zwei Zentimeter größer sein, aber gut, hier sind wir wieder bei Zielkonflikten: einerseits klein und handlich, andererseits gut in der Hand liegen. Aufgefallen sind mir Verfärbungen am Kunststoff-Griff, das sind vermutlich Reaktionen mit dem Material der Messerscheide, denn die Verfärbungen sind genau und nur in dem Bereich wo der Griff die Messerscheide berührt. Aktuell stört mich das nicht, denn die Farbe ist mir egal. Ich hoffe nur, dass dies nicht Zeichen für eine Versprödung des Kunststoffgriffs ist. Ansonsten scheint das Messer sehr robust zu sein, die Klinge biegt sich jedenfalls nicht durch. Am Griff ist ferner eine bzw. eigentlich zwei robuste Ösen (Bohrlöcher), so dass man das Messer unabhängig von der Messerscheide mit einer Schnur am Körper oder der Rettungsweste sichern kann. Die Messerscheide mit dem Gürtelclip finde ich auch ganz gut gelungen, mach jedenfalls einen stabilen Eindruck. Meines Erachtens geht das Messer aber etwas zu schwer rauszuziehen; man muss immer den oberen Teil der Messerscheide etwas zurückdrücken, dass muss ich erst noch im Wasser/Boot testen. Die sonstigen mitgelieferten Befestigungsmöglichkeiten inkl. Kabelbinder habe ich noch nicht getestet, mir ist auch nicht wirklich klar wofür die gut sind, vermutlich eher was für Taucher. Die Klinge selbst ist auf einer Seite eine klassisch geschliffene Messerklinge (Schneide). Diese werde ich noch mal nachschärfen, denn sie ist im Auslieferungszustand doch recht stumpf. Die andere Seite der Klinge ist zum großen Teil als Säge ausgearbeitet. Das finde ich auch gut, denn gerade Seile zum Befestigen von Booten etc. sind mit einer Säge oft leichter zu durchtrennen. Außerdem gibt es noch einen Schneidhaken an dieser Seite, was ebenfalls gut ist, da man damit ja mit geringem Verletzungsrisiko kleinere Seile und Schnüre durchtrennen kann. Die Langzeit-Haltbarkeit (Rost und ggf. Sprödewerden von Griff oder Messerscheide) werden wir abwarten müssen.

Knife and holder worked great, no problem after a year and many salt water dives. It’s small and easily stowed so I was able to “take it along” on dives in areas where dive knives are “not allowed” (Cozumel)

Llevo meses con él en un velero y no se ha oxidado. Muy bueno para tener a mano en caso de emergencia, para cortar un cabo. Me gustó la punta roma, así no hay riesgo de lastimarse uno mismo o a alguien más en un barco en movimiento.

Parfait pour la sécurité en zodiac, car le bout plat ne risque pas de percer les chambres à air.

Uma faca bruta pra encarar qualquer situação de resgate. Deve levar no carro, na pochete ou na mochila. Aço resistente à corrosão. Pode mergulhar. Se não tem, se ligue e compre logo.