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

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.

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.

My hope for this knife was that it would mount onto my BC directly via the grommet holes that are intended for an integrated dive knife. I have a Mares BCD and the grommets are about 4 1/2" (11.4 cm) apart from center-of-hole to center-of-hole. I don't know how universal the spacing of BC grommets are, but I can confirm that it will fit Mares brands, and the knife mount has another spot to screw onto grommets that's shorter, about 3" spaced apart. Let me repeat that, the knife mount can be adjusted to different grommet spacings on your BCDs. I dove three wrecks and a couple of reefs, and it stayed secure. The design makes it simple to release the knife if needed and safely secure it without any jiggling or loosening. There was no rust after about 8 salt water dives. Just rinse it with fresh water and dry it with a towel, and it'll stay nice. Great find on here.

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.

I don’t know why Gear Aid didn’t incorporate the window punch tip on this model of their knife. Of course someone COULD pop a window with it if struck hard enough, however, it’s just silly that it’s not there. So I grounded down the handle tip just enough to get it to a point.

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.

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.

Great product