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

This knife was great for me. I live on the emerald coast and grew up in Kentucky. I've been known to be extremely precise in measurements and movements. However I'm no bladesmith, and have stopped/impaled upwards of 15 blades to a screeching haul. The blunt tip of this knife is far superior to those with points. Not only was I able to stab 4 flounder in the water, but was also able to properly sheath my blade with out impaling myself. Clip keeps it in place and you are free to attach it wherever you please with out risk of corrosion from salt water. (Haven't had a freshwater rinse yet and still good as new)

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 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.

Well made and safe closure. Let’s see if the home stays. Good size and heft.

It's almost good! I haven't used this in the field yet at all, but the process of attaching it to the webbing on my PFD is disappointing - particularly because it could have been so much better with more thoughtful design. To attach the semi-permanent clip to the lashing slot on your pfd, you need to screw a philips head screw in to the "back" of the sheath. This is essentially impossible. If they had just recessed bolt/screw head in to the outward facing part of the sheath and embedded the static nut in to the "back" / part that faces the pfd, it would be a breeze to install. The edge is also pretty mediocre out of the box.

Quality is good and sharp. Easy to assemble. It's a bit bulky when you use an attachment bracket.Recommend

Took this diving in Costa Rica, did great! The belt clip worked well and there was no rust on the blade or handle. I did rinse the gear each day and coated the blade with a silicone/wax lubricant I use on bike chains before I left on the trip. Would recommend it and buy again.

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 wrote to Gear Aid requesting a picture of the rear of this scabbard. It took 10 days for them to reply. I bought the knife as a "RESCUE KNIFE" as advertised. It is my opinion that this sheath is dangerous for paddlers and divers. Please note in Pic#1 the "tab" or raised bump on the knife handle adjacent to the finger guard. There is a matching one on the reverse side so that the sheath will accept the knife oriented in either direction. Note, the small tab is visible at the back of the handle, part of the scabbard back. The other side is completely covered by the finger guard on the knife. Pic #2 shows the sheath back in detail. When the knife arrived, it was impossible to remove the knife from the sheath. I have removed a metal belt clip included which was attached to the scabbard by the screw at the centre back of the sheath. I had to slacken off the screw and keep adjusting to get the correct tension so the tab would release the blade from the sheath. That's not all bad - you don't want the knife coming out accidentally! There are two hidden issues here. First, there is no "lock washer" to prevent the screw from loosening and eventually falling out. When that happens, the sheath, composed of two pieces clipped together at the tip comes apart and the knife will be lost. Most paddlers or divers will wear cumbersome gloves. Imagine as a diver - you have had a bad experience, maybe an accident of some sort. You want to get out of the water and into your boat as quickly as possible. You need the knife to cut rope or fishing line etc. It's an emergency! Will you have the time to remove the gloves? With them on, you probably won't be able to push the tab easily to allow the knife to release. The same applies to paddlers who have suddenly found themselves in cold water.There is another problem - how to mount the sheath? The sheath is great if you're going to mount the knife on your leg, not practical for divers or paddlers in most situations. I'm a certified rescue diver and divemaster. Imagine yourself with the knife mounted on the front of your BCD or PFD! Most manufacturers promote this with a clippable mount supplied with the knife.You are trying to get into the boat, QUICKLY! YOU ARE TIRED, POSSIBLY FRANTIC, COLD and as you press down on the side of your craft the knife gets stuck as you launch yourself upward! Now what? You have to struggle to get yourself out of this situation when you are already vulnerable. You could drown!!!I mount my knife military style, as high on my shoulder as I can so that it is clear for boat entry. I use black zip ties as the white ones will not hold up to ultraviolet rays from the sun. Looking at Pic #3 you can see a space where I added my zip ties to the bottom of the sheath. You can also make out the clipping system in more detail. Also, you can probably see the importance of the screw on the back. It is essential that it stays in place but also has the correct tension. I've added a "lock washer" to mine to adjust the tension and secured it with a couple of drops of "Loctite" so that the threads cannot slip, allowing the screw to fall out. Pic #4 shows the critical screw in much better detail. I should mention that this screw works well to mount the enclosed metal belt clip. It's fine if you simply want to use it as a camp knife but you'll still have to wrestle with the tension. Pic #5 shows the "locking tab" in detail, the matching one is on the reverse side. Take a look at this picture carefully and imagine yourself removing this "RESCUE KNIFE" from the sheath by pressing down the tab at the rear with gloves of any kind on your hands.Having mentioned the danger of mounting a knife on your PFD or BCD you might also consider buying a "lock blade" folding knife and keeping it in the pocket of your BCD or PFD. It might take a moment to open it but it won't prevent you from boarding your boat! Something to be aware of in Canada - it is illegal to have a knife that can be opened with one hand!As for the knife - I like it thoroughly! It has a great serrated edge for rope cutting and a nicely placed and sharp line-cutting feature. I'd like it to be slightly sharper but that is not a big deal. The blunt end is not sharp so is safe in an inflatable boat. The handle is quite comfortable with a soft rubber non-slip grip. The finger guard is excellent and very comfortable on the hand. The design is a full tang. (that means it is a single piece of metal from the tip of the handle to the tip of the blade) There is a very good lanyard slot at the handle end, and for divers, there is sufficient metal protruding to be used for signaling on your tank. I should caution that people with large hands might want to look at other knives. I have a fairly small hand and it just fits my hand. I would think that someone with large hands would find the handle uncomfortable. See Pics #6 and 7 for reference!I have written to the company with suggestions for improvement. I think this is a case of trying to engage people with diverse needs instead of homing in on a specific application. As I have mentioned above, the knife is great. I hope to see the knife marketed in the future with a specific purpose in mind and a dedicated sheath.Jan 31/23 - I did some more work with this knife and discovered that by mounting it upside down on the strap it was far easier to access the release tab. By slipping your thumb under it, you can raise the tab much more easily to release the knife however the problem of gloves still applies, especially in cold weather!

Magnifico cuchillo de buceo.

This knife will be used for packrafting and possibly divine.

Good all-purpose knife on a boat. Only wish the belt clip was higher, because the blade handle pokes far above my waist so it limits the places I can carry it.Very positive knife retention so I would feel comfortable carrying it upside down on a PFD

Very nice and well made. Blade wasn't perfect but a couple minutes of sharpening sorted that out. The case is nice and you have a couple of options to use with your bcd, both a clip that you can remove from the case and also strap hooks