AQUA LUNG SMALL SQUEEZE KNIFE Aqua Lung have become experts at producing well-made and useable dive knives, and the Small Squeeze Knife range continue this tradition. That name is used to signify the use of Aqua Lung’s patented ‘Squeeze Lock’ design, which securely holds the knife in its sheath, but when the diver needs it, a simple squeeze of the hand and the knife is deployed with a minimum of fuss. The handle and sheath are nylon with fibreglass fill. There is a lanyard hole in the hilt, and the sheath has drainholes. It comes with mounts to attach it to grommets in your BCD or wing. The 304 stainless steel versions come in either blunt tip or sheep tip. The blunt tip has a screwdriver tip, sharp section, serrated section, line cutter and a bottle opener. The sheep tip has sharp section, serrated section, line cutter and bottle opener. There is also a spear tip version in titanium which is supremely lightweight. This has all the features of the others just with an extremely sharp spear tip. All three easily sliced through every test, and the handle was comfy and easy to use even with thick gloves on. All-round winner. www.aqualung.com
CHOICE 2019 GROUP TEST
KNIVES
TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: titanium 72g / sheep 111g / blunt 103g VERDICT: The perfect BCD knife, whichever version you choose. Lots of features, and efficient locking/release system, and a very competitive price.
SCORE
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AQUA LUNG MICRO SQUEEZE KNIFE Aqua Lung totally nailed it with the Squeeze Knife range, making a compact knife that attached to your BCD and was useable whether you were in this country or in warmer waters. However, they also noted the rise of cutting tools like the Trilobite, which could be mounted pretty much anyway on your BCD or wing, and were even small enough to go on your dive computer strap. Hence, the launch of the Micro Squeeze Knife range. Unlike the big brother, there is no titanium version here, just two 304 stainless versions - blunt tip and sheep tip. The sheep tip has a serrated section and a line cutter, while the blunt tip manages to cram a screwdriver tip, sharp section, serrated section, line cutter and a bottle opener into a 5.1cm blade. It is undeniably cute. The knives use the same squeeze technology as the bigger knives, but as you only have a dinky hilt that fits between thumb and forefinger, they have added a length of webbing - a la Trilobite style - which sits in your hand and provides a rudimentary ‘hilt’ Not as easy to handle with gloved hands as the bigger versions, as you’d expect, but just as efficient at cutting. I’d be tempted to have one of these as a back-up to a full-size Squeeze. www.aqualung.com
BEST VALUE 2019 GROUP TEST
KNIVES
TECH SPECS & VERDICT WEIGHT: blunt 64g / sheep 68g VERDICT: Not as easy to use with thick gloves on, but equipped with efficient blades, a quality locking mechanism and a keen price. A great little back-up unit.
SCORE
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* = check pricing with local suppliers/centres in your area
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