The Cressi Skorpion Dive Knife is a great choice if you’re a beginner diver like me. I’ve just started getting my own scuba gear and finding a knife that wasn’t going to cost a fortune while being secure enough that I won’t lose it has been interesting.
I wanted something that wasn’t too long and from what I’ve researched Cressi seems like a really great brand I can trust. I like the fact that I can choose between a sharp drop tip and a blunt tip version so if I change my mind later I can still have a familiar feeling knife just with a different blade.
The bright blue on the holster and handle are also easy to match up when underwater even with poor visibility if you go with the blunt tip. While it’s not the cheapest dive knife, it’s also not that expensive either.
Cressi Skorpion – The Best Dive Knife
The design is slightly different depending on which tip you go with. The blade is either a 420 Stainless or a 304 Martensitic stainless steel. This means that it’s better able to resist corrosion from saltwater and will stay sharp.
This means it’s also very hard and tough but isn’t light like a carbon steel. The sharp tip is the 420 which means that it’s going to hold an edge better but the 304 has better corrosion resistance which made it really hard to choose! Both versions have a partially serrated blade on one side and a smooth edge on the other.
It’s a good size for a dive knife at a total of 9.41” of which the blade is 4.33”. This means it feels about the same as a standard hunting knife so it’s comfortable to use. The handle has a steel cap so it can also be used for hammering and the rubberized handle is non-slip and has an anatomical mold so it fits perfectly into your hand.
It’s a medium sized knife which means it’s fairly compact but has more applications and feels fairly balanced in the hand. The length means more functionality than the smaller Lima knife too and I like that because I can use it on a wider variety of dives and when free diving rather than only on basic dives.
The sheath is pretty cool and it has a small thumb tab to keep the knife from falling out which can easily be released one handed.
This is a great safety feature for me since I was worried about losing it. It has leg and arm straps so it has extra versatility and it means you don’t have to purchase them separately if you want to move your knife or have someone else wear it.
It will also fit into a neoprene knife holder if you don’t like the feel of the straps. I also love the color coding on the handle and sheath and that it comes in multiple different colors for better visibility.
Features and Specifications
- It comes in both a blunt tip and a sharp drop tip design.
- The blade can be either a strong 304 or 420 Martensitite Steel.
- The sheath has a thumb tab that can be released one handed.
- It comes with both leg and arm straps and also fits into a neoprene knife holder.
- The knife and holster both have matching markings to make holstering easier in poor visibility.
- The knife has both a serrated edge and a straight edge.
- It has an anatomical non-slip handle.
- The 304 steel is anti-corrosion which is better for saltwater diving.
- The butt cap is stainless steel so the handle can be used for hammering.
- It has a 4.33” blade and is a total 9.41” in length.
- Markings come in Blue, Lime, Orange, and White for better visibility or plain black.
What Customers are Saying
The best feature of this knife is the steel – it doesn’t rust and even if it does it can be easily cleaned with a little bit of wire wool or a brush.
Rust has a lot to do with cleaning though, so it’s also possible that anyone who gets rust allowed their knife to stay wet in the sheath, so the quality of the blade’s steel is a real win.
Ironically the biggest issue is also rust, but while the handle may start to rust, at this price it’s easily replaced. The rust issue seems to be the only problem people experience with this knife and, like I said, it’s easily removed and if it’s cleaned properly there shouldn’t be a problem.
Plus, if you’re really pedantic about it get the blunt tip version made with 304 steel as this is corrosion resistant.
That and the fact that it’s not expensive makes it easy for me to recommend the Cressi Skorpion.
Who Should Buy This Product?
This is a great knife for a beginner diver like me who doesn’t have a lot of demands. It’s functional and small enough that it’s easy to handle which makes it ideal for a woman.
It’s also pretty versatile for its size so this is ideal for a diver who doesn’t want to keep multiple knives. I would also recommend this for someone who does free diving and cave diving or quarry dives where you’re less likely to encounter
Who Shouldn’t Buy This Product?
This isn’t a knife that works for sharks, it hasn’t got a CO2 canister and while it’s better than nothing, if you’re going on a sea dive where you’re likely to encounter predators you probably want something more substantial.
This is also too big for a basic dive in my opinion and the Lima would probably be enough if you’re only an occasional diver that isn’t likely to encounter more than a bit of fishing line.
Conclusion
The Cressi Skorpion is the best dive knife for a beginner diver like me. I love that I can always change to a blunt point without having to get used to a different knife and that the steel is such nice quality.
Above all though, I think the fact that even if it rusts I can easily scrub it off is a no-brainer because that’s really the only downside.
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