Dive knives and blunt tips
Knives
Always carry one. Stainless, strapped, ready for line cuts and kill-shots.
The engineering case
Knives that do not snap when you need them.
Most dive knives fail in one of two ways: the blade snaps at the tang (where handle meets blade) because the handle is glued on, or the blade corrodes because it stays in a sheathed wet state. Rob Allen engineers around both.
Full-tang — blade + handle are one piece of steel
Both the X-Blade and the Dentex are forged as a single piece of stainless from the tip of the blade through the handle butt. There is no glued-on handle. There is no tang-to-handle joint to fail. This alone puts them above most sub-$100 dive knives on the market.
Watch Rob Allen's test →Triple edge — stiletto point + plain + serrated
The X-Blade runs 10.5 cm / 4.13" of stainless blade with three working surfaces: a stiletto point for dispatch, a plain edge for clean cuts, and a serrated section for sawing through entangled rope or fishing line. Integrated spear-wrench on the handle for extracting a stuck shaft without needing a second tool.
Watch Rob Allen's test →Corrosion honesty — never sheath a wet blade
Rob Allen does not publish the specific steel alloy grade, and the brand warns against leaving the knife sheathed after a dive — implicit acknowledgement that saltwater retention in a closed sheath will rust any stainless eventually. Rinse in fresh water, dry thoroughly, THEN sheath. That is the whole maintenance routine.
Watch Rob Allen's test →Low-profile sheath with webbing strap
The sheath is body-hugging — designed to sit flat against arm or leg with a webbing strap that locks without a buckle you would fight with underwater. Draw pattern is predictable: one motion, no fumbling.
Watch Rob Allen's test →X-Blade is the default recommendation. The Dentex is the same philosophy with a different blade profile — happy to walk you through which suits your hand and sheath position.
Before you buy
Knives — common questions
Where should I mount it? +
Inner calf for most divers — quick access for line cuts, out of the way. Arm-mount if you prefer it visible. Never clip to your weight belt — you want it if the belt has to go.
Do I need a serrated edge? +
Straight edge for cleaner cuts on fish. Serrated for tougher line (float line, anchor rope). A half-and-half blade covers both. Diego carries the DK dagger.