how much would you pay for a "good" kite knife?

[BWD]

back to the original basics of the question:
there are plenty of $40 options that are there for the high end of the market.
The $10 ones are lacking.
Go for $20-25, stainless, no aluminum, sharpenable or replaceable blade.
Maybe a plastic handle? Floating or lanyard? Must cut up to 1/2"/13mm line.

On to bells and whistles:
Wear the whistle around your neck.
Possibly on a piece of 3/4 to 1" webbing that can also become a tourniquet -hopefully not for your neck, it should have a releaseable buckle!
Or carry an extra kite leash or paracord, many uses including tourniquet, tow rope, landing tether etc.
Maybe your knife can be used to secure/tighten tourniquet.
It could also be used to shred your clothes or kite to make a tourniquet, bandage, splint, etc.

I don't have a vhf radio though I sometimes ride alone -but within 5-10 miles of a USCG station. Floating handheld vhf is about $150-200.
I'm cheap and don't like feeling encumbered, but I'd feel pretty dumb if I ever needed them.
Probably a good idea to be more of a safety guy. I'll try to remember my helmet at least.

[RickI]

I recently saw a pile of discarded trap line on the beach. There must have been about 50 lbs. of 3/4 inch polypro in a messy pile.
I figured if I washed into that offshore there would be little option of cutting out of it, certainly not with my normal hook knife.
A commercial diver recommended one of these to me.

Spyderco Atlantic Salt Rust Free Serrated Edge Knife



I bought one through Amazon for $70. Not cheap, but then again neither is dying for want of the right tool. I am getting a new NP High Hook harness
and will have a pocket attached to it for the knife. In addition to my normal hook knife.


Like BWD, I often ride alone, at twilight or around dawn, it pays to be prepared to improve the odds of a good outcome when things go wrong.


Things weren't nearly as intense as this photo implies, still sometimes things can go south very rapidly. It is good to create some options for yourself.

.

[C Johnson]

what do you guys think of these?

the first one is a folding hook that would probably go in a webbing sheath.

the second one is a fixed blade that would come with a kydex sheath.

both are spendy. e.g. $50-90 range.

[justbob]

Don't forget some kind of lanyard or shock cord system so you don't drop it by
mistake.

[edt]

if you have never been upside down under water thinking you are going to die and all you can think is air, teabagging at 20mph, can't see a thing, well then you might overestimate just how important a knife is.

#1 Quick release. Practice it. make sure it works
#2 Leash release. Practice it. make sure it works.

That's way more important than a knife. If you haven't thrown your quick release in over a year I strongly suggest you go practice your quick release today. Don't buy a knife. Practice your QR. then buy a knife if you like. also I suggest against a lanyard to keep your knife attached to you. That's just one more thing which can tangle in your lines

[C Johnson]

if you have never been upside down under water thinking you are going to die and all you can think is air, teabagging at 20mph, can't see a thing, well then you might overestimate just how important a knife is.

#1 Quick release. Practice it. make sure it works
#2 Leash release. Practice it. make sure it works.

That's way more important than a knife. If you haven't thrown your quick release in over a year I strongly suggest you go practice your quick release today. Don't buy a knife. Practice your QR. then buy a knife if you like. also I suggest against a lanyard to keep your knife attached to you. That's just one more thing which can tangle in your lines

True those things are important to practice but they are not a substitution for a knife.

Regarding the lanyard, I think that is a personal preference thing. I have sourced a high quality low breaking strength retractable lanyard. similar to what you might use for an ID badge or your keys. My thought with something like this is that if it did get tangled it would break free before it would start dragging you. (e.g. less than 50lb breaking strength)

Also, I disagree with overestimating a knife. As someone who has been pushed into my lines by a wave and hog tied and then dragged and pulled down by multiple waves hitting a ripped kite (btw, this is all after releasing everything) I have had a come to jesus moment about the importance of a knife. At the time I had a rental harness and the knife was missing. I had plenty of time to freak out about the lack of knife and the thought of holding my breath so I could untangle the line around my foot. I'd say I'm lucky to be alive right now and hoping to use that experience as a reason to help others.

[RickI]

I carry a knife to cut things that I might get into as much as problems that might come up with kite gear. There is a lot of line of all descriptions floating around down here. I've been tangled by fishing line a few times and have needed to cut free for instance. Wouldn't you feel stupid to be tangled and possibly drown being held by some fishing line that you couldn't break but which would part like butter with a knife? There was case involving a young girl hooked by some irresponsible and incredibly stupid fisherman's discarded rig and anchored head almost beneath the waves at a local kite (and popular swimming) beach. A guy managed to cut her free, without a blade you're pretty much helpless. There are a lot more divers than kiters, many have carried knives primarily to deal with line tangles for decades. They have even helped kiters deal with line tangles on rare occasion such as:

http://www.fksa.org/showthread.php?t=543
.

[RickI]

Both look like good knives. I have tried to stay away from hook knives which are wide enough to accidentally lop off a finger with. For that reason, I would probably go with the second knife before the first. The 'hook' in hook knives is a good thing for cutting line, so having both on one devices is a good thing. A longer serrated blade can help you deal with tougher and perhaps thicker lines

what do you guys think of these?

the first one is a folding hook that would probably go in a webbing sheath.

the second one is a fixed blade that would come with a kydex sheath.

both are spendy. e.g. $50-90 range.

[edt]

getting snagged with one of them long line fishing lines is no fun that is probably the best reason to carry a knife. No way out except to cut it.

[KYLakeKiter]

I like the look of the eezycut. Just put a T handle on it so you can hold on to it better and it should let you cut left or right with authority. I carry 2 of the Benchmade hook knives for work. I like them and they are super high quality, but the small hole only fits 1 or 2 fingers which I would worry might not give me enough pull trying to cut a line in a panic with things twisted.

I am with edt on the lanyard thing. A long career in the Army told me if it wasn't tied to you, you wouldn't have it if you need it, but that didn't translate well to kiting. I have had both a lanyard on a Gopro tied to my vest shoulder, and a whistle lanyard that had been stuffed in a pocket get loose in yard sale crashes and tangle in my lines. My preference is that I would rather loose it than create another snag/tangle hazard in the water. I would hate to need a kite knife to cut the lanyard of my kite knife that got tangled in my lines.