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From: Anders Marklund <Anders.Marklund_at_uab.ericsson.se>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Knives
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 18:00:46 +0100
Bill Leonhardt wrote:
> 5.   I'd also like to hear more from Joq Martin.  I too carried a knife
> with a hook for cutting parachute cords while flying.  As I recall, that
> knife had a push button opening (aka switch blade) for the normal pointed
> cutting blade but the hook blade had to be folded out.  The knife used to
> reside in the little pocket on the left thigh of my flight suit and it
> sounds like you've duplicated this pocket near the zipper on your PFD.  Are
> these knives a viable candidate for kayaking and are they available to
> civilians?

There is a type known as "hook knife" by skydivers. It's purpose is to
cut through cords and other parachute stuff (kevlar, cordura etc) at
e.g. a water landing or if you get entangled in the air. You can get a
hook knife from any skydiving equipment dealer. See e.g.
http://www.squareoneparachutes.com/Catalog/Catalog.html
Choose Accessories -> Hook knives.

The cutting edges reside inside a hook, hence the name hook knife. The
design makes it impossible to cut yourself. I don't know of any hook
knives with button opening. The knives must be ready to use as quickly
as possible, so they aren't foldable or operated by buttons. Most
skydivers wear quite tiny knives, but there is a beefy Swedish hook
knife called "Jack the Ripper" that I can recommend. It has an ergonomic
handle designed to be used with gloves. It's made of plastic with
replaceable stainless steel knives. I think this kind of knife could be
useful in sea kayaking.

-Anders Marklund
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