SCUBAPRO Mako Titanium Knife Review: A Tool, Not a Weapon

A 3.5 inch titanium blade with a one-handed sheath release, for the entanglement it exists to solve.

Specifications

Specifications above come from SCUBAPRO's published specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

• Titanium does not rust. A steel dive knife left in a wet bag corrodes, and a corroded knife in a sheath is a knife you cannot draw when you need it.
• A one-handed sheath release is the specification that matters. Entanglement often means one hand is occupied or restricted, and a knife needing both hands to draw is a knife you may not get out.
• The line-cutting notch is more useful than the blade for the most common real hazard, which is monofilament fishing line rather than rope.
• A thumb guard on a large handle means it can be used in gloves, which is when you are most likely to need it.
• A serrated section genuinely helps with rope and netting, where a plain edge tends to skate.

Where it falls short

• Titanium does not hold an edge as well as good stainless steel. It is corrosion-proof rather than sharp-forever, and it will need touching up.
• A 3.5 inch knife on a leg or a BCD is bulk and a snag point. Many experienced divers have moved to a small line cutter or shears exactly because a knife is the thing that catches on a line.
• Where you mount it matters more than which knife it is. A knife you cannot reach with either hand while entangled is decoration.
• It is expensive for what it is. A ceramic line cutter costs a fraction and handles monofilament better.
• This is not a self-defence item and it should not be sold or bought as one. Its job is cutting line, netting and rope, and every training agency treats it that way.

What owners report

Owner reports on titanium dive knives are consistent: they never corrode and they never stay quite as sharp as steel. Divers who have used one in an actual entanglement mention the sheath release far more than the blade, which supports the view that access matters more than cutting power.

Our dive knife versus line cutter comparison is the honest treatment. Monofilament is the most common entanglement hazard and it is best dealt with by a small dedicated cutter, which is why many divers now carry a cutter as the primary tool and a knife only if the diving warrants it. Carrying both, in different places, is the belt-and-braces answer.

Mounting is the part that gets skipped. Put it where you can reach it with either hand while wearing the exposure suit you dive in, and try drawing it in the water rather than in the shop. Our gear buying order guide covers where a cutting tool sits in the sequence. Nothing on this page replaces training. Dive equipment is only as safe as the diver using it, and every item here assumes you hold a current certification appropriate to the diving you are doing.

Who it suits

• Divers around fishing grounds, wrecks or kelp where line and netting are present.
• Anyone who wants a corrosion-proof tool that lives in a wet bag.
• Divers who want one tool that handles both rope and line.

Who should skip it

• Divers whose main hazard is monofilament, where a dedicated cutter is better and far cheaper.
• Travelling divers watching bulk and weight, and note that knives complicate air travel.
• Anyone who will mount it somewhere they cannot reach one-handed.

Alternatives worth considering

Keep reading

• Dive knife vs line cutter
• Finger spool vs dive reel
• Dive gear buying order
• Dive travel packing guide
• Dive Rite ceramic line cutter review
• Best dive knives

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.