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Al Mar Sere sheath knife

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Tuesday, 20 May 2008

Cutting edge

Al Mar Sere Sawback: sexy steel!

Having spent almost a decade working in outdoor retail stores in my younger days, I've surely developed an eye and appreciation for quality over the years. But when I started kayak fishing, however, initially my attitude was to use mid-range equipment. The reason for this was that I might just lose it all over the side anyway. Admittedly, thats precisely what happened several times in my first couple of years fishing. Eventually I got smart (well, smarter) and started leashing just about everything down to prevent this from happening. Since developing that strategy there is very little I've lost to Davey Jones locker. And because of that I started to replace my 'good enough' gear for higher quality counterparts. My fibreglass rods were eventually replaced with graphite you-beauts, my aged Leatherman tool replaced with a new Charge TI, my folding net replaced by an Environet and my heavily chromed dive knife replaced with an Al Mar Sere sheath knife.

Unfortunately, I never did get much use out of that knife because it was one of the few things I didn't leash down and sure enough, I simply dropped it over the side one day. Even in 11 metres of water I considered diving in after it. Alas, I was too gutless to do so, which was probably a good thing because the wind probably would have blown my kayak out of reach anyway.

I didn't lose the sheath, however, so I've had that stored for the past 6 months doing very little. One day I'd replace that hallowed knife I kept telling myself, so much did I admire it. That one day came yesterday when a package arrived from the states, complete with my new Sere that I've been pining over all this time. Joy... it's enough to make me want to start using bait more often (just so I have more reason to use it).

Why am I so fond of the Al Mar Sere? For one, I'm highly familiar with the Al Mar brand. In almost a decade of selling them, never once did we get one back with a complaint. I'm also familiar with the steel that is used in the Sere, which is CPM S30V stainless steel. It cuts really well, sharpens easily (far easier than a typical dive-knife) and with 14% chromium, is relatively rust resistant. The same steel is used in the main blade of my Leatherman Charge and has served me very well in that knife. Its also a full-tang construction, with one piece of steel from the tip to the butt (making it as string as possible by design). And finally, I'm really very fond of the sheath, which can be attached in various ways.

Snug as a bug in a rug

The main reason I like this knife, however, isn't so much the quality. I've used other high quality blades on the kayak before that were equally good at cutting and sharpening. But that first Sere wasn't the only expensive knife I've lost to the ocean. I've also lost a Fallkniven blade which costs almost $400. I lost that knife simply because it didn't sit in the sheath securely enough. The Sere, on the other hand, is secured better than any almost any other knife I've ever seen (which is saying something). Not only does it clip into it's Zytel sheath like a well-fitted glove, it also has the rubber retaining ring that is common with dive knives. So there is zero chance of it coming out of the sheath of it's own accord.

Truth be told, it's likely that the Leatherman will continue to get used more often than the Sere (until I start diving again, which will likely be this coming summer). But one thing I have learned in my years of coastal kayak fishing, it's better to have a big knife and not need it than to need a big knife and not have it.