# NRS pilot knife



## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

have been using my reliable gerber river runner for years, looking at the NRS Pilot knives, are they worth it? looking to upgrade and i think i may do it, any infor good or bad would be appreciated, thanks!


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## kayakfreakus (Mar 3, 2006)

I have one and like it so far, but no real rescue tests. Things I noticed is the handle end of the knife is for I think, breaking glass, which makes it a consideration as how you mount it on your PFD, I started with back end up towards my face and immediately switched. Other than that the handle itself is thin but does have decent grip. 

The bottle opener works as promised......


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## COUNT (Jul 5, 2005)

No rescue tests either but I'm super stoked on the knife. I was originally skeptical of the fact that the attachment was not a screw-on bar like all the other knives I've had. Contrary to my concerns it is on there rock solid. The blade is sharper than any other river knife I've had, the bottle opener is sick, visible color under water is a great idea (orange, not black). The thing I like most is it's much easier to pull out with one hand than my other knife. My only real complaints stem from the way it attaches to my PFD, which is a complaint about the PFD, not the knife.

Officially a fan,
COUNT


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## b dash rian (Mar 30, 2007)

count, you got one too?

I too like mine, super easy to get off your vest in a hurry, but stays on tight when you don't need it in your hand. 
My complaint is the little glass-breaker end also. It sits too low on my PFD, and if i'm just chilling in an eddy, with my paddle on my lap, it catches a little bit, and scratches up my paddle. 
Other than that, its a saweet knife!


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## COUNT (Jul 5, 2005)

Yeah, lost my old one in Trash Can.


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## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

the glass breaking end can be easily ground off


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## b dash rian (Mar 30, 2007)

ya, it certainly could, just hadn't thought about that... i'm bringing it to work on monday to grind it off i think... its not too often that you need to be breaking windows with your kayak knife...


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## COUNT (Jul 5, 2005)

So I do have the issue of the knife catching on the paddle but my complaint isn't the knife or the "glass breaker" (nice feature although I think it's actually there for divers to tap on their tanks as a form of communication) but rather where it mounts on the PFD. I have the Astral Rescue Vest and the mounting clip is about halfway down the shoulder on the right strap. I would like to remount it (or mount another clip) higher (so it doesn't catch on the paddle as easily) on the left shoulder (so it's easier to grab with the right hand). Does anyone have any experience doing something like this? I'm a little nervous about doing it myself because that attachment is so bomber and it needs to be.

COUNT

P.S. You never know what kind of strange tools you'll need on the river. I would keep the glass breaker on as it may come in handy for something completely different.


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## b dash rian (Mar 30, 2007)

although, i could see its use. 

running shuttle, have your PFD on in the car, and suddenly you end up in the creek for some unknown reason, it may be nice to have on you...


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## oopsiflipped (May 9, 2006)

You never know when you are going to find a car strainer in the river, right?


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## MtnGuyXC (Jul 20, 2006)

*Knife Option*

Before the Pilot came out I was in need of a new new after Gerber losses & in my research I came up with a nice option. It is a dive knife made by Wenoka. They make a stainless & titanium. They are fairly compact which I like. Spring action pressing on both sides of handle at same time to realease which is super secure. Blunt tip, serrated on side, straight blade other. Only down fall I see so far is that the tip used as a screw driver is not exceptionally strong. I paid around $35 for it. Just something to check out if you have a dealer in the area.

MtnGuyXC


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## tomrefried (Oct 12, 2003)

I picked up a couple of the Wenonka knives for some spare pfds, I think I paid about $15 each because the shop was closing, great knife for the price and it wont fall out. I switched to a Bearclaw when I bought a new pfd, I like it but it's not much good for everyday jobs. 
I have a real nice dive knife from CRKT but it's too big to wear on a pfd, It's too bad it's just an inch too long and gets in the way. 
I haven't tried the NRS knife but it looks nice.


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## Ture (Apr 12, 2004)

tomrefried said:


> ...I switched to a Bearclaw when I bought a new pfd, I like it but it's not much good for everyday jobs. ...


Just a thought... you might not want to ever use your river knife except in an emergency. That thing needs to be as sharp as a razor. The only reason I ever take my river knife out is to check for rust or to dry it off. 

A Leatherman pocket knife multi-tool is a good thing to stuff in your drybag for those trips where you want to cut a marshmallow stick or tighten up a bolt on your boat.


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## COUNT (Jul 5, 2005)

Ture said:


> Just a thought... you might not want to ever use your river knife except in an emergency. That thing needs to be as sharp as a razor. The only reason I ever take my river knife out is to check for rust or to dry it off.
> 
> A Leatherman pocket knife multi-tool is a good thing to stuff in your drybag for those trips where you want to cut a marshmallow stick or tighten up a bolt on your boat.


Ditto. I agree completely. I only use my river knife in emergencies.


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

Ture said:


> Just a thought... you might not want to ever use your river knife except in an emergency. That thing needs to be as sharp as a razor. The only reason I ever take my river knife out is to check for rust or to dry it off.
> 
> A Leatherman pocket knife multi-tool is a good thing to stuff in your drybag for those trips where you want to cut a marshmallow stick or tighten up a bolt on your boat.


 
i don't understand this needs to be sharp stuff. one reason if there is tension on a line(rope) it doesn't take a lot to cut through. whats some other reason of using a knife? i heard about the bailey accident where the dude's skirt got caught on some rocks and ended up pulling him under. what are some other situations where a knife would be handy?


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## COUNT (Jul 5, 2005)

I've seen a couple incidents where the issue was a rope wrapped around a wrist or body but not anchored or under tension. Obviously, they wanted the rop off and when they couldn't just pull it off easily, had to cut it off but didn't have the advantage of it being under significant tension. I keep a separate multi-tool with knife in my boat for everyday purposes.

COUNT


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## jeffro (Oct 13, 2003)

Needing a marshmallow stick can be an emergency.


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## PARKER (Apr 21, 2004)

*myth*

Its a myth that a rope under tension is that much easier to cut. It is only easier because the energy pressed into the rope goes to cutting and not pressing the rope tight, but a tense line does not just "pop" when you apply pressure with a knife blade. It still requires a significant sawing motion to get through.


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## oopsiflipped (May 9, 2006)

PARKER said:


> Its a myth that a rope under tension is that much easier to cut. It is only easier because the energy pressed into the rope goes to cutting and not pressing the rope tight, but a tense line does not just "pop" when you apply pressure with a knife blade. It still requires a significant sawing motion to get through.


 
really? are you just saying that or speaking from personal experience? my vertical rope rescue classes were a few years ago, but i don't remember having to do much sawing to cut a rope under tension.


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## IkayakNboard (May 12, 2005)

Not really one for your pfd...but it sure is cool 










The Buck-184 Buckmaster - The peak of survival knives!


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## PARKER (Apr 21, 2004)

oopsiflipped said:


> really? are you just saying that or speaking from personal experience? my vertical rope rescue classes were a few years ago, but i don't remember having to do much sawing to cut a rope under tension.


 
Personal experience. The pressure applied w/ the knife to a rope under tension is about the same as cutting a loop your holding w/ the one hand and cutting w/ the other. 

I only say this because it seems many people think a rope under tension will "pop" when a knife is lighty touched to it. Just saying it still takes an effort to get through it. Not necessarily sawing, but effort.


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## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

damn, looks like quite the discussion....

the underlying theme seems to be that people like them, i think that seals the deal and i will now buy one. ill try it out and give my review sometime. thanks everybody who responded!


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## jbarnow (Sep 10, 2007)

Up until last weekend I thought this was a pretty sweet knife, until I was climbing into my boat and it got snagged on the frame immediately popping it out of its sheaf and right into the water. Bye bye 50 bucks...


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

I like the blunt tip shorty. its cheap and effective


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

jbarnow said:


> Up until last weekend I thought this was a pretty sweet knife, until I was climbing into my boat and it got snagged on the frame immediately popping it out of its sheaf and right into the water. Bye bye 50 bucks...


Attach your next knife horizontally and tie it on with a rubberband or some sort of cord that you can break if you need to. This can happen with almost any river knife...


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