If there's one thing I keep my eye on in the news, it's new pocket knives. I get that's a weird thing to say, but when I was 16 years old, my trusty pocket knife I had used for fishing helped me escape a bad accident. Seat belt stuck, door caved in, the car starting to smoke, I cut my belt and crawled through the passenger side door.
From that moment, a knife has only left my side when I've had to fly. And sometimes, not even then, much to my bank account's sadness—damn things are expensive to replace after TSA confiscation.
But I'm always looking for a better mousetrap, as it were. Something that'd hold up in the woods, hold up to my abuse when it comes to trail-side repairs for my side-by-sides, motorcycles, ATVs, or snowmobiles, and hold up to my hunting excursions. A do-it-all blade that was sharp enough to skin a bull elk and be strong enough to pry some broken part loose if need be.
And while I've looked to both Benchmade and Montana Knife Company in recent years, the two being some of the best blades on the market—that Blackfoot 2.0 is stupid sharp, by the way—those blades are decidedly focused in their pursuits. This Sidekick Diver from Tops, however, could be one of a select few that could do it all.
"A lot of dive knives function as emergency gear that often dull after just a few uses," says Tops' description, adding, "Designed for divers who rely on their gear in critical moments, the Sidekick Diver maintains its edge through heavy work. Whether you are dispatching a fish or freeing yourself from entangled lines, this knife stays ready."
Now, obviously, let's address the elephant in the room. Tops says this knife is made for divers. The blade itself is designed for gutting and slicing through fish. At the top of the blade, there's an integrated line cutter. And the handle is wide enough for use when you have diving gloves on. It's also made out of stainless steel, with a secondary powder coating, for better corrosion resistance for those who swim in saltwater.
But all those attributes could also make it the perfect EDC for adventurers like myself.
The blade itself is thick, which means it's strong enough to be used as a pry bar when warranted. That line cutter? You could easily use that as a seatbelt cutter for your side-by-side or likely use it to help cut through an animal's hide. The curved handle is also perfect for folks wearing gloves on a bike, on an ATV, or when your hands are gross from water or blood. It's also not too big that you couldn't just attach it to your belt loop. I mean, what more could you ask for?
According to the brand, "[The Sidekick Diver] was built with a different approach than most dive gear. Instead of chasing maximum corrosion resistance at the expense of performance, it was designed to function as a high-quality cutting tool first. We wanted a knife that held an edge well but was also easy to sharpen and we wanted a steel that had good rust resistance. To validate that balance, prototypes were run through repeated saltwater cycles. Fully sheathed knives were soaked in high-salinity brine, then left to air dry without rinsing to simulate real neglect between dives. This is where corrosion actually accelerates, when saltwater dries and sits on the steel and hardware."
The company adds, "That testing mindset carries into the final product. This is not a knife meant to sit untouched until an emergency. It is built to be used, sharpened, and trusted every time you hit the water. It delivers long-term performance where a lot of dive knives fall short."
As for price, it's normally $395, but Tops is having a sale, and you can pick it up for $320, which ain't bad for a high-quality knife these days. Yes, you can get cheaper knives. But then you run the risk of destroying them after a single use. This, I doubt you could, though I'd be keen to try. I am notoriously hard on gear. And if anyone's going to break this knife, it'll be me.
