I'm wondering if anyone has seen/used these side by side and could comment on the pros and cons of each. I'm going on a cruise and want something that is both functional in the water and on land, but won't attract a lot of attention.

I believe either of these knives will attract attention because they just look good.

I chose the River Shorty for its blunt, prybar tip. Some find the lack of a stabbing point make the knife less threatening. Some believe that a "blunt" point knife is better for diving and kayaking applications because there is less chance of stabbing or cutting yourself.

My choice is to keep the blunt tip tool conspicuous, and to keep my wicked little pointed titanium dive knife as a concealed backup / spare / fish pither.

From what I remember reading, people were having a lot of issues with the Rivermate...the majority of which were with the sheath. With the original sheath, people had trouble with the knife falling out. Then they redesigned it, and people had trouble getting the knife out one handed. I think they have since discontinued the design, as I no longer see it listed on their website.

The River Shorty, on the other hand, has been around for a long time and it well proven. However, it isn't really a great design for use on land, as it's pretty much an entirely serrated blade and the handle design is made more for clamming/prying than extended cutting.

Benchmade has a nice looking dive knife out now, the 110H20, however it goes for around $85, which I'm guessing is a bit more than you might be willing to spend based on the options you listed.

Malpaso, I've got carried and used the Shorty, the Rivermate and the previous incarnation of the Benchmande that Paul180 posted. Any specific questions feel free to ask.

On our rescue vests (Mustang MIV-20) there is a dedicated knife pocket that the Rivermate works in quite well. I think it is the better of the two Gerbers from a knife point of view but not from a sheath point of view.

The river shorty can be mounted upside down and will NOT have any retentions issues, period. The Rivermate's weakness is in the sheath's retention system. The ones I purchased were retained by two stainless steel pins mounted in tiny o-rings. Any kind of shock loading, if mounted upside down, could release the knife from the sheath. The sheath fits a lash tab well and as long as it's not upside down, it works just fine. I don't know what the newest ones are like, so I'm not sure if there has been a design change.

Both knives are reasonably corrosion resistant. The Shorty is highly polished while the Rivermate is coated. Both will benifit from Tuff cloth or Corrosion X or ACR50.

The previous version of the Benchmade dive knife is far and away my favourite. It has a bullet proof retention and mounting system and will simply not corrode.

I have to ask why the focus on the blunt tip. Our requirement for blunt tips is driven by the fact that really pointy tips and inflatable boats don't mix well. Unless there is a rubber boat in your future or there is a specific requirement re cruising, the blunt tip is limiting. There are lots of newish blade designs like a modified drop point (Gerber's DPSF folder) that are reasonably boat safe but still have most of the advantages of a pointed tip.

The newer Benchmade is a fine knife with a good retention system and a great steel. The notch is good for cutting monofiliment if tangled while diving but isn't meant for cutting lines as such.

This post is already too long but if anyone wants to discuss tow post knives...that's another thread.

Jenks

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I should have been a little more detailed in my need/wants.

@Paul810, the reason for the two Gerbers was the price. I'm not sure what the limitations are for blades on cruises, so losing a $20 knife was more palatable than $80! I did look at the Benchmade as I am a long time Benchmade fan. I saw the same concerns about the Rivermate sheath, which is the only reason I didn't jump on it immediately.

@Jenks, the reason for the blunt tip was I figured it would be less likely to be viewed a weapon by most levels of security. As I'm trained in self defense with the Spyderco rescue, I figured I could depend on the serrated edge and not worry about the tip. In either case, I could still the Gerbers as dive knives.

I guess I'll revisit looking at the Benchmade, even though I really don't want to chance losing it. I guess if I pack it with my dive gear it's as hidden in plain sight as I can hope for. If not, I'll probably get both Gerbers and sell the one I don't like.

I've carried the Gerber River Shorty for many years as a dive knife with no negative issues.

Malpaso, I think i understand better now what you are asking, lol.

My EDC varies directly with how much of a risk i'm running to have a knife taken away from me.
In order of increasing risk it would be Benchmade, Spyderco then Gerber.

I think the Rivermate is the better of the two for your purposes.
It has a longer edge, and more traditional blade and handle format.
If you are clipping it to the back of your waistband, either sheath is going to work about the same.

jenks

OT, do any of you guys know about "TUSA" dive-style knives? I picked one up with a whole lot of other barely used outdoor gear that's perhaps 10 years old. Made in Japan and is essentially new. Cost me about $5.00. I think it'll be a good beater yard/river knife, and it still has a good factory edge. Thing is, my kid sister is off doing ocean dives as a marine biology student, and I'll donate it provided that it's not junk. What say you, gents? Help this landlubber out.

TUSA is a Japanese brand of premium dive gear. TUSA stands for Tabata USA, ironically.

I've had one of their dive knives. No problems with it either.

I also had the Gerber River Guide, but didn't like the sheath as it didn't feel secure.

I thought the Gerber Moray was pretty solid except it was too big for my liking.

The CRKT STIFF KISS is not too bad as a water knife unless you're in salt water.

I really like the Benchmade BM100 knife except the sheath is only
one way.

Ok, maybe I've bought too many 'water' knives in my time. Haha.

Back to Malpaso's original question. I think the River shorty 'looks' less threatening