Anyone have experience with this knife. Writing a proposal for my swift water team to get a new river knife for every operator and I am looking at this one to recommend to the admin. Thoughts and experiences appreciated.
Well thanks! I’m just wondering how they hold up to use and abuse, if any other water teams had used them for a while. How corrosion resistant is the steel on it? Can the retention strap be undone easily with gloves? Is it the standard belt clip on the back of the sheath?
Define abuse....the Imlay I made out of 440c steel and we've got a solid heat treat on it. It's highly corrosion resistant and holds a great edge. A "rescue Knife" must have a secondary retention strap and that's why the retention strap is there...it can be released with gloves that fit properly....glove can make doing anything significantly more difficult so proper fit is key there. Stand clip plate. I've been testing/carrying an Imlay since they have come out on my swift water and diving gear. I've had no issues and it performs like it should. The knife design was born out of our time both in the water and on rope in high angle environments. Hope this helps.
We have several teams using them now. Only complaint I've heard is the carbon steel clip on the sheath will rust if it's not maintained after being in the water. The knife itself does not rust quickly in fresh water. Will rust in salt water if it's not maintained. We realized this going in but we wanted a knife that would actually hold an edge so we chose the stainless we did. Most river and water knives are made from stainless with very low carbon content, so they won't rust but they won't hold an edge worth a damn due to that.
As a side note, the clip fits perfectly on the Astral Green Jackets that our team uses. All you have to do it clip it in and it ain't coming off. The retention strap works well with gloves also.
By abuse I just meant multi day deployments without cleaning until we are back at home. You all have answered my questions wonderfully. Thank you.
No worries here on multi-day deployments. 440c is really a GREAT steel for this application. We've done extended testing on fresh/salt water exposure and there isn't an issue here.. Over time you will get small spots of surface rust but that isn't an issue on functionality.
I had the Imlay a while back. Gave it to my buddy when he joined BC - SAR in his town. It's been used a LOT , put away wet / muddy, pried stuff, cut stuff , sharpened / used hundreds of times. His unit leader was impressed with it, I believe they ordered a bunch for their team members.
Esee Knives @Jeff Randall @shaneadams90 etc put the retention strap like this (see pic) instead of the factory mount way. The way I've mounted it is a lot more comfortable in the hand during extraction from the sheath and in use - no ball pressing into the palm. Original factory retention strap mount
I’ve handled the Imlay and it seems like it would be perfect for the specialized uses required of it. The weak point in my opinion is the retention strap. I had the retention strap on my Izula and loved it! It lasted about 6 Months until it just snapped a few days ago. It broke close to where it goes through itself on the knife handle. The Izula has only seen light use since attaching the strap. I’d say it has only been removed from the sheath a dozen times in the last 6 months. It just rides in the back pocket of my edc bag for emergency purposes.
Yep, the straps will eventually break. We send new ones out when they do. Just the nature of the material. If you need an extra one let Shane know and he will get you taken care of.
Appreciate the offer. I was under no impression that the strap would last forever, especially considering I have TKC scales on my Izzy. It was,however, the only critique I could come up with regarding the Imlay/Izula. I think the strap is a brilliant design but was a little too tight and secure for daily regular use (I’m back to carrying it on me at all times again). It is perfect, though, for situations that require a very secure retention (which is exactly what it’s designed for). I absolutely love the design and function of the button post and have replaced the broken strap with one I made with shock cord and it works perfect for my applications. I would buy it just for that piece. (Which I may do for a few of my other smaller blades). Again I appreciate the offer and am once again humbled by the way you guys stand behind your products
