Edelrid rope knife: corrosion issues

AlexR

Active member
I did an extended kit clean and check today, and found I couldn't open my caving knife by hand for love nor money. The usual whacking and putting it in water didn't help, so it's safe to say I'd have struggled to open it in a cave (certainly not in a hurry).

A little bit of leverage with a screwdriver got it open without too much force, and taking it apart revealed the culprit: A fairly corroded spring bar as seen below. The fact that the flipper is very close to the pivot does not help, but I imagine that's on purpose to guard against accidental opening.

For now I'll just remove the rust and liberally cover it in grease. Given the simplicity of the part involved, it's a real pain that Edelrid didn't just use stainless for the bar. I'd claim that I'll replace it in the future, but as I don't have the right diameter stainless bar around I'll probably just forget about it.

I don't usually open my knife as part of a standard kit check, but if you own the below knife you might want to check it. If it's stuck and you want to clean the spring bar you'll need a T6 torx to get to it.

This is the model:
https://www.edelrid.de/en/sports/miscellaneous/rope-tooth-einhandmesser.html
 

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Ed

Active member
that why you should by a knife from an actual cutlery company not a climbing gear maker

Those and the Petzl ones are cheap nasty steal with poor heat treatment.

Spyderco Rescue harness / surface  or CRKT KISS for smaller neck knife - I tend to use the KISS underground as it is small enough to wear comfortable around neck - and has far more cutting power than those sold as "climbing" knives.
 

cavetroll

Member
My Edelrid one lasted about a year, then the same locking pin began to become too stiff to use even after copious '3-in-1' oiling.

I have made the switch to a line cutter, and I find that this ?9 tool cuts just as well and infinitely more safely. I keep some tough cut scissors in my small emergency kit for anything else. Giant sexy rope knives are great for cheese, and utter rubbish for anything else.
 

Pete K

Well-known member
I bought an Edelrid canyoning knife a while back. After a couple of uses, the screws holding the handle to the stainless blade started to rust and expand. Pretty soon the handle cracked. I ended up drilling through all the screw holes and the blade and epoxying in stainless steel bar. Edelrid customer services failed to understand that by mixing stainless steel and carbon steel in a knife marketed as something to be used in a wet environment that they had created a flawed product. I still use the knife as my repair has made it pretty bomber and corrosion proof, but I'm not planning on giving Edelrid any more of my money. Saving pence per unit by not fitting stainless screws seems like a stupid shortcut and makes me question their design process and quality control in safety related items.
Avoid buying this like the plague unless you have the necessary skill or kit to replace the screws with stainless bar.
https://www.edelrid.de/fr/sports/divers/rescue-canyoning-knife.html
 

Pete K

Well-known member
For future reference, the cracked handle can be seen here along with the new stainless pins I fitted prior to grinding down.
 

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Fjell

Well-known member
Buy a boat knife for rope from an online chandlers. They survive in a salt environment, let alone fresh water. Lots to choose from. Can?t go wrong with Wichard, I have had one of theirs for decades, like new. You can easily get a decent rope knife for ?15.

https://www.force4.co.uk/item/Wichard/OS-Knife-Blade-Fluo/CYW
 

AlexR

Active member
Well, that's not exactly a recommendation for Edelrid knives, is it!
I understand the vast majority of outdoor companies are ruled by accountants, but what the hell. What's the point of using stainless for nearly all parts only to then ruin the product to save pence as Pete says.

This will probably get OT, but has anyone got any experience with cutting hair out of a descender with a line cutter? Maybe it's just a fluke or the fact I used to cave with students a lot, but I've given  3 wonderful haircuts with the above knife. And I was never too happy about the pointy end of the knife so close to someone's face, either.
That and it does a lovely job of digging into my sternum in tighter sections.

The boat knifes are a great suggestion, thanks Fjell!
Ed, I'm sure Spyderco and Co make great knives, but most cavers will probably baulk a little at the price tag. I certainly do, for my application.

cavetroll said:
I keep some tough cut scissors in my small emergency kit for anything else. Giant sexy rope knives are great for cheese, and utter rubbish for anything else.
It is an almost comically sized knife, isn't it? The trauma shears live in my big-ish first aid kit, but I have to admit I only take that if I go in larger groups/ when I think there's a good chance of someone needing it. For any other trip, duct tape will have to do.
 

andrewmcleod

Well-known member
I like my Trango Piranha on a 19g krab. For something I _almost_ never use, it's lightweight and still plenty nasty enough for cutting rope (or poking things like splinters with the pointy end when required).
 

Subpopulus Hibernia

Active member
I too have an Edelrid Rope Tooth and think it's a bit rubbish. Mine got fouled up with grid and corrosion a while back and needed a lot of oil and over-and-back motions to get it sliding nicely again.

Grit also stopped the blade fully sitting into the handle, meaning the tip of the knife stuck out by a millimetre or two, and the sharp tip nicked my hand. Had to blunt the tip slightly - just enough to stop it being razor-sharp.

It also doesn't cut very well, snagging hard on the rope, as you can see in this review.

https://youtu.be/GjGGTnXLpns
 
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