The MPK's serrated edge is as good as it gets in the business, and their diamond hone is the implement that keeps it rope slicing sharp.

A commercial diver usually is occupied with civilian pursuits in these environs, such as pipefitting, construction or repair such as welding or cutting, pouring concrete, inspection, harvesting mollusks and sponges, or the sundry aspects of salvage. Military divers however, and our SEALs, are good examples, and are usually engaged in work that would be hazardous even on the surface - let alone at depth and in darkness. Such tasks as defuzeing or disassembling rotting old explosive ordnance take the balls of a buffalo and the hands of a neurosurgeon. And the right tools.

One of the single most important tools for a working diver is his knife, because it is used for many primary tasks and myriad incidentals; such as cutting, scraping, probing, prying - and for G.I. divers, fighting. Many commercial divers get by with modified, cheap butcher knives, for the same reason they buy discount-bin oriental wrenches: Buy cheap and if there's a good chance you'll loose it in the drink or in the bottom of the slime, and few things will cut line like the rasty edge of a rusty butcher knife. But for a military diver whose life depends on his knife, trying to go on the cheap side is like a professional body guard buying a Saturday-night special.

Producing the optimum knife for our SEAL teams has received a great deal of attention, and generated a great deal of controversy. The controversy, of course, came from far outside the circle of SEALs or various engineers working with them to produce the optimum, practical tool. Perhaps the controversy stemmed from the aura of romance surrounding the SEALs (as opposed to their well-deserved aura of excellence), and the fact that some people get really worked up over knives - probably because the common knife has few if any moving parts and those who can understand damn little else think they can understand a knife, and attach to it a great deal of juju. At any rate, after many announcements by knife makers that "they" had "the" SEAL knife, one particular knife has come to the fore, and from any standpoint it is gear that is unequivocally good to go.

SEAL requirements for a knife are somewhat specialized. As any working knife, it must be strong, and take and hold a good edge. For UDT use it should be non-corrosive. For EOD use it should be nonmagnetic, so as not to trigger magnetic mines. Since chopping underwater is a marginally fruitful undertaking due to the water's resistance to fast motion, and because poor visibility makes chopping an imprecise task, light weight is not a negative. This fairly well defines the optimum material of the knife as titanium, but leaves the classic consideration of how form will follow function. The MPK SEAL knife by Mission Knives is a good case study in how to do something right.

Ergonomics and comfort become highly important when a diver spends long shifts in the water. Your hands get as soft and as mushy as a knife-writer's, and rough or sticky textures or angular features will abrade or gouge soft callouses and expose flesh to hostile, polluted environs. Even if the water starts crystal clear and you're shallow and have light, as soon as you start to work on the bottom your activity stirs up the sediment so you can always count on working in poor visibility. In poor visibility, the shape of the knife - or other tool - should be angular enough that its position in the hand can be learned by feel, and angular enough to provide a secure grip and perform its function - but not so angular as to prove a detriment to softened hands. I would have to characterize the human engineering of the MPK as optimum. Knives are a highly individual item, and were someone designing a similar purpose knife made from scratch, it might end up slightly different in some respects in response to individual tastes - but I don't see how it could end up any better.

The MPK is 11 7/8 inches overall, with a 7 1/8-inch blade having a full tang and textured handle molded from Kevlar-fiber-filled Hytrel. The spine and tang of the blade are a full ¼ inch thick. Longitudinal grooves in the handle help secure the hand without being rude. The thong hole in the butt will just pass a piece of 550 cord, which is good because this is one knife you do not want to lose. The bottom-front of the grip is formed to a thick hilt effectively ¾" long, comfortable yet securely to keep your hand off the blade. There is even a slight depression just aft of this hilt, which in effect gives a slight belly to grip: It is a very secure and comfortable grip, due to the shape of the hilt and the drop at the butt there is no way to grip it without knowing which way is up. Excellent ergonomics - too perfect not to have been evolved through many iterations from front end-users. The combination of shape and texture provide a good grip in muddy water, mud, oil, grease or soapy water, even with wet leather gloves, yet without being hard on water-softened hands.