Dive, Hike, Work... Great all around single blade lockback
Written: Nov 06 '09 (Updated Nov 06 '09)
Product Rating:
Pros: Excellent blade contour, unencumbored carry, durable, nice price, easy one hand opening
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: A great all around working knife that can be used for outdoor activity, farming, diving, or other hard use applications. True to its advertising, it has not corroded one bit.
toolguy1963's Full Review: 1, Frn Handle, Plain Ea C88PYL
Diver Down
Ah… The perfect skin diving knife. Or at the time it seemed. Lightweight, bright colored, sharp, easy opening, and really truly rust proof. Seemed like the perfect combination at the time. As it turned out after a few dives off Palomares in the Med, looking for B-52 and nuclear bomb parts from the accidental dropping of Nukes onto Spain’s coast. It never got pulled out. No test. Finally on a dive on the Atlantic side of Gibralter we found an ancient anchor that was fastened to some rock outcroppings by a twisted mess of rope. Ah-ha. Pulling the Salt I out from its fastened position in my dive shorts, flicking the blade open and making a few quick cuts, the anchor was free. Mission accomplished. Salt I test completed with flying colors.
All right, I felt a bit guilty about making use of Spyderco’s Salt I just one time and then writing about it on Epi. The real deal when it comes to dive knives is this. Very seldom do you need them, but when you do they have to perform. I used this knife for skin diving. Shallow warm water dives where you’re down for a scenic tour or a little exploring. To be honest if you’re going down into Eel territory stick to a big fixed blade.
Above the surface the Salt I played double duty this summer as a great hiking / pack knife. Its size, blade shape, weight and ease of use made it a great workhorse. This is not the type of blade that should be typecast into a niche.
The Blade
Although the H1 Steel is the big selling point for this knife, I would say the blade contour takes the cake and makes it a first place talk up point. I used to be a big Buck knife enthusiast. When the Spyderco hit the market I jumped and bought one, but was less than impressed with the early versions. I trudged on using my Bucklight 426 (Buck 110 plastic handle version) for a long time. One day I broke the tip of that knife and reground it to almost the exact shape as this Salt I. It continued to serve well with this improved blade contour and still sits in the top of my toolbox.
I recognized the utility of this dropped point blade immediately. A modified warncliff design, the blade gives ideal slicing and scrapping performance. The concave grind also provides excellent blade heft and strength and combined with the drop tip ensures a tip that won’t easily break. This is one point of design that Spyderco really needed to compete in the work knife category. Spyderco knives have normally delicate tips.
I’ve owned a few Spyder and serrated edge blades and have decided against them. A sharp plain edge blade will cut just as well, provides better tip support, slices straighter and will not bunch up material while cutting. The real plus for a plain edge blade is the ease and simplicity of sharpening. Spyderco sends this blade razor sharp right out of the box. Although they claim good edge retention, be careful about twisting action with the blade as it will dull quickly. For general use it holds the edge fairly well, but when the going gets tough, be sure to have a sharpening stone or steel nearby. Sharpening is straightforward and it will sharpen quickly so not to worry.
The H1 steel is a new type that is nitrogen hardened vs carbon. This technique supposedly will prevent any rust formation. So far it has held true. Whether it was salt water from the ocean, hose down water or just sweat from climbing, I have not found any formation of corrosion on any part of this knife.
Working Mans Friend
I admit that over the years I have become a Spyderco convert with the improvements they have made to their products. Enlarging the opening hole in the blade back to 14mm was a nice touch. They claim to assist opening with gloved hands. This is true, but even without gloves, opening the knife with thumb is greatly improved with no possibility of losing a purchase on the blade.
The yellow FRN checkerboard handle is a nice slim design that provides plenty of grip and allows it to be carried anywhere comfortably. It is very lightweight and once you start carrying this knife you won’t know its there. The back lock can be easily depressed for closing the knife and the clip will hold it tight to your trousers, pocket or pack strap. The clip by the way is reversible for both right hand and left hand users. The clip screw is hollowed through to provide a lanyard to passed through.
To keep costs down this knife does not have the stainless liners or screw together construction. This may seem like a drawback to some, but this an honest working knife. There is really nothing fancy about it. Even so the blade stays very tight with no blade to handle play. This simplicity may make it that much more attractive to those that need a heavy duty hard working tool versus a collectors or gentleman’s knife.
Some may choke at the fifty dollars that this knife is being sold for but if you depend on your tools, then it’s a bargain in this category. Others may turn away from the bright yellow handle, but a black model can also be had for the style conscious. Still others may say they need the larger Pacific Salt version. I would say if your jumping to that size, regular carry may be impeded and a fixed blade may really be what you need. In any case I’m really impressed with the Salt I and am thinking it may make a great Christmas gift for some this year.
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