A Tale of Two Spydercos

Grant Lamontagne · **on:** January 21, 2015, 10:48:13 PM

Anyone who has been around a bit will know that I have a job that is really brutal on gear- just ask my Wingman or my MUT. Pretty much every time I post about how quickly and/or badly my gear rusts, sooner or later someone says "Hey Def, try Spyderco's H1!"

So, I have obtained a couple of Pacific Salt 1's (in yellow of course!) to see how well they hold up. The plain edge version has been riding in my work vest for a little while now, so the handle might seem a little more worn. Sorry the pics are a bit blurrier than usual, I tried taking pics without a tripod.... I should know better...

Outside of multitools and SAKs I have more Spydercos than anything else, and they keep multiplying. I love Spydercos quite a bit, as evidenced by two separate threads entitled Itsy Bitsy Spydercos:

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,35800.0.html

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,8161.0.html

My photos of my rare blue G-10 Native or the UK Legal slippie I covered at SHOT a few years ago!

As you can see, I really like Spyderco knives. Will these Spydercos live up to the others that I like so much? Probably- they are virtually the same type of construction that I appreciate in the others, although to be honest, I am less fond of FRN models than I am other handle types. They seem cheap compared to the carbon fiber, micarta, g-10, steel etc that is used in other handles.

I have nothing against FRN handles mind you, they are tough as nails and get the job done, they just aren't as fancy as I guess I am used to.

In this case I am more than happy to take the FRN handles, especially considering the environment these knives are expected to be used in- the less the material can corrode, the better. While you might think that CF (for example) is just as corrosion resistant as FRN, you'd be right, except that the CF would require pins and other hardware to hold it all together, all of which is of course susceptible.

I've been told the blades have less edge holding abilities than other Spydies, which honestly, I don't mind. I would rather have a knife with a softer steel that I can touch up almost anywhere than a fancy super hard steel that holds it's edge for a long while but can't be sharpened without a diamond.

This knife is patterned on the Endura, which is actually a Spyderco I never could really get on with. There was nothing about it that turned me off, but also nothing that really gave me "the fizz" as James May would say. With any luck, the fact that I will be able to use these in a harsh environment should hopefully get me over that particular hump- no pun intended.

You have probably already noticed that the blades aren't the only differences here- they have different pocket clips as well. I'm not sure what, if any significance that is, but perhaps one of our resident Spydie enthusiasts might be able to solve that mystery.

So how well will it hold up? Only time will tell. Needless to say, if it survives in my work vest for more than a few months, it'll survive anywhere.

Def

captain spaulding · **Reply #1 on:** January 22, 2015, 03:33:38 AM

Great review. I love me some H-1!

The square clip is a older version and was phased out. The hour glass is the new shape. I prefer the squared off clip personally.

By the way its not a Pacific Salt 1. Its just a Salt 1. The Pacific Salt is larger.

JAfromMn · **Reply #2 on:** January 22, 2015, 03:49:06 AM

I was told
Serrated h1 work hardens with sharpening and use. It can get close to as hard as zdp189.

I own a little h1 Dragonfly I got as a gift from my secret Santa this year.

I've used it a little and it seems to hold a decent edge.

I dyed it a red orange.

captain spaulding · **Reply #3 on:** January 22, 2015, 04:09:59 AM

Quote from: JAfromMn on January 22, 2015, 03:49:06 AM

I was told
Serrated h1 work hardens with sharpening and use. It can get close to as hard as zdp189.

I own a little h1 Dragonfly I got as a gift from my secret Santa this year.

I've used it a little and it seems to hold a decent edge.

I dyed it a red orange.

I have heard this as well, but I have also heard it takes much more force and heat to harden H-1 than use or sharpening could ever produce. I personally believe it only hardens from more heat and force than use or sharpening can produce. It has been seen that the serrated H-1 comes harder from the factory and holds a edge longer than the plain edge. This would make sense as the process of cutting the serrations would cause the edge to harden. I'm not sure though.

HarleyXJGuy · **Reply #4 on:** January 22, 2015, 04:42:36 AM

Quote from: captain spaulding on January 22, 2015, 04:09:59 AM

Quote from: JAfromMn on January 22, 2015, 03:49:06 AM
I was told
Serrated h1 work hardens with sharpening and use. It can get close to as hard as zdp189.

I own a little h1 Dragonfly I got as a gift from my secret Santa this year.

I've used it a little and it seems to hold a decent edge.

I dyed it a red orange.

I have heard this as well, but I have also heard it takes much more force and heat to harden H-1 than use or sharpening could ever produce. I personally believe it only hardens from more heat and force than use or sharpening can produce. It has been seen that the serrated H-1 comes harder from the factory and holds a edge longer than the plain edge. This would make sense as the process of cutting the serrations would cause the edge to harden. I'm not sure though.

It is just the natural ability of SE blade to hold an edge longer not any additional hardness imo. A function of having teeeth that can tear even when it is not so sharp.

Cappy is right on about the clips though.

Also H1 is not heat treated it is precipitation treated.

sir_mike · **Reply #5 on:** January 22, 2015, 04:54:35 AM

Grant,

FYI - those are just the Salt 1's that have around a 3 inch blade. The Pacific Salt's are alittle bigger, I believe the blades are closer to 3 3/4 inches!

Great looking set though!!