Plain edge Salts question

[elena86]

Are there any of you edcing a plain edge Salt ? I rediscovered my PE Salt1 and I am ready to give it a try but I am curious how do plain edge Salts perform in real life ?

[Evil D]

Good if you want a tough steel, holds an edge reasonably well but not on par with VG10 or anything "higher". Easy to sharpen though and takes a very nice edge.

[Jazz]

I do and they are great. They dull quicker at first, then with sharpening stay sharp longer. My work one seems even better than ever after the last sharpening. They're easy to sharpen, by the way. Anyway, they're great whittlers...





Here's my workhorse...







A modded one...



And here is a link to my thread showing off the toughness of H1 and FRN...
http://www.spyderco.com/forumII/viewtop ... 24#p592724

I cut tons of cardboard with mine and have no complaints. It's a real world working knife that doesn't rust. I used to use a SE, but when I switched to PE, I was way happier with how it cut everything.

[elena86]

I do and they are great. They dull quicker at first, then with sharpening stay sharp longer. My work one seems even better than ever after the last sharpening. They're easy to sharpen, by the way. Anyway, they're great whittlers...





Here's my workhorse...







A modded one...



And here is a link to my thread showing off the toughness of H1 and FRN...
http://www.spyderco.com/forumII/viewtop ... 24#p592724

I cut tons of cardboard with mine and have no complaints. It's a real world working knife that doesn't rust. I used to use a SE, but when I switched to PE, I was way happier with how it cut everything.

Nice pics.What do you recommend for sharpening.Is SM good enough or should I go for my WE ?

[Jazz]

I'd go with what you have. It's easy to sharpen. I do freehand on stones and use a steel regularly.

[GoldenSpydie]

I EDC'd a PE Salt 1 for well over a month. It worked perfectly with touchups every few days on a Sharpmaker.

[me2]

I'm carrying my Salt 1 with a Leatherman lately. I carried it for 6 months or so by itself. No edge retention issues. I tend to use it for stuff that will dull any knife, such as cutting caulk joints between concrete panels. No way to avoid concrete contact, so I use the Salt 1 since it sharpens faster. I don't buy into the notion that it holds it's edge longer the more you sharpen it.

[Blerv]

I don't know if Jazz meant putting an aftermarket edge on the knife (replacing the OEM belt-sharpened edge) or work-hardening. If the latter, I would agree it's unsubstantiated to say the least. If anything edge retention will decrease over time unless the primary bevel is reduced along with sharpening a to maintain factory geometry.

[Evil D]

I don't know if Jazz meant putting an aftermarket edge on the knife (replacing the OEM belt-sharpened edge) or work-hardening. If the latter, I would agree it's unsubstantiated to say the least. If anything edge retention will decrease over time unless the primary bevel is reduced along with sharpening a to maintain factory geometry.

This.

If the "sharpening to work harden" thing were true, there would have to be a limit to how much this happened because at some point the edge retention would grow to rival that of steels that are much higher in edge retention on paper. I'm still of the opinion that the work hardening from sharpening/cutting serrations is lost after so many sharpenings too because the hardness can't penetrate THAT deep into the steel, it's not like the entire blade is made harder just by the process of cutting serrations into the edge. You have to eventually sharpen away any hardened steel.

[Surfingringo]

PE h1 has its qualities. Corrosion resistance, ease of sharpening, toughness...ability to take a very fine edge is another. I find the edge retention to be too low for a fish cleaning knife but have no problem carrying it as an edc steel. Requires more frequent sharpening but that's fine.

[David from NC]

I have been looking at at about everything "Salt" lately in hopes of getting one to carry/maybe mod.

THAT is the best photo of any Salt knife I have seen yet that wasn't in a formal catalog (and then maybe!)

[Jazz]

I really have no idea, but the one I'm using now seems to be staying sharp longer than it used to. Who knows? I don't care. I love them, and there's nothing wrong with H1, unless you're a steel snob.

[opusxpn]

Gringo would know lots about the salts. Here is my experience, I have carried one with me to work almost on a daily basis for 8 months give or take. Its a black PE the actual blade scratched really easy so mine got all scratched up after 2 days of use. I almost never clean it, I use it because I work outdoors it gets lots of moisture from sweat and rain, no rust whatsoever. I like the stronger tip and it is so light weight you can carry it in your front shirt pocket. The edge retention is not that great it needs regular touch ups with a ceramic rod, sharpmaker or a strop. It sharpens real easy and you can get a shaving edge in minutes. I think it does have its advantages as a carefree knife but for a workhorse daily cutting like warehouse (lots of boxes and straps)type of use indoor environment I would go with VG10 or S30V. But if its for casual(meaning 5-10 cuts per day) use outdoors you cant go wrong with a salt knife.

[JD Spydo]

I don't know if Jazz meant putting an aftermarket edge on the knife (replacing the OEM belt-sharpened edge) or work-hardening. If the latter, I would agree it's unsubstantiated to say the least. If anything edge retention will decrease over time unless the primary bevel is reduced along with sharpening a to maintain factory geometry.

This.

If the "sharpening to work harden" thing were true, there would have to be a limit to how much this happened because at some point the edge retention would grow to rival that of steels that are much higher in edge retention on paper. I'm still of the opinion that the work hardening from sharpening/cutting serrations is lost after so many sharpenings too because the hardness can't penetrate THAT deep into the steel, it's not like the entire blade is made harder just by the process of cutting serrations into the edge. You have to eventually sharpen away any hardened steel.

I've given a great deal of thought to that myself EVIL because I've sharpened my PE TASMAN a bunch of times even though I haven't used it much lately I still have sharpened it enough to get the edge competitive with premium steels like VG-10, XHP or even S90V for that matter. But I don't think that it's as hard as any of those mentioned. We've got to keep in mind that the selling point for H-1 is it's non-corrosive properties more than anything. It's a steel that you can expose to extremely harsh environments and makes an ideal steel for survivalists and preppers. And I'm a fan of H-1 by the way but not for the same reasons I am for the aforementioned above.

Now the deal with H-1 serrations being some of the finest that Spyderco makes ( and that's according to their claims not mine). And I do believe it is a great steel for SE. But I even remember Cliff and a couple of the other tech savvy guys saying that serrations do well with more of a toughness aspect rather than a Rockwell Hardness rating. Because some of the very best steels I've used for SE like ATS-55, AUS-8, GIN-1 are not at all known for plain edge performance as we've learned and I've learned it first hand.

Now I do believe that there is something significant about "work hardened" steel but I don't believe it's as easy as multiple sharpenings. But I will admit that when I heard that H-1 tested out to be the best SE steel I was somewhat surprised to hear it. But on the other hand I used one of my AUS-8 SE blades yesterday and it just does great and I doubt if there are any steels that can pass it up significantly in the Spyderedge category. That's my observation for what it's worth>> but my ratings are based on my own personal usage>> and I do have those who tend to agree with me.

H-1 has a main selling point of anti-corrosive properties and being nitrogen based rather than carbon based and the ability to be used in harse environments. Some of the hype with H-1 isn't justified IMO>> but H-1 has more "pros" than "cons" for sure

[Evil D]

I really have no idea, but the one I'm using now seems to be staying sharp longer than it used to. Who knows? I don't care. I love them, and there's nothing wrong with H1, unless you're a steel snob.

LOL "unless". Of course I am, if I weren't then I wouldn't be blowing $100+ on a pocket knife.

Do you think that over time you have just adjusted to the edge retention, or that your expectations have mellowed out some? Any change in your sharpening technique/skill?

[Blerv]

If H1 work hardened over time via hand sharpening why wouldn't Spyderco mention that specifically in the marketing? Seems a pretty awesome perk to overlook.

Either they can't pinpoint what/when it happens (eg: cars break in and sometimes become faster/more economical) or it's more rumor than anything.

Since I can't prove or quote it I won't say it. Just my 2 cents.

[Jazz]

This one really is lasting longer. By how much, I don't know. Not documenting it. I still sharpen the same. Like I said, who knows? If I'm the only one to notice this, maybe I'm crazy. Not sure what variables are involved. I'll just keep cutting cardboard, steeling occasionally, and enjoying my blade. Can't wait for the black blade.

[Donut]

It might not be "work hardening" it could just be getting past the weakened steel because of how the factory does their final sharpening. That would be the same as any other steel.

Cliff argues that he sees no proof of work hardening in use.

If they could come up with a process that would give 68 HRC on the plain edge knives, that would be some pretty amazing stuff!


My Dragonfly Salt sees about double the edge holding from the factory edge, but it doesn't seem to be doing any better than that over the several resharpenings that I've done.

[God'sMyJudge]

Is it possible to swap a spyderhawk salt blade into endura 4 scales?

[Jazz]

This is my second PE Salt 1 for work. I had to replace the last one. This one seems better.