Spyderco Salt I Yellow SpyderEdge
Long Term Report by André Corterier
Date: January 2006
Personal Biographical Information:
Name: André Corterier
Gender: M
Age: 33
Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 80 kg (175 lb)
Email: andreDOTcorterierATfreenetDOTde
Home: Bonn, Germany
Backpacking Background:
I began backpacking in my late teens using Europe’s "InterRail"-System – weight hardly mattered, as we were on
trains a lot. I recently rediscovered backpacking and have started out slowly – single-day 24 km (15 mi) jaunts
by myself or even shorter hikes in the company of my little daughter. I am getting started on longer
hikes, as a lightweight packer and hammock-camper. I’ve begun upgrading my old gear and am now shooting for a
dry FSO weight (everything carried From the Skin Out except food, fuel and water)
of about 10 kg (22 lb) for three-season camping. Not quite there yet.
Year of manufacture: 2005
Manufacturer: Spyderco, Inc.
URL: http://spyderco.com/
MSRP: 74.95 USD
Comparisons - scale accurate to 1 g (0.04 oz)
listed weight: 57 g (2 oz)
measured weight: 55 g (1.94 oz)
listed dimensions:
length overall 178 mm (7 in)
blade length 76 mm (3 in)
length closed 102 mm (4 in)
cutting edge 68 mm (2 11/16 in)
hole diameter 14 mm (9/16 in)
blade thickness 2.5 mm (3/32 in)
measured dimensions:
as above (all of them). Bravo!
Introduction:
This is a folding knife. This model's plastic grip is
bright yellow - the kind of yellow I remember seeing on TV specials dealing with divers and their equipment. The grip features a "pitted" look, the
manufacturer's "Volcano" grip texturing, which is meant to provide a secure grip. The blade is shiny steel. It features the engraving "Salt 1" along
its blade. At the bottom of the blade, it reads "SPYDERCO H-1" on one side and "SEKI-CITY JAPAN" on the other. The blade, of course, also features the
cutting edge. With this model, that's a serrated edge (known as "SpyderEdge" with the manufacturer). It features three "teeth" separated by indentations
(the actual "serrations") roughly 2 mm (0.08 in) apart, followed by a longer indentation (6 mm - 1/4 in), in a repeating pattern (that's a "two-step
serration" among the cognoscenti). The blade's most prominent feature, however, is
the large (14 mm - 9/16 in) hole in it. This gives the blade a distinct look (it looks to me like an eye - of an alligator, maybe) and is meant to allow
the user to open it with the thumb.
More about my initial impressions of the knife is listed in my
Initial Report.
Cutting things:
Over and above the things I've cut before (breakfast rolls, vegetables and fruit, cord
and packaging to little bits of kindling) I've cut more of the same, adhesive bandages and a piece of
my second daughter's umbilical cord (however, I made the first cut with the disinfected pair of scissors
provided for the purpose by the hospital). As umbilical cords are tough, I felt that the Salt I Knife
was the better tool for the purpose - the serrations gripped and cut well in this instance.
The knife remains sharp and cuts most of these things without any problems. The serrated edge
has given me a problem only when attempting to cut an adhesive bandage down to size. I have always held
scissors to be the better tool for this purpose, but it appears to me that scissors have even more of an
edge over this serrated edge than they have over knives in general. Pardon the pun.
The knife has also been used somewhat outside what I presume is its intended scenario. I've whittled away
a bit of plastic on a lamp which got in the way of the new energy-saving light bulb and have used its tip
to punch a hole into a can of condensed milk. It served both of these purposes well. I am particularly
impressed with the fact that even when slapping its base with the palm of my hand to have it puncture the
can in question, it still felt just like a fixed blade. It is my impression from inferior knives I've had
(or at least, knives with inferior folding mechanisms) that this sort of use is a stress test for the
folding mechanism. The Salt I Knife passed it with flying colours.
Comfort:
The knife continues to fit my hand well. I no longer think about opening or closing it, it's become
second nature. The profile on the back of the blade near my hand gives my thumb a place where it can
rest away from what it is I'm cutting and where it can exert pressure and give direction to my
cut as needed. The only thing that continues to bother me ever so slightly is the continued
difficulty I have in achieving a smooth cut. This is something which a straight blade just seems
better at.
Durability:
The knife continues to open and close well and not to show a spot of rust. I cleaned it once, by
putting it (open) into the dishwasher. It came out of the dishwasher like new and went straight
back into my pocket. The blade also still feels as stable as it did when I first opened it (if
memory serves).
When I look at the blade, particular the tips of the serration's "teeth", I note a
slight dulling. This takes the form of a slight curvature of the blade's cross-section towards the blade's
tip, which was not present in the knife's pristine state. I have noted that when cutting something the blade
sometimes seem to hesitate a little before cutting through the substance with the alert promptness I've
become used to and assume that this dulling of the tips is the cause of it.
Sharpening:
I have also found that I am unable to do a decent sharpening job on the SpyderEdge with the tools
at my disposal (which are fine for straight edges). The fact that I am only now (after four
months of use) thinking of sharpening it does speak volumes about the knife's ability to hold an edge. So I find no
fault with the blade when I say that I am now beginning to see signs of the serration tips beginning to become more
rounded. I will continue to look for a decent tool to resharpen it (I know some other lucky testers tested one
and may just put that one on my wish list).
Spyderco also offers complimentary sharpening of the knife - I just have to pay shipping. From
Germany, that means buying the tool to do it myself won't cost much more to do it. But your mileage
likely varies...
Pros/Cons:
Pros: Holds an edge really well. Does not rust. Stable. Good clip.
Cons: Bright Yellow (but available in black).
Summary:
The Salt I Knife has proven to be a light, rugged tool for cutting things -
lighter than most of the alternatives I've seen for the blade size it offers.
I can find no flaws with its workmanship and am still impressed by the stability
of its folding mechanism.
Read more reviews of Spyderco gear
Read more gear reviews by Andre Corterier
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