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Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
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| Biographical Information |
Name:
|
Mark
Wood
|
A Brief
Introduction
I grew up camping with my
parents and had taken a few short backpacking trips, as well as a
couple of 10-day trips before I got married. While my wife and I have
enjoyed car camping and day hiking for close to 6 years, this year we
have decided to make backpacking a permanent part of our lives. Our
trips are generally shorter (2 - 5 days) over rocky, hilly terrain. My
general pack weight for a 3 day trip is around 35 lb (16 kg) including food
and water. |
| Age
/ Sex: |
25 / Male |
| Height: |
5' 11" (1.8 m) |
| Weight: |
240 lb (109 kg) |
| Email
Address: |
woodmark0 at yahoo dot com |
| Location: |
Chenango County, NY, U.S.A. |
| Product
Information |
| Manufacturer: |
Spyderco |
|
| Year of Manufacture: |
2005 |
| URL of Manufacturer: |
http://www.spyderco.com |
| MSRP: |
$74.95 USD |
| Listed Weight: |
2.0 oz (57 g) |
| Weight as Delivered: |
1.9 oz (54 g) |
| Listed Dimensions: |
Blade: 3 in (76 mm)
Closed: 4 in (102 mm) |
| Measured Dimensions: |
Blade: 3 in (76 mm)
Closed: 4 in (102 mm) |
| Materials: |
Handle: Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon.
Blade: H-1 Stainless Steel |
The Spyderco Salt 1 is touted by
the manufacturer as being a completely rust-proof knife. They do
this by manufacturing the blade out of a relatively new, Japanese made
steel called H-1. The H-1 steel is a precipitation-processed
alloy which is cold rolled with no heat-treating. Having only
0.1% nitrogen, the steel is quite hard and non-reactive to chlorine,
preventing any rust from forming.
For more information regarding the knife and its construction, please see my Initial Report. |
| Long Term Report |
Going into this
test I had very high expectations. After all, I've carried a
knife on my person almost every day for the last 8 years. In
fact, I'm often known as being downright picky when it comes to knives.
In my mind, a knife should be comfortable enough to use as an extension
of one's hand. It should be intuitive enough to open and work
with that the owner should be able to take the knife from its storage
place (be it a pocket or a belt), open the blade and execute the task
at hand without having to think. Granted, this comes with
experience. However, I have owned knives that no matter how much
I use them, they are still cumbersome to operate and work with.
And finally, a good knife should stand up to the same conditions
as the owner.
The Spyderco Salt 1 has been clipped in my pocket pretty much every day
for the past 4 months. During that time, I've hunted, hiked,
worked around my acreage and generally lived as much outdoors as
possible. I've cut anything from wire on my tractor, to bailing
twine. I've cut sunflower stalks and opened bags of animal feed.
I've cut cheeses, meats and breads. The knife has been
exposed to water, mud, rain, sleet, snow, grease and lots of dirt.
Through this test, I've found that the Spyderco Salt 1 has
embraced every cutting chore I've thrown at it and looks little worse
for wear.
I've had good knives, and I've had bad knives, but the Spyderco
Salt 1 has earned its spot as one of the best knives I've ever had the
pleasure of owning.
Long Term Observations
During the last two months of testing, I've been able to answer all remaining questions from my initial report.
The Blade
- How long does the blade hold a sharp edge during normal use?
- During all the use I've given this knife, the blade eventually dulled not long after my field report.
- Do I find the blade to form any rust or corrosion during my testing?
- I have
gotten the knife wet on many occasions, and I've never dried it off.
So far, no rust or corrosion! I've also put the knife
through the dishwasher several times with no ill effects.
- Since all blades require re-sharpening, will I find this steel easy to sharpen?
- The H1 steel
on the Spyderco Salt 1 is a bit more difficult to sharpen than the
AUS6A steel found on a couple of my other knives. While it is by
no means unsharpenable, it does take a bit more effort and patience.
- Will I find the serrations difficult to sharpen?
- I did find
that the serrations were impossible to sharpen without a sharpener
designed for such blades. I currently don't own any such
sharpener, but judging from my efforts to sharpen the smooth tip, I
can't imagine it being too difficult with the right tools.
The Handle
- Does the handle hold up to hard use?
- I expected
the "plastic" handle to be the weak point of this knife. However,
I'm happy to say that the handle is holding up very well.
Furthermore, I notice no play in the blade or the locking
mechanism -- both features which rely heavily on the integrity of the
handle.
- Is it easy to grip when wet or dirty?
- Yes! In fact, more so than any other knife I've ever used!
- Can I keep the handle looking remotely clean with all the groves for dirt to get trapped in?
- The grooves
in the
handle definitely trap dirt. Running the knife through the normal
dishwasher cycle seems to be the easiest way to clean the grip.
- Does the handle chip or crack during the testing period?
- The handle looks just fine after 4 months of use.
- Do I find any rust or corrosion on the pocket clip or locking mechanism during my testing?
- Though the
black paint has chipped off the pocket clip some during normal use,
there is no rust or pitting anywhere. Also, the locking mechanism
has held up well with no sign of any corrosion.
I
had originally planned on preparing a saltwater solution to submerge
the knife in to further test whether or not any corrosion would form.
However, I use the knife so regularly that I couldn't stand the
idea of not hiving it for a week or so. Also, it would be very
difficult to accurately portray the concentration of salt in saltwater
in my own home.
|
| Field
Conditions |
| Weather here in Upstate New
York varied from warm and sunny to downright cold. I carried the knife with me as I worked
outside on my 13.5 acre (5.5 hectare) hobby farm and garden as well as multiple overnight and day hiking trips. |
| Summary |
After four months of heavy use, this knife is still performing strong!
Likes:
- Very useful blade configuration
- Very sturdy handle which works great both wet and dry
- Secure locking mechanism
- Can wash in the dishwasher
Dislikes:
- While I have experienced no discomfort to date, I would still appreciate a slightly wider handle.
- Picks up dirt in the textured handle
|
I
would like to thank Spyderco and
BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to participate in this test!
Read more reviews of Spyderco gear
Read more gear reviews by Mark Wood
|
