Aqua Salt Plain Edge Advice

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kevincludlow

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Feb 13, 2015
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I'm moving to Hawaii in July and originally wanted to buy the Aqua in se but I don't want the teeth getting damaged batoning wood. I hear that the pe version dulls extremely easily though. I'll be using this knife a lot on the beach for prepping fires and other beach-related tasks. Thoughts and advice needed.
 
H1 pe will dull fairly fast but it sharpens up super easy and takes a great edge. Possibly of more importance to you is the fact that it is a very tough steel. The edge might roll on you and require sharpening but it will be much less likely to chip and fracture. If you are going to be doing things like batoning wood on the beach then H1 might be a great call.
 
I personally wouldn't buy an aqua salt for doing fire prep.
In my opinion not the best steel for the task and def not the best grind. It does dull pretty easy, dive knife - sure, fishing knife- sure, all around maritime rope misc cutter- def.
 
I have an Aqua Salt SE, and I agree with dcycleman above about the PE version. It is useful to have a rust-free knife for all kinds of utility uses on the beach, but there are definitely better options for firewood prep.
 
dcycleman said:
I personally wouldn't buy an aqua salt for doing fire prep.
In my opinion not the best steel for the task and def not the best grind. It does dull pretty easy, dive knife - sure, fishing knife- sure, all around maritime rope misc cutter- def.
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:thumbup: You definitely do NOT want to be batoning with a relatively thin blade with serrations.

Aqua Salt is fine for everything else but, for fire prep, get something more beefy like a KaBar Bowie 7" or a BK4 Machax
http://www.coyleoutdoors.com/bk-4/#cc-m-product-9750631483
 
Not a Spyderco person at all, but I've built fires on the beach and have found some hard driftwood that has defeated knife edges of all sorts. Small hatchet would be my preference.

Zieg
 
Of course you could also just break sticks across your knee like a normal person and save your knife edge for when you actually need it. But wheres the fun in that? ;)
 
The Zieg said:
Not a Spyderco person at all, but I've built fires on the beach and have found some hard driftwood that has defeated knife edges of all sorts. Small hatchet would be my preference.

Zieg
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I agree. A small hatchet would be much more efficient. There are some small hatchets that weigh less than big knives, offer superior cutting/chopping to knives, and are designed to also do fire prep and food prep. They have thinner heads and multiple hold options.
 
Machete has always been an island workhorse, too. My CS w/thicker blade's a chopper. Their Bowie machete would be good, compact. Cheap and no hardship if lost, stolen, broken (tho never seen one break). File's all you need to sharpen. Sandpaper if rust.

Zieg
 
Thanks for your replies. I have a bk9 and a tomahawk but I can't take them to school. Where I will be living I can't have knives in my school housing except for kitchen knives. I was going to get the Aqua Salt because it can pass as a kitchen knife. So I'll be using it in the water and on the beach; basically for everything. I just didn't want to risk breaking or bending the serrations if I went the serrated route which is why I am considering the plain edge.
 
Ok, that makes a bit more sense. In that case I'd say the Aqua Salt PE would work for you. I would not use it to split large logs, but it would handle making wood shavings and feather sticks and other kindling just fine. Make sure you have a sharpener like a Sharpmaker or DMT Diafold at hand for quick touchups.
 
kevincludlow said:
Thanks for your replies. I have a bk9 and a tomahawk but I can't take them to school. Where I will be living I can't have knives in my school housing except for kitchen knives. I was going to get the Aqua Salt because it can pass as a kitchen knife.
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ha! The solution is easy. Just get the biggest of "kitchen" knives - a Chinese Cleaver! ;)

When you get there, go into any Asian market and get a cleaver for breaking bones.
You should be able to get a 8" blade, full tang, stainless, 1.5lb monster for about $20~$30.

rsz_767283_cck_kf1402_002.jpg


That with your Aqua Salt and you're covered.
 
kevincludlow said:
Thanks for your replies. I have a bk9 and a tomahawk but I can't take them to school. Where I will be living I can't have knives in my school housing except for kitchen knives. I was going to get the Aqua Salt because it can pass as a kitchen knife. So I'll be using it in the water and on the beach; basically for everything. I just didn't want to risk breaking or bending the serrations if I went the serrated route which is why I am considering the plain edge.
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hey Kevin, H1 really is a tough steel, especially at the Spine where it is quite soft. I owned an aqua salt for awhile and though its certainly no chopper I really don't see you hurting the PE variant with some light to average batoning.
 
If you go with the PE version, definitely have access to some type of sharpening apparatus be it a stone, Sharpmaker etc. As mentioned already, the PE H1 doesn't hold an edge well at all but it does sharpen very easily. As to the "work hardening" claims, there is dispute as to whether conventional hand sharpening actually causes any hardening or a more abrasive force like belt sharpening is necessary.
 
John_0917 said:
If you go with the PE version, definitely have access to some type of sharpening apparatus be it a stone, Sharpmaker etc. As mentioned already, the PE H1 doesn't hold an edge well at all but it does sharpen very easily. As to the "work hardening" claims, there is dispute as to whether conventional hand sharpening actually causes any hardening or a more abrasive force like belt sharpening is necessary.
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I have a work sharp which I like although I will definitely get a sharpmaker stone for the car.
 
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