- Joined
- Jul 9, 2000
- Messages
- 1,654
Like most knife-knut newbies I started out with large folders that have 3.5 to 4 blades, with eye-catching hollow and flat saber grinds. In time I gravitated to smaller and lighter folders, and eventually I came to prefer a 3 blade length and flat-grind for my actual daily usage. Knives of this size class also featured handles that were just right in terms of grip area given the compromise of clipped pocket carry.
While Massachusetts has no blade length restrictions, Boston enacted local legislation in 12/01 which restricts blade length for public carry to 2.5 or less equivalent to the legal restriction for entering US Federal facilities. I had been looking forward to the new in-house Salsa design for months, and it would turn out to be my Spydie-salvation. I have taken delivery of a blue almite PlainEdge Salsa and a titanium PlainEdge Salsa from our friends at SFO, and wish to submit a few comments for my fellow forumites.
Overview:
The Salsa is actually as large as most 3 folders, as if it had been a longer knife stretched in one direction while being compressed in another. The blade stock is 3mm thick, yet the blade is so wide that this appears very thin. I am happy to see that blade is fully flat ground, when it was originally proposed that it would be flat saber ground (on the aluminum handled version). The point of the extra-wide leaf blade is centered, giving it a big belly. Steel is AUS-8 on the aluminum model and ATS-34 on the titanium model.
The Cobra Hood is a great enhancement of the large 14mm hole. I see this also appealing to the MBC crowd and future MBC designs. Placement of the hood doesnt affect penetration depth, nor does it interfere with sharpening even using a very acute angle on benchstones.
The 3.5 handle is an excellent example of advanced ergonomic design. With the 0.5 integrated choil on the blade, there is room to spare for my medium-sized hands. It also measures about 1 wide on average, and a hair less than 10mm thick; hand-filling, yet very comfortable to carry in pocket. The titanium model is heavier in a pleasing way feeling more solid, and isnt as cold to the touch as aluminum. My southpawed friends will hopefully forgive me, but I like the lack of extra clip holes on the titanium model which make the aluminum model ambidextrous.
The nesting of the steel compression lock on the almite model is very simple and elegant, and lockup is rock solid. The integral compression lock on the titanium model is very robust looking, and offers more resistance to release. I dont know how they rate in comparison on Spydercos lock breaking machine, but the Ti version looks, feels, and sounds stronger.
I give the wire clip a big thumbs up. I was dubious at first, but the matte steel wire is almost invisible against any type of pants chinos, cords, jeans, etc. I think it puts the ugly black clip debate to rest once and for all. The only downsides are that it lacks the elegance of a polished steel standard clip, and of course theres no Spyderco bug like the standard clips.
On the whole, the basic design is superb, and in truth an unprecedented achievement in the <2.5 blade length class. However I feel that some of the fit and finish on the aluminum version needs some work.
Fit & Finish Issues:
The handle
Overall I like the non-slippery finish on the aluminum, but the anodizing on my Salsas handle is inconsistent. One scale is a darker blue-purple (the scale with the logo), and it seems as durable and scratch resistant as the Almite clipits Ive used in the past. The clip side scale is mostly a lighter blue colour, with a patch of darker blue in the center of the scale (beneath the clip), and it has already begun to show some small wear through/scratches in the finish.
The inner edge of the aluminum scales are somewhat sharp and seem to catch on the skin when handling the knife this can especially be uncomfortable in the finger cut-outs. These inner edges may need to be beveled to some degree in future runs. For some reason this is not a problem on the titanium model even though it doesnt appear to be finished any differently.
The tolerances of this advanced design are very tight, and I (and others) have noticed that the blade edge will sometimes touch the lanyard/clip barrel bolt (if it closes with enough force, or if any pressure is put on the closed blade), which creates a small flat spot on the edge (easily repairable, but annoying). The need for more clearance is already being addressed by Spyderco.. The titanium models were resharpened by Spyderco before shipping to fix this problem, and the second production run of both versions will have slightly smaller barrel bolts.
The blade
Two nitpicks: The satin finish is not quite up to usual Spyderco fineness IMO -- overall a bit uneven, and is a better on the titanium model. Also, the placement the Taipei Taiwan engraving should be closer to the hilt. On the titanium model the engraving is placed properly (see photos).
In Sum
The long run of the venerable Spyderco Worker ended in 2001, and it is the Salsa which I feel is its successor in 2002. Just as the Worker evolved from its initial form, I will be interested to observe the evolution of this design, which represents all of the lessons learned by the Spyderco design team over the last 20+ years.
It would be nice to see one of the aluminum Salsa SKUs changed to a version without the pepper logo, for those of us who would prefer not to have it, and for those who want a Salsa but wont buy it with the logo. While there are some fit and finishes issues, it is the first production run by a new manufacturer. Given this, it is very good work -- yet there remains room for improvement.
The titanium model is less complex than its aluminum counterpart, and overall has a higher quality feel to match its higher price. In truth there is nothing to complain about. The only modification I would request would be VG-10 rather than ATS-34, but otherwise in terms of design and manufacturing I find it to be near perfect. This will be my primary EDC henceforth.
Collage one shows both versions, and a comparison of the locks.
While Massachusetts has no blade length restrictions, Boston enacted local legislation in 12/01 which restricts blade length for public carry to 2.5 or less equivalent to the legal restriction for entering US Federal facilities. I had been looking forward to the new in-house Salsa design for months, and it would turn out to be my Spydie-salvation. I have taken delivery of a blue almite PlainEdge Salsa and a titanium PlainEdge Salsa from our friends at SFO, and wish to submit a few comments for my fellow forumites.
Overview:
The Salsa is actually as large as most 3 folders, as if it had been a longer knife stretched in one direction while being compressed in another. The blade stock is 3mm thick, yet the blade is so wide that this appears very thin. I am happy to see that blade is fully flat ground, when it was originally proposed that it would be flat saber ground (on the aluminum handled version). The point of the extra-wide leaf blade is centered, giving it a big belly. Steel is AUS-8 on the aluminum model and ATS-34 on the titanium model.
The Cobra Hood is a great enhancement of the large 14mm hole. I see this also appealing to the MBC crowd and future MBC designs. Placement of the hood doesnt affect penetration depth, nor does it interfere with sharpening even using a very acute angle on benchstones.
The 3.5 handle is an excellent example of advanced ergonomic design. With the 0.5 integrated choil on the blade, there is room to spare for my medium-sized hands. It also measures about 1 wide on average, and a hair less than 10mm thick; hand-filling, yet very comfortable to carry in pocket. The titanium model is heavier in a pleasing way feeling more solid, and isnt as cold to the touch as aluminum. My southpawed friends will hopefully forgive me, but I like the lack of extra clip holes on the titanium model which make the aluminum model ambidextrous.
The nesting of the steel compression lock on the almite model is very simple and elegant, and lockup is rock solid. The integral compression lock on the titanium model is very robust looking, and offers more resistance to release. I dont know how they rate in comparison on Spydercos lock breaking machine, but the Ti version looks, feels, and sounds stronger.
I give the wire clip a big thumbs up. I was dubious at first, but the matte steel wire is almost invisible against any type of pants chinos, cords, jeans, etc. I think it puts the ugly black clip debate to rest once and for all. The only downsides are that it lacks the elegance of a polished steel standard clip, and of course theres no Spyderco bug like the standard clips.
On the whole, the basic design is superb, and in truth an unprecedented achievement in the <2.5 blade length class. However I feel that some of the fit and finish on the aluminum version needs some work.
Fit & Finish Issues:
The handle
Overall I like the non-slippery finish on the aluminum, but the anodizing on my Salsas handle is inconsistent. One scale is a darker blue-purple (the scale with the logo), and it seems as durable and scratch resistant as the Almite clipits Ive used in the past. The clip side scale is mostly a lighter blue colour, with a patch of darker blue in the center of the scale (beneath the clip), and it has already begun to show some small wear through/scratches in the finish.
The inner edge of the aluminum scales are somewhat sharp and seem to catch on the skin when handling the knife this can especially be uncomfortable in the finger cut-outs. These inner edges may need to be beveled to some degree in future runs. For some reason this is not a problem on the titanium model even though it doesnt appear to be finished any differently.
The tolerances of this advanced design are very tight, and I (and others) have noticed that the blade edge will sometimes touch the lanyard/clip barrel bolt (if it closes with enough force, or if any pressure is put on the closed blade), which creates a small flat spot on the edge (easily repairable, but annoying). The need for more clearance is already being addressed by Spyderco.. The titanium models were resharpened by Spyderco before shipping to fix this problem, and the second production run of both versions will have slightly smaller barrel bolts.
The blade
Two nitpicks: The satin finish is not quite up to usual Spyderco fineness IMO -- overall a bit uneven, and is a better on the titanium model. Also, the placement the Taipei Taiwan engraving should be closer to the hilt. On the titanium model the engraving is placed properly (see photos).
In Sum
The long run of the venerable Spyderco Worker ended in 2001, and it is the Salsa which I feel is its successor in 2002. Just as the Worker evolved from its initial form, I will be interested to observe the evolution of this design, which represents all of the lessons learned by the Spyderco design team over the last 20+ years.
It would be nice to see one of the aluminum Salsa SKUs changed to a version without the pepper logo, for those of us who would prefer not to have it, and for those who want a Salsa but wont buy it with the logo. While there are some fit and finishes issues, it is the first production run by a new manufacturer. Given this, it is very good work -- yet there remains room for improvement.
The titanium model is less complex than its aluminum counterpart, and overall has a higher quality feel to match its higher price. In truth there is nothing to complain about. The only modification I would request would be VG-10 rather than ATS-34, but otherwise in terms of design and manufacturing I find it to be near perfect. This will be my primary EDC henceforth.
Collage one shows both versions, and a comparison of the locks.
Overall the blade has slight movement while opening, not when open the compression lock works great there. Still love the feel of the ti scales. IMHO one of the best features. I read where someone called it a stubby sebbie.