Dragonfly Salt, help needed.

G

Guest5160

Joined
May 18, 2014
Messages
654
Pretty simple question here guys. Serrated or no?

I work in a warehouse, constantly drenched in sweat and have developed surface rust on liners, etc of 2 Spydercos and a few other knives. I also live within spitting distance of the beach.

Swimming and being sheeple friendly at work has landed me in the Dragonfly Salt camp but I'm torn on the Spyderedge/PE aspect.

85% of my cutting at work is shrink wrap, cardboard and other packaging materials. Plastic banding is infrequent at best.

Would the Spyderedge do well with these tasks so I can take advantage of H1's serrations or should I be looking at the PE model?
 
From what I've read here, the serrated will hold an edge longer than a plain edge. Personally, I don't care for a SE and that it takes me longer to sharpen a SE.
 
I have a DF2 Salt in SE...

In my opinion it does not excel with shrink wrap or cardboard compared to a longer plain edge and full flat grind knife. The serrations tend to snag especially shrink wrap/bubble wrap, and is just too short to be effective.

Plain edge H1 does not have great edge retention, so I would not go that route either.

If I was working in a warehouse and had to cut these type of materials on a regular basis, I would choose a plain edge S30V Military, PM2 or the new Manix 2 LW S110V. Treat it for better corrosion resistance, or carry it in a way that prevents it from getting soaked in sweat.
 
I would say grab a plain edge. The SE will hold an edge longer but will probably (I can't say for sure cuz I've never cut the things your cutting with a SE) hang up but other posters told you these 2 things. I just don't see a plain edge goin dull that quick and since it would be easier to sharpen or touch up. Just my opinion.
 
Hi op. I have both and would definitely recommend the se. I understand where Brock o Lee is coming from, but IMO that is an observation made about how a serrated edge will perform if it's dull. It will not snag if you keep it sharp, and it will require much less sharpening to stay at that level than the plain edge version. I personally prefer the se version of any of the salts but I find the performance difference MOST relevant in the dragonfly. The cutting edge is so small that the pe just doesn't last long at all.
 
Mine is PE. It takes a hair splittin edge I used it as a razor.
I have some SE blades and I use them to cut fibrous materials.
 
I've never been a fan of serrations myself either but, having never used H1 I was keen to try the serrations for all the good things I've heard about them on the Salt series.

That said, blade length is not an issue in my case as my persistence and scallion (my smallest knives) have done just fine. Also, the knife needs to be sheeple friendly. I have plenty of longer blades and premium steels to choose from. FFG for the most part, Spyderco and otherwise. (Endura 4 FFG is one of my most commonly carried, ZT 0560 is up there too.)

There is no place on my person safe from sweat at my job. Quite literally soaked in it for about 10hrs each night. The rust issues occurred after about a week of carry (with regular cleaning and oiling) and I'd imagine my corrosion protection is likely washed away fairly quickly. Again, these were very very minor surface rust spots, none of which were on the blades but it's not something I'm interested in testing with any of my nicer knives anymore.

Regardless, I'm keen on the idea of not having to worry about it at all and as I said this will pull double duty as a beach knife and likely be submerged in salt water. I won't be chopping up monstrous fish like Surfinggringo but I would like it to be handy while I'm there.

I appreciate all opinions and experiences so keep them coming.
I
 
I will say Surfingringo probably has more exp. with the salts than most so I'd trust his advice. I will add in if you go to a lager blade in the salt line a sheepsfoot blade seems to keep the public calm and with yellow handle it seems more acceptable for some reason.
 
One other thing op...if you do decide to go pe I would suggest the salt 1 over the dragonfly. I love the dfly design but I have had better edge retention from my pe salt 1. Probably just because of the larger cutting area. Still a very steeple friendly blade too.
 
I use a Dragonfly with the serrated edge and I love it for soooo many uses but not the best for cardboard and shrink-wrap (which I cut up in my shop pretty regularly).

I agree with Surfingringo that the Salt1 might be a more useful length and that serrated edges are very easy to maintain wicked sharp . I use the Sydercop Tri-Angle Sharpmaker for this and maintaining a serrated edges is simple and efficient. Still for your purposes Guest5160I would go with a plain edge.
 
I say SE! It's a beast for a 2" blade. It has me wanting more Spyderco SE knives. This thread needs more pics...

14257230780_bc48f02948_b.jpg
 
Surfingringo said:
One other thing op...if you do decide to go pe I would suggest the salt 1 over the dragonfly. I love the dfly design but I have had better edge retention from my pe salt 1. Probably just because of the larger cutting area. Still a very steeple friendly blade too.
Click to expand...

+1 on the Salt 1 choice. I carry/use one daily and never had a problem with it. Easy to keep sharp and gotta luv the yellow scales! :)
 
I like my PE Dragonfly Salt because serrations are not necessary for my everyday tasks. Have had it for a few weeks and haven't had to sharpen it yet, but that may be because I have several blades I use in my rotation.

More pics for @asmith001 :
 
I had a similar problem, rust on most EDC knives while working in a warehouse in the SC heat. I eventually went with a plain edged ladybug salt on my keyring. I used it for all my cutting. Not the best for cardboard, and I didn't need to cut too much of that anyways, but OK on shrinkwrap as long as I sharpened it every night after use. Cutting open three or four pallets was its limit, more than that and it was like you were breaking the wrap with a sharpened stick. super quick to sharpen though.

Grizz
 
The only negative with using a serrated blade for the materials you mentioned is that, in addition to slicing through the material, serrations tend to create some chaff. That should not be an issue on shrink wrap or cardboard in a warehouse, but unless you enjoy bits of plastic bag mixed with your food, I'd avoid opening plastic bags of frozen veggies with one at home.
 
Guest5160 said:
I work in a warehouse85% of my cutting at work is shrink wrap, cardboard and other packaging materials. Plastic banding is infrequent at best.
Click to expand...


Sorry but this is the best tool.

Box%2Bcutter.jpg


Unless you like buying new spydies to replace the worn out spydie.

Serrated will cut longer till the teeth are gone.

But a Box cutter will keep on going once you replace the blade
 
Not to sound rude but:

I did clearly state this was intended to be a beach carry as much as a work knife. My cutting tasks are light, I asked about the efficiency of the serrations for these duties because I am aware that plain edge H1 is lacking in the edge retention department and I have little experience with serrations period.

Yes, a box cutter would do fantastically in this role except that it's more weight IN my pocket and quite slippery when covered in sweat. Not a specopshighspeedlowdragninja here but the ounces add up when throwing 50,000lbs a night in the Georgia heat. Plain and simple. Just to cover the bases here, I do have and have tried using a Gerber EAB.

I'm in the market for a dragonfly because it's lightweight, ergonomic and spydercos FRN has never failed me with slippery hands. Besides, once the bug has bitten its hard to stay away from trying everything they have to offer.

For the guys that were nice enough to provide opinions based on their experience using the model I asked about and the other salt series knives, thank you immensely. It looks like I have some more thinking to do since those with the experience have all made good points in both directions.
 
Hey guest5160, like I said, my top suggestions would be se dfly or pe salt 1, but you might want to have a look at the tasman salt too. A bit odd looking if you've never owned a hawkbill but it's an amazingly useful knife and would excel at some of the work you described. Just thought it was worth a mention.
 
Surfingringo said:
Hey guest5160, like I said, my top suggestions would be se dfly or pe salt 1, but you might want to have a look at the tasman salt too. A bit odd looking if you've never owned a hawkbill but it's an amazingly useful knife and would excel at some of the work you described. Just thought it was worth a mention.
Click to expand...

Just keep making it harder for me man. I've looked at the Tasman too, haven't touched a hawkbill since doing work with grandad years and years ago. I've seen the way you use your knives so I appreciate your opinion. I'll definitely be posting whenever I've finally made a decision. If what I choose doesn't work out I can always sell the lady on why I need to buy another. Lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top