Fish Hunter is here

Surfingringo said:
Hi Tom, I am indeed excited for the fish hunter and have one in route to Costa Rica now. As far as H1 is concerned, I don't think there is any steel I know of that would be better for this design. H1 is extremely tough...significantly more so than lc200n. On a thin tipped design like this, that level of toughness is FAR more important than edge retention. Not only does H1 have good impact toughness, it will bend instead of breaking if pushed beyond its stress limits. Lc200n has proven itself to be reasonably tough in my use but nowhere near H1 level. Hardened to 59 it will definitely break under stresses that would leave H1 unaffected (or at worst bent). Add to that the fact that this is a serrated model (where H1 really shines) and I think that this is the perfect steel for the design.
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Thanks Lance, beginning to get the distinction you're making. Wasn't looking, but came across this.
Does it speak to "toughness" as you think of it?
 
TomR2 said:
Thanks Lance, beginning to get the distinction you're making. Wasn't looking, but came across this.
Does it speak to "toughness" as you think of it?
Click to expand...

Hey Tom, I'm not the most knowledgeable guy on these forums about this stuff (by a long shot) but I'll share with you what understanding i have.

First, regarding your question about whether the video speaks to the "toughness" of lc200n, it depends. I would have to see the edge under a loupe after that testing to answer that question.

The word toughness, when used to describe blade steel, means a steels ability to resist breaking or fracturing under stress or impact. An edge will become dull for many reasons. One of them is because the apex will fracture, whether microscopically or visibly, and the knife will dull as a result. A knife with higher toughness will resist this type of fracture better.

Toughness though is only one aspect of edge retention. Plain edge H1 for example is very tough but lacks hardness and strength. Strength is a steels ability to resist deformation under stress. So even though a steel like H1 won't chip under stress, it will deform and the end result will be the same...a dull knife.

Depending on the job one is trying to accomplish, a softer, tougher steel can be advantageous. I believe that in a thinly ground knife like the fish hunter, where the idea is to insert the knife into a bony fish skull and lever it back and forth, toughness is a much more important characteristic than strength. The upside of H1 is that in its serrated form, you can still get an edge that is harder (stronger) on a blade that is softer and tougher.

Ideally, we want a blade steel to have a good balance of strength, toughness and wear resistance but there will always be jobs that favor some of those characteristics more than others. A chopper would benefit much more from a tough steel than a knife intended to cut cardboard all day. The cardboard knife would benefit much more from increased strength, hardness and wear resistance but those very traits could make a steel disadvantageous for use in a chopper.

Hope that helps explain and hope it wasn't too remedial. I figured even if you already knew all that then someone else might read it and get something out of it. :)
 
Surfingringo said:
...The cardboard knife would benefit much more from increased strength, hardness and wear resistance but those very traits could make a steel disadvantageous for use in a chopper.
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What I said in this sentence isn't really accurate and I figured I better correct it before someone beats me to it. Its not that those characteristics would necessarily be "bad" in a chopper, its just that a lot of steels that happen to have that list of characteristics are lacking in toughness. There are certainly exceptions but many of them are non stainless which is yet another steel characteristic that has to be considered. Well, I mean it has to be considered if you are a knife/steel nerd...normal people wouldn't consider ANY of this. :rolleyes::p
 
Surfingringo said:
What I said in this sentence isn't really accurate and I figured I better correct it before someone beats me to it. Its not that those characteristics would necessarily be "bad" in a chopper, its just that a lot of steels that happen to have that list of characteristics are lacking in toughness. There are certainly exceptions but many of them are non stainless which is yet another steel characteristic that has to be considered. Well, I mean it has to be considered if you are a knife/steel nerd...normal people wouldn't consider ANY of this. :rolleyes::p
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hahaha that was clear the first time, Gringo.
Very well written info, BTW :thumbsup:
 
I love this knife. However, my suspicion about the tip was correct. It couldnt take a striper's head.

I was able, however, to straighten and resharpen the tip. I used it the rest of the weekend to filet and cut bait.

 
So, Aqua salt or this assuming i am not going to brain a striper and using it on a kayak?
 
Thanks Spyderco for releasing the Fish Hunter! And thanks to the users on this forum for sharing their experiences. I just received three knives. In general it looks good, although with some shortcomings in my opinion:

Last year when Sal asked this forum for feedback, I gave my opinion on the design. One of my points was to make the hole on the blade a feature to release stuck spears. I was disappointed when I saw that the diameter was only 6 mm and therefore too small for this purpose.

I therefore sent one knife to a knife smith to grind the hole to 8 mm, expanding towards the spine as not to risk having a fragile part between the border of the hole and the edge.

I've also ordered a plain second edge, to penetrate the fish more easily and to have a plain and symmetrical edge for making filets, finer cutting tasks and just to have an extra option. Using the PE will require holding the handle in the opposite direction, but that should be OK, but ideally, I would have preferred a symmetrical handle. As a dagger unfortunately is illegal in some markets, I understand why Spyderco had to make it with one "false edge".

Lastly, I would have hoped that Spyderco came up with an elastic strap system for sheath attachment over a wetsuit either in the arm or leg. I guess many users will need this feature, now we're left to improvising solutions (which can also be fun btw) and if you come up with a bad one, people risk problems.

I'll try to post some pics after receiving the modified knife and from experiences using it in its right element the coming weeks:)

Take care!
 
I think I too will be sharpening the top half or so of the false edge. Blade is already good for quick filet jobs but a slicy PE on the topside will help with those tasks.
 
I just picked mine up today. Love the design and can't wait to get it out on the water. I could have used it several times last week actually. Got a nice Cubera Snapper yesterday that was being a bit unruly in the kayak.

As far as the false edge, mine will definitely remain unsharpened. i haul some pretty big fish into the kayak and they are quite powerful. With quarters as tight as they are in a kayak I am always working between my spread legs. It's dangerous enough using a knife around a big "green" fish...I don't need an extra sharpened edge to potentially get into me if things go wrong. I know it might sound like I'm being overly dramatic talking about "things going wrong" but it can happen really quickly in that small space.
 
Hi all,

Just picked up my Fish Hunter at the knife smith's. The hole got a bit larger than I wanted, 8.5mm, but it should do the job with the spear.

With the plain edge, this knife should be handled with outmost care. I agree with Surfingringo above, this is not a knife you want out of control in a tight space:). The smith rounded of the point just a tiny bit, let's see how it works.

I'll initially try the knife in the elastic diving belt as shown. I'll also experiment with 3mm elastic cord and velcro bands + zip-ties for calf/arm attachment.

The smith said he struggled with the H1 steel, the more he worked on it, the harder it got. In the end, he damaged one of his milling tools. He jokingly said the steel must have som magic properties.

Thanks for the comment Sal. I think the Spyderco Fish Hunter has the potential to become the best spear fishing knife out there!

I'm looking forward to trying the knife in its right element...

Here are some photos, hope you manage to see them:

AhKpS7p

wl4vMPR

sUy6Fyy


Or link to album:

http://imgur.com/a/djCez
 
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^thats a beauty. nicely done and good to see the fishhunter living up to its name.
 
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