Going to try using plain edged H1 in the kayak for awhile.

I use my SE Pacific Salt on a daily basis, mainly to cut through 1-2 cm wide Zip-Ties and by the end of the day (after cutting 20-30 times through the tough plastic) I usually see bent serration tips and sometimes rolled over portions of the frontal PE section of the blade.
But then after a few passes with my portable medium grit Lansky "Spyderco" sharpener the burr and the rolling over is repaired and the Salt is perfect for another cutting session.
Will post pics ASAP
 
Hey Brock, there was no issue with the sharpening. I don't mind you asking though...I knew some would be thinking/wondering this (I would). I am pretty capable of detecting a clean apex with just my thumb but I went ahead and used a loupe to check the edge after sharpening. Apex was clean and even.

I have used this steel quite a bit before this little trial and this is just kind of how it performs. I was trying to give it another chance in the kayak, thats all. Like I said, I would be perfectly comfortable carrying this steel on an edc blade or for general use. I just don't care for it on the kayak because I am sometimes making some awkwardly angled cuts in a confined space (when preparing bait). A very sharp knife can be used with efficiency of force and movement but a dull knife becomes more dangerous because of the much greater force required.
 
OMG, you guys and your Salt sharpening. OK, now that I've alienated you, I want to ask a question or two. So, in your experience, how does VG-10 steel compare with H1 in terms of rust resistance and edge holding? I've thought about getting a Pacific Salt PE for quite awhile, but this H1 edge-holding issue finally made me decide to just get a VG-10 Endura PE full-flat grind instead. I also have a combo edge black-bladed VG-10 Endura, so let's throw that in the mix also. Is the black-blade VG-10 any more rust resistant than the non-coated blade, and is the regular uncoated VG-10 Endura perhaps a very good alternative to the H1 (PE or SE) Salt knives.

Many thanks.
 
Surfingringo said:
Well, day 1 is in the books and the knife got a ton of use. Sorry, but no pics. :( The knife had the factory bevel with a very light 40 degree microbevel added on the brown sharpmaker rods.

Anyway, fish were on the bottom today so I was jigging up some small grouper. I butterflied and filleted those to make cut bait to try to get some snapper. Basically I was using the belly and tip of the pe Pacific Salt like a fillet knife. I performed this on three small 8"-10" grouper and by the third one the knife was really struggling. Also I was cutting a couple of the fillets into strips on the hard plastic top of my kayak. This would be about the same hardness as a synthetic cutting board. So basically I filleted three tiny fish and cut about 6-8 strips. That was all the use it got...and when I got in the front half of the blade was absolutely butter knife dull.

I just resharpened and I went ahead and left a coarse (400 grit) 30 degree edge. We will see if this does any better but I am not holding my breath. So far, this is just confirming my long held opinion that though pe H1 does fine on soft media like wood, once it runs into anything a bit harder or more abrasive it loses its sharpness almost immediately. Like I said though, I'm going to play with some different edges and see if I can milk a little better performance out of it. So far though I'm missing my serrated salt. :(
Click to expand...

I have heard that you need to work your way through a bit of steel and the edge will start doing better
 
eqlzr said:
OMG, you guys and your Salt sharpening. OK, now that I've alienated you, I want to ask a question or two. So, in your experience, how does VG-10 steel compare with H1 in terms of rust resistance and edge holding? I've thought about getting a Pacific Salt PE for quite awhile, but this H1 edge-holding issue finally made me decide to just get a VG-10 Endura PE full-flat grind instead. I also have a combo edge black-bladed VG-10 Endura, so let's throw that in the mix also. Is the black-blade VG-10 any more rust resistant than the non-coated blade, and is the regular uncoated VG-10 Endura perhaps a very good alternative to the H1 (PE or SE) Salt knives.

Many thanks.
Click to expand...

Hi eqlzr, here would be my recommendations.

If you want the salt, go serrated...the serrated H1 salts outperform pretty much any other steel. If you want plain edge, then go with the Endura unless you are going to be in extremely corrosive environments. VG-10 is very corrosion resistant in normal use.

As far as the coated blades, I have had them on the ocean too and they do not seem to be any better at corrosion resistance than the satin finished blades to me.
 
Maybe someone here would be interested in my Pacific Salt review I just did today. I hope it can help!.
 
Sooo...I was out all yesterday afternoon and instead of the pe salt I went ahead and brought my well worn serrated Pacific Salt. I was bottom fishing with cut bait most of the day and the knife got a ton of use. Way more use than the pe salt got on the first day of testing. Given the choice under normal circumstances I might choose a plain edge knife for this job but there was no problem using the very sharp serrated edge for this task. It performed every bit as well as a pe would have in my opinion. More importantly, when I got back to the house and checked the edge it still had a nice level of bite on my thumb and would still easily shave arm hair in one pass. I went ahead and gave it a quick touchup on the uf rods and brought it back to scary sharp. :)

One other note. I have sharpened this serrated edge knife on the sharpmaker a LOT. Probably 1-2 times per week for the last couple of years, so I would guess its seen at least 100 touchups. The factory edge bevel is still in great shape and the knife has never needed to be re-profiled. You can even see from the pic that the microbevel has barely eaten into the edge bevel and that the teeth are still in very good condition. Serrated H1 steel remains one of my favorite steels...amazing stuff!
 
Hey, Surfingringo:

Thanks for the quick reply to my questions. Very helpful, indeed. Just one other question--you wrote that you "filleted 3 tiny fish" with your PE Pacific Salt. How well does your SE Salt fillet compared to the PE Salt?

Many thanks.
 
eqlzr said:
Hey, Surfingringo:

Thanks for the quick reply to my questions. Very helpful, indeed. Just one other question--you wrote that you "filleted 3 tiny fish" with your PE Pacific Salt. How well does your SE Salt fillet compared to the PE Salt?

Many thanks.
Click to expand...

It is functional for that kind of work but that is definitely one of those areas where I would rather have a good sharp plain edge. I have gone so far as to even fillet some larger makerel with the se pacific and though its certainly not ideal for the work it is capable. Works much better than a very dull plain edge.
 
I've read over and over how much better H1 holds up in a SE and just blunts instantly in PE, maybe a little edge geometry and grit experimenting will show why, keep us posted, Thanks!
 
codycash said:
I've read over and over how much better H1 holds up in a SE and just blunts instantly in PE, maybe a little edge geometry and grit experimenting will show why, keep us posted, Thanks!
Click to expand...

The reason why is there is a very large difference in hardness between pe and se H1. They perform like two completely different steels.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top