H-1 steel: does it have any disadvantages?

well, sal has said it is a bear to grind.

ive also read that edge holding is not great given the high hardness. i guess proof that rc rating and edge holding are not necessarily synonymous.

i have two atlantic salts, but have never used either.
 
In my experience it is soft and does not hold an edge like most of us knife enthusiasts prefer. It feels to me like a soft 440c, ie, tips bend instead of break. I carried a salt when they first came out, but I don't have a ton of experience with them, so YMMV.
If I had a huge problem with rust I'd carry one for sure, but since I don't I carry other knives.
I do wish they would make an H1 pistol though :)
 
I HAVE BE USING A H-1 FOLDER AT WORK FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS WITH NO PROBLEMS YET.
I DO HOW EVER TAKE CARE OF IT JUST LIKE ANY OTHER KNIFE OUT OF HABBIT.:D:cool:
 
spyderco H1 is pretty good. i was messing around with a serrated salt 1 a few years back and decided to take a slash at an old beat up backpack i had hung up just to see how destructive it would be, and i accidentally hit the zipper. the blade went right through the metal zipper :eek: there was hardly any damage to the blade, a tiny part of the edge rolled a bit and i was able to touche it up easily. it does scratch easily though, but i dont mind at all.
 
You give up some edge holding in exchange for outstanding rust resistance. I've been using a Spyderhawk and a Tasman since January and I'm very happy with both. Not having to worry about maintenance at all is great in the humid Argentine summer.

While edge holding isn't up to S30V or VG-10 standards, it's not that bad. I'd say it's close to AUS-8.
 
I hear the folks in the Traditional forum hate it because it doesn't take a nice patina despite their best efforts. :D
 
Edge holding is pretty bad and as mentioned it scratches easily. I will definitely get a serrated edge if I get another. For around salt water it is great otherwise I don't like the tradeoffs
 
MORIMOTOM said:
well, sal has said it is a bear to grind.

ive also read that edge holding is not great given the high hardness. i guess proof that rc rating and edge holding are not necessarily synonymous.

i have two atlantic salts, but have never used either.
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Sounds like you need to sell me one:D
 
I have several Salts, and they are great knives. As mentioned, though the edges do tend to roll rather than chip. IME, the serrated blades, although they hold an edge better than the plain edges, do tend to roll more, esp. if the serrations are cut deeper/are extra pointy. I rolled a good portion on the edge of a serrated Atlantic Salt while cutting something that I did not know had wire inside of it, but I straightened it out after several minutes using the Sharpmaker. Even some of the tips of serrations had bent, but they were like new again after a bit or work. My Tasman's serrations have never rolled, probably because the teeth aren't as aggressively pointy as some other Salts'. But if the tip is very fine/thin, it too can roll fairly easily. I haven't had a plain edge roll like that, but they are very easy to sharpen, and take a nasty edge.

Like everything, there is a tradeoff. The H-1 is very tough and is basically rustproof, but edge-holding is less many other top steels. IMO, the ideal would be to have all the positive attributes of H-1 with the edge-holding of VG-10. I'm sure someday that will become a reality.
Jim
 
SkinnyJoe said:
If so, what are they?

Thanks. :)
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I don't know that I would call it 'disadvantages'. Knife steels are all about tradeoffs. What works amazingly well in one knife might be a very poor choice in another.

As to the specifics of H1, I find it's choice in tradeoffs to be superb. In fact, I have a Spyderco Salt 1 in my pocket now, and it's lasted longer than any other knife as my EDC. The combination of decent edge holding, relatively easy to sharpen, and absolutely impervious to corrosion has made it a great choice for me.
 
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