H1 blade steel experiences? good for edc?

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baliflipper02

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Aug 27, 2014
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I'm looking at spydercos salt line, and i was wondering if the steel holds up well to everyday use? does it dull quickly? I've never had any experience to i was wondering how it would hold up!
 
H1 is used in dive/fishing knives, and resists rust extremely well.

However, that corrosion resistance comes at the cost of less than optimal edge retention. So if you're a diver or you need to stab fish, then H1 is okay. However, for EDC – not so much. A steel similar to H1 that holds up a bit better and is also a bit cheaper than H1 would be N680.

The Spyderco knives you're looking at are called "Salt" for a reason – they're intended for use in salt water.
 
Unless you are talking about SERRATED H1...which is second to none for serrated edges.
 
I don't know exactly as I was busy working. I cut various hoses, rope, zip ties and thick cardboard. I lent it to a coworker, but I don't think he abused it. He was laid off so I will never get a chance to ask.
 
Fish Boy said:
H1 is used in dive/fishing knives, and resists rust extremely well.

However, that corrosion resistance comes at the cost of less than optimal edge retention. So if you're a diver or you need to stab fish, then H1 is okay. However, for EDC – not so much. A steel similar to H1 that holds up a bit better and is also a bit cheaper than H1 would be N680.

The Spyderco knives you're looking at are called "Salt" for a reason – they're intended for use in salt water.
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ok, I'm still really set on the dragonfly design, which steel is better vg-10 or zdp-189? I'm still kinda new to how well certain steels hold up to edc use. and i haven't had any experience with zdp-189.
 
Sal from Spyderco says that the H1 serrated blade is their best cutter, bar none.

Want an EDC blade without the worry of rust or corrosion, H1 is the answer.

There is a reason that VG10 is ubiquitous at Spyderco - its a damn good steel.

ZDP189 is a bit harder but does have an issue with rolling/chipping which is why Spyderco stopped using it for serrated blades.

A Dragonfly in H1 or VG10 would be a great EDC.
 
VG10 is a more rust resistant steel, I'm about 30 min. from the gulf in SW Louisiana and have a ZDP knife that has some light rust spots on it. ZDP is a great steel, usually has a higher RC than a lot of other steels and holds an edge for a long time. With the proper stones, it's not difficult to sharpen, but does take longer. VG10 can get stupid sharp without much effort and holds an edge well. Both are excellent steels to have, it just depends on your sharpening skills and what you're willing to do to prevent rust spots.
 
I have 2 salts. They used to be my lunch knives. Now that I have a stretch and endura in zdp the salts are just sitting in my locker. I just can't get them as sharp as the others. All mentioned are plain edge. I have spyderedge knives but don't use them much. I like slicers I guess. The zdp goes through a tomato like it's not even there!
 
I have a pacific salt serrated and have absolutely beat the heck out of it. That knife just keeps on cutting. I don't want to speculate what happened but it is very unusual for H1 serrated to roll. Just my 2 cents....and that's all it's worth. LOL
 
I have a Pacific Salt SE H1 in rotation and it does the same work as S30V and Elmax blades, no issues.
I don't pound on any of my blades, they are cutting tools so YMMV.
Well worth considering for edc.
 
What are your usual EDC tasks? My PE Dragonfly holds up to light tasks very well, just needs to strop at the end of a couple days of good use. My SE Pacific Salt gets put through harder tasks and hold up well.
 
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I have a dragonfly in H1 with the hollow grind. It will get very sharp but will lose that shaving sharpness almost immediately. I broke down one cardboard box with mine when it was new and the shaving sharpness was gone.

However, it is still reasonably sharp to cover most EDC tasks. I would say if you are one of those guys who wants laser sharpness all the time, H1 is not for you. I got mine to server as a small knife I could bring to the beach.
 
H-1 is great IMO.

This is my 7/8 year old Salt-1 that I have reground.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/19/thumbnail/vaduhuhy.jpg

Here is my atlantic salt, I reground it to be convexed as I felt the shoulders of the hollow caught and minded a bit too much for my liking.

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Sosa said:
I don't know exactly as I was busy working. I cut various hoses, rope, zip ties and thick cardboard. I lent it to a coworker, but I don't think he abused it. He was laid off so I will never get a chance to ask.
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It could very well be that your former coworker abused your knife, using it on some task(s) that are stupidly inappropriate for a knife, especially a serrated one. It's quite common for people who borrow other people's knives to do that. I've seen some knives in other steels where the serrated teeth were actually chipped off from abuse.

I will say that I have had part of an H1 serrated blade roll a little bit, such as when accidentally contacting a copper staple in thick cardboard, etc., which was easily and quickly remedied with some very light work on the Sharpmaker. I've cut lots of cardboard, often thick, with H1 blades, and never messed up the edges. The only issue, which isn't an issue with me, is that H1 scratches very easily.

IME, the serrations on the SE Tasman Salt seem even sturdier, less prone to rolling than, say, on the Pacific, Atlantic, etc. That may be due to the blade being a hawkbill, possibly providing more reinforcement for the edge(?). However, the Tasman's tip can be a little easy to roll, since it's so fine.

Jim
 
I have the pacific salt and dragon fly, both plain edge, and have been pleased with the trade-off of no maintenance, that is after it has had some use. Out of the box, H-1 is too soft. Thru use and especially sharpening, H-1 gets harder. A very noticeable difference after only a few sharpenings -- much better edge retention.

From a woodcraft perspective, the dragon fly is as small I will go in having an EDC which will carve wood and make decent enough shavings for fire in wet weather.
 
I like H1 but it does have it's limitations; it is far from an ideal EDC steel IMHO as the edge retention is quite low compared to many other steels out there. It is still a neat steel for knives because of the insane corrosion resistance; I left my Rock Salt in the shower for 2+ months as a test and not a spec of rust was on it at the end of the test. Same goes for my tasman salt; I repeated the test with it and no issues whatsoever at the end. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::cool:

My PE Tasman salt has seen the most use out of the three H1 knives I own and it is a beach knife for me as it has a long clipped lanyard to keep it safely attached to shorts when snorkeling/swimming.

My Tasman is in the pic somewhere... ;)

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My most recent acquisition in H1; a modded mariner; super sharp tip and serrations on this one. :eek::thumbup:

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I'll add pics of my beat up Rock Salt when I find em... ;) (edit, got em!)
She is pretty chewed up and is covered in scratches; not that the first pic shows it at all LOL. It has seen use a woods knife/camp use and has fared pretty well considering how thin the knife is ground. :thumbup::thumbup:

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C360_2012-06-25-13-09-45.jpg
 
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That mariner blade looks awesome. They need to make a production model with that tip and serrations.
 
I had a Spyderco Salt 1 and I liked it quite a bit. The serrated edge cut like crazy. Based on what I have read, I would get the H1 for anything to be used in salt water or if you wanted serrated.

For plain edge VG10 is pretty nice for the money. If you want to spend more ZDP-189 or some other steels will hold an edge longer.
 
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