How do these hold up to water?

S

SuzukiGS750EZ

Joined
Dec 30, 2008
Messages
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Rust wise, having to relube, ruining the handle materials. Just all around water. Freshwater though. I do a lot of freshwater fishing and sometimes i have to get close or into the water or whatnot. I have a Buck X-tract, Buck 110, Victorinox Swisstool, Kershaw blur, Benchmade Griptilian and victorinox centurion. All are the newer models with the newer steels, but standard steels. I use my frosts clipper but i usually want a folder too. I carry my vic. swisstool whenever i go fishing, but as far as folders im scared.
 
Why not add a Victorinox folder to the mix? If you favor a larger, single blade folder, here are some nice ones they make. These are outstanding knives for the money and, as you know, extremely resistant to corrosion.
 
Get a Spyderco Salt series knife and just melt your worries away for a folding knife.

My Pacific Salt has never been blemished by anything. Anything that is not made of H-1 stainless steel is made out of fiberglass reinforced nylon or titanium. The knife is totally non-reactive with fresh or sea water.
 
A standard Buck 110 with the brass frame and the 420HC is going to be pretty corrosion resistant if you just take a silicone cloth to the blade before you go.
 
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
Rust wise, having to relube, ruining the handle materials. Just all around water. Freshwater though. I do a lot of freshwater fishing and sometimes i have to get close or into the water or whatnot. I have a Buck X-tract, Buck 110, Victorinox Swisstool, Kershaw blur, Benchmade Griptilian and victorinox centurion. All are the newer models with the newer steels, but standard steels. I use my frosts clipper but i usually want a folder too. I carry my vic. swisstool whenever i go fishing, but as far as folders im scared.
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If you are fishing in fresh water you should not have a problem with any of those knives if you maintain them even minimally.

(Vic Swisstool and Centurion) I used a Victorinox Spartan when I worked on a charter boat and it lasted all summer without the blade rusting. This was around salt water and with no maintenance. The liners are aluminum I believe and corroded enough that opening was stiff and the springs did not snap well. I cleaned it but it never regained its original walk and talk.

(Kershaw Blur) I've used a Kershaw Junkyard Dog II working on the river (fresh water) and it developed rust spots on the blade after prolonged exposure to rain and sweat. It did not affect the action or the lock of the knife. The Blur is assisted opening and that would be my biggest concern, that the water might affect the internal mechanism.

(Buck 110 and X-Tract) I used a Buck 110 as a commercial lobsterman for several months and it saw prolonged expososure to sea water and fish brine with an extremely high salt content on a regular basis. The blade developed minimal corrosion spots that wiped away easily, and the wood handle scales are resin impregnated and did not suffer any ill effects. Again, this knife saw minimal maintenance. The Buck x-tract appears to be made of the same blade steel (420 HC) so I would not worry about it too much in a fresh water environment.

(Benchmade Griptilian) I can't say much for the Benchmade Griptilian since I have not used any benchmade folders around water, salt or fresh. I would not worry too much about using it when freshwater fishing though. Again, my only concern would be corrosion affecting the spring that works the Axis lock.

All of your choices should be fine for what you want to use them for. Wipe them down when you are finished, if you rinse them use a can of compressed air to blow the water out of the internal workings of the knife, dry them off and don't sweat it too much. If I had to recommend one of the folders you had listed I would suggest the Buck 110 as the most suited to outdoor activities around water and the Kershaw Blur as least suited to a wet environment (because of the Assisted Opening)

YMMV

Pete
 
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
I do a lot of freshwater fishing and sometimes i have to get close or into the water or whatnot.
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I honestly believe ANY decent modern stainless knife will be fine for this.

I used to carry my old Spyderco Endura with ATS-55 (a steel now looked down upon by many steel snobs) clipped to my pocket while fishing both at the beach, and wading around in ponds in Central Florida casting for bass. Once in awhile I'd rinse it off under running tap water and then drop a bit of lube on the joint. Never had a problem.
 
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