Looking for less hivemindy opinions: Is serrated H1 actually worth a damn?

M

metaphoricalsimile

Joined
Jun 29, 2020
Messages
33
On the Spyderco forums you have just tons of people singing the praises of H1, and there are even a few who seem to be intent on proving that plain-edge H1 can have good edge retention. This seems to fly in the face of basically all of the evidence I've seen (from youtube tests and Larrin's data), and also doesn't jive with my own use of a SE H1 Dragonfly. So I'm coming here to ask: do all those spyderco forum users have a point? Is it actually a pretty good-performing steel and edge combo, or is it hivemind opinion?
 
I love h1 but wouldn't say it has good edge retention. It's easy to sharpen and likes to fold over rather than chip, which makes it nice to touch up and can be run at a really acute angle for my uses. With being rustproof included, I like it for being very little maintenance while still having decent edge retention.

For a knife that gets carried a lot and cuts a lot between sharpenings, unless you really need the rustproofing for some reason, I agree most other "super steels" are a better choice. Put another way, no one should be carrying h1 because of the edge holding, in my experience anyway.
 
It's 100% a win for being rustproof. That's its niche. Other properties like edge retention, not so much, and I think it works best fully serrated for specific tasks.

I have a SE Tasman, PE Ladybug, and a SE ARK in H1. The Tasman has never been sharpened beyond a loaded strop in like almost 15 years. I bought it to wear in my trunks on a beach trip with my wife and inlaws, but short of being used by an employee as a box knife for a year, it hasn't been put through the paces.

I bought the PE Ladybug and immediately put it in the meh pile. Probably the only Spyderco I have had buyer's remorse.

The ARK is pretty cool. I am friendly with one of the creators of the design and it excels at both its intended role of a last ditch weapon in a bathhouse as well as a very handy utility knife for beach use.

Once again, I bought it to keep on my person while on my stepdad's boat or at the ocean. A handy fully serrated knife thst won't rust is welcome. When I got home, it went back in my drawer and my normal EDC knives got back into rotation.
 
I don't know for sure... I use lc200n.
I am a bit tempted by the tasman.
 
I really liked my serrated H1 Pac Salt.
I bought it for salt water utility, but I also used it to cut a bunch of sod at a prior residence. It wound up dull by the end of it all.
I was able to bring the edge back on a Sharpmaker. No complaints.

The knife was eventually lost. I have a SE PacSalt in LC200n now, but haven’t used it much.
 
The pacific salt 2 upgrade from H1 to LC200N was well done. I'm the exact opposite on H1, I dont think it's very good. Edge retention is pretty low, I would rank it near 8Cr, toughness is okay, like the previous post mentioned it folds (alot) rather than chips.

When I owned my Pacific salt 2, I had to sharpen/strop it after pretty much every trip...which is fine but with the onset of better steels, H1 is definitely due for an upgrade. It sharpens easy, but so does LC200N.

Serrations will help it last longer...but then again why wouldn't you get the LC200N in serrations instead? My old fishing knife was 20CV, and I was perfectly happy with its rust resistance. Theres a good reason we're seeing more knives in LC200N.

Also, on a side note, my fishing folder for the last year has been the QC waypoint in Vanax...talk about a rust proof, high edge retention, tough steel...I havent even had to sharpen it once, kind of curious how hard it would be.

My thoughts.
 
I've used H1 Spydercos for quite a long time now. The fact that H1 is rustproof was always its main draw for my intended use. First one was a serrated Pacific Salt. Worked fine. When they came out with the Atlantic Salt, I got a serrated one because the straight edge suited my use better.

Then they came out with the Tasman, which was what I was really wanting all this time. But in use, it had flaws. The serrated one, with the 2 small serrations before the plain section at the tip, tended to snag and drag rather than slice. Especially through cardboard. But even with thin plastic bags it wouldn't slice cleanly through, but ragged and jagged. So I swapped it for a plain edge. I'm on my 2nd one now, having heavily used and worn (mostly through resharpening) the first one into retirement (the knife, not me). The problem with the plain edge one is that the edge retention is atrocious. And I don't know if it was the steel or just me, but getting a good edge on it was always far more difficult than it should be.

For several months now I've been using a serrated hawkbill Dragonfly Salt. Since the extreme majority of the cutting I do with the hawkbill is done towards the tip, I don't miss the extra blade length. The larger serration scallop nearest the tip slices rather than drags. And even though most of the use is in such a small section of the blade, I do find that it holds its edge much better than my plain edge Tasman Salts do.

I'm sorely tempted to get a wharncliffe LC200N Salt with a plain edge. But I hesitate because I'm not certain that it'd suit me better than my Dragonfly. Since I'd only use the tipmost part, I'd likely be resharpening only that part, and that'd cause uneven wear that wouldn't be disguised by the serrations or shape of the hawkbill on my Dragonfly. If they ever make a Tasman with LC200N though, I'll be the first to place a pre-order.
 
Not much I can add here that other members haven’t already pointed out.

The corrosion resistance makes it ideal for continued exposure to water and corrosives. It’s great for softer medium.

If you whittle on wood it will roll.
 
I've never quite understood , but H1 is supposed to be "work hardened " and the serrated edged models from Spyderco are claimed to have respectable
hardness .

I've read many testimonials that serrated H1 does indeed perform very well for hard utility use .

I haven't really used mine enough to know for sure . :confused:

 
I'd go with Vanax SC, which has excellent edge retention, good toughness and extremely good stain resistance. Why settle for H1? Larrin's MagnaCut should be pretty good for stain resistance, too.
 
I carry a Salt around water, sweaty activities, and vacations.
The inside of a car is very humid, and I typically don't want to bring knife cleaning supplies when I travel.
1626252819027.png
 
I guess I don't understand the hype either, at least about serrated H-1 edge retention. I've used SE H-1 extensively in multiple platforms, and for me it has always behaved exactly as I would expect from a mid -50's HRC austenitic stainless - not that great. I'd take serrated LC200N, VG-10, even 8Cr13MoV over H-1. In my uses I found H-1 not only dulled faster but was much more sensitive to edge deformation than the other 3.

Of course the biggest strength of H-1 is its corrosion resistance which definitely does live up to the hype. But, now that we have LC200N there isn't much reason, in my opinion, to go with H-1 anymore.

ETA, I still own SE H-1 and I like it. I'm not trying to say it's worthless at all, it definitely has its strengths; I just haven't experienced the extreme edge holding others apparently have.
 
I would say some of the thoughts around H1 are it's tremendous practicality; obviously rustproof, and it is tough -- that combined with its ease in sharpening of which many are starting appreciate better edge retention (than it's general reputation) when keeping the edge course. I would also say some of the comparisons are truly apples and oranges compared to super steels, bushcraft knives, etc. where fine/polished edges are applied, and that's where differences in opinion are occurring -- I am just a layman, but that's my interpretation -- to maximize H1 it needs to managed differently, which is even easier actually.

Personally, I am a fan of H1 plain edge and don't mind hitting it with a course pocket stone every now and again to make it shaving sharp in the field. Some folks want more edge retention and not having to touch up their blade often. It's almost like comparing a Ferrari to a Jeep -- some folks want the sports car for the speed and road handling, others want to go off road.

Not my video, but good stuff...
 
As I've gotten older, smarter, and lazier: I worry a lot less about edge retention.
As long as I can put an edge back on a knife quickly: I'm not so worried about how long it'll keep it.
I've got a Buck 112 that will hold an edge through just about anything I throw at it. But sharpening it takes far too much time and effort.
My Schrades will dull from a sharp glace at them; but they sharpen back up with a half-dozen passes over my F Dick hone...
Buy the knife you need for the use you have, and you'll never be sorry...
Worrying about the steel seems (to me); to be not as important.
 
I have 3 H1's which I carry and use regularly. As I believe in resharpening my edc's regularly I can't really comment on edge longevity. But mine are used hard and used often and I have never had a problem.
 
Last edited:
I bought a used aqua salt serrated that someone had used and never sharpened. It was dull as the steak knives at your grandma’s house. I sharpened that thing for days with Diamond rods to bring it back. That stuff is hard as hell in serrated form.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top