Mail Call: Spyderco Dragonfly H1 Serrated

DansGunBlog

DansGunBlog

Joined
Jul 23, 2014
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39
Hi guys!

This little guy just came in mid week... playing nicely alongside my primary EDC. It's my first Dragonfly, and it's definitely an interesting little knife.

Very preliminary, but it's much more solid and versatile than I expected...

** Edit: It's been a couple weeks so I've had the opportunity to get a good feel of the Dragonfly.

Here's my First Impressions Review of the Dragonfly...

http://dansgunblog.com/spyderco-dragonfly-serrated-review-first-impressions/

And yes, this thing was absolutely a gateway drug to a Tasman Salt. :-)

Dan

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Razzle said:
Purty little thing! It's on my short list to purchase soon.
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Sure is! LOL I was originally looking at the Ladybug Salt H1 Hawkbill... at the last minute went for this one, and glad I did.

It's already kicked the Ladybug out of my pocket (free floating), which was the goal.

Surprisingly solid little knife and feels good in hand... goes through cardboard as well as my PE Military.

Dan
 
I have a serrated Native arriving this Tuesday.....if it doesn't suffice for cardboard cutting and stuff, I'll be ordering a serrated Salt soon.
 
No worries. All of the SE cut well.

IIRC, Sal said the H1 SE out-cut all other Spyderco steels and edges.

My Delica SE in ZDP-189 is an astounding cutter.
 
H1 in SE is as hard as ZDP-189 at the edge (Plain edge less so), but is a lot less brittle/tougher and isn't nearly as prone to chipping, which is why they retired the ZDP from serrated edges. I remember reading a thread that stated that serrated edges typically can cut about twice as long as plain edges before being too dull to cut anything, and that H1 went 4 times as long as its PE counterpart.
 
TravisH said:
The Dragonfly Salt is part of my growing family of Spidyedges ...

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Hey Travis, thanks for posting that side by side pic! I didn't realize the hawkbill Tasman Salt serrated was so similar in size to the Dragonfly...

Now seriously considering one...

Was just thinking a hawkbill serrated Dragonfly could be excellent. Really I think the Dragonfly puretty much pushes the size of companion knife that can comfortably free float in a pocket without bulging pockets lol.

How do you like the Tasman Salt? How are the ergos, how solid is it, and how smooth is it - compared to the Dragonfly? :-)

Thanks!
Dan
 
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The Tasman Salt is really nice. It's essentially a Delica. (Notice that the handle finger grooves of the Delica and Tasman match.) And so, when holding the TS, it feels like the Delica.

For me, the only comfortable way to hold the DF is choked up on the blade jimping. The TS feels a bit 'fatter' when closed due to the curve of the blade but still drops to the bottom of a pants pocket easily. If you take the clip off, or turn the clip to the outside, you will quickly forget it's even in your pocket.

My DF is fairly new and is still a bit stiff. But I've found all my new Spyderco's that way when new - a bit still but soon loosen up. The TS and Delica can easily be opened/closed with one hand. The DF is a bit harder since it is smaller and I have to curl my fingers in tighter to work it.

The TS is very light, about .5 ounce lighter than the Delica but about .7 ounce heavier than the DF (2.4 v 1.9 v 1.2).

All 3 have just have FRN handles with no liners. It helps reduce weight but I wouldn't want to do a lot of bushcraft tasks with them. The TS cuts great but, obviously, has trouble with cutting on a flat surface (which I why I EDC the Delica SE more).
 
DansGunBlog said:
Hey Travis, thanks for posting that side by side pic! I didn't realize the hawkbill Tasman Salt serrated was so similar in size to the Dragonfly...

Now seriously considering one...

Was just thinking a hawkbill serrated Dragonfly could be excellent. really the Dragonfly puretty much pushes the size of companion knife that can comfortably free float in a pocket.

How do you like the Tasman Salt? How are the ergos, how solid is it, and how smooth is it - compared to the Dragonfly? :-)

Thanks!
Dan
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Interesting that you should mention this. I recently obtained a PE Tasman Salt (black handle) and a ZDP Dragonfly (for Christmas). I have been EDCing them together as a pair for the last few weeks. The DF2 edge is probably the sharpest factory edge I've owned, but the Tasman's action is smoother -- I was really surprised at how smooth. Both have zero blade play. The Tasman is also impressively light and easy to carry, not far behind the DF2. The Tasman has been getting more cutting jobs, by a substantial margin. It also did one night of cold-weather camping where I left the DF2 at home (due to corrosion worries). The Tasman strikes me as a neat combination -- it carries easier than you'd expect due to the super light weight, and simultaneously cuts much more aggressively than the size suggests, due to the hawkbill blade design. I really like them both, but I think the positive features of the Tasman surprised me more.
 
TravisH said:
The Tasman Salt is really nice. It's essentially a Delica. (Notice that the handle finger grooves of the Delica and Tasman match.) And so, when holding the TS, it feels like the Delica.

For me, the only comfortable way to hold the DF is choked up on the blade jimping. The TS feels a bit 'fatter' when closed due to the curve of the blade but still drops to the bottom of a pants pocket easily. If you take the clip off, or turn the clip to the outside, you will quickly forget it's even in your pocket.

My DF is fairly new and is still a bit stiff. But I've found all my new Spyderco's that way when new - a bit still but soon loosen up. The TS and Delica can easily be opened/closed with one hand. The DF is a bit harder since it is smaller and I have to curl my fingers in tighter to work it.

The TS is very light, about .5 ounce lighter than the Delica but about .7 ounce heavier than the DF (2.4 v 1.9 v 1.2).

All 3 have just have FRN handles with no liners. It helps reduce weight but I wouldn't want to do a lot of bushcraft tasks with them. The TS cuts great but, obviously, has trouble with cutting on a flat surface (which I why I EDC the Delica SE more).
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Aaaaand I just ordered it lol. Thanks for that super detailed feedback, I appreciate it.

Agreed completely on the no-liner FRN handles... I'm a big believer in the right tool for the job. For bushcrafting, or more accurately, some gardening, here in the suburbs of North Dallas lol, I'll put the KA-BAR Kukri machete to good use. now that is a beautiful and solid blade, and it sure feels nice in the hand. Need to finish up that review and publish it lol.

** Regarding the DF and other new Spydercos being stiff at first... my DF is pretty smooth, tho I'm going to add a drop of Ballistol to make it smoother still. My Military came a little stiff however (see my first impressions review here)... but a couple drops of Ballistol and it was smoother than the Resilience before. It's just so smooth... flicks open effortlessly, and with a nice, satisfying sound. :-)
 
DansGunBlog said:
Aaaaand I just ordered it lol. Thanks for that super detailed feedback, I appreciate it.

Agreed completely on the no-liner FRN handles... I'm a big believer in the right tool for the job. For bushcrafting, or more accurately, some gardening, here in the suburbs of North Dallas lol, I'll put the KA-BAR Kukri machete to good use. now that is a beautiful and solid blade, and it sure feels nice in the hand. Need to finish up that review and publish it lol.

** Regarding the DF and other new Spydercos being stiff at first... my DF is pretty smooth, tho I'm going to add a drop of Ballistol to make it smoother still. My Military came a little stiff however (see my first impressions review here)... but a couple drops of Ballistol and it was smoother than the Resilience before. It's just so smooth... flicks open effortlessly, and with a nice, satisfying sound. :-)
Click to expand...

Be sure to let us know your thoughts when it arrives!
 
Just got my Dragonfly Salt 2 SE in today. Looks to be a great backup blade. Extremely light. The centering on mine is nearly touching the clip side scale. Does anyone know any tricks for centering these? I got mine from a reputable dealer that's not a BF dealer and everything looks legit as I haven't heard of any SE versions of the D-Fly Salt being faked (correct me if I'm wrong) . I always worry about someone returning a fake to a dealer and somehow it goes unnoticed and ends up being shipped to me...
 
uofaengr said:
Just got my Dragonfly Salt 2 SE in today. Looks to be a great backup blade. Extremely light. The centering on mine is nearly touching the clip side scale. Does anyone know any tricks for centering these? I got mine from a reputable dealer that's not a BF dealer and everything looks legit as I haven't heard of any SE versions of the D-Fly Salt being faked (correct me if I'm wrong) . I always worry about someone returning a fake to a dealer and somehow it goes unnoticed and ends up being shipped to me...
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There is one fake that I know of for the Dragonfly Salt, but it doesn't have a swedge on the spine which is the main giveaway that it's fake. Doesn't seem to be one of the more popular fakes though, so as long as yours has a swedge you should be okay.
 
3rdGenRigger said:
There is one fake that I know of for the Dragonfly Salt, but it doesn't have a swedge on the spine which is the main giveaway that it's fake. Doesn't seem to be one of the more popular fakes though, so as long as yours has a swedge you should be okay.
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Yeah it's got a swedge and the hardware looks OK. Not the double headed torx screws. Good, bright yellow color and not dingy. Only suspect things besides the bad centering are a small mark on the black bushing around the pivot, probably just a small imperfection, and the clip isn't shiny. Really only shiny maybe where it contacts the scales. Never had a Dragonfly so not sure if this is typical. Very sharp though
 
Good review, though you mention that it's not possible to flick open the Ladybug. I can and have done so with mine, but it does take some technique and precise holding of the knife, but is definitely possible. Looking forward to your Tasman review.
 
3rdGenRigger said:
Good review, though you mention that it's not possible to flick open the Ladybug. I can and have done so with mine, but it does take some technique and precise holding of the knife, but is definitely possible. Looking forward to your Tasman review.
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LOL!! Fine, I sat down with my Ladybug and started trying to flick it, had to know, and sure enough, I did manage it... Admittedly, it was once, and barely, and I'm not eager to do it again, but had to try. :-)

It's just awkward for me since to hold on to, and I'm ridiculously safe with knives, guns, etc. The Military feels good to flick open, one thing I love about it is how excellent it feels in the hand. That said, I certainly like the Ladybug, excellent little knife you can open with one hand, locks, typical excellent Spyderco quality.

Have to watch myself on the Tasman... I like to carry and use something for a few weeks before doing a review, but just a week into it, and it should be called "The Claw". I don't typically like something that big as my complementary 2nd blade, which is why I takes up too much pocket space, but you know, it's a a give and take. Glad I tried it in spite of that.

This is still very preliminary, but The Claw is one surprisingly useful tool just day to day, far more so than I would have expected. And man, does it ever slice/tear through plastic line, wrapping, packaging, etc.

Dan
 
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