Opinion on Spyderco Caspian Salt

[thermalwedgie]

I'm looking into the Caspian Salt 1, but i'm unable to find any good reviews. I'm just looking for some opinions on the knife and also the sheath.
Thanks!
Austin

 

[jimnolimit]

have you tried typing "spyderco caspian salt" in youtube?

 

[thermalwedgie]

have you tried typing "spyderco caspian salt" in youtube?

Yes but I was only able to find a few videos.

 

[EricV]

Its a very good boating and pfd knife. Personally I think it would have been better with a yellow or orange handle though. Again, it works very well for what it is designed for, but wouldn't be terribly useful for much else

 

[thermalwedgie]

Its a very good boating and pfd knife. Personally I think it would have been better with a yellow or orange handle though. Again, it works very well for what it is designed for, but wouldn't be terribly useful for much else

I spend a lot of time outside, and I like to hike near creeks an md I also get close to the water, and it is also pretty humid where I live, and im intending to use it for basic cutting tasks and sawing. Would it be good knife for this, and if not, what other knives would be good?

 

[CWL]

It won't rust, I can tell you that.

It will make a very good portable knife to always have on you like a rafting knife, but I don't know if it is meant to be a full-time heavy use blade. Before you buy one, try to hold one in your hands to make sure that you like the thin open knife grip. I don't think it will be comfortable in your hands if you plan on hours of work with one. If you want something for heavy use, consider a blade with a solid and full grip so you don't wear any hot spots in your hands, perhaps the Aqua Salt knife.

 

[EricV]

Exactly what CWL said. :thumbup:

I'd say that a spyderco aqua salt would be a better choice, if you wanted an h1/rust proof knife. H1 really is best in serrations though, but its still nice enough in a plain edge. The Aquas are discontinued now though, so if its what you want, hurry up and grab one while they're still out there.

If you're open to non spyderco knives, I'd say just about any fixed blade with g-10, micarta, frn, aluminium, generally rust proof handles, and a very stain resistant steel thats still very capable, maybe 440c or s30v. Just make sure its not a bead blasted finish as that tends to rust faster. The Benchmade nimravus, SOG seal pup, are options, there are many options if you don't mind standard stainless steels.

 

[knarfeng]

I spend a lot of time outside, and I like to hike near creeks an md I also get close to the water, and it is also pretty humid where I live, and im intending to use it for basic cutting tasks and sawing. Would it be good knife for this, and if not, what other knives would be good?

The H1 steel gets very sharp, but holds an edge on the order of 420HC (non-Buck). The H1 I measured had a blade hardness of 56.5. This is roughly the hardness of Case Tru-Sharp and the edge holding was about the same in side-by-side manila rope cutting comparisons.

I'd go for the H1 if I were going to be IN the water, as in canoeing or rafting. Also excellent for use around salt water.

If I were going to be AROUND water, then most stainless alloys will likely have adequate corrosion resistance.
440C
154CM
S30V
Buck 420HC. (They harden theirs to ~58 and it makes a difference in the edge holding performance.)
AUS 10
AUS 8

All that being said, lots of folks use non-stainless blades when camping in damp areas and are just a bit more careful about wiping the blade down before putting it in the sheath.