Question about Autonomy / H1 knives

[Rasco]

I've been looking at that new Autonomy auto and while I'm not sure I have a use for it, it's a great looking knife and would be awesome for people who work in and around water.
But my next thought was: "Ok, the blade won't rust, that's great. But what about the spring? What about the liners?"
Even "stainless steel" is gonna have a hard time standing up to daily exposure to salt water, right?

Just curious how the hardware has been holding up on yall's H1 knives.
SurfGringo, maybe you can chime in here.

 

[Invective]

IIRC, all the Spyderco Salt and H1 knives have either titanium or H1 hardware.

 

[RamZar]

I don't think the Autonomy has been released yet.

Anyway here's some information about the Autonomy from the 2014 Spyderco Catalog:

"The Autonomy truly defines the state of the art in modern automatic knives. Developed based on the demanding mission requirements of the U.S. Coast Guard’s rescue swimmers, it features a SpyderEdgeTM rescue-style blade ground from H-1 steel—a nitrogen-based steel that is completely immune to saltwater corrosion. Its automatic opening is powered by a coil spring contained within a removable shroud that allows spring replacement without disassembling the entire knife. Its oversized firing button grants quick indexing by tactile sense and is supported by stainless steel liners for increased lock strength. The button’s spring is also integral to one of the stainless steel liners, providing increased tension and eliminating any additional cavities within the handle that can retain water. This feature, and the knife’s open construction, allow it to be easily cleaned and dried, making it the ideal tool for waterborne rescue operations. Winner of the “Most Innovative American Design” award at the 2012 Blade Show and International Cutlery Fair, the Autonomy features black G-10 scales, a non-reflective DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) coating on the blade and all hardware, and a secondary safety to prevent unintentional operation of the firing button."​

 

[Rasco]

Yeah I read the press release, must have glazed over the spring replacement part. Ok, so fair enough, they know that's gonna need to be replaced.
I'd be curious to see one in a year or two (that has seen regular use) taken apart.

Looks like a really cool knife. I love my partially serrated Embassy, and my friend has been very happy with the H1 Pacific Salt I got him. This Autonomy reminds me of the offspring of those two knives

 

[RamZar]

So, are the stainless steel liners on the Autonomy made from H-1?

Also, just because it's H-1 it doesn't mean you don't rinse in fresh water and dry.

 

[darkaether]

I carried a Salt 1 for almost 2 years, never rinsed or oiled it, and it never showed a spec of rust. I left fruit juices and everything on it. The only time I ever cleaned it was before cutting food.

 

[Rasco]

So, are the stainless steel liners on the Autonomy made from H-1?

Also, just because it's H-1 it doesn't mean you don't rinse in fresh water and dry.

I don't think so, or else I'd imagine they'd have included that in the "press release" info they put out, right?
And you could rinse and dry all you want, but if you live in a coastal community, or spend 8-12hrs a day in one for your job, you don't need to even get your knife "wet", the moisture in the air is enough.

 

[Redmasta]

Be interesting to know as the Autonomy is an automatic, what about all the springs etc. Why would they choose H1 anyway if not?

My next Spyderco will be a Pacific Salt fully serrated as I think all components are H1. Going to use when out on the boat or at the beach etc...

 

[Rasco]

Be interesting to know as the Autonomy is an automatic, what about all the springs etc. Why would they choose H1 anyway if not?

My next Spyderco will be a Pacific Salt fully serrated as I think all components are H1. Going to use when out on the boat or at the beach etc...

I think that was addressed in the "press release" info where it says "Its automatic opening is powered by a coil spring contained within a removable shroud that allows spring replacement without disassembling the entire knife.
So that's acknowledging that the spring / pivot parts are going to rust after time and will need to be replaced, so for the Autonomy, Spyderco has made this less of a chore.
I wonder how much replacement "spring shrouds" will cost... Or maybe USCG has a special deal...?

 

[RamZar]

From the Spyderco OP Focus Catalog:

 

[The Deacon]

In a conversation a few years ago about the handle of the all stainless Mariner Salt, Sal told me that there are a number of steels that are very, very, rust resistant and that many of them are also less expensive than H-1, they just don't work well as blade steels. He may have mentioned this on one or more of the forums as well. I once left a fairly inexpensive teaspoon sitting in a cup of beef bouillon, which I'm guessing is more saline than sea water, for several days without it showing any signs of rust. Based on that, I'd say it's possible to have a highly rust resistant knife that uses steels other than H-1 for components where edge holding is not a requirement.

As for the Autonomy, Kristi said this a few weeks ago regarding the ETA of the Coast Guard (orange handle/no clip) and civilian (black handle/pocket clip) versions:

We are currently building the orange Autonomy for the USCG and will be meeting with them soon to finalize details of delivery. Once we successfully meet the needs of the USCG we will determine if and how we would potentially release the orange Autonomy to Dealers/Distributors who service the military.

The current ETA for the all black Autonomy is this fall.

As for the rationale for incorporating an easily replaceable spring, it may just be to allow easy replacement of a part the Coast Guard considers to be a "wear item" rather than because Spyderco expects it to rust.