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Salt water knife reccomendation

Drop bear said:
With this. I thought LCN was the upgrade.

Is it all round better than H1 H2 or just different?
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H1 one is arguably more corrosion resistant - but you won't rust either of them...

LCN has a lot better edge retention (in plain edge)

H1 is tougher (though you are unlikely to break either of them)

H1 also improves edge retention with use it seems, and serrated models are work hardened out of the factory...
I still optioned for plain edge - for ease of sharpening.
 
EatingSarma said:
H1 one is arguably more corrosion resistant - but you won't rust either of them...

LCN has a lot better edge retention (in plain edge)

H1 is tougher (though you are unlikely to break either of them)

H1 also improves edge retention with use it seems, and serrated models are work hardened out of the factory...
I still optioned for plain edge - for ease of sharpening.
Click to expand...

For corrosion resistance H1 is hard to beat. Over ten years ago my son had a job with a pool service company. After just one day opening bags of pool chemicals his S30V blade was covered with rust. I got him an H1 Dragonfly and over the rest of the summer he used it cutting open bags of pool chemicals every day and it never developed even a speck of rust.
 
The H1 salt sounds perfect for your mentioned uses. I carried mine in the Navy for years and it is now one of my beach vacation knives. I never had any issues with rust on the blade or pins. When I swim with it, I clip it to my board shorts waistband. The factory clip hasn't let me down yet. Hope you enjoy it!
 
EatingSarma said:
Going to sea, what should I buy?

Prefferably something I can hold in my pocket when going for a swim.

Edge retention is not primary concern as I'm not planning on prolonged cutting.

I'd prefer a fixed blade to keep it simple.

I'm looking at Spyderco models too, but I just wonder if lock-bar, spring and screws would corrode?
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I live at the beach and spend a lot of time in and around the ocean. I also have a salt water pool that I spend a lot of time in. I carry a Spyderco Salt in H1 (now H2) steel when I’m doing things in and around water. It stays clipped to my pocket and receives no maintenance except for sharpening. I swim in the pool and ocean with it submerged for hours at a time and don’t even rinse it off afterwards. Zero issues with rust on the blade, screws, lock bars, or pocket clip.

I’ve used LC200N (also from Spyderco) in the same manner without any issues. I hear Vanax is pretty much equal to LC200N but I’ve never owned anything in that steel. Magnacut is supposedly almost as good as LC200N but I’ve never kept a knife in that steel long enough to test it out.
 
Blues said:
The fear of corrosion is often overstated.

I have a folding Normark knife, (Sweden), of some sort of inexpensive stainless that I purchased in the 60's or 70's. I used to keep it in the pocket of my BCD for years while diving the reefs and wrecks off the South Florida coast...weekly. No corrosion. A quick rinse was all it ever got. Still have it.

Nowadays the options are way better than that.
Click to expand...

I find this to be true as well with certain stainless steels as long as they get rinsed/dried off. I’ve never once had corrosion issues with 420hc or s30v from Buck or ESEE’s s35vn, as long as I rinse it off after being in saltwater.
 
EatingSarma said:
I'd prefer a fixed blade to keep it simple.
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Any of the numerous available Magnacut fixed blades with G10 or micarta scales will work. You can always replace scale screws with Ti screws if needed.

So I suggest to pick depending on budget, weight, pattern requirements, etc., which only you know.

Doesn’t have to be a “Salt” knife just because it’s marketed as such, and Spyderco’s new Salt folders feature Magnacut as well.

My choice for a waterproof knife is a CPK BFK in Magnacut and Micarta but that’s just me.
 
Blues said:
The fear of corrosion is often overstated.

I have a folding Normark knife, (Sweden), of some sort of inexpensive stainless that I purchased in the 60's or 70's. I used to keep it in the pocket of my BCD for years while diving the reefs and wrecks off the South Florida coast...weekly. No corrosion. A quick rinse was all it ever got. Still have it.

Nowadays the options are way better than that.
Click to expand...
This here is the truth, I have a copper leek CM154 that has been kayak knife for 2 seasons. Almost always saltwater service. It never bothered the knife, no corrosion to blade or scales. Yes I rinsed it after each use...usually.
 
losttime said:
The H1 salt sounds perfect for your mentioned uses. I carried mine in the Navy for years and it is now one of my beach vacation knives. I never had any issues with rust on the blade or pins. When I swim with it, I clip it to my board shorts waistband. The factory clip hasn't let me down yet. Hope you enjoy it!
Click to expand...
Thanks man. I also think I made the right choice. And it's worth to mention that I also plan to stick with factory clip.
I can't wait for my knife to arrive.

JWright214 said:
I live at the beach and spend a lot of time in and around the ocean. I also have a salt water pool that I spend a lot of time in. I carry a Spyderco Salt in H1 (now H2) steel when I’m doing things in and around water. It stays clipped to my pocket and receives no maintenance except for sharpening. I swim in the pool and ocean with it submerged for hours at a time and don’t even rinse it off afterwards. Zero issues with rust on the blade, screws, lock bars, or pocket clip.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I also optioned for Spyderco Salt folder, I found plain edge model in H1 steel and decided to go with it.

Bonus was very good discount on the price, as that was last piece of old stock, I'm also happy that I was able to find H1 steel, as it's how discontinued.

To me, the H1 was always the "ultra stainless" and I remember years ago when I was a teen watching all those videos where they tried to rust H1 and failed, favorite one was when Blade HQ guys were at the salt lake. I mean H1 has the place in history, and I want H1, not H2. I know their performance is pretty much the same, but that's reason more to get H1, since H2 isn't better. Had H2 improved edge retention - I'd be more liklely to get a new model.
 
The Terrain 365 knives are probably the best option for strictly corrosion resistance. The blade is made from dendritic cobalt, so it's basically impossible for it to rust. From what I've been told, it's pretty similar to Nitro-V in terms of performance. I have a Bali made with it. Pretty cool stuff. Sandrin makes knives with tungsten carbide blades if you want some crazy edge retention too.
 
Even LCN and MagnaCut are out of my price range, let alone cobalt or tungsten carbide...

H1 will do just fine for my intended use.
 
Either the Spyderco Siren Salt S90V Sprint or the Spyderco Salt 2 in LC200N. I own both and the Salt 2 is about the same size and shape of the Delica but the blade has a cooler shape.
 
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