Spyderco H1 steel vs. VG10

My plain edge Aqua Salt didn't hold an edge. It would roll just whittling wood for example. I sharpened it many times hoping that would help but it didn't. VG-10 holds an edge well in my experience.
 
TTpower said:
so the more you use it and sharpen it will make it harder and help retain the edge better?
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Yes (in theory), but do not expect a remarkable change...if anything, you may notice slightly better edge retention over time (but I would suggest that unless you have some SERIOUS testing protocols, anything you notice would be placebo).
 
TTpower said:
so the more you use it and sharpen it will make it harder and help retain the edge better?
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This is the part I am VERY skeptical over. Work hardening requires deformation, and is not unique to H1. If it worked like is promoted on various forums, we could just cold forge our knives from 301 stainless and hone the bejeezus out of them with a smooth butchers steel.
 
Never had any rust issues with my VG 10 knives. VG 10 seems to hold an edge better than the H1.
Just my
$0.02
 
I still have the PE Pacific Salt that is part of the quoted thread with comments by Sal. I use it exclusively for going to the beach, out on the ocean, or any other time and place I am guaranteed to get drenched. I have never had even a hint of corrosion, but beyond that, I like that I know I don't even have to check it from time to time for any reason.

I like the PS's Endura sized profile without the Endura 4's liners to fret about in salt water environments. Even the PE H1 will perform as well as AUS-8 or 13C26. I don't care one way or the other about work hardening. The edge is hard enough as is.
 
Unless corrosion resistance is a large factor (or the "cool" factor of having that corrosion resistance :D), I would definitely lean towards VG-10 or even ZDP-189. I have a Dragonfly 2 with H1 and it's edge-retention is very sub-par as far as I can tell. I'm not complaining, it's a really cool material, it just doesn't hold up like the steels that I'm used to. With that said, it really comes down to what you want.
 
It kinda sounds to me like you want the Salt version.

You like the grind, you like not to have to worry about rust, you like the yellow and the price difference is too small to make a real difference (don't know where you've looked, but the difference is usually closer to $3 than $12, either way not a real factor). If you want a serrated knife, H1 is great and the Dragonfly is great in SE. And no matter what edge you want, IMO, even if the VG10 may have better edge holding abilities, H1 still holds a great edge and definitely good enough for what you would use a tiny pocket knife like the Dragonfly for. H1 also gets harder the harder you use it and when you sharpen it.

Most of all, it's cool to have a unique kind of knife like the Spyderco Salts.
 
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I have an H1 Ladybug that I've been using for almost a year. I've used its fully serrated blade to cut through many a task and I have yet to notice any nicks/chips/rolls on the edge.

If you're going to use the blade for small tasks, H1 is a good 'steel'.
 
marthinus, thanks for the links... great infos!
this thread gets more interesting every time i check it :D
Dr.H, you busted me.... i do like the dragonfly H1 SE (kinda obvious LOL) i just want to make sure i won't regret it if i get one:o
 
Sal has said that they don't flat grind H-1 blades because the equipment grinds one side and then the other. He said grinding the second side proved difficult because of the hardening that occurred when the first side was ground.

Hollow grinds, on the other hand, are produced be machines that grind both sides in one pass.
 
TTpower said:
marthinus, thanks for the links... great infos!
this thread gets more interesting every time i check it :D
Dr.H, you busted me.... i do like the dragonfly H1 SE (kinda obvious LOL) i just want to make sure i won't regret it if i get one:o
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Pleasure, glad I could help. Those threads cover most of the technical questions IMO.
 
Does Benchmade sell H1 blades? I wish the Griptilian has an option for H1 steel blades..
 
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