Spyderco Rock Salt - Rust Proof!!

tedwca

tedwca

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2005
Messages
3,411
I've been wanting one of these ever since I saw it in the catalog. I finally got one and it arrived in time for Halloween.:thumbup: It's a little bigger than I pictured it to be, but I love everything about this knife. It feels like an extension to my hand and like all my other Spydies it is razor sharp. It's made from H1 steel which does not rust. It uses nitrogen instead of carbon in the steel. Pretty cool stuff.

Specifications
Steel - H1
Overall Length: 10-1/2" (311 mm)
Blade Length: 6-3/4" (171 mm)
Edge Length: 6" 152 mm)
Weight: 9.2 oz (261 g)
Kydex sheath with multi-position G-Clip
Blade and handle lanyard holes
Hollow-ground blade
Black, Bi-Directionally Textured™ FRN overlayed scales

Here's the pics.

RockSalt_Wet.jpg


RockSalt_Wheat.jpg


RockSalt_H1.jpg


RockSalt_Handle.jpg


RockSalt_Blade.jpg


RockSalt_Final.jpg
 
WOW! now thats a very intresting design it also looks like it would be fast in the hand,what is the blade thickness...?
 
I have one of the Pacific Salt and Atlantic Salt and have taken them on many dives in salt water. They are amazingly rust resistant. Sometimes I have forgotten to rinse with fresh water after dives and no rust. I have seen a light rust specifically over the H1 logo/lettering on a newer Pacific Salt. I think it has something to do with the chemical or whatever they use to etch the H1 logo.
 
Holy crap, that is a beast of a rust-proof knife! It looks a lot like their Woodlander design, which was a bit big and wide for my little girly hands. You mention that it is bigger than you thought, so I imagine the Rock Salt is similar.

Also, what do you use a knife like that for when diving? I have zero diving experience, so that thing seems big to me for underwater use. I imagine that someone will come along saying that it is for fighting off zombie sharks, but I am guessing there is a practical purpose as well, like cutting open sea sponges or something.
 
If the H1 is really as rust proof as they say and still holds an edge, it sounds like an ideal survival knife for wet areas.
 
storl said:
Holy crap, that is a beast of a rust-proof knife! It looks a lot like their Woodlander design, which was a bit big and wide for my little girly hands. You mention that it is bigger than you thought, so I imagine the Rock Salt is similar.

Also, what do you use a knife like that for when diving? I have zero diving experience, so that thing seems big to me for underwater use. I imagine that someone will come along saying that it is for fighting off zombie sharks, but I am guessing there is a practical purpose as well, like cutting open sea sponges or something.
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You can't fight off sharks with a dive knife.
What you can do is cut your dive buddie's Achilles Tendon so you can swim away faster than he/she can.... but you really need a sharp edge to get through tendons. :eek:

I never enter the water without two knivesl; a 5" on the inside of my calf and a 2 1/2" on the harness of my BCD. Many of the places we dive are fished by boats dragging nets. Often these pieces of these nets get torn off and left on the reefs. Many reefs have 'tunnels' we call 'swim-throughs' that are really just talus caves made by jumbles of large rocks. Often they are not large enough to turn around in and if the exit to the swim-though is blocked by netting, you need to be able to cut it away to get out easily. The knife edge is most often used for that. Many use their knives as pry bars, or as 'tickle sticks' to move marine life to see it better. (Not to cut it, just to tickle it into a better place to view.) On a dive off Key West we used a knife to remove 6-pack beer plastic from a tangled turtle. On another dive in the South China Sea off the coast of Malaysia, in a Marine Sanctuary, we cut up an illegal fish trap holding Parrot Fish, Angle Fish, Butterfly Fish, and Travally, several dozen beautiful coral reef fish, releasing them back into the sea. Probably the most common use of a dive knife is/was to open beer bottles. :p

For us, the knives get used in about one out of every 3-4 dives. Same with the EMT shears if we're diving where sport fishermen have been leaving leaders and line.

Stitchawl
 
m4auto said:
I have one of the Pacific Salt and Atlantic Salt and have taken them on many dives in salt water. They are amazingly rust resistant. Sometimes I have forgotten to rinse with fresh water after dives and no rust. I have seen a light rust specifically over the H1 logo/lettering on a newer Pacific Salt. I think it has something to do with the chemical or whatever they use to etch the H1 logo.
Click to expand...
The logo rust isn't rust from the knife. It is more than rust resistant, the knife can NOT rust.
 
Horn Dog said:
If the H1 is really as rust proof as they say and still holds an edge, it sounds like an ideal survival knife for wet areas.
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A straight edged H1 knife can work harden to the mid 60s for Rockwell.

New out of the box, H1 will lose its edge a bit rapidly, but gets better after several sessions of cutting and especially sharpening. The good news is it sharpens fast for most folk.
 
Very unusual knife. At that thickness, and on the basis of past results with Spyderco, convexing the very edge should make that cut great [if not at cutting through tasks], and it's got the poke factor too. What with the corrosion resistance and Ed Schempp claiming "...will be along the line of toughness of some of the better Carbon steel choices..." there's a bundle of highly desirable properties in there. The design is so much of a radical departure from the norm I couldn't begin speculation of any worth. I hope it transpires to be a fantastic user, I've got a lot of affection for Spyderco.
 
Anybody know why the thickness of H1 is limited to around 3mm?
 
Sweet blade. Looks ergonomical. I bet it handles good at that thickness. The kydex looks nice too. Is H1 hard to sharpen?
 
Interesting to see Spyderco are contracting this out to Seki City in Japan....it would be interesting to know who is doing the knife there.....that may answer the 3mm question as well.
 
This quote hints at a limitation of H1:
Ed Schempp said:
Hi Halfneck,
Yes choppers are generally a heavier or in the case of machetes longer. I see the knife as a large utility piece or camp knife. The Use of H1 put a limitation on the thickness of the piece but gave it a large maintenance advantage. In removing branches and limbs it is a fairly effective tool. In chopping one would probably use a baton. The H1 will be along the line of toughness of some of the better Carbon steel choices and is a very durable steel that will survive hard use. Weight in most cases is a disadvantage. The balance point of the piece is at the index finger choil. When gripping the handle it is a weight forward piece. When choking up for fine work it is balanced and will perform delicate tasks without fighting excess weight.

Yes the piece should preform well as fighter. I'm having a visit this weekend with a friend that can give me spec-ops point of view. When I get his evaluation I shall share that candid information with you. I'll send the piece with him to check out in deployment...Take Care...Ed
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More intent from Sal, maybe supports my theory on the thickness:
sal said:
I was working on a 7" blade fixed blade design.

The need that I was seeking to serve was that "mid sized" knife betwen the "chopper / machete" and the basic fixed blade "hunter" in the 4"-5" range. General purpose, versatile, light and easy to carry. Could be used in any situation where a 7" fixed blade could serve. Large enough to chop with (fire, selter) or baton. Small enough to carve, prepare food, etc. Could be used in any environment.

While I was working on my design, Ed loaned me a 7" that he'd just finished. His design seemed to serve all of the requirements better than mine and mine wasn't finished, so we made his.

I don't think I would classify the design as a fighter. While the design would work well for that purpose, a fighter is generally less all purpose. A knife as a "weapon" in the outdoors is less of a concern, but it's more reassuring to know that your blade could be used in defense if necessary, even against an animal.

sal
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