To Tasman or not to Tasman?

[seanp]

I'm not a die hard Spyderco fan, but I do appreciate them. Back when the Endura came out, I bought one plain edged ones for the (then) unheard of price of eighty dollars. It was my EDC for several years, until it slipped out of my pocket one day while I was wading in the Oldman River.

I bought another Endura for the same price just a few years back. This time a fully serrated one. At the time, I had to frequently cut up kevlar bags, nylon and polyproplene rope. The fully serrated Endura was unbeatable for this.

I normally keep that Endura clipped to my life jacket when I am boating - mostly kayaking - but I have also frequently carried it from day to day (I have found that certain knives "fit" some pockets better than others).

Anyway, on the weekend, I decided to pocket it instead of one of my other knives. To my dismay, I found that it was not on my life jacket.

I decided to order another online. But as I was perusing the Spyderco offerings at my preferred online store, I started to take a serious look at the Tasman Salt. Both it and the Endura are in the same price range. I'm strongly considering buying one, but I'm not sure that I would be happier with it than I would be with another Endura.

It would mainly be carried as a special purpose knife, for cutting rope, twine, etc... on the water, but also occasionally pocket carried. One concern that I have is how much the Tasman blade "humps" out of the handle when folded. Since Spyderco's aren't available in stores locally, I won't be able to handle it before purchase.

Anyone got any thoughts?

 

[Surfingringo]

Hi Seanp, I have a couple of Tasmans and love them. I have them out on the water all the time and they really excel at the kinds of tasks you describe. As far as an "edc" I think they make a great secondary carry but I rarely carry one as my only knife. What hawkbills are good at, they are REALLY good at. What they are bad at, they are REALLY bad at.

BTW, if I were looking for a se knife to attach to a life vest I would definitely choose the se Pacific Salt over the endura. (Assuming you didn't go with the tasman)

 

[seanp]

Thanks suffering. That pretty much confirms what I was thinking.

Looked at the Pacific... Now I might have to buy both.

 

[seanp]

Lol. Suffering - autocorrect kills me sometimes. Thank you surfgringo.

 

[Maverick299]

I bought a Tasman for the exact reason you are looking at them. I kayak a lot and keep it either clipped to my life jacket or if I'm not wearing my jacket I have it attached to my kayak via a lanyard. The H1 steel is awesome, especially on extended trips where sometimes drying things out is not an option. I have yet to need it for what I bought it for.....and that is cutting myself loose if I should find myself tangled in lines or paddle leash. It works just fine for trimming line after I tie on a new lure but it does not work all that well as a camp knife so I find myself carrying two knives on overnight trips. Oh hell, who am I kidding.......I usually have at least three knives with me on overnights. I am about to order a Pacific salt to fill in for the everyday knife chore to compliment the Tasman. So both. I would by both

 

[Surfingringo]

Thanks suffering. That pretty much confirms what I was thinking.

Looked at the Pacific... Now I might have to buy both.

Suffering, hehe. . I think you will love the Pacific Salt. I actually prefer it to my Endura. One difference you will notice is it has a much wider tip than the endura. Some love this feature for the added strength but some (like myself) prefer a pointier tip. If you fall into the second group then it is a VERY simple mod to convert the tip into something like the original endura. So if you like the tip that's great, but if you don't, don't let that stop you. 10 minutes and a piece of 60 grit changes everything.

 

[seanp]

I wound up ordering the Tasman. I thought: It's pretty much going to be a specialty knife anyway, why not just get the specialized blade profile?

Although having seen the Pacific Salt, I will probably get one too.

An yes, slim down the point.

 

[Screwdriver]

I have a Tasman SE that I bought a couple years ago. From August 2012 till July 2014 I was a caretaker of a house going through probate and a lawsuit. I mowed, trimmed and just did what I could to keep the property up....and it was 3/4 acre, so a lot of upkeep. I used the Tasman for cutting rope, twine and tape used to support trees and plans. Light quick trimming of rose bushes and other plants when I did not to grab the loopers or hand trimmers. I open fertilizer bags and even cut a hose to repair a puncture. In that time I never sharpened it and it is still in great shape other than it is scratched all to hell.

 

[Sosa]

Suffering, hehe. . I think you will love the Pacific Salt. I actually prefer it to my Endura. One difference you will notice is it has a much wider tip than the endura. Some love this feature for the added strength but some (like myself) prefer a pointier tip. If you fall into the second group then it is a VERY simple mod to convert the tip into something like the original endura. So if you like the tip that's great, but if you don't, don't let that stop you. 10 minutes and a piece of 60 grit changes everything.

I actually thought the tip of the salt was a reason not to buy it. The other features of the knife outweighed the tip geometry so I decided to buy it and I planned to modify it as soon as a got it. The blade grew on me.

 

[SharpShooter901]

Old post I know, but wouldn't the Endura be much more susceptible to corrosion than the Tasman? Another option might be the Salt 1, although I think it's only available in the plain edge blade. I do kayaking off the Florida coast, and have recently purchased a Dragonfly Salt serrated....then a Salt 1 plain edge.....and today a Tasman! All with kayaking in mind......and I've yet to use any of them kayaking! Hope to do that in March when we return to FL.

 

[Surfingringo]

Rebump the necro thread. Tasman at work after kayak fishing today.