Which one? Salt I or Pacific Salt....plain edge or serrated?

[jsp]

I will be ordering a knife for my brother. He stays in Washington state but he's coming back home to Guam in a couple weeks for vacation/work. He does alot of outdoor activities such as spear fishing (salt water), jungle hikes, fresh water cave hikes,...etc. He's not a "knife guy" and most likely he will lose it but I don't care. I just want to have it here by the time he comes back.

I have decided between the Salt I and the Pacific Salt in H1 steel with yellow FRN handles. Now I'm trying to decide on what size between the two and if I should get it in plain edge or serrated. From what I understand, the serrated edge in H1 steel holds its edge longer than the plain edge. I personally like plain edges since I know how to sharpen them and have the equipment to do so.

So what do you guys think? Which one? Plain or serrated? Can you give me the advantages of both (size, plain/serrated)?

 

[yablanowitz]

The Salt 1 is the same size as the Delica, while the Pacific Salt is the same size as the Endura. I prefer the Pacific myself, but I have rather large hands. The size choice needs to take into account local laws as well, since there are many places where the smaller blade will be legal and the larger will not.

H-1 is easy to sharpen, and while the serrated holds an edge much better, plain edge should be adequate for a non-knife nut/ steel junky.

 

[FuSchniken]

I recently purchased a serrated Pacific Salt. It is, in my opinion, the perfect EDC. Linerless FRN handle makes it ultralight, it is impervious to normal corrosion, fits my hand perfectly, and the H1 in SpyderEdge is proven to have superior edge retention. The titanium clip seems very sturdy, and is reversible. While both the Salt and Pacific Salt share these qualities, I generally prefer to have a slightly larger blade, especially if it is a knife I will use for outdoor activities. My only suggestion is that you recommend he buys a Sharpmaker, as I am constantly amazed that of my friends that carry pocket knives, NONE have a means of sharpening them. Caring for the serrated edge is simply a matter of having the right tool.

 

[jsp]

I might end up getting both and let him decide. I'll get the Pacific Salt in plain edge and the Salt with the SpyderEdge. Whatever he decides on, I will keep the other one. As far as the sharpening side, I'm pretty sure he's going to let me take care of that as all my friends do because they don't have the time or patience. I have an early 90's Sharpmaker, Edgepro Pro model, Worksharp WSKTS and some DMT stones .

 

[JDunn709]

If he isn't a knife person he'll probably be more likely to actually carry the smaller Salt 1, takes up less room and may be perceived as less scary. As for the edge, serrated will cut for far longer than plain (especially in H1) without being sharpened. If he's not a knife person he probably won't be sharpening it frequently and if he lives far away you won't be handy to sharpen it for him.

 

[jsp]

If he isn't a knife person he'll probably be more likely to actually carry the smaller Salt 1, takes up less room and may be perceived as less scary. As for the edge, serrated will cut for far longer than plain (especially in H1) without being sharpened. If he's not a knife person he probably won't be sharpening it frequently and if he lives far away you won't be handy to sharpen it for him.

I was leaning more towards the Salt (smaller one) for the same reasons you mentioned. He comes out here every year in the summer. Most of the time he leaves his fishing gear here so he will more than likely leave it with me. I can take care of the sharpenning from there on.

So does anyone know the best way he can carry it when he's in the water using a wet suit? What would be a good lanyard system? He does mostly spearfishing at night. His gear consist of a flashlight, speargun and a small end boat to keep the fish he's caught inside. He doesn't use scuba gear. All free diving.