Spyderco Byte July 2021 - UK PENKNIFE™ SALT®

Spyderco UK PENKNIFE™ SALT®​

Featured Product​

SKU: C94PYL / SYL
MSRP: $127.00
ORIGIN: USA

Since the introduction of our first revolutionary CLIPIT® folding knife 40 years ago, Spyderco has specialized in challenging convention. In the process, we have not only created truly unique knife designs, but entire genres of knives that set new standards of functionality and performance.

Two prime examples of this are our Salt® Series—an entire family of ultra-corrosion-resistant cutting tools—and our SLIPIT™ line, which combines the legal friendliness of a non-locking pocketknife with the advantages of one-hand opening and convenient clip carry. Both these accomplishments were significant, industry-changing events, so how could we possibly hope to top them? Easy. We just needed to integrate them into a single, extraordinary hybrid: the UK Penknife™ Salt.

Spyderco developed the original UK Penknife in direct response to restrictive laws in England that prohibited the carry of lock-blade knives. First released in 2004, it retained the key advantages of our lock-blade CLIPIT knives—a convenient pocket clip and our Trademark Round Hole™ for one-handed opening. However, instead of a blade lock, it featured an improved version of the traditional spring-tension slipjoint mechanism. Its notched-joint, non-locking mechanism held the blade safely in the open position during use but did not mechanically lock it. As further insurance against accidental closure, it included a 50/50 forefinger choil at the juncture of the blade and handle. By placing your index finger in the choil during use, you achieve enhanced control and create a natural “stop” that helps keep the blade from closing.

The UK Penknife, or UKPK, found immediate favor in England, as well as other countries in Europe and elsewhere that were facing similarly restrictive knife laws. It also drew interest from many fans of traditional slipjoint pocketknives who had a genuine preference for non-locking blades but welcomed the user friendliness of one-hand opening and top-of-the-pocket clip carry. As the UKPK’s popularity steadily grew, so did customer demand for us to make it in exotic, high-performance blade steels, including a rust-resistant steel well suited to use in and around the water. Based on our extensive experience with our Salt Series, we had already “cracked the code” on that requirement.

The UK Penknife Salt faithfully retains all the proven features of the original design but expresses them with ultra-corrosion-resistant materials. Key among these is its blade, which is precision machined from LC200N. Also known as Cronidur® 30 and Z-FiNit, LC200N is a state-of-the-art, high-nitrogen alloyed tool steel specifically formulated to offer superior corrosion resistance and extreme toughness, even at high levels of hardness. The advanced processes used to produce this steel give it a fine, homogenous microstructure and allow it to be readily machined and polished. Its unique qualities make it the material of choice for applications that involve high static and dynamic loads in corrosive environments, and it is NASA’s material of choice for the ball bearings used in aerospace equipment.

LC200N is a martensitic steel, so it achieves its hardness through conventional heat-treating processes. These can be precisely controlled to achieve specific hardness values and make LC200N ideal for knife users seeking extreme corrosion resistance and superior edge retention, especially in a PlainEdge format.

The UK Penknife Salt’s blade takes full advantage of LC200N’s remarkable properties. It will take and retain a keen edge and its full-flat grind provides exceptional edge geometry for low-friction cutting performance. The blade includes a fully accessible Trademark Round Hole for easy one-handed opening with either hand and opposing areas of jimping (textured grooves) on the forefinger choil and thumb ramp for enhanced control. It is also available in a choice of PlainEdge or fully serrated SpyderEdge formats.

The blade is paired with a handle featuring a stout back spring and high-visibility fiberglass-reinforced-nylon (FRN) scales. The scales are injection molded in the vibrant yellow color that is a signature of Spyderco’s Salt Series and feature a cross-hatched texture pattern for an enhanced grip. The back spring provides tension for the knife’s notch-joint mechanism, which does not lock the blade but holds it open reliably during use. It also extends about two-thirds the length of the handle, creating a partial open-backed construction for easy drainage.

To ensure convenient carry and keep the knife poised for instant access, it includes a deep-pocket wire clip. Like the other handle hardware, the clip is crafted from an ultra-corrosion-resistant alloy and sports a black coating for enhanced protection from the elements. It is reversible for left or right-side tip-up carry, making the UK Penknife Salt design symmetrical and its operation completely ambidextrous.

For fishermen, water sports enthusiasts, or anyone else who has a need for an ultra-corrosion-resistant non-locking folder, the UK Penknife Salt is the tool of choice.