Spyderco byte May 2022 - FEATURED PRODUCT: PACIFIC SALT

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FEATURED PRODUCT: PACIFIC SALT​

Spyderco C91FPGR2 / FSGR2 / PBBK2 / SBBK2 / PYL2 / SYL2 / PBK2 / SBK2​


PACIFIC SALT™​

  • MSRP: $162.50 to $193.00
  • ORIGIN: Japan
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THE PACIFIC SALT STORY​


Since its introduction in 2004, the Pacific Salt has earned an enviable reputation as the flagship of Spyderco’s remarkable Salt® Series of knives. In addition to its popularity among water sports enthusiasts around the globe, it also earned the distinction of becoming an official-issue item to select U.S. military personnel. Its long and storied history, however, is about to get even better.

The key ingredient of the Pacific Salt—and all Spyderco’s original Salt Series knives—is
H-1 steel. Developed by Myodo Corporation in Japan, H-1 steel is a radically different alloy that combines the extreme corrosion resistance and toughness of a conventional austenitic stainless steel with enhanced levels of hardness that allow it to perform well as a knife blade material. Unlike traditional carbon-based steels, H-1 uses nitrogen to help create its steel-like properties. Nitrogen, like carbon, is a small atom and has a similar ability to influence changes to iron’s ferrite structure. Unlike carbon, however, it does not increase the steel’s vulnerability to corrosion.

Besides nitrogen, H-1’s unique alloy composition also includes chromium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, phosphorus, and sulfur. This finely tuned recipe of elements allows it to be precipitation hardened during production. This process, also called age hardening, uses controlled heat to increase the tensile and yield strength of the material. The real secret to H-1’s hardness, however, is the transformation of its retained austenite to hard martensite through both the rolling of the steel and the subsequent working of the material to create finished blades.

H-1 begins as a 7mm-thick sheet and is progressively rolled down to the required finished thickness—typically 3.0mm or 2.5mm, depending upon the Spyderco model. The extreme compressive forces of this rolling process transform some of the steel’s austenite to hard martensite, increasing the overall hardness of the material without sacrificing its toughness or corrosion resistance. The mechanical processes used to shape and grind a finished blade further enhance its hardness through the selective transformation of additional austenite to martensite. The result is a blade that holds an excellent edge, is incredibly strong and flexible, and offers extreme resistance to corrosion.

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Endura + H-1 = Pacific Salt​


To fully harness the extraordinary properties of H-1 in a folding knife, Spyderco needed a proven design platform that offered substantial strength while keeping the number of other metal parts in the knife to a minimum. We found this in the third-generation version of the iconic Endura® model.

First introduced in 1990, the Endura helped pioneer the concept of the lightweight clip-carried folding knife. Its injection-molded fiberglass-reinforced-nylon (FRN) handle incorporated an integral pocket clip on one side and “Volcano Grip™” texturing on the other. The clip of the original Endura only provided right-side, tip-up carry and was not as strong as the stainless steel clips used on other CLIPIT® models. To remedy this, in 1998 we redesigned the Endura, replacing the integral clip with a more durable steel clip secured by a two-piece threaded barrel bolt. This clip style provided reversible tip-up carry that made the design completely ambidextrous and allowed both sides of the handle to have a molded texture pattern for an enhanced grip.

The changes incorporated into what became known as the third-generation Endura significantly enhanced its functionality while maintaining its one-piece handle and minimal number of metal parts. By then combining this elegantly simple design with the remarkable corrosion resistance of H-1, the Pacific Salt was born.

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Introduced in 2004, the Pacific Salt featured a partial hollow grind supported by a strong, full-thickness spine. The blade’s Trademark Round Hole™ was a generous 14mm in diameter to allow swift one-handed opening, even with wet hands or while wearing gloves. Its FRN handle had a Volcano Grip texture pattern on both sides and a sturdy back lock mechanism that locked the blade securely open during use. To match the corrosion resistance of its H-1 blade, its reversible pocket clip was crafted from titanium and all its other handle components were machined from ultra-corrosion-resistant marine-grade alloys.

The Pacific Salt was initially available with a black or high-visibility yellow FRN handle and a satin-finished blade in either a PlainEdge™ or fully serrated SpyderEdge™ format. In 2009, we added a version of the black-handled PlainEdge Pacific with a non-reflective titanium carbonitride (TiCN) coated blade and lock bar. This version of the knife became the gateway to the Pacific Salt’s widespread use among members of the U.S. military.

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When the U.S Navy’s NAVAIR/NAWCAD (Naval Air Systems Command/Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division) was looking for a folding knife to include in the survival kits of Navy and Marine Corps aviation personnel, Spyderco submitted the black-bladed Pacific Salt for consideration. It underwent rigorous testing at the Navy’s Survival, Escape, Resistance, and Evasion (SERE) School East in Kittery, Maine. Although it was significantly lighter than competing knives submitted by other manufacturers, it outperformed them all and was ultimately approved for official issue to U.S. Naval and Marine Corps aviation units. It continues to serve proudly in that role and has also been issued to select units in the Naval Special Warfare community.

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Pacific Salt 2


Although Spyderco was incredibly proud of the Pacific Salt’s success, its evolution didn’t stop there. In 2006, the Endura Lightweight was completely redesigned to incorporate screw-together construction, low-friction phosphor-bronze pivot washers, improved handle ergonomics, an enhanced Bi-Directional Texture™ pattern, and a four-position hourglass clip that supports tip-up and tip-down carry on both the left and right sides. These enhancements greatly improved the functionality and versatility of the Endura Lightweight; however, they also prompted a demand from fans of the Salt Series for a similar upgrade to the Pacific Salt. Spyderco responded to that calling in 2019 with the introduction of the Pacific Salt 2.

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Like its predecessor, the Pacific Salt 2 took the proven qualities of the Endura 4 Lightweight and combined them with the ultra-corrosion-resistant properties of H-1 steel and rust-resistant hardware. However, the details of that fusion are a bit more complicated. While the Pacific Salt 2’s handle appears identical to the Endura 4, internally it is quite different. The Endura design includes two FRN scales and a backspacer supported by nested skeletonized stainless steel liners that provide strength and anchor its four-position clip. To minimize its vulnerability to corrosion, the Pacific Salt 2 features a linerless two-piece construction style and uses a series of threaded inserts to mount the four-position pocket clip. The elimination of the liners also reduces the knife’s weight by 24 percent to a mere 2.9 ounces (82 grams).


The Pacific Salt 2 is also available with a choice of black or high-visibility yellow handle and both PlainEdge and SpyderEdge configurations. For tactical applications where light discipline is a concern, it also comes in black-handled versions with titanium carbonitride (TiCN) coated blades, black-coated clips and handle hardware, and a choice of edge styles.


In 2020, the Pacific Salt 2 family expanded even further to include versions featuring LC200N—a highly corrosion resistant martensitic blade steel. These formidable cutting tools added the advantages of LC200N and a full-flat grind to provide enhanced edge retention and cutting performance — especially in the PlainEdge format. Also available in SpyderEdge, LC200N Pacific Salt 2s have high-visibility green FRN handles and black-coated lock bars, clips, and handle hardware.

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The Next Chapter

With all its extraordinary properties, it would seem that the Pacific Salt 2 is about as perfect as it can be. So what could possibly make it better? How about H-2, the next generation of Japanese-made ultra-corrosion-resistant steel?


Due to dynamic changes in the Japanese steel industry, H-1 will no longer be produced. Current inventory of the steel is being rapidly exhausted, as are current supplies of Salt Series knives featuring this steel. As inventory of those models is depleted, they will be replaced with identical models proudly featuring H-2 steel. And not surprisingly, the leader of that charge will be the venerable, time-tested Pacific Salt 2.

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Spyderco, Inc.
820 Spyderco Way
Golden, CO 80403

800-525-7770 (T - Toll-Free)
303-279-8383 (T)
303-278-2229 (F)

SPYDERCO.com
 
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