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Spyderco Aqua Salt Review - Part 1
Introduction
I received a Spyderco Aqua as part of a pass around here along with a Ladybug 3 Salt: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=761145. The Aqua Salt is the first Spyderco fixed blade I’ve handled. It comes in your choice of black or marine yellow fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN) handles, an H1 rustproof steel blade, and either plain or serrated (SpyderEdge) blade. It also comes with a very nicely made injection molded FRN sheath. The MSRP is $119.95 and our favorite online retailers sell it for about $72.
The Aqua Salt is a good sized knife -- bigger than any Spyderco folder other than the Military. Here is how it compares to the some of our favorite fixed blades.
I don't have many fixed blades, so here's a visual comparison to some popular Spyderco folders. If I had to describe the Aqua Salt in one sentence, I'd say: "It's a fixed blade Endura." This photo may give you that sense:
Blade
Like all Spyderco "Salt" series knives, the Aqua‘s blade is made from H1, which I understand to be a type of ceramic. My own experience with H1 consists of about two years with a Spyderco Tasman Salt and then a Spyderco Atlantic Salt. They have seen extensive use in both fresh and salt water and I have never seen any corrosion.
Both of my Salts have a plain edge along the first 10-15% of the blade, followed by 85-90% SpyderEdge serrations. The plain-edged tip is useful for detail work. The serrations have never needed sharpening, but I’ve touched up the plain-edged section and found it easier to sharpen than VG-10 or S30V. My unscientific assessment of H1 is that it doesn’t hold an edge as well as the top steels, but holds its own vs AUS 8, AUS 6, 440C, etc. The Aqua Salt 3 came typically Spyderco sharp and I would expect similar corrosion and edge-retention performance to what I’ve experienced. There are some reports that H1 actually hardens with use. Ed Schempp from Spyderco writes about that here: http://www.byrdknife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23639
and here: http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23741
The blade tang extends 3/4 of the way into the handle (as shown in postings below) and feels sturdy. The hollow ground blade is also relatively thick. A swedge is cut near the tip, reducing weight and increasing penetrating power. It wouldn't be a Spyderco without the hole, so a small one is milled near the end of the blade where it meets the handle. It might be useful with a lanyard, I suppose, or tying the blade to a shaft for a makeshift spear.
The serrations on the Aqua Salt are shallower than those on other SpyderEdge knives and provide more of a sawtooth profile than say, my Pacific Salt. In field use, I found the edge to work very well as a functional saw. It made short work of some woody weeds. This photo shows a Pacific Salt blade on top of the Aqua Salt.
Introduction
I received a Spyderco Aqua as part of a pass around here along with a Ladybug 3 Salt: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=761145. The Aqua Salt is the first Spyderco fixed blade I’ve handled. It comes in your choice of black or marine yellow fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN) handles, an H1 rustproof steel blade, and either plain or serrated (SpyderEdge) blade. It also comes with a very nicely made injection molded FRN sheath. The MSRP is $119.95 and our favorite online retailers sell it for about $72.
The Aqua Salt is a good sized knife -- bigger than any Spyderco folder other than the Military. Here is how it compares to the some of our favorite fixed blades.
I don't have many fixed blades, so here's a visual comparison to some popular Spyderco folders. If I had to describe the Aqua Salt in one sentence, I'd say: "It's a fixed blade Endura." This photo may give you that sense:
Blade
Like all Spyderco "Salt" series knives, the Aqua‘s blade is made from H1, which I understand to be a type of ceramic. My own experience with H1 consists of about two years with a Spyderco Tasman Salt and then a Spyderco Atlantic Salt. They have seen extensive use in both fresh and salt water and I have never seen any corrosion.
Both of my Salts have a plain edge along the first 10-15% of the blade, followed by 85-90% SpyderEdge serrations. The plain-edged tip is useful for detail work. The serrations have never needed sharpening, but I’ve touched up the plain-edged section and found it easier to sharpen than VG-10 or S30V. My unscientific assessment of H1 is that it doesn’t hold an edge as well as the top steels, but holds its own vs AUS 8, AUS 6, 440C, etc. The Aqua Salt 3 came typically Spyderco sharp and I would expect similar corrosion and edge-retention performance to what I’ve experienced. There are some reports that H1 actually hardens with use. Ed Schempp from Spyderco writes about that here: http://www.byrdknife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23639
and here: http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23741
The blade tang extends 3/4 of the way into the handle (as shown in postings below) and feels sturdy. The hollow ground blade is also relatively thick. A swedge is cut near the tip, reducing weight and increasing penetrating power. It wouldn't be a Spyderco without the hole, so a small one is milled near the end of the blade where it meets the handle. It might be useful with a lanyard, I suppose, or tying the blade to a shaft for a makeshift spear.
The serrations on the Aqua Salt are shallower than those on other SpyderEdge knives and provide more of a sawtooth profile than say, my Pacific Salt. In field use, I found the edge to work very well as a functional saw. It made short work of some woody weeds. This photo shows a Pacific Salt blade on top of the Aqua Salt.
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