Review Spyderco Pacific Salt 2 vs. 1

[brj]

Got to say the 2 is a worthy successor. Build quality is outstanding, gone are the slight gaps between the handles and the lock and there is only the tiniest amount of vertical lock rock (both a bit annoying on the first gen).

The 2nd stays more secure in the hand due to the bi-directional texturing; on the downside, it also rubs more aggressively against skin if I carry 3 o'clock IWB swimming trunks / shorts (which is my preferred carry method during summer).

I kinda expected the new handle to be a bit fatter in the hand but they are actually quite comparable. Not fully visible here, but the innards of the 2 have tiny openings in the backspacer and under the lanyard hole to allow for full drainage. Of course, the 1st gen does not require any of that smart engineering in the first place because that's just one big lump of FRN

The new FRN has a more 'plasticky' quality that I need adjusting to. I also still prefer the handle shape of the 1st gen (& the barrel bolt) as it feels more versatile for my uses.

Now I only need a PE reground as close to a zero grind as possible and I'm set

 

[craytab]

Thanks for this. I also prefer the shape of the gen 1. Glad I bought a back up before the change. Still, the new one looks very nice and for the most part, an improvement. Those modde gen 1 PE Pac Salts look bad ass!

 

[zer0sig]

The Gen 1 has a finer point, but I find that H!, while pretty impressive in serrations, leaves for an easily bendable point if the point is fine enough. Still trying to get my third Spyderhawk just right after slightly misaligning it using not very heavy use (the serrations are still awesome though).

So it seems like the 1 is improved in a number of ways. I'm thinking the Pac1 in LC200N would not have the same issue, though the SE wouldn't work harden as much.

The Pacific 2 also has a longer lockbar - the feel might be different, but at least in general principle, that could make it either easier to unlock or give it leverage to lock more tightly, depending on how long the spring is and where it presses against the lock.

 

[Smaug]

The 2nd stays more secure in the hand due to the bi-directional texturing; on the downside, it also rubs more aggressively against skin if I carry 3 o'clock IWB swimming trunks / shorts (which is my preferred carry method during summer).

When not in trunks, wear it between the underwear and shorts; that cuts down on rubbing.