Category: Uncategorized

Posted on

The Spyderco Pacific Salt: a Knife that will NEVER Rust!

Do you hate when your knife blade rusts just because you left it setting in a puddle for ONLY A FEW days? Does it bother you when you can’t cut something just because you haven’t EVER sharpened your knife? Well boy have I got a knife for YOU!

There might be rust on this railing, but none on the Spyderco Pacific Salt!

Obnoxious infomercial intro aside, this article will focus on the Spyderco Pacific Salt. I’ll paint you a full picture of the knife, and tell you why it excels in certain realms of use.

The Pacific Salt with a Steel Will Gekko in n690co steel, another steel sometimes chosen for its (inferior to H1) rust resistance

Materials and Specifications

The Pacific Salt is part of Spyderco’s Salt line of knives. The Salt line is purpose designed for use in marine environments. Specifically, it is comprised of knives with extremely rust resistant steel and design elements that lend themselves to uses like boating, fishing, and diving. The Pacific Salt follows suit, with H1 steel. H1 steel is a precipitation hardening steel with .1% Nitrogen, taking the place of much of the carbon found in most steel alloys. This unique makeup allows H1 steel to be heat treated to 57-58 hrc for admirable edge holding, while providing near absolute oxidation resistance. My specific knife is fully serrated. The internal hardware is also treated to resist rust, including a black coated titanium pocket clip. The handle is made of fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN for short) which is a lightweight and durable material, and it does not have liners. The blade is held in the open position with a classic Spyderco mid-lock, which is just a slightly modified back lock. The Pacific Salt’s blade is 3.81″ with a cutting edge of 3.375″, so it’s not a small knife. The handle is 4.938″ closed. The blade is .125″ thick, pretty standard for modern knives but not as thin as many Spydercos. Still, despite being a relatively large knife in size, it weighs in at a lean 3oz, so it won’t weigh down your pocket. All told, the Pacific Salt is a relatively large knife with function driven materials.

The Pacific Salt in comparison to a few well known models: Case Trapper, GEC #15, Pacific Salt, Spyderco Native 5, Spyderco Endura

Design

The Pacific Salt is very similar in design to the well known Spyderco flagship model, the Endura, with a few modifications. The blade is a modified drop point with a gradually curved belly and a straight portion, which lends it well to both all kinds of cutting. However, the Pacific Salt’s spine has a more abrupt downward curve to the tip at the end, making for a kind of modified sheepfoot / drop point hybrid. This is another design element chosen specifically for the intended use, as it makes the knife less likely to puncture something inadvertently during use (for example, if your hands are wet and slippery or if you’re on an unstable boat). With the fully serrated, or “spyder edge”, my Pacific Salt is best used with pulling cuts (rather than push or rocking cuts). Spyderco offers all of the Salt series knives in a fully serrated blade because they posit that a serrated edge is better suited to cutting rope and for aggressive cutting. The Pacific Salt’s handle is also similar to the Endura’s, with a finger guard and three finger scallop areas. However, I find the Pacific Salt’s handle to be MUCH more ergonomic because the center scallop is longer than on the Endura, which allows me to fit my middle and ring fingers comfortable into that scallop and my index and pinky fingers into the others (whereas on the Endura my middle and ring fingers land directly on the bumps between the scallops, which makes for a less than intuitive and comfortable grip). The Pacific Salt has a slightly smaller finger guard than the Endura, but I didn’t notice that in use. Both the blade and the handle are taller than those on the Endura, making the Pacific Salt a less slender knife that is a little more noticeable in the pocket. Speaking of in the pocket, the Pacific Salt has an ambidextrous tip up only clip. I actually really like the clip Spyderco uses on the Pacific Salt (and some of the other older FRN models) because it can be removed or switched without any specific tools (just two coins). The FRN handle has Spyderco’s bi-directional injection molding, and although it isn’t the same pattern as the Endura (and isn’t quite as grippy) it definitely adds traction. In keeping with the form follows function theme, the Pacific Salt has an enlarged Spyder hole for easy one hand opening and closing, even when wearing gloves or with wet hands. The Pacific Salt’s design culminates in a purpose driven knife that closely resembles the Endura if it were overhauled for marine environment use.

  • Handles compared: Cara Cara, Endura (handle bumps sanded down), Pacific Salt
  • Blades compared: Cara Cara, Endura, Pacific Salt

Build Quality

If my knife is an indication of the model as a whole, the Pacific Salt lives up to Spyderco’s high quality standards. Mine is well centered, has no blade play, and can be opened and closed very easily with one hand. It isn’t quite drop closed smooth, but that can’t be held against it; it’s a linerless and washerless knife, and drop closed action isn’t a practical feature. It’s also a pinned knife, rather than a screw construction knife, meaning it can’t be taken apart. Some modern knife enthusiasts dislike pinned knives, but being that I am comfortable carrying and using traditionals that are almost universally pinned, I don’t mind it one bit. I’ve had several Spyderco pinned knives and haven’t had any issues with them loosening significantly, and they’re easy to clean with a little soap and water and an ear swab. So although the Pacific Salt isn’t made to be a flashy knife to surf the current trends and tastes, it is certainly a well made knife ready to be used and worthy of being depended upon.

  • Very well centered
  • Safe one hand closing
  • Not deep carry, and pretty noticeable with the yellow and black, but comfortable

Usage

So, obviously the Pacific Salt is designed to excel in marine environments. Its rust resistant steel makes it great for any use where it might get, or stay, wet. It’d be a great knife to keep in your tackle box for fishing, whether you fish with worms in a little creek every now and then or are a professional deep sea fisherman. It’d also be a great option for someone who participates in watersports like canoeing, kayaking, rafting, surfing, diving, etc. I have personally carried it on a rafting trip clipped to my personal floatation device and, although I didn’t need to use it in an emergency, I felt reassured knowing it was there if I did need it. Speaking of which, I don’t think I’ve mentioned the very noticeable color! My Pacific Salt is bright yellow, like many of Spyderco’s Salt line (although some models also come in black and / or orange), which makes it extremely easy to see and difficult to lose. I have also taken an Endura, which has VG10 steel, on canoe trips and although it’s a good knife and a good steel it definitely can start to rust by the end of a long float. H1 steel can be in the water for a full day, and probably more, without breaking a sweat (or rather breaking out in oxidation?). I also think the Pacific Salt would make a great gardening knife. Because a knife can often get and stay wet while being used for gardening, the Pacific Salt’s H1 steel could definitely come in handy. I also find a fully serrated edge to be helpful in gardening uses because it allows for more aggressive pull cuts, making for quicker work trimming branches and such. Finally, I think the Pacific Salt would be a good knife for someone who just doesn’t want to worry about maintaining their knife. Some people don’t want to have to wipe down their knife after each use and such, and with H1 steel that’s totally fine! I also think a fully serrated blade is well suited for someone uninterested in taking the time to sharpen their own knife. That is because a serrated blade can continue to cut, or rather tear, even after the edge has dulled. So as it turns out, the Pacific Salt might prove appropriate for more users (and uses) than you might think: outdoor enthusiasts, gardeners, and anyone who doesn’t want to have to maintain their knife to keep it in working order!

The Pacific Salt in its element!

Conclusion

I wrote this article because I think the Spyderco Pacific Salt is a cool knife with some interesting features. If you would like to get one for yourself you can use my Amazon Affiliate links below. If you purchase through them it doesn’t increase the price for you at all, but helps me out by giving me a small portion of the sale. You can find the fully serrated Pacific Salt at this link and the plain edge Pacific Salt at this link. You can also get it for a great price at Northern Knives at this link, and get free shipping with code: KNIFETHOUGHTS. Tell them I sent you!

Posted on

5 Reasons an Opinel Makes a GREAT EDC Knife

Opinel; It’s a name brand name synonymous with a whole type of knife, and for good reason. If you are into knives, it’s pretty likely you’ve heard of the Opinel knife. If you haven’t, don’t worry! In this article I’ll explain what (an) Opinel is and give you 5 reasons why it makes a great every day carry knife.

Three of the 10 Opinel Sizes

First, what is Opinel? Opinel is a knife company based in Savoie France that has been making knives since 1890. They manufacture a variety of knives and knife related accessories including classic kitchen knives, specialty knives (mushroom, cheese, etc.), gardening tools, and outdoor multi-feature folding knives with modern materials. However, they are best known for their traditional wood handled pocket folding knives. These knives have an extremely recognizable design, with some great features:

The ViroBloc Ring Lock Allows an Opinel Knife to be Locked Both Open and Closed

1) There’s an Opinel Sized Just Right for Everyone

No matter what your knife needs or preferences, you can be pretty sure Opinel offers a knife that will work for you. Opinel offers 10 different sizes of pocket knives from teency tiny keychain knives (like the No. 2 with a 1.38″ blade) to massive camping knives (like the No. 13 with a whopping 8.75″ blade). Somewhere within that range there’s bound to be an option that fits your hand, pocket, and cutting needs.

2) The Handles are Great

Not only are the handles surprisingly ergonomic, there are lots of handle color and material options also! The classic standard handles are Beech harvested mainly from sustainably managed French forests, which are a nice light color. They also offer some colored handles, handles with designs, synthetic handles, and handles in more exotic woods. The classic wood handles are contoured with a palm swell to fill the hand and make for comfortable and easy handling in use.

3) The Price is Right

Opinels are eminently easy on the wallet. The different sizes of the standard models range in the $15-$25 range, which makes them a great budget option. You can get one for the house, one for your EDC, one for camping, and one for the car for under $100. Of course, the models with more exotic materials and limited editions cost more but they’re still not big ticket items.

4) They’re Safe and Non-Knife Enthusiast Friendly

The Opinel’s two hand opening and Virobloc lock features make them both safe to carry and use, and unalarming in public. Although I (and I’m sure you if you’re reading this) wish it weren’t the case, there are times when a big fast flashy modern knife isn’t situationally appropriate. Whether local laws disallow one hand opening or your work or social engagements require a more subtle touch, sometimes you might have to ditch the tactical knife for something more old school. The Opinel’s two hand opening nature along with the size and non-locking options make it a great choice in less knife friendly environments.

5) The Blades are Ground for Performance

Thin is in, and Opinel blades are ground to making cutting a breeze. Although a thick blade like those found on most modern or tactical knives can be useful and handle more rough work, the vast majority of cutting that the vast majority of people do is best done with a thin blade. A thin blade makes for less drag when moving through material while cutting. If you’re used to modern tactical knives, I think you’ll be surprised at how well a thinner blade like those on Opinels, and many other traditional knives, cut. The grind of the blades is probably my favorite thing about Opinel knives.

BONUS) You Can Exercise Your Creativity

Opinel’s wooden handles also offer the option of customization! Not only are the standard handles just asking for embellishment with carved or woodburned designs, Opinel even offers knives with handles specifically designed so that you can carve them to your liking.

The Opinel No. 5 is Small but Mighty, and Non Locking

In conclusion, there are many reasons to put an Opinel into your EDC rotation! In Opinel’s own words, an Opinel knife is a must have for “savoir-vivre”, or “knowing how to live well”. Opinel has a long history that is worth checking out. I would write more about it here, but Opinel offers a fascinating look into that history on their site (linked here). If you’re looking for an Opinel knife, Northern Knives offers a great selection at this link.

Posted on

Alert; HUGE Knife Law News!

May 30 2019 is a day to celebrate for the whole knife community! A landmark battle has been won in New York. Today Governor Andrew Cuomo repealed the gravity knife ban.

Even small and totally innocuous knives like these could bring charges of “Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree” under the Gravity Knife Ban

The gravity knife ban, in effect since the 1950s, made it illegal to posses any knife that could be opened by “gravity or centrifugal force” and locked into place. The intentional vagueness allowed this definition to be applied to nearly ANY folding knife. Thousands of people were arrested per year without having committed any act of violence or destruction, but rather only for owning/carrying/using humanity’s most basic and universal tool. Beyond that, statistics indicate that the law was applied unequally with bias against minorites. This sad fact makes the law not only unjust, but also immoral.

Under the Gravity Knife Ban this fixed blade could technically be legal to carry…

Whereas this miniscule knife could land you in jail with hefty fines… (I’m not at all suggesting either should be restricted)

For a full news piece on this development you can visit this article reposted by Knife Rights from the Queens Daily Eagle on the subject. Knife Rights is an organization founded by Doug Ritter to advocate for knife legislation, along with several other functions. Knife Rights has been working toward overturning the New York Gravity Knife ban for almost a decade, and their success in this specific case is only one of many positive changes they have influenced in knife legislation. Still, this is an important victory! Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it will usher in more positive changes in the legal landscape surrounding knives.

Posted on

Knife Thoughts: The Benchmade 940, a classic EDC for a reason, NOW WITH 100% MORE CONTROVERSY!

Purely by coincidence, this article is being released on the heels of a social media firestorm surrounding Benchmade. Earlier this week, I believe on Wednesday 2/20/19, Benchmade came under heavy scrutiny by the 2a / second amendment online community for its involvement in the destruction of guns for the Oregon City Police Department. Apparently some amount of firearms that were confiscated by and / or given to the department and slated for court ordered destruction were destroyed by Benchmade due to their having “specialty equipment”, through a partnership with the department. I mention this not to involve politics or my own beliefs regarding firearms and knives and their direct relation to the second amendment, but rather the opposite; I want to acknowledge the currently hot topic and assure my readers that this review was written before the issue arose and was in no way affected by it.

The Benchmade 940 in all its green glory

So, what is there to say about the Benchmade 940? It’s one of the most recommended and highly regarded every day carry knives on the market. It’s been one of Benchmade’s top sellers for almost twenty years since its release in 2000. You can find countless videos and articles recommending the 940 with nary a mention of any negative attributes. A knife with such a glowing reputation must really be one of the best, right?

It’s a slender knife as is well represented here

In a word; yes. But that’s not why you’re here. You’re here spending your time reading an article about a knife because you want to know the details. Well here… we… GO:

Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC) TC Barlow, Benchmade 940, Spyderco Native 5

The Benchmade 940 was designed by Warren Osborne and has several of the features that since have become his signature. It features what Benchmade calls a reverse tanto blade shape, which is basically a drop point with a swedge that has an angle at about 45 degrees going from the spine to the edge. (Benchmade also makes a version of this knife with a clip point blade shape, which you can find on Amazon at this link) The steel is s30v, which was one of the first “super steels” and, although it has fallen out of vogue in the high end knife community, remains a great all around stainless steel that isn’t too difficult to sharpen, holds a working edge well, and is pretty corrosion resistant. The reverse tanto blade shape allows the 940 to retain most of the stock thickness most of the way to the tip, and therefore have more strength than a fully flat ground (or distal tapered) blade. It also makes the tip sit well within the frame of the handle, which is something I really like but isn’t mentioned often. This means that the knife can be sharpened many many times before the tip raises above the handle, requiring a blade replacement. The blade is thinly ground enough to work for most typical utility and edc cutting tasks but thick enough to handle some tougher tasks. It might not slice cardboard as effortlessly as a tall full flat ground Spyderco blade, but I’m also more comfortable cutting zip ties and other things that take more force with the 940 than with a thinner blade.

Lots of edge fit into a small frame

Speaking of the tallness (or lack thereof) of the 940’s blade, it is very slender from edge to spine. That lends itself well to the overall small package that the 940 presents in comparison to the edge and blade length of 3.375″. That’s a solid amount of usable edge fit into a (likewise very slender) 4.75″ handle with 3.5″ of usable grip length. Although that amount of grip space would be crowded if the handle turned up at the butt, because it has a down turn at the end of the handle it actually provides an ample hold. This handle is another example of how a simple design often offers better ergonomics than a more complicated attempt to fit the hand. The handle on the standard 940 is made of aluminum that has been anodized green with a purple backspacer. I personally like the feel of anodized aluminum and the look of the green and purple together but, again, aluminum is a material that has lost the favor of the knife community. For this reason Benchmade later came out with the 940-2 with a black g10 handle with green standoffs, which you can find on Amazon at this link. As an upgrade to both the handle and blade materials, Benchmade also released the 940-1 with a solid carbon fiber handle and s90v steel blade, which makes the knife lighter and (depending on your taste) fancier looking with better edge holding at a more premium price. (You can find the 940-1 on Amazon by following this link)

  • About a 3.75 finger grip
  • Green handles with purple backspacer

All of the versions of the 940 have partial steel liners, which are a requirement for any knife with Benchmade’s Axis lock. The Axis lock is an evolved version of the “bolt action” lock, and works by having an “Omega spring” (a sort of constant force spring made of round wire rather than flat steel) push a bar that is suspended by studs on either side of the handle behind the blade tang and therefore wedge it open. The Axis lock is unlocked by pulling both or either of the studs back. It as an easy to use and fully ambidextrous lock, and is one of the big attractions of Benchmade knives. It makes the knives very easy to open and close by simply pulling the lock back, making for a fairly fun fidget factor. Although I think it’s a quite rare issue, Omega springs have been known to fail and break making the lock unreliable. I don’t think this happens often enough to be an issue, and Benchmade will definitely fix it if it does happen to your knife, but I do think it makes it slightly less durable in the very long run than well made examples of other locks (back lock, liner lock, etc.).

Nested partial liners don’t add strength on an aluminum handled knife, but are necessary for the Axis lock

The 940 comes with a classic Benchmade clip, but I highly recommend calling or emailing Benchmade and requesting a deep carry clip as is pictured on my knife. I find that it carries deeper in the pocket and doesn’t significantly affect the ergonomics in use. Benchmade is normally happy to send a free clip upon request.

The deep carry clip reduces the visible handle above the pocket to almost nill

Speaking of Benchmade’s service, it’s one of the great values of this knife. Benchmade offers lifetime sharpening (which they call LifeSharp), cheap blade replacement, a general spa service, and a normally pretty reasonable turn around time. That can’t be said for all knife companies, and it’s something that can weigh heavily in favor of Benchmade if you’re looking for a knife to last you a lifetime. However, I do think it also factors into the price of the knife, so don’t be afraid to use that LifeSharp service!

Over the last few years Benchmade has come under some criticism for a lack of quality control, specifically with uneven grinds and off centered blades. Although my 940 is slightly off center it doesn’t touch the liner and hasn’t worsened since I adjusted the pivot. The grind seems even enough to my eye. I haven’t had any issues with lockup or action on any recent Benchmades. My 940 has no blade play in any directions and opens and closes smoothly with one hand.

Only ever so slightly off center

To come to the point where I might add something new to the 940 conversation, I think this knife’s slenderness is both its best and worst attribute. Its slim handle and blade make the 940 a breeze to carry and allow it to offer a really solid amount of cutting power in a small package. I think this ease of carry combined with the convenience of the Axis lock and security of Benchmade’s warranty are what have made the 940 such a star in the EDC knife world. However, such slenderness also has its downfalls. Because the blade rises so slightly out of the handle the thumb studs are close enough to the handle that it can sometimes be a tad difficult or awkward to open the knife quickly. Also, because the blade is short from edge to spine it does offer less belly and a thicker edge in comparison to some other models. Still, I think these are minor complaints that are far overshadowed by the positive attributes of the 940. You can get the Benchmade 940 for about $180 at this Amazon link. Although relatively pricey for the materials used, like all Benchmade knives it is made in the United States and backed by their highly trusted warranty. If you’re looking for a knife that you can put it your pocket and not notice until you need it, that you can rely on for almost any cutting task you’d run into in your daily life, and that can last you a lifetime the Benchmade 940 is a solid time tested and proven option.

All the links to Amazon in this article are Amazon Affiliate links. That means that if you click them and purchase the product you won’t pay any more than you normally would on Amazon, but I get a commission from the sale. This is just a way for you to support Knife Thoughts and allow me to procure more funding for the project and its knives.

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook!

Posted on

Knife Thoughts is LIVE!!!

“It is something to have started”

Treebeard ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

I’m practically buzzing with excitement to launch this website and blog! In fact, it’s kept me up… I planned to launch “tomorrow” yesterday, but “tomorrow” quickly became today as my mind raced and kept me away from sleep and hard at work. By no means is this website as polished as I’d like, but I think Treebeard hit on some great wisdom when he said that “It is something to have started”; there’s value in just beginning, even if I know there will be lots of refining to do going forward.

I decided to start this website for several reasons. Foremost, I wanted to start blogging about my knives and experiences in the knife community. I have been posting on various forums for years and have made many knife videos over the last year or so, but I realized that in many cases a written format can be easier for people to consume in their busy lives. I know that I enjoy watching knife videos on YouTube and perusing threads on BladeForums, but I rarely have the time to watch through a long form knife review or maintain interest through a forum thread containing hundreds (or often thousands) of posts. Second, I wanted to create a place to compile and broadcast my various knife related media: videos, pictures, articles, etc. Third, I wanted to build a more coherent brand and identity within the knife community. Finally, and probably the best reason, I wanted a challenging but fun endeavor to channel my enthusiasm for knives!

To all of you reading this, I sincerely thank you. I appreciate you taking your time and attention to check out my first steps into the world of blogging. I have done a relatively generous amount of writing in my life, but it has largely consisted of historic and other non-personal topics. I am not intuitively comfortable writing from a personal perspective, so I expect to experience a long (but hopefully not too painful) learning period.

It’s late (or early) and I think that’s enough for now. Upon launch I’ve added links to my Instagram and YouTube pages, as well as some embedded videos. Check those out, and don’t forget to check back soon for updates and new posts!!!

Logan