PE H1 for EDC - how long will it last?

[ladybug93]

There must be something wrong with my knives as I went to check and those that were H1 are still H1 and those that were VG10 still read VG10 on the tang... maybe I've to connect them to the internet for the upgrade?

you win the internet for the day.

[Crux]

Day 4: as everything seems to be wrapped in plastic these days, that's what my knife cut today. I used it to trim some glass fiber net at work (some soft stuff).

There must be something wrong with my knives as I went to check and those that were H1 are still H1 and those that were VG10 still read VG10 on the tang... maybe I've to connect them to the internet for the upgrade?

Save all your H-1 and VG-10 knives as they will be valuable artifacts one day. Like finding ancient tools from the bronze age.

[tonijedi]

Day 5: plastic packages, paper and strawberries.
And this was Monday to Friday duty for the little fellow. Let's see what the weekend brings.

[tonijedi]

Day 6: strawberries and an apple.

[tonijedi]

Day 7: this was the first day of serious cutting. I had to repair some things at home and so I cut cardboard, plastic, wood and PVC. Still sharp!

[tonijedi]

Day 8: plastic packages, meat.

[Tucson Tom]

There must be something wrong with my knives as I went to check and those that were H1 are still H1 and those that were VG10 still read VG10 on the tang... maybe I've to connect them to the internet for the upgrade?

Save all your H-1 and VG-10 knives as they will be valuable artifacts one day. Like finding ancient tools from the bronze age.

Either that or give them to your Amish friends.

[vivi]

Day 7: this was the first day of serious cutting. I had to repair some things at home and so I cut cardboard, plastic, wood and PVC. Still sharp!

Not surprised!

I remember one time after reading some threads on how poor PE H1's edge retention is, doing some tests myself. It never seemed that bad to me. Put a fresh edge on my Aqua Salt and sliced cardboard for 20-30 minutes. Knife still wasn't dull, but I was bored and moved on. :D

[tonijedi]

Day 9: a lot of hard plastics: wall plugs, zip-ties, PVC. The edge doesn't shave anymore but cuts magazine paper without a problem. The wall plugs were very hard on the edge, not easy to cut even with such a thin blade as this. I'm not going to sharpen it yet, I'll see when it fails when I need it.

One thing I noticed is that I'm enjoying the Dragonfly because of its pointy tip (very different from my usual EDC, the Salt 2) and the control of the entire blade (because it's small).

[RazorSharp86]

Honestly, for regular EDC, it should last plenty.
If you have proper work in mind- IE. Cutting a bunch of cardboard boxes, etc. then look elsewhere.

I carried my PE H1 Dragonfly for 2 weeks on my Hawaii honeymoon, and it was perfect. I used it to open boxes, clamshell packages, cut fruit, zipties, etc. and it workd real well. Edge lasted for the entire two weeks, and probsbly wouod be adequate for another few weeks after my return from Hawaii. However, I’m a spoilt brat when it comes to edge sharpness, so I sharpened it right when I got back.

People give H1 a lot of slack, but it’s mostly because we’re rather spoilt, and out expectations for edge retantion are borderline ridiculous.

[tonijedi]

People give H1 a lot of slack, but it’s mostly because we’re rather spoilt, and out expectations for edge retantion are borderline ridiculous.

I agree. From all the cutlery steel, the steels used by spyderco are a tiny fraction of the whole.
Analyzing edge retention only, H1 isn't worse than SAK's steel and no one is complaining about that the way they do about H1 (and there are quite expensive SAKs as well).

[T-1000]

Good thread! I am currently trying to decide between plain edge and serrated edge Pacific Salt. People dish on PE H-1 but as long as the edge holding is similar to 420HC or Aus 8 I wouldnt complain.

[tonijedi]

Day 10: plastic packages. I noticed when cutting a thin but somehow "elastic" plastic the knife snagged. I tested it afterwards on paper and it didn't snag. When the time comes, I'll count the passes on the brown rods that are required to bring it back to shaving sharp.

[tonijedi]

Good thread! I am currently trying to decide between plain edge and serrated edge Pacific Salt. People dish on PE H-1 but as long as the edge holding is similar to 420HC or Aus 8 I wouldnt complain.

One thing that PE H1 and SE H1 share is the ease of sharpening. I like that a lot. If you have the sharpmaker it's so easy it seems almost impossible.

[ladybug93]

Good thread! I am currently trying to decide between plain edge and serrated edge Pacific Salt. People dish on PE H-1 but as long as the edge holding is similar to 420HC or Aus 8 I wouldnt complain.

i went with spyderedge because i planned to use the knife for aquatic activities. in the water, the most likely life-threatening issue you can run into is getting caught or wrapped up in something, so se made the most sense. also, i'll never need to make a pretty cut at the beach or in the water. for edc, i prefer a plain edge, but spyderedge works just fine for just about anything you need to cut. couple that with the longer edge holding and a knife that is still easy to sharpen, and it's kind of a no-brainer. if you need pe though and you don't need a blade that lasts a long time or has to do a lot in a short time, it's perfectly acceptable.

[vivi]

I've tried both the PE and SE variants, and my SE sees more pocket time. Either makes a great EDC for me though.

[ZMW]

The tip of my H1 SE Pac salt will hold shaving sharp for about 2-3 seconds before a mild wind wears down the edge. Seriously, after cutting a foot of cardboard it will not shave. Maybe that is just the difference with a single bevel compared to a normal PE double bevel?

[James Y]

The tip of my H1 SE Pac salt will hold shaving sharp for about 2-3 seconds before a mild wind wears down the edge. Seriously, after cutting a foot of cardboard it will not shave. Maybe that is just the difference with a single bevel compared to a normal PE double bevel?

When you resharpen that part of the blade, are you removing any wire edge from the sharpening process?

Jim

[T-1000]

Good thread! I am currently trying to decide between plain edge and serrated edge Pacific Salt. People dish on PE H-1 but as long as the edge holding is similar to 420HC or Aus 8 I wouldnt complain.

i went with spyderedge because i planned to use the knife for aquatic activities. in the water, the most likely life-threatening issue you can run into is getting caught or wrapped up in something, so se made the most sense. also, i'll never need to make a pretty cut at the beach or in the water. for edc, i prefer a plain edge, but spyderedge works just fine for just about anything you need to cut. couple that with the longer edge holding and a knife that is still easy to sharpen, and it's kind of a no-brainer. if you need pe though and you don't need a blade that lasts a long time or has to do a lot in a short time, it's perfectly acceptable.

Very true. Spyderco serrations are amazing in their performance and their ease of sharpening makes them that much better. I really plan on using it as a summertime work knife (where I sweat 12 hours a day) and bring it to the beach and pool as well as my only cutting tool. Kinda like a substitute for my SE Endura. I’ll be following this thread a little while longer before I make a decision. Of course I’ll end up getting both I’m sure..

[tonijedi]

Day 11: some packages and thin cardboard. Same edge as before.