H1 Revisited

[steelcity16]

H1 is represented the most in my Spyderco collection. I have quite a few PE as well as SE and they are both at the top of my list for favorite steel. I still love LC200N, Cruwear, 3V, 4V, M4 and others, but H1's combination of toughness, ease of sharpenability, corrosion resistance and plenty respectable edge holding make it my most carried steel.

While LC200N is great, and I do dislike the fact that H1 can't be FFG, I still long for certain new Salt models in H1.

I still think the H1 Catcherman in PE, SE, and CE and an H1 SE and PE Spyderhawk should be permanent fixtures in the lineup.

I would also love to see my Dodofly, Workerfly, and Cricketfly (Reverse S) concepts come to life as H1 Salt models.

[Bloke]

I'd suggest trying the brown rods if you haven't, and if you have something even lower grit, try that too.

... a 15 degree edge straight off the diamond rods slices like the devil :D

Sound advice! :cool:

Sharpened straight off Diamond Rods, very light strop with chrome oxide on stiff leather and it performs as good, if not better than anything I’ve used to clean fish. It push cuts belly flesh like it’s not there and cuts through breast bone and gills using brute force, fish after fish without any edge deformation or noticeable loss of sharpness. :)

[Surfingringo]

Why is there a concern that Spyderco as the only company producing production knives in H1 will cease doing so?

I don’t know why there is any concern but I have discussed the future of the Salt line numerous time with Sal and I think any fear on the matter is misplaced. I can’t imagine H1 disappearing from the Spyderco lineup anytime in the foreseeable future.

A few other random thoughts.
-I agree 100% with Vivi. PE H1 benefits from an aggressive finish while SE H1 already has plenty of tooth and is better suited to a higher grit finish.

- I usually finish my pe H1 knives very lightly on the corners of the brown rods. This gives a slightly more aggressive finish than the flats. I would compare the finish on the flats of the brown rods to a 1200-1500 diamond finish. The corners give a finish closer to 1000-1200. These are just my approximations but there is definitely a notable difference in aggression between the two.

-Pro Tip- When using the corners of the brown rods, be sure to rub the corners of two rods against each other vigorously. The first time you do this, after 15-20 seconds, you will start to break through the seal and you will feel the friction between the rods increase drastically. You will actually SMELL it when it happens. Once you have “prepped” the corners like this, they will cut FAR faster and more aggressively. It is also a good way to break through to fresh ceramic when the corners start to get clogged over time. The same can be done with the flats but it seems to make a far bigger difference with the corners.

[Surfingringo]

I should mention that I have been carrying a pe H1 Salt 2 everyday for the last couple of months, both on land and on the water. It doesn’t hold an edge as long as my Caribbean, Native and Waterway in lc200n but it is not terrible either. The steel’s toughness, ease of sharpening and rust proof nature largely make up for any shortcomings in edge performance. I’m a big fan of lc200n but I would hate to see Spyderco move away from H1 anytime soon. It is a pretty unique offering with an outstanding set of properties.

Mr Lance,
At what angle are you sharpening the PE Salt 2?

I took the Salt 2 down to 12 degrees per side on my KME. I microbeveled at 15dps a few times and then switched to 20dps.
Didn’t change the microbevel for any particular reason, just tried both. I haven’t noticed any performance difference between the microbevels but experience tells me that the 30 degree edge will probably perform slightly better and the 40 will probably be slightly more stable. Like is said though, the microbevels are tiny and I haven’t noticed a difference.

[tonijedi]

Thank you, I want my next knife to be a PE Salt 2.

[Doc Dan]

My next two knives will be a salt 2 SE wharncliffe and a hawk bill dragonfly.

[Bloke]

hawk bill dragonfly.

Excellent knife Doc. I’m tipping you’ll love it. :cool:

[Doc Dan]

hawk bill dragonfly.

Excellent knife Doc. I’m tipping you’ll love it. :cool:

Don’t you have an Enuff Salt? I thought of getting one and taking down the spine a little to have a bit more point.

[Bloke]

hawk bill dragonfly.

Excellent knife Doc. I’m tipping you’ll love it. :cool:

Don’t you have an Enuff Salt? I thought of getting one and taking down the spine a little to have a bit more point.

No Doc, I only have a Ladybug, Dragonfly and Tasman in H1, HB SE, except the Tasman which is PE.

Hope you’re feeling way better too ole mate. :)

[elena86]

I'd suggest trying the brown rods if you haven't, and if you have something even lower grit, try that too.

... a 15 degree edge straight off the diamond rods slices like the devil :D

Sound advice! :cool:

Sharpened straight off Diamond Rods, very light strop with chrome oxide on stiff leather and it performs as good, if not better than anything I’ve used to clean fish. It push cuts belly flesh like it’s not there and cuts through breast bone and gills using brute force, fish after fish without any edge deformation or noticeable loss of sharpness. :)

I like your PE H1 sharpening protocol as much as I like your jokes ... mate

[Bloke]

I like your PE H1 sharpening protocol as much as I like your jokes ... mate

Hey Marius, the coarse edge seems to work well. :)

My stupid humour ... hard to say. :rolleyes:

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Received my Salt2 in H1 with PE and DLC yesterday used the heck out of it today along with it's SE brother. I have to tell you people on this forum that folks really need to stop agreeing to get along and really need to watch their mouths concerning H1.

Due to so much negative talk about Edge Retention concerning the plain edge I avoided it for years.

Gotta tell everyone not only does it sharpen easily using Member vivi's recommendations at 15% on the brown stones but my goodness it gets so sharp so fast!

It also holds a edge far longer than people talk about at at higher degree of sharpness than S30V even. To me this is VG10 and completely corrosion resistant.

Sure S30V is an awesome steel and you can get it very sharp but it is a different kind of toothy snaggy sharp with the brown stones. Yet S30V taken to sub micron levels of polish and thinning out the blade behind the edge has some interesting outcomes. Honestly I have yet to feel any steel get as acutely sharp as Cruwear.

H1 is like Cruwear and VG-10 but smoother than LC200N and holds an acute edge better if that makes sense to those with experience owning and using all these steels in Spyderco fit and finish. It does not feel as hard as S30V when cutting through materials it feels more buttery and toothy. S30V feels hard, very hard and unyielding by comparison.

H1 in PE is a joy in the hand. It really is, I wish I had never heard the Nay Sayers.

[Doc Dan]

Received my Salt2 in H1 with PE and DLC yesterday used the heck out of it today along with it's SE brother. I have to tell you people on this forum that folks really need to stop agreeing to get along and really need to watch their mouths concerning H1.

Due to so much negative talk about Edge Retention concerning the plain edge I avoided it for years.

Gotta tell everyone not only does it sharpen easily using Member vivi's recommendations at 15% on the brown stones but my goodness it gets so sharp so fast!

It also holds a edge far longer than people talk about at at higher degree of sharpness than S30V even. To me this is VG10 and completely corrosion resistant.

Sure S30V is an awesome steel and you can get it very sharp but it is a different kind of toothy snaggy sharp with the brown stones. Yet S30V taken to sub micron levels of polish and thinning out the blade behind the edge has some interesting outcomes. Honestly I have yet to feel any steel get as acutely sharp as Cruwear.

H1 is like Cruwear and VG-10 but smoother than LC200N and holds an acute edge better if that makes sense to those with experience owning and using all these steels in Spyderco fit and finish. It does not feel as hard as S30V when cutting through materials it feels more buttery and toothy. S30V feels hard, very hard and unyielding by comparison.

H1 in PE is a joy in the hand. It really is, I wish I had never heard the Nay Sayers.

Don’t get me started, again. Hahaha :D The experts/nay sayers can be fun fodder for conversation...but shiny foot prints and all. I never bought a salt knife because I didn’t need one. Now I have a dragonfly salt. It convinced me to buy more salt knives. And I did hear all the people talking about how poor H1 steel is in edge retention. And then I found out it was not true at all. I don’t know how good plain edge Really is in edge retention but it is as good as many Common knife steels, like AUS8, 440c, etc. it might be a bit better, but I am still testing. I find it interesting that a quite a number of people on this forum really like plain edge H 1.

[Tims]

I’m a glutton for punishment so here’s what I can say about H1.

Hang on while I finish up my last will and testament....

There is no other steel I have read more conflicting reports about. On the wider internet, this site, the same threads and sometimes in the same post.

Butter knife to some, super steel to others. Both to the same people depending on the phase of the moon(or general mood of a thread). I have read reports from both ends of the spectrum from those who most would consider respected knife folk.

Generally, a consensus opinion is arrived at pretty quickly when it comes to knife steels. Think of all the well knowns, depending on heat treat etc, most can agree on how it behaves.

I have found it interesting to see how peoples experience with a steel can vary so widely in the absence of definitive data. Particularly HRC.

Truely a steel you must try for yourself.

I’m not looking to start a riot, these are simply my observations.

[Joey]

I agree, Tims! It's great stuff. You know what it is? (I was in this same mindset all of my life until a year ago or so, and I have to assume it might be true for a good amount of others making the complaints) Sharpening is seemingly a steep learning curve, so most people just deal with the working edge until its more of a bowl shape, then buy a new knife. H1 would last about a month for most light-moderate users, and I think the complaints are coming from them. When you take the time to learn, as you know, you find out just how simple it can be to make a relatively usable edge into a razor. I have found with H1, 20-30 seconds on the stones per night will keep that edge hair shaving, and I don't think it will take much longer with other steels given the same conditions. Maybe not enough people have realized, or like you mentioned, experienced this.

I'm way late to the party, and certainly no expert. When sharpening steels, I have most experience in the S30V/LC200N/8Cr13/VG-10/H1 and minor experience with sharpening other a good amount of steels throughout the spectrum. With VG-10 and 8Cr13 feeling mostly similar, the rest seem to go in order from left to right in terms of hardness(ease of sharpening in PE), and relative toughness. To be honest though, what it comes down to for me is they're all a pain in the bum(with the exception of H1. It's so soft in feel while sharpening, and seems to almost wipe away so to speak. As others have said, it holds an edge far longer than most claim in PE. This stuff is magical!), they seem to all get about as sharp as the next(it all depends on your sharpening tools/skill), and they're mostly all rust proof with the exception of 8Cr and S30V. As for AUS8, 440 in mostly any form; I feel we should all move on from this. Give me at least VG-10/H1/BD1N and I'll be happy. 8Cr13MoV is for the budget knife line, and that's great. Seems like Spyderco has a good thing going

Like I said, I'm no expert, and I have a million miles to go. This may all just be babbling. I have however, spent a good amount of time on the stones, with the steels above. I feel confident enough to form an acceptable working edge with relative uniformity.
I also like to point out that the brown rods are enough for any steel to split hair. Thanks mostly to Vivi's advice I have come to find this out. I can even get PE H1 to shave with the CBN rods, and I feel this should be the case for anyone.

[elena86]

I have used H1 a lot, mostly in SE. Spyderco did it again when they decided to give H1 to the world.... I can only say that H1 in spyderedge is just ... magic... to quote Sal : "magic dust". What about H1 in PE... well ... it sharpens like a dream and keeps a shaving edge for a more than decent amount of time. It's good enough for me. For those who have a problem with H1 not being full flat ground... H1 is meant to be used in manufacturing specific working knives for a specific environment and hollow grind does the job quite well for any given task. Enough said.

P.S I love H1 :D

[Joey]

I also have heard H1 is prone to bending when ground in FFG.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

I also have heard H1 is prone to bending when ground in FFG.

Oh really ?

Who makes H1 in fully Flat Ground ?

[Joey]

Beats me. I don’t think anyone does. Just saying I’ve heard that when ground in FFG, it isn’t stable. That’s why Spyderco hasn’t used that type of grind when producing H1 knives. This is just what I’ve heard, and could easily understand knowing the nature of the steel and it’s lack of hardness.
-Edited for errors

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Ahhh H1, love it

So in between carrying my Cruwear PM2 with the smooth scales replaced in favor of proper black Peel-N-Ply my H1 Salts have been seeing allot of use.

The Salt2 plain edge is simple remarkable, so much so I ordered a pacific salt PE DLC or whatever this perfect black coating is.

Have to remark the black coating on the Salts is much more resistant to tape junk sticking.

Last night my girlfriend wanted some toast with cheese made from some baguette bread loafs.

Just for the heck of it I used my Pacific SALT SE and wow this thing is a phenomenal bread knife :)

Wondering about the new kitchen line if they have these exact Spydie-edge?

There are several types of Spydie-edges but this one is a bread cutting wonder.