[UPDATE 2022] THANKS Sal for this knife! (Salt 2 ffg SE - First impressions)

[Wartstein]

...

This is just an update of this thread I started a year ago in 2021!
See HERE viewtopic.php?f=2&t=89256&p=1614903#p1614903 for that update post!

(Old, from April 2021):

So I just received my Salt 2 ffg SE (in LC200N).
I am not a small knife guy at all, but I was really excited for this model and rightfully so, I can say now! :)

Thanks Sal for making this knife!
I really appreciate this model and it will see a TON of "mountain-pocket-time"

For me this model is the best ultralight (hiking-, mountaineering...) knife on the market, and beats the BM Bugout out of the water easily in that capacity (see HERE for my reasoning: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=88925)

Some quick first impressions (and a bit comparison to my similarly shaped Delica:

- Love the 2.5 mm ffg blade stock. Blade feels really strong by its overall shape, but screams "slicer" when just looking at it
- Also love the reenforced, "sheepsfooty" tip! I am sure it makes the tip a lot stronger, but it is still acute enough: It may be not too pointy when looking at the flat of the blade, but pointiness is also determined by thinness of the spine, grind angle, chisel vs V-grind and so on. The Salt does it perfectly imho: Strong enough tip that one can work fast and carelessly if necessary (and hit metal and the like with the tip), but still really pointy, especially in the SE chisel grind (more so than in a "v-edge-tip" of course)
- Knife really feels extremly light, but still pretty sturdy
- Slight side to side play, but less than my Delica, a bit more up and down / lock rock though.
- Love the taller than on the Delica blade, but the by that tallness steeper thumbramp of the Salt could be a slight con for really large hands though: By using the ramp, the hand is pushed a bit further back on the handle than with the flatter Delica ramp, so the handle gets practically a bit "shorter" on the Salt
- The SE pattern seems to be just right, right out of the box!! :) Mellow, not aggressive serrations, not too pointy tips!

Overall, I am really impressed an already love this little guy! :)
And right after the first few cuts I feel for me is proven again what I say all the time: In a folder this small more than 2.5 mm bladestock is really not necessary. This blade IS strong, and just has to slice better than lets say an about 50 % thicker (!) Para 3 blade..

Below my now THREE tiny Spydies! :) (as opposed to my clearly more larger ones...)

[Wartstein]

Added to my post above: The Salt also seems to have a longer blade than my Delica (see pic below)
Granted, my Delica has been sharpened quite a bit, but still...

[pantagana23]

Added to my post above: The Salt also seems to have a longer blade than my Delica (see pic below)
Granted, my Delica has been sharpened quite a bit, but still...

According to spec, 3mm longer

A higher blade is probably making it look even longer

[tonijedi]

Added to my post above: The Salt also seems to have a longer blade than my Delica (see pic below)
Granted, my Delica has been sharpened quite a bit, but still...

It is definitely longer, I compared my Salt 2 with my many Delicas.

[Wartstein]

Added to my post above: The Salt also seems to have a longer blade than my Delica (see pic below)
Granted, my Delica has been sharpened quite a bit, but still...

According to spec, 3mm longer
...

I do like this!! :)
Hiking knife means occasional food prep, longer blade always better for that (and for me generally better anyway)

[Martijn]

Ah nice! Great to read your findings and that you like it. Mine is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, the wait is getting more and more difficult by the minute :D

[Wartstein]

Ah nice! Great to read your findings and that you like it. Mine is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, the wait is getting more and more difficult by the minute :D

I DO like it indeed..:)

Just took it on a short hike to test its capabilities as an hiking knife....

[Higher]

I DO like it indeed..:)

Wartstein, hi

I congratulate you! You got what you wanted for so long.
I am glad to be with you. And yes, you influenced me. I also ordered almost such a knife.
You have great photos and a very detailed report. Can you tell me why you chose this steel?

[vivi]

Glad you finally got yours. Even if you don't need a rust proof knife, the light weight, full flat grind and nice serration pattern make a great EDC / hiker.

Any plans to get a Pacific too or are you going to stick with this one?

[elena86]

Any blade play ?

[Zive]

- Slight side to side play, but less than my Delica, a bit more up and down / lock rock though.

[Wartstein]

Glad you finally got yours. Even if you don't need a rust proof knife, the light weight, full flat grind and nice serration pattern make a great EDC / hiker.

Any plans to get a Pacific too or are you going to stick with this one?

I´ll certainly want to get a Pac Salt 2 too!! After all, a serrated, ffg, endura-ish Spyderco would be my absolute perfect folder... :rolleyes:
Just heard to many things about substantial blade play in this model. Would not mind this normally, but in my perfect main EDC folder i don´t want it and so I guess I´ll wait a bit longer.

/ And my brand new Salt 2 is capable of a lot already I think. Just compared it to a Manix 2 LW, the Salt cutting edge length is not much shorter than on my Manixes, but I can have the Salt in SE, which I prefer, and even lighter (and slimmer) than the Manix LW.

[elena86]

Vertical blade play is a no-go for me. Just ordered a SE wharnie Salt in LC and I am quite worried :eek:

[Wartstein]

I DO like it indeed..:)

Wartstein, hi

I congratulate you! You got what you wanted for so long.
I am glad to be with you. And yes, you influenced me. I also ordered almost such a knife.
You have great photos and a very detailed report. Can you tell me why you chose this steel?

Hi Vacheslav,

Thanks, glad you like my pics and find something interesting in my "report(s)"! :=

actually, THIS knife is not one I wanted for long...
It was more a pretty spontanuous purchase, after I made a thread about how the Salt 2 ffg could really be "Spydercos better BM bugout". I generally like larger folders, but realized that I´d actually would still enjoy a really ultralight, but still very capable Spydie. And this is what the Salt 2 ffg is, especially due to its thin, but strong blade (I really don´t like small folders with thicker blades. Does not make much sense to me)

And: I did not choose this particular steel. As a matter of fact I have no need for a almost totally rustproof steel, VG10 is already just this in my use.
It´s just that this amazingly light Spydie happens to come in LC200N. But I would have taken it in VG10 or S30V as gladly as in LC. :)

[Wartstein]

Vertical blade play is a no-go for me. Just ordered a SE wharnie Salt in LC and I am quite worried :eek:

Well, it is just very slight play, and it does not bother me personally at all.
Just so you know what I mean: When I hold the handle firmly, and push the blade downwards by pressing at the spine pretty hard, it moves a tiny bit. And I can actually hear how it moves when I hold the knife close to my ear (can´t describe the kind of sound in English, sorry!)

I am sure it is just the usual bit of backlock-lockrock, and due to the linerless, hollowed out scales the sound of it is amplified a bit.

And: I already tested the Salt today, cut into harder wood for example, twisted the blade to some degree and so on. It feels solid enough in use, no worries there!!

[Wartstein]

- Slight side to side play, but less than my Delica, a bit more up and down / lock rock though.

Exactly...

[SG89]

Congrats!

[James Y]

Congratulations, Wartstein!

When ordering from an online knife store, I always order over the phone. I have a pre-written list of wants and don’t-wants for them to check the knife for. The don’t-want category includes blade play, stripped screws, etc. The want category includes good “walk and talk” (action), decent blade centering (within reason), edge properly ground, etc. I’ve never gotten a bad knife ordering this way, and since my list is pre-written, I can list them pretty quickly to the phone rep. No one has ever had a problem with that, and if they had, I would have ordered from somewhere else.

I don’t know if that option is possible or not for European buyers. I’m just saying what works for me, which, IMO, gives more piece of mind than simply clicking and hoping. Ordering over the phone, while not 100% foolproof, certainly lessens the chances of ending up with a lemon.

Jim

[u.w.]

Yes! Glad you got your knife, and it is to your liking! Reading your post has got me thinking about a serrated edge one now, lol...

Don't forget to check the fasteners (screws), to make sure they are not going to fall out. I read about several people who's knife had screws that were finger tip tight only. I checked mine when new and, 3 out of 5 were a loose fingertip tight. A quick touch of some thread lock and re-installation made everything good to go.

I hope it serves you long, and well in all places, and ways you decide to use it.

u.w.

[Henry_P]

The Salt 2 LC200N is a great knife. I have the PE wharncliffe blade and it has been my most carried since I got it. It really disappears in the pocket and the rustproof blade will really help in the summer due to sweat.