TASMAN SALT 2or ASSIST SALT FRN YELLOW? (Sailing).

[ar12503]

Hello everybody!

I am searching for a very good rescue knife in order to have with me during sailing. What would you recommend between TASMAN SALT™ 2 FRN YELLOW and ASSIST™ SALT® FRN YELLOW?
Thank you in advance!

[TazKristi]

Hi, ar12503:
Welcome to our forum. We hope you enjoy your time with us!

Kristi

[ladybug93]

welcome to the forum!

i don't have either of these knives, but i do have some experience with knives on water. they are going to be very different in use. the tasman will grab onto lines better because of the hawkbill, but the assist will be much safer to use in that environment. personally, i'd go with the assist out of these two.

[Farmer]

Like yourself I enjoy sailing, plus various other watersports. For this sort of usage I generally use a Salt 2 because when things go wrong, and the adrenaline is flowing, I definitely don't want anyone waving a sharp point around. I also find for general utility cuts, such as cutting line or sandwiches, a conventional shaped blade such as on the Assist is much more useful than a hawksbill. Just my £0.02 of course. But let us know what you choose and more importantly how you get on with it!

[VooDooChild]

I would recommend the Atlantic salt over both of those.

Maybe an Enuff salt if you want a small fixed blade.

I dont think the Assist salt is giving any advantages over the Atlantic salt on the water. You (hopefully) wont need the glass breaker, the whistle in the handle wont be nearly as good as a cheap fox 40, and the whole putting the rope between the handle and blade while squeezing thing, while it might work well, isnt how I would want to cut a rope on a rocky boat.

[wrdwrght]

I have both the Tasman and Assist Salts, and have sailed a time or two in blue water. Wharncliffe over hawkbill IMO [ETA: when comparing Assist to Tasman. The key reason, though, is the Assist’s extremely unstabby sheepsfoot].

Atlantic Salt would also be fine. So, too, might a Tusk, designed by sailors for sailors. Had the first, have the second. No longer sail.

[Jim Malone]

The Assist. Should you ever need to get off the boat the blunt tip can't pierce the liferaft or pfd. A sharp point is always a hazard. As a Rescue Diver i have been on RHIB's a lot. Pointy knives and Inflatable stuff are not compatible. Spyderco had a dedicated sailing knife called the tusk. Was pretty expensive but so are boats.
https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/detail ... trade-/859

[Evil D]

Don't have either one and don't sail so I'm probably just spouting off here but objectively looking at the pros and cons...

Tasman

Pros: Excellent at pull cuts, practically impossible for a rope etc to slip off the blade

Cons: Hawkbills are great for pull cuts but far less practical for other kinds of cuts, particularly if you cut against something (cutting board style). Mid air cuts are no problem but flat cuts or scalpel type cuts will be more difficult.

Assist

Pros: Straight flat edge with a slight negative blade angle, it will perform pull cuts quite well, though less aggressively as a hawkbill. The handle is designed to be able to hold rope in the finger grooves to make scissor style cuts. Not sure if I'd ever be doing that but again I don't cut a lot of rope so what do I know, might be a lot easier than trying to cut one mid-air held in your off hand. The blunt tip makes it significantly safer in situations where you may be on choppy water and/or might loose your footing, could be a real asset when it comes to safety. It has a whistle in the handle if an emergency happened and could be useful. I really like the Cobra Hood and I think more knives should have it.

Cons: Blunt tip means basically no penetration whatsoever, so if you ever have a need to make holes in material, that shoots this design down entirely. It's strictly a cutting tool (though if you really want to you could regrind the tip into a wharnies). It's a very thick handle, bigger footprint in your pocket (I personally like this but it seems most would see it as a con).



Probably missing something. Why these two knives in particular? There are a lot of great options in the Salt family these days and these two are quite different, it's an odd couple of knives to put against each other.

[ladybug93]

of note: the assist salt does not have the cobra hood that the vg10 models have. i was told this is due to h1 being difficult to work, so it wouldn't take the threading necessary for its inclusion.


the lack of ability to pierce is both a benefit and a hindrance. it's almost as if you need multiple knives.

another option is the sheepsfoot caribbean. it's being discontinued, so it might be a good one to pick up. the grippy g10 and the neutral handle are both great in hand and the sheepsfoot gives you some of the safety of the assist, but with the ability to still pierce. it might be a better option than two separate knives.

[SchoonerBum]

The Assist. A rescue knife should only have a point in a few very specific and very limited circumstances. I've done water rescue professionally and I've worked at sea for two decades, half of that in sail, so I have a pretty strong opinion about this. There are exceptions of course but I would never recommend a rescue knife with a point.

For me the Tasman is superb as a third knife for special circumstances where the hawkbill is advantageous. If it could be had with a blunt point I would have no objection to it - hawkbill blades make great rescue knives if they don't have a sharp point on them.

The Atlantic Salt is what I usually carry at sea, but that's because I've found it easier to carry (it's thinner) and more versatile than the Assist for maintenance and such, which I do a lot of. If I needed a folding knife strictly for rescue the Assist might be a better choice.

[RevMike]

I'll have to say the Altantic Salt or Saver Salt over the Tasman or Assist. Definitely serrated. Both of those are great knives but the Tasman is too pointy and the Assist is too thick for how I carry my one knife that's always on me on the water.

I'm a merchant seaman and I spend 300+ days on boats per year. If I'm at work I always have a SE H1 Atlantic Salt in a pouch on my belt. That is my life or death one knife to have on the water. I usually rotate out another knife to keep in my pocket and use day-to-day just so I can try and use others but the Atlantic never leaves my side if I'm at work.

[SchoonerBum]

Hi RevMike! It's always nice to cross paths with another mariner here.

I run a very similar setup with two Atlantic Salts - a PE LC200N for general use with an SE H1 for emergencies.

Can I ask what you use for a belt pouch? Mine just live one in each pocket but an Atlantic Salt sized belt pouch would be really nice.

For ar12503, I'll add that the vast majority of the Spydercos I've seen at sea have been either the Atlantic Salt or Saver Salt. It's worth considering those two in your decision if you haven't already done so.

[elena86]

A Salt 2 or a Pacific Salt in H1. I would go with the Salt 2 in H1. Serrated of course. Get one while they are available in H1.

[RevMike]

Can I ask what you use for a belt pouch?

I'm spend about half my time below deck in engine and machinery spaces so the pouch has my two most important items. The SE Atlantic Salt and a MagLight XL50. Both are always at my belt on the left hand side. I usually also have a second knife and a second flashlight of some sort but those 2 items are always on me.

The pouch is a cheap leather thing from Amazon. I think they're around $15. The belt loops stretch out in a damp marine environment and I think I usually replace them about every six months. They certainly last longer than that but once the loops stretch they slide around a bit. Doesn't look the most secure but I've been using them about 5 years now and never lost either item.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07SKVCJ ... p13NParams

[SchoonerBum]

Very cool, thanks for sharing! I'll have to try that.

[dan31]

Atlantic or Pacific would be my first choice. Native salt SE is up there too. If it’s just an emergency piece the Atlantic would be my choice. If it’s for use underway the plane edge near the tip on the pacific or native SE is a fine paint scraper or feathering tool for those tight places.

[skeeg11]

For me the Tasman is superb as a third knife for special circumstances where the hawkbill is advantageous. If it could be had with a blunt point I would have no objection to it - hawkbill blades make great rescue knives if they don't have a sharp point on them.

I, too, have been an advocate of a serrated Hawkbill with a blunt tip. A production model would be nice. Imagine a serrated Hawkbill with a micro/mini ball on the tip.

[aicolainen]

Can I ask what you use for a belt pouch?

I'm spend about half my time below deck in engine and machinery spaces so the pouch has my two most important items. The SE Atlantic Salt and a MagLight XL50. Both are always at my belt on the left hand side. I usually also have a second knife and a second flashlight of some sort but those 2 items are always on me.

The pouch is a cheap leather thing from Amazon. I think they're around $15. The belt loops stretch out in a damp marine environment and I think I usually replace them about every six months. They certainly last longer than that but once the loops stretch they slide around a bit. Doesn't look the most secure but I've been using them about 5 years now and never lost either item.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07SKVCJ ... p13NParams

If you change them out about every 6 months, I can see why you go with the cheap ones. Tale of Knives, which are broadly considered the inventors of these types of sheaths, have versions with clips. Easier to take on and off, and maybe forgoes the problem with belt loops stretching. Probably a totally different price category, but you may get something that lasts longer, and you support the OG.


I have the older style with belt loops as well, and really like it, but I contemplate biting the bullet to get another one with clips. The loops are rock solid in my environment, but I would like to move it more conveniently between pants. I'd have one already if I lived on the right side of the pond, but getting it here is inconveniently expensive for a slight increase in convenience. We'll see..

[Surfingringo]

Atlantic Salt. Assist handle is too bulky for me.

[RevMike]

If you change them out about every 6 months, I can see why you go with the cheap ones. Tale of Knives, which are broadly considered the inventors of these types of sheaths, have versions with clips. Easier to take on and off, and maybe forgoes the problem with belt loops stretching. Probably a totally different price category, but you may get something that lasts longer, and you support the OG.

As much as I hate supporting Amazon and their cheap garbage versions of real products I don't think I could do the clips. I'm often working in really tight spaces (think 24" ID pipe) and often working lying on my side wedged into horrifying and foolish places. There is just enough to this that it doesn't bother me too much but things with clips really do. I'll still check into your recommendation and see if they have anything clipless. Thanks.