New member with a very specific question.

[malice]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here, and new to spyderco's,
having been referred here by a military buddy of mine.

The reason why: I need a new knife, but not just a knife.
I'm a student/intern in medicine and am working very hard right now to get accepted into either anaesthesiology or emergency medicine.
Now friends who are older than me and work in EM, have recommended I always have some kind of cutting implement on my person.

This needs have a solid lockup, be low maintenance and cut well.
Size is not an issue, but if possible it mustn't scare people to much when being pulled out. I need to be able to open it one-handed (but my buddy told me, the hole in the blade opening system takes care of that pretty well).

Things it must definitely be able to cut: plastic tubing, clothing, rope, wire and well lots of different sorts of plastic.
I was told this would influence whether serrations or not would be best.

It would always be the first thing I grab in an emergency (now that's my pair of scissors, but I they have failed me on occasion), and there's a fair chance I might lose them at one point in the future, so that might influence price.

I'm looking forward to your advice.

[RanCoWeAla]

Either the Caly 3 or Caly 3.5 would be your best choice. These are by far the best two Spyderco knives made for every day carry.

[grg]

A flat grnoud delica in one of the many nice colors should work.

[kbuzbee]

Atlantic Salt

http://www.knifecenter.com/item/SP89SYL ... RN-Handles

Kind of a "rescue" shape for emergency use. Yellow is "people friendly". Serrated H1 holds it's edge forever. Will never rust.

Sounds like a great fit.

Ken

[malice]

Wow, thanks for the quick response !

I don't know if the Caly would be in my budget range, it's quite pricey

[ASmitty]

A flat grnoud delica in one of the many nice colors should work.

+1 on the Delica. Nothing beats the Delica as a flat out user, IMO. Additionally, you can get the Delica in almost any possible configuration you'd need. It comes in plain, combo, or full serrated edge. You can get it in FFG if that is your preference, and you get a variety of different colors. You can get it in ZDP-189 if you want a super steel and it's small enough to not rouse attention. It's just the best option Spyderco has to offer in almost any situation.

[The Deacon]

I'd agree with Ken on the yellow Atlantic Salt, with one caveat. There are many different kinds of wire. Cutting soft metal wire, like copper or aluminum, is ok. However, cutting steel wire with a knife is never a good idea. It's the kind of thing one should only do in a real emergency when not cutting the wire would be worse than damaging the knife.

[Blerv]

I agree with the Atlantic Salt. Any Rescue blade is going to do a TON of cutting in a VERY short time. While it would suffer edge damage on some things (like wires) in most cases the edge can be restored. In the situation where you need an emergency cutting tool I doubt edge empathy is even on the list of concerns.

Once I used my D'Allara Rescue like a saw to cut a hole in the back of my entertainment center so the cords could fit through. Completely sober I wouldn't have done this but the amount of sawdust that was flying was impressive. It would even slice paper when I was done. :)

[sal]

Hi Malice,

Welcome to our forum.

Serrated or plain edge would be something to think about. Rescue stye blades do not have a sharp point (Rescue, Atlantic, Assist, etc.) Shears do have some advantages as do knives.

sal

[malice]

Wow, a response from the owner of Spyderco, really wasn't expecting that... a very welcome surprise.

I've done some reading on the forum, and for some reason I find myself leaning towards the EDC salt knives.
Yellow that does not look tactical, yet can be easily found if dropped. The H1 has some pretty good reviews and either dragonfly or Salt 1 (that about the size of a delica, right ?) seem to be large enough to have some decent cutting edge, but small enough to not have people slowly back away when I take it out of my pocket.

I'm not going to say I'm not going to abuse the knife, I intend to use it for what it is meant to, unless I have not other option, in which case, I'm not going to worry about killing the edge.

The rescue style blade you recommended did get me onto the trail of this H1 steel, but I'm not completely sold on the blunt tip. If I want safety, I usually use a ripper (I believe some people call it a hook or rescue hook) or bandage scissors with blunt tips. Sometimes I may need to poke or puncture something, it wouldn't happen that often, but the knife would still need to be able to do this...That's why I'm not sold on the rescue shape...

[kbuzbee]

That's why I'm not sold on the rescue shape...

That's understandable. I only recommended it because you mentioned emergency use. Of course you could use a Salt Dragonfly for more EDC work and keep an Atlantic for that type of use

Ken

[ASmitty]

I've done some reading on the forum, and for some reason I find myself leaning towards the EDC salt knives.
Yellow that does not look tactical, yet can be easily found if dropped. The H1 has some pretty good reviews and either dragonfly or Salt 1 (that about the size of a delica, right ?) seem to be large enough to have some decent cutting edge, but small enough to not have people slowly back away when I take it out of my pocket.

malice,

The Salt I is very similar in size to the Delica. It is based on the design of the previous generation of the Delica and uses the same handle mold. While the Dragonfly Salt makes a great EDC option and definitely won't raise any eyebrows, it is a little smaller than I would rely on in an emergency situation. The Salt I is a great knife if that's what you choose to go with.

[twinboysdad]

look into the H1 Dragonfly model with serrated edge. Has the tip you request and meets all your other criteria

[Surfingringo]

look into the H1 Dragonfly model with serrated edge. Has the tip you request and meets all your other criteria

Mmm, you beat me to it! The dragonfly salt is one of my favorite spyderco knives, and ironically, I tend to like pretty big folders. But the dragonfly is such an ergonomic dream it's hard not to love it. It performs as if it's MUCH bigger than its actual size. I have the plain edge model which I love, but serrated h1 is as good as it gets and I imagine the serrated dfly salt is an absolute beast of a knife! The salt 1 is a great knife too...essentially a linerless delica in h1. You can't go wrong with either, but do a little research on the dragonfly. It's a great design! You will have a hard time finding anyone with ANYTHING negative to say about the dragonfly. It's really that good.

[dbcad]

I gifted a disco'd 73 mm Rescue to a paramedic coworker. It's his everyday user and favorite knife :)

[Pockets]

Either a Delica or a Salt 1. It really comes down to the size knife you want and whether you want serrations. Everything has pros and cons.

[fuzzydog]

I have worked plenty in ED's in the past 25 years....I found shears to be the best everyday cutting instrument for ED work...I favor the large ones made in Germany over ones made elsewhere. They will cut quarters in half but were designed to cut away clothes, bandages so can cut safely and quickly near skin....would be curious to hear how shears have failed you.

I must say I cannot recall ever using my EDC knife in the ED for anything. I always had one but just never needed it. I had used the Salt Dragonfly for my EDC for years but now carry a Bradley Air.

A knife in the field for an EMT or other first responder is a must and a whole different issues than a knife in the ED.

[SpyderNut]

Welcome to the forums, Malice.

I completely agree with the recommendations on the Salt series (specifically, the Salt I). I purchased a Salt I about a year ago after falling in love with my H1 Ladybugs. For every-day carry, this knife really rocks. The only mod I'd like to see on the Salt I would be to add a shiny pocket clip vs. the black (simply because the black clips tend to get scuffed up pretty easily). I've also EDC'd the Dragonfly 2 in H1 since January and really love everything about it. No complaints on either knife. :) If you shop around, you can usually find a Salt I in the $56 +/- range.

[razorsharp]

I am going to suggest a Dragonfly in either H1 or VG10. And I would personally pick plain edge and buy a sharpmaker. The edge off the brown rods produces a lot of bite that will glide through belts and rope and other fiberous stuff. and will produce an edge that easily pushcuts.

Speaking of which, I am going to buy a Dfly salt next week in SE... sexy looking lil blade

[ChapmanPreferred]

I would suggest a Manbug or Ladybug (soft material poking/piercing option that is small with a lock) on your key ring and an orange Assist (blunt tip with glass breaker, whistle and cobra hood over the Spyderhole) as your emergency/harder work tool. There is no question it would be an investment, but it would be a superb combo for your needs. If you can only get one, get the Assist and use the carbide tip in the butt of the knife to poke/pierce.

Just my two bits on the subject.

Welcome to the forum.

Doug