Sal - will there be an Aqua Salt successor?

[vivi]

The Aqua Salt had a nice long run. About 15 years if memory is correct.

As folks here know, it's on this years discontinued list.

We know you've mentioned over the years the molds for the handle were pretty beat up, so it was a matter of time for this model.

Will there be a comparable model coming out soon? Maybe the enuff 2 in H1 or H2? Or a new model we haven't heard of yet?

Big fan of the Aqua Salt, and made sure I ordered enough to keep them around for decades. Thanks for introducing me to it!

[Evil D]

I think if they do the Enuff 2 in a Salt it'll be pretty close.

[Doc Dan]

Do the Aqua Salt in LC200N. Simple. I like the knife, but a steel change is in order.

[Mushroom]

Do the Aqua Salt in LC200N. Simple. I like the knife, but a steel change is in order.

That may not be possible. This is a post from Sal in June of this year.

In the thread - “Aqua Salt with other steels? Would you be interested?

Actually the molds for the Aqua Salt are shot and we're considering disco'ing the model rather than make new molds.

sal

[ladybug93]

I think if they do the Enuff 2 in a Salt it'll be pretty close.

weird... i could've sworn the enuff 2 was going to be in lc200n like the subway bowie.

[Evil D]

I think if they do the Enuff 2 in a Salt it'll be pretty close.

weird... i could've sworn the enuff 2 was going to be in lc200n like the subway bowie.

Yeah my bad I wasn't thinking in terms of steel, just size and general ergonomics.

[vivi]

while the enuff 2 sounds really nice, one thing I really appreciated about the Aqua Salt was the light weight. 4.5" blade and fewer ounces than that. Not much heavier than an izula 2 in fact.

with the nuff 2 being full tang i suspect itll be closer to 5oz. Which isn't bad by any means, but it is heavier than the Aqua.

[olywa]

If memory serves, I believe that the Enuff2 will have thinner blade stock than the Enuff. That and a skeletonized tang could mitigate some of the weight gain. However I hope the Enuff2 handle gets another half inch in length.

But the Aquasalt represents a size to weight ratio that is going to be hard to match.

[ladybug93]

I think if they do the Enuff 2 in a Salt it'll be pretty close.

weird... i could've sworn the enuff 2 was going to be in lc200n like the subway bowie.

Yeah my bad I wasn't thinking in terms of steel, just size and general ergonomics.

no. i checked after seeing your post and it's listed as vg10. i thought it was going to be lc200n. i must have just been mistaken. that does make the aqua salt even more appealing.

[VooDooChild]

What is great about the aqua salt is the over all design, but especially the handle. The ergos are really good.

I dont think anything besides an aqua salt 2 would be an appropriate replacement.

[Coastal]

I waited too long to look for a yellow Aqua Salt, searched high and low, and never found one. But I really, really like the handle of the OG Enuff series, so I'm all in for an Enuff 2 Salt with a bright handle and uncoated blade, whenever that happens. It's just a matter of time, like the Stretch 2 XL Salt.

[Evil D]

while the enuff 2 sounds really nice, one thing I really appreciated about the Aqua Salt was the light weight. 4.5" blade and fewer ounces than that. Not much heavier than an izula 2 in fact.

with the nuff 2 being full tang i suspect itll be closer to 5oz. Which isn't bad by any means, but it is heavier than the Aqua.

I'd like to know exactly how much steel is in that handle. One reason I'd choose a fixie is for strength so I definitely lean towards full tangs unless the steel goes a good way into that handle, and the handle is just molded around it. This was a big deciding factor in choosing the Jumpmaster 2 instead.

[phaust]

Edit: misread sorry

[Cl1ff]

I hope so!
Is there anything you’d like to see in a potential successor, Vivi?

[JRinFL]

while the enuff 2 sounds really nice, one thing I really appreciated about the Aqua Salt was the light weight. 4.5" blade and fewer ounces than that. Not much heavier than an izula 2 in fact.

with the nuff 2 being full tang i suspect itll be closer to 5oz. Which isn't bad by any means, but it is heavier than the Aqua.

I'd like to know exactly how much steel is in that handle. One reason I'd choose a fixie is for strength so I definitely lean towards full tangs unless the steel goes a good way into that handle, and the handle is just molded around it. This was a big deciding factor in choosing the Jumpmaster 2 instead.

Doc answered that awhile back:

It is a 2/3 or 3/4 tang. You can see it at about 3.43 on this video : https://youtu.be/MoN990sArb8

[vivi]

I hope so!
Is there anything you’d like to see in a potential successor, Vivi?

Bear in mind I use my Aqua Salts more as a general purpose outdoors knife, and utility work while at home. I've taken it fishing a handful of times, and I've never gone diving or snorkling.

So for me it has always filled more of a bushcraft role than dive knife.

With that in mind I could see a slightly less aggressive handle texture being a good thing. The shape of the handle is quite secure without any texturing, and the bi-directional texturing is a bit much for extensive whittling. The texture makes perfect sense for the intended role though.

No sharpening choil. Not sure why it has one when most spydies don't. It's a small, mellow one so things rarely get hung up on it, but I'd still prefer to see it go.

Partial tang is great, I'd prefer to see that stay. I've batoned the **** out of mine, chopped with it, thrown it at tree stumps etc. Never had a toughness issue.

Full tang would just make the knife heavier with no added benefit in my eyes. The incredible size to weight ratio is one of the reasons I've stuck with this knife over heavier full tang knives from ESEE, Bark River, Swamp Rat etc. In fact just today I held my Aqua Salt and Cold Steel SRK side by side before heading out to the woods. Went with the Aqua Salt because its so much lighter and does everything the SRK would have done for me.

Sheath is great. Maybe a taco style one like the Waterway would be nice but the original Aqua Salt sheath has been problem free for over a decade for me. Can't say that about nearly any other sheath I have....leather has needed treatment, kydex has needed heat gunning to fix retention issues, etc., but this one has been a tank.

I'd be fine with H2 and hollow grind. Same blade shape and grind besides the sharpening notch. If we're talking new steels I'd want to see a full flat grind in something tough like LC200N or magnacut. Green handle would be nice if that's the route things went.

Keep the tip fairly stout for rougher use. I like being able to pry apart old pine stumps with it to access fatwood.

There's not much I'd change in a 2.0 to be honest.

[Manixguy@1994]

I’ve been looking at this FB for quite some time . Time to stop thinking about it and just do it . MG2

[Cl1ff]

I hope so!
Is there anything you’d like to see in a potential successor, Vivi?

Bear in mind I use my Aqua Salts more as a general purpose outdoors knife, and utility work while at home. I've taken it fishing a handful of times, and I've never gone diving or snorkling.

So for me it has always filled more of a bushcraft role than dive knife.

With that in mind I could see a slightly less aggressive handle texture being a good thing. The shape of the handle is quite secure without any texturing, and the bi-directional texturing is a bit much for extensive whittling. The texture makes perfect sense for the intended role though.

No sharpening choil. Not sure why it has one when most spydies don't. It's a small, mellow one so things rarely get hung up on it, but I'd still prefer to see it go.

Partial tang is great, I'd prefer to see that stay. I've batoned the **** out of mine, chopped with it, thrown it at tree stumps etc. Never had a toughness issue.

Full tang would just make the knife heavier with no added benefit in my eyes. The incredible size to weight ratio is one of the reasons I've stuck with this knife over heavier full tang knives from ESEE, Bark River, Swamp Rat etc. In fact just today I held my Aqua Salt and Cold Steel SRK side by side before heading out to the woods. Went with the Aqua Salt because its so much lighter and does everything the SRK would have done for me.

Sheath is great. Maybe a taco style one like the Waterway would be nice but the original Aqua Salt sheath has been problem free for over a decade for me. Can't say that about nearly any other sheath I have....leather has needed treatment, kydex has needed heat gunning to fix retention issues, etc., but this one has been a tank.

I'd be fine with H2 and hollow grind. Same blade shape and grind besides the sharpening notch. If we're talking new steels I'd want to see a full flat grind in something tough like LC200N or magnacut. Green handle would be nice if that's the route things went.

Keep the tip fairly stout for rougher use. I like being able to pry apart old pine stumps with it to access fatwood.

There's not much I'd change in a 2.0 to be honest.

That all sounds rather reasonable to me.
For my uses, there's not much I'd change either.

[VooDooChild]

I remember seeing an x-ray of an aqua salt handle a long time ago. The partial tang seemed to go 3/4 of the way to the back of the handle. That handle is molded on as well so even abuse isnt going to work it loose. Its not like its some pinned hidden tang handle from 60 years ago.

The only thing the aqua salt ever needed was a steel upgrade. I have 2 serrated ones just so that I know they will always cut. Currently waiting on a plain edge one just to have it. Im not anti plain edge h1, honestly for my uses I appreciate an easy to sharpen steel, even if I do have to sharpen it more. But, objectively, in the scope of things a steel upgrade would go a long way for people who prefer plain edge.

A magnacut Aqua Salt 2 would be the ultimate fixed blade for me.

[Bemo]

I remember seeing an x-ray of an aqua salt handle a long time ago. The partial tang seemed to go 3/4 of the way to the back of the handle. That handle is molded on as well so even abuse isnt going to work it loose. Its not like its some pinned hidden tang handle from 60 years ago.

The only thing the aqua salt ever needed was a steel upgrade. I have 2 serrated ones just so that I know they will always cut. Currently waiting on a plain edge one just to have it. Im not anti plain edge h1, honestly for my uses I appreciate an easy to sharpen steel, even if I do have to sharpen it more. But, objectively, in the scope of things a steel upgrade would go a long way for people who prefer plain edge.

A magnacut Aqua Salt 2 would be the ultimate fixed blade for me.

Hard to argue with that.