Dive Knife: Spyderco Caspian 2 Salt

[newways]

IMHO it's not even close to being worth the price. And I think the design would lend into getting in the way for those of you into tech diving. However, If you want to gut your dive buddy, I'm guessing this is your knife.

[Znaught]

will never rust? i thought even saltwater would make SS rust? I thought Ti was the only thing that wouldnt rust in salt water but Ti didnt hold an edge like SS??

H1 alloy is an inox alloy in which much of its carbon content has been replaced with nitrogen. This has the effect of dramatically increasing H1's resistance to corrosion in saltwater. In fact, it's considered truly rustproof. H1's edge retention is quite good as well (RC~58), being nearly equivalent to 400 series SS blades (not quite as good as 440C, ATS-34, or VG-10). However, 400 series stainless steels rust very easily when exposed to saltwater and are thus rarely used in marine environments, so H1 is currently the best inox alloy available for diving IMO. Most inox dive knives are made of 300 series SS, which is cheap, fairly corrosion resistant, but will hold an edge poorly. In general, a beta alloy titanium blade will retain its edge better than a 300 series SS blade, will retain its edge almost as well as a 400 series SS knife, and will be of course totally immune to corrosion. Cheap, alpha-beta alloy titanium knives are what don't retain their edges too well, somewhat like 300 SS knives.

If edge retention is a high priority for a diver, then an H1 dive knife would be a good choice. However, I think it's edge retention isn't dramatically better than beta alloy titanium knives, and given that a good beta alloy dive knife can be purchased rather inexpensively, the relatively new and expensive H1 alloy may not be a good buy. Also, there are very few H1 based dive knives even in existence. Tusa made one a little while ago (FK-230), but I think it was discontinued (too expensive to manufacture?). The problem is that H1 alloy is made by a single foundry in Japan, so its availability isn't as good as conventional inox alloys and its price is high. Also, Spyderco makes great knives, but their diver suitable products are few (their Caspian Salt looks functional, if a little big and awkward for divers). I would wait to buy an H1 based dive knife until a more affordable and diving specific knife comes along. In the meantime, a beta alloy titanium BC knife can be bought for under $50, will never corrode, and will retain its edge better than 300 series SS dive knives.

[rye_a]

It can be had for ~$100 on eBay, or for $115 at New Graham Knives. A lot of dough for a dive knife. I'm pretty sure I would make use of that lanyard hole!