Carlos
02-06-2002, 12:00 AM
Like most knife-knut newbies I started out with large folders that have 3.5” to 4” blades, with eye-catching hollow and flat saber grinds. In time I gravitated to smaller and lighter folders, and eventually I came to prefer a 3” blade length and flat-grind for my actual daily usage. Knives of this size class also featured handles that were just right in terms of grip area given the compromise of clipped pocket carry.
For over a year this niche was filled by a Spyderco / Bob Lum Chinese folder, which IMO remains an essentially perfect knife.
While Massachusetts has no blade length restrictions, Boston enacted local legislation in 12/01 which restricts blade length for public carry to 2.5” or less – equivalent to the legal restriction for entering US Federal facilities. This made my huge and menacing 3 1/8” Chinese folder illegal, and left me with the problem of replacing it.
Unfortunately springing $500 for a custom 2.5” Chinese folder from Bob Lum was out financially. I had been looking forward to the new in-house “Salsa” design for months, and it would turn out to be my Spydie-salvation. I took delivery of a blue PlainEdge Salsa from our friends at SFO a couple of weeks ago, and am now prepared to submit a few comments.
Overview:
The Salsa is actually as large as most 3” folders, as if it had been a longer knife stretched in one direction while being compressed in another. The blade stock is 3mm thick, yet the blade is so wide that this appears very thin. I am happy to see that blade is fully flat ground, when it was originally proposed that it would be flat saber ground (on the aluminum handled version). The point of the extra-wide leaf blade is centered, giving it a big “belly.” I expect this knife to gain adherents amongst the MBC crowd. Personally I would prefer a lower point and a flatter edge curve with less belly, but it works very well as it is.
The “Cobra Hood” is a great enhancement of the large 14mm hole. I see this also appealing to the MBC crowd and future MBC designs. Placement of the hood doesn’t affect penetration depth, nor does it interfere with sharpening – even using a very acute angle on benchstones.
The 3.5” handle is an excellent example of advanced ergonomic design. With the 0.5” integrated choil on the blade, there is room to spare for my medium-sized hands. It also measures about 1” wide on average, and a hair less than 10mm thick; hand-filling, yet very comfortable to carry in pocket. The nesting of the compression lock is very simple and elegant, and lockup is rock solid.
I give the wire clip a big “thumbs up.” I was dubious at first, but the matte steel wire is almost invisible against any type of pants – chinos, cords, jeans, etc. I think it puts the ugly black clip debate to rest once and for all. The only downsides are that it lacks the elegance of a polished steel standard clip, and of course there’s no Spyderco bug like the standard clips.
On the whole, the basic design is superb, and in truth an unprecedented achievement in the <2.5” blade length class. However I feel that the fit and finish needs some work.
Fit & Finish Issues:
The handle
Overall I like the non-slippery finish on the aluminum, but the anodizing on my Salsa’s handle is inconsistent. One scale is a darker blue-purple (the scale with the logo), and it seems as durable and scratch resistant as the Almite clipits I’ve used in the past. The clip side scale is mostly a lighter blue colour, with a patch of darker blue in the center of the scale (beneath the clip), and it has already begun to show some small wear through/scratches in the finish.
The inner edge of the aluminum scales are rather sharp and seem to catch on the skin when handling the knife – this can especially be uncomfortable in the finger cut-outs. These inner edges may need to be beveled to some degree in future runs.
The tolerances of this advanced design are very tight, and I (and others) have noticed that the blade edge will sometimes touch the lanyard/clip bolt (if it closes with enough force, or if any pressure is put on the closed blade), which creates a small flat spot on the edge. There needs to be a little bit more clearance.
The blade
Two nitpicks: The satin finish is not quite up to usual Spyderco fineness IMO -- overall a bit uneven. Also, the placement the “Taipei Taiwan” engraving should be closer to the hilt.
* I acknowledge that this is the first production run by a new manufacturer for Spyderco and they may need some time to gain experience. Given this, it is very good work. Yet there remains room for improvement.
In Sum
The long run of the venerable Spyderco Worker ended in 2001, and it is the Salsa which I feel is its successor in 2002. Just as the Worker evolved from its initial form, I will be interested to observe the evolution of this design, which represents all of the lessons learned by the Spyderco design team over the last 20+ years.
I would like to see one of the aluminum Salsa SKUs changed to a model without the pepper logo, for those of us who would prefer not to have it, and for those who want a Salsa but won’t buy it with the logo. I would also like to see a premium version of this clipit offered with a next generation steel like VG-10 or S30V, though I concur that AUS-8 was the best choice for the mass-market price-point versions. Perhaps a sprint run? ;-)
Image one is a quick shot of the Salsa pepper.
Image two shows some size comparisons relative the Lum Tanto fixed blade, and Perrin bowie.
<br /><a href="/forums/attachmentarchive/3669-7-BlueSalsa.jpg" target="_new">View Attachment...</a><br /><br /><a href="/forums/attachmentarchive/3669-7-Sizecomparisons.jpg" target="_new">View Attachment...</a><br />
For over a year this niche was filled by a Spyderco / Bob Lum Chinese folder, which IMO remains an essentially perfect knife.
While Massachusetts has no blade length restrictions, Boston enacted local legislation in 12/01 which restricts blade length for public carry to 2.5” or less – equivalent to the legal restriction for entering US Federal facilities. This made my huge and menacing 3 1/8” Chinese folder illegal, and left me with the problem of replacing it.
Unfortunately springing $500 for a custom 2.5” Chinese folder from Bob Lum was out financially. I had been looking forward to the new in-house “Salsa” design for months, and it would turn out to be my Spydie-salvation. I took delivery of a blue PlainEdge Salsa from our friends at SFO a couple of weeks ago, and am now prepared to submit a few comments.
Overview:
The Salsa is actually as large as most 3” folders, as if it had been a longer knife stretched in one direction while being compressed in another. The blade stock is 3mm thick, yet the blade is so wide that this appears very thin. I am happy to see that blade is fully flat ground, when it was originally proposed that it would be flat saber ground (on the aluminum handled version). The point of the extra-wide leaf blade is centered, giving it a big “belly.” I expect this knife to gain adherents amongst the MBC crowd. Personally I would prefer a lower point and a flatter edge curve with less belly, but it works very well as it is.
The “Cobra Hood” is a great enhancement of the large 14mm hole. I see this also appealing to the MBC crowd and future MBC designs. Placement of the hood doesn’t affect penetration depth, nor does it interfere with sharpening – even using a very acute angle on benchstones.
The 3.5” handle is an excellent example of advanced ergonomic design. With the 0.5” integrated choil on the blade, there is room to spare for my medium-sized hands. It also measures about 1” wide on average, and a hair less than 10mm thick; hand-filling, yet very comfortable to carry in pocket. The nesting of the compression lock is very simple and elegant, and lockup is rock solid.
I give the wire clip a big “thumbs up.” I was dubious at first, but the matte steel wire is almost invisible against any type of pants – chinos, cords, jeans, etc. I think it puts the ugly black clip debate to rest once and for all. The only downsides are that it lacks the elegance of a polished steel standard clip, and of course there’s no Spyderco bug like the standard clips.
On the whole, the basic design is superb, and in truth an unprecedented achievement in the <2.5” blade length class. However I feel that the fit and finish needs some work.
Fit & Finish Issues:
The handle
Overall I like the non-slippery finish on the aluminum, but the anodizing on my Salsa’s handle is inconsistent. One scale is a darker blue-purple (the scale with the logo), and it seems as durable and scratch resistant as the Almite clipits I’ve used in the past. The clip side scale is mostly a lighter blue colour, with a patch of darker blue in the center of the scale (beneath the clip), and it has already begun to show some small wear through/scratches in the finish.
The inner edge of the aluminum scales are rather sharp and seem to catch on the skin when handling the knife – this can especially be uncomfortable in the finger cut-outs. These inner edges may need to be beveled to some degree in future runs.
The tolerances of this advanced design are very tight, and I (and others) have noticed that the blade edge will sometimes touch the lanyard/clip bolt (if it closes with enough force, or if any pressure is put on the closed blade), which creates a small flat spot on the edge. There needs to be a little bit more clearance.
The blade
Two nitpicks: The satin finish is not quite up to usual Spyderco fineness IMO -- overall a bit uneven. Also, the placement the “Taipei Taiwan” engraving should be closer to the hilt.
* I acknowledge that this is the first production run by a new manufacturer for Spyderco and they may need some time to gain experience. Given this, it is very good work. Yet there remains room for improvement.
In Sum
The long run of the venerable Spyderco Worker ended in 2001, and it is the Salsa which I feel is its successor in 2002. Just as the Worker evolved from its initial form, I will be interested to observe the evolution of this design, which represents all of the lessons learned by the Spyderco design team over the last 20+ years.
I would like to see one of the aluminum Salsa SKUs changed to a model without the pepper logo, for those of us who would prefer not to have it, and for those who want a Salsa but won’t buy it with the logo. I would also like to see a premium version of this clipit offered with a next generation steel like VG-10 or S30V, though I concur that AUS-8 was the best choice for the mass-market price-point versions. Perhaps a sprint run? ;-)
Image one is a quick shot of the Salsa pepper.
Image two shows some size comparisons relative the Lum Tanto fixed blade, and Perrin bowie.
<br /><a href="/forums/attachmentarchive/3669-7-BlueSalsa.jpg" target="_new">View Attachment...</a><br /><br /><a href="/forums/attachmentarchive/3669-7-Sizecomparisons.jpg" target="_new">View Attachment...</a><br />