Video: Para Military 2 Salt – Spyderco Design Production Sample 2023

This Para Military 2 Saltproduction sample was shown at the 2023 Spyderco Amsterdam Meet. 

For a more detailed look, photos and information, go to my earlier post on the Para Military 2 Salt production sample.

Para Military 2 Salt – Spyderco Design Production Sample 2023

The Spyderco Salt series will be expanded with a Para Military 2. There truly will be a Para Military 2 for any occasion I guess, with all the variants we’ve seen so far, and now one for maritime use. This production sample featured black peel-ply G-10 handle scales, finished with a design of bidirectional grooves. According to Eric, the overall plan is to make a Salt version of every knife, made in the US factory. And although it’s hard to make out in these photos, I had a hard time getting a good shot of the engraving, the blade will be made of MagnaCut. The liners and all other hardware were coated black.

Specifications

Closed: 4.82 inch / 122 mm
Overall: 8.24 inch / 209 mm
Blade: 3.42 inch / 87 mm
Edge: 3.04 inch / 77 mm
Thickness: 0.145 inch / 3.7 mm
Steel: CPM MagnaCut
Weight: 3.77 oz / 107 g
Grind: Full-flat
Lock: Compression
Handle: G-10
Carry: Ambi
Clip: 4-position
Origin: USA

I have no information on pricing or release dates.

Spyderco 2016 Production Sample – Snap-It

I like how Spyderco uses the Salt series to continue, or bring back, classic designs. The Pacific Salt and Salt 1 knives are, in a way, ‘reboots’ of the classic Endura and Delica. The Salt version of the Snap-It is a renewed version of the classic Snap-It. The FRN finish on the handle felt distinctly different from the other Salt folders, it had a rougher texture. Together with the rubber insert, this rougher finish should make for a pretty secure handle. The yellow FRN hook that creates the ‘snap-it’ name, is supported by a steel or titanium frame (I forget which) to increase strength.

Specifications
Overall Length: 17,5 cm / 6.89 inches
Blade Length: 7,5 cm / 2.96 inches
Blade Thickness: 3 mm / 0.11 inches
Weight: 71 grams / 2.5 ounces

Spyderco Calendar Contest

The calendar contest on the spyderco forums is over. I didn’t win, but I applaud the winners – there were some really nice entries from my fellow forumites. Since the contest is over, I figured I’d share my photoselection here – to at least show some fresh content.

Kopa
The contest started just as I was preparing for my vacation. That and taking care of a 1omonth old, seriously limits one’s free time for something as trivial as taking pictures of knives 😉 . Still, I managed to get an hour to set up this shot of my trusty tiger coral kopa. In the end I didn’t quite like the quality and composition. The butt of the knife isn’t as crisply shot as it should be and I felt the composition was to cluttered.

Salt 1
At my vacation address, a luxury farm house in the south of France, we had our own pool. I couldn’t resist trying to take a few shots of my Salt 1 in its natural environment. However the idea didn’t pan out, the macro shots and my lack of skills couldn’t make it clear that this was a really nice pool with a view. This one was funny, but should have been shot in murky outdoor water, it kind of looks like a crocodile in the water.

UKPK Drop Point
The UKPK Drop Point was my main carry folder throughout my vacation and I found two spots that made for some nice macro backgrounds. The garden of our farmhouse contained cherry and wallnut trees. I ended up using the last picture to enter the contest.

Review: Salt I SE Yellow

When the Salts first came out, I didn’t think much of them. This is mainly because of the way I care for my knives basically precludes rust. My knives never rusted before, so why get a knife that won’t rust? A small time later I figured out my niche for this unique folder. As you may know by now, I like to select a spydie for every occasion and swimming is the right activity for this rust-slaying steel! When the ’05 catalog came out, I was immediately hooked by those yellow Salts. Not only am I a sucker for knives for every occasion, I am an even bigger sucker for brightly colored spydies! The choice was made, and as soon as the yellow Salts became available I snatched one up.

General
I deliberately picked a plain edge variation, since I figured it would also make a better travel knife. The brightly colored handle and blunt tip, just says hiker/camper/climber to everyone I showed it to. The FRN handle makes this also one of the more affordable spydies, so there shouldn’t be too many tears and curses, were I to lose this knife.

Cutting
Cutting-wise, I didn’t have any troubles with the ‘blunted’ tip design. I am used to working with wharncliffes and holding the Salt I as if it were a big Kiwi, allows you to do just a much fine point-work. When pointing the tip forward, you will notice that the tip aligns up nicely with your forearm, much like a Yojimbo. Just don’t think of the tip as being rounded and use it like it has a regular tip-design and you won’t even notice the difference.

Handling
This knife looks a lot like a Delica, but the handling is way better. Enlarging the thumb-hole and adding grooves behind the hole for the thumb, is just what the Delica needs in its forthcoming design-update. The H-1 steel holds up just as well as Spyderco’s AUS-6, at least that is how I perceive it. I can imagine the serrated variant to fare much better in the edge holding department.

Conclusion
This knife will replace my trusty Ti Salsa for travel. It is more affordable, lighter and it gives me the same 3 inches of blade I carry everyday, and it looks more like the knife of a holiday maker, as opposed to the downright ‘weird’ –but harmless- look of the Salsa. Something tells me a serrated yellow Salt is in my future for left-handed carry 😉