- Spyderco Pacific Salt 2 · Drop Point3.78″ blade · 0.114″ spine · 2.9 oz · ~1.34″ tall
Spyderco Pacific Salt 2
The bigger sibling to the Salt 2: a 3.78" hollow-ground blade against the Salt 2's 3.0", and 2.9 oz against 1.9. Both are built to be left wet, but this one is H-2 rather than LC200N. Buy it over the Salt 2 if you want a full-size working blade on a boat or a dock; buy the Salt 2 if you want the lightest rustproof knife on the site. Note that the listing linked here is the fully serrated SpyderEdge version, which is how most Pacific Salts sell.
- Blade
- 3.78″
- Weight
- 2.9 oz
- Steel
- H-2
- Price band
- Premium
Saltwater work where a full-size blade matters more than weight
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Specifications
Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against spyderco.com.
- Blade length
- 3.78″
- Spine thickness
- 0.114″
- Blade shape
- Drop Point
- Grind
- Hollow
- Steel
- H-2
- Overall length
- 8.72″
- Closed length
- 4.98″
- Weight
- 2.9 oz
- Lock
- Back Lock
- Deployment
- Manual
- Country of origin
- Japan
Why a drop point
The default hunting and EDC shape, and the safest general answer. The spine curves down to the tip in a convex line, which keeps the point low and strong and leaves plenty of belly for skinning. It is hard to make a drop point bad at anything.
Every drop point here →About H-2
Spyderco's nitrogen-alloyed successor to H-1, made for saltwater. Corrosion resistance is effectively total -- this is the one steel on the site you can leave wet -- and it is bought for that, not for edge retention, which is modest. It sharpens easily and takes a serrated edge particularly well.
1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All H-2 knives
What owners say
Drawn from 89 owner discussions of the Spyderco Pacific Salt 2 since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.
What owners like
- Built for hard outdoor use: one owner has carried an H2 Pacific Salt 2 Lightweight daily since December 2022 for tidepooling, crabbing and trail work, prying at rocks with it, and the tip has chipped only slightly once.
- The design suits gloves and grime: one three-year owner says it is big enough for gloved hands yet narrow in the pocket, the thumb ramp holds no matter what covers your hand, the linerless scales trap nothing, and the back lock works in thick gloves.
- Owners rate it as a do-everything working knife; one who has every Salt says it beats the Para Military 2 Salt on usability by a mile, and another calls their H2 version their favourite farm knife.
- Sharpening the H2 blade is quick: the long-term H2 owner says stropping and sharpening are easy, take 5 to 15 minutes, and bring it back to razor sharp.
- It earns loyalty after loss; one owner who carried the older H1 version for years bought the H2 Pacific Salt 2 to replace it after losing it, and another says it would be a solid choice if they could keep only one knife.
What owners flag
- H2 edge holding is modest: the long-term H2 owner calls edge retention one of its weak points, about like VG-10, saying the edge goes slightly dull soon after use but still holds working sharpness for months.
- At 3.78 in it is large: one owner says it is a little too big for everyday carry, and another found it huge next to their PM2.
- One owner hates the handle shape: they regret missing the original Salt 1 and dislike the Pacific Salt 2 handle for the same reason they do not use their Delicas.
- The back lock needs breaking in: one owner says the detent was so strong it took a while before they could flick it open.
- Small fit issues come up; one owner's new knife came slightly off centre with side movement when closed, another is missing a screw from their H2 knife, and a third puts Loctite on their pivot screw because it comes loose.
Since December 2022, one owner's H2 Pacific Salt 2 Lightweight has gone tidepooling, crabbing and trailblazing as their daily knife: a 3.78 in, 2.9 oz back lock meant for wet, dirty work. Another three-year owner has taken theirs up snowy mountains, onto salt flats, diving and onto a boat, and calls it the Toyota 4Runner of knives.
One owner praises the glove-friendly handle, the linerless scales that trap no grime, and a back lock that works in gloves, though another found its strong detent needed breaking in before it would flick. H2 sharpens quickly, but the long-term H2 owner calls edge holding a weak point, close to VG-10. One owner finds it a little too big for everyday carry, and one fan of the original Salt 1 dislikes the newer handle shape.
The PM2 Salt is one comparison, and one owner of every Salt prefers the Pacific Salt 2 for usability. One buyer weighed it against the serrated Stretch 2 XL, whose handle another owner describes as larger with a finger choil. Another owner says LC200N will go a little further than H2, and one owner who lost their H1 version bought the H2 model to replace it.
Do H2 serrations really work-harden and stay sharp forever?
The work-hardening idea does not hold up: H1 and H2 do not harden from use after purchase. The likelier explanation offered is geometry, since serrations keep grabbing material after the apex dulls and factory serrations are ground at a thinner angle than the plain edge.
How does the Pacific Salt 2 hold an edge in H2?
The owner of a three-year-old H2 Pacific Salt 2 Lightweight compares its edge retention to VG-10 and calls it a weak point, but says it keeps a usable edge for months and sharpens back to razor sharp in 5 to 15 minutes.
Pacific Salt 2 or Stretch 2 XL?
One owner notes the Stretch 2 XL has a slightly larger handle profile and a finger choil, shaped more like a PM2, and another prefers it for the leverage of that choil. A third says LC200N gets a little more mileage than H2 and that otherwise the choice is mostly handle colour.
Can you flick a Pacific Salt 2 open?
Once broken in. One owner says the detent was very strong at first and they could only flick it open after breaking it in.
Features
- Back Lock
- Hollow grind
- Made in Japan
- Stainless blade
Compare the 2
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