I suppose I should begin this review by turning in my knife reviewer card. Today is January 31, 2022 and I do not own a Spyderco Delica 4. I was actually surprised to find this out today when I went hunting for knives to size compare with the Salt 2. It is a hard life that I lead, having so many knives in drawers that I forget what I have. But, I labor on for you.
The Salt 2 is essentially a Delica – I find myself referring to it as the Delica 5, though that’s probably unwise for several reasons. Either way, it’s basically the same knife with a few improvements, detailed below. Spyderco is not, to my knowledge, advertising any of these Salt 2’s under other names, which leads to a lot of confusion (for me at least) as to what exactly these are. Not a big deal.
When I first saw this Salt 2 announced in LC200N, I knew I was destined to own one. Over the last few years, LC200N has cemented itself as possibly my favorited steel, thanks to its much-hyped corrosion resistance and even more so to the surprisingly good edge retention I’ve seen over years of use. I am quite possibly the laziest “knife guy” you will meet. I am perpetually in the “I should sharpen and clean my knives” state. As a result, my XHP knives pick up corrosion and I constantly find my S35VN CRK’s with dull edges. LC200N speaks my language – it’s lazy man steel.
The other major improvement I find with the Salt 2 is the slightly clipped tip – nearly creating a sheepsfoot blade point. I always found the Delica 4 tip to be a bit too delicate, and though I never actually broke one, it bounced around in my head whenever I used the knife for any prying or less-than-delicate task. Heh, “delicate”.
Lastly, and I can’t exactly put my finger on this one, the FRN seems to be better with the Salt 2. How so? I’m not exactly sure, to be honest. The edge rounding seems to be a bit more pronounced, the material seems to have a slightly more chalky surface, and it seems more “stout” or something. When I open and close the knife, it feels more robust – the scales flex less.
The bad? Honestly, I can’t really find anything. If I had to really push myself to find something to complain about, I dislike the two-tone look of a non-coated blade and coated hardware/clip. That said, I don’t know how else you would do it without making the hardware/clip out of a corrosion resistant steel, which seems impractical. So…not a valid complaint.
The Salt 2 is a better Delica 4 in every way. Picking it up made me remember why I fell in love with the Delica 4 so many years ago. With updated steel, better FRN and some slight blade improvements, the Salt 2 is a knockout winner. Carry for me, and I do quite often!
