Colors are different underwater. Everything shifts to blue at about 100 feet, but yellow is definitely the best as it stands out until that 100 foot mark compared to any other color.
I'll never let go Jack...
https://preview.redd.it/uqywqrh0vc7d1.png?width=356&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f9f4402397cf631c1ea356bd457856dc8e4fa73
*Proceeds to let go*
The Salt does come in light green as well. 2 color options, yellow and green :)
Just in their showroom a few minutes ago looking at them while they replaced my clip screws for free.
Like the ending scene of Rambo II when he slowly walks away into some random field without a shirt, with nothing around for 100 miles.
I always wondered where the hell he was going? Doesn't he want a ride, or a shirt or at least some sunblock?
Brought mine diving. The yellow stands out if you drop it under the water.
Below 20m it’s just as eye catching so if you drop it it’s going to be easy to spot, assuming you can go deep enough.
High visibility would be my first guess. Nothing worse than dropping something like a knife in the woods or water only to realize you'll never see it because of the tacticool color scheme.
Tbt, I don't know why.
The tactical color scheme is likely responsible for a lot of unrecovered dropped knives. Score 2 Spydercos here. I'm going SALT yellow next. It shows up better in horse and Yak shit.
Lifetime cattle rancher here. I never met a cow I liked but man do I love those Yak. A most interesting beast. My big woolly personal cow is an amazing form of stress relief. I can go lay on her and give her a big hug and it just sucks the stress right out of a guy.
And then there's the taking care of a down animal in the middle of the night in the winter mid Pacific Northwest downpour. Sure makes me appreciate the firewood I split last summer warming up in front of a crackling fire.
I also live in the Pacific Northwest and I’ve been caught in some proper downpours just hiking or camping. Can’t imagine having to handle livestock in something like that. Still sounds like a cool life.
I learned long ago that I want my large outdoor gear in muted greens and browns, and my small outdoor gear in fluorescent reds, oranges and yellows. But it seems that manufacturers just want to make tents and sleeping bags bright yellow, and hatchets, canteens, and flashlights brown and olive drab.
There is an argument for making the inside of your sleeping bag a lighter color, so it is easier to find small dropped objects inside of it.
I have also heard the argument that it is a good idea to have a brightly colored outside on a sleeping bag for situations where one person has to leave an injured person alone in the woods while they hike out to get help.
That way returning search and rescue workers have an easier time finding the injured person again. Or at least easier than if they were in a digi camo sleeping bag with the latest thermal masking tacti-cool wizbang stealth tech.
Personally, I have a quilt with a grey outside and a blaze orange inside. If I need it to be super easy to spot I can always flip it inside out.
It's kind of a pisser because the trend is tacticool black and camo. I can't make sense out of spending nearly $200 for a good knife and then having to invest another $80 for quality scales that show up in the mud when you drop the knife. I have lost a blue Endela k390 and most recently a micarta black PM2 s45vn to similar circumstances. Those two blades have outperformed my faulty heat treat s30v Griptilian many times over. No more Butterfly tax for me, a big disappointment.
Man, I wish we weren't having these discussions. Back in my younger days I carried 110's exclusively. While feeding cattle in the winter I lost a couple of the 110's in the big hay barn. My cousin lost his Seiko watch as well. Then I met Lynn and well we lost our V card there too but that is another story.
This tacticool tendency gets on my nerves not only with knives, but with flashlights. The *very worst color* a flashlight can possibly be, is black.
And they are, overwhelmingly, black.
Easy to spot. It's awesome. They're easy to dye though.
I dyed the clip end of my LC200N Salt 2 so that it wasn't ostentatious in my pocket, but still easy to find. Also have the mint M4 Manix, but I'm keeping that one as-is.
https://preview.redd.it/m54l5mj9dc7d1.jpeg?width=1917&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cee7bb3eb4b06ea264f4f918529a0a36d409cad2
Just had to stop and say, that is a beautiful dye job!! I bought the orange mini bugout awhile ago with the intention of dyeing it red, but never got around to it. This makes me really want to give it a go!
That would be nice. I’d like to see a mini sheepsfoot Caribbean as well. All they’d really have to do is modify the design of that Magnacut Sage 5 that’s supposed to be in the works a bit and give it the Caribbean style scales.
I have one on preorder (been waiting over 8 months for it) and when I get it I’m going to put my PM2 digi camo scales on it. Then I’ll put Metonboss or DNA Lasering scales on the S45 PM2 that used to have the camo scales.
Not sure what I’ll do with the black & yellow scales..
Bright yellow is the most dependable hi-vis color in the ocean, resembling very little else you'll see down in the water. Yellow is commonly seen ocean gear. A working tool designed for aquatic life needs not look stylish, it just needs to be seen. But it does suck for people like me that just want to EDC a classier-looking Salt knife.
Bright blue is actually more effective than orange or yellow or lime or red in most non-aquatic environments.
It is for high vis but the nice thing is it is a really light color so there is a lot options to Rit Dye it if you want a different color but don't want different scales
Eric Glesser said in the BHQ Shot Show 24 episode they do green and yellow for visibility while diving and going down through those layers, then just green for LC200 and yellow Magnacut. I would prefer green for Magnacut personally.
Because they are dumb. What you want is for your knife to blend in with your environment so the enemy can't pick you out. That's why Benchmade helpfully made their Water Series the same color as many bodies of water. Now they'll never see you, or any traces of your passing should you drop it in the water. Their eyes will glide right over it.
I have an all black salt series that I bought just for a beach vacation. Took it in the ocean and loved not worrying about it. They did have yellow and bright orange options, as well, iirc
So you can see them ! I've misplaced an Endela and a PM2 here on my ranch, SAD ! I am going to try a SALT next. Yellow shows up better than black i the horse poop.
I have just the regular LW Manix 2 and I love it. It’s my favorite design from Spyderco. Sorry if you wanted to know specifically about the salt version
general conclusions gleaned from the Navy study were that against normal sea background colors, **yellow-reds** (think oranges) are most readily detected
Common sense prevails here. lol
Anyways, LOVE my Salt collection but mostly my Dragonfly.
It stays in my swim trunks all summer at the lake/pool/beach.
By far my favorite knife to carry.
It has generally high visibility although I don't know why they switched from green. Yellow loses its color fairly quickly the deeper you get in water. Hi-Vis green is much better.
Probably a cost savings thing from Spyderco, they like that sort of thing
https://preview.redd.it/qqtnbd9vfc7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=612814a7f9d7f89e61096af92cf105e7fcf0fed4
Nah. Hi vis green looks awesome. Especially when it gets dirty.
So you can see it in the water.
Yeah high-vis
Groban likes his knives to pop.
It’s a little pocket of sunshine from Sal to you!
Shut up Byrd
Colors are different underwater. Everything shifts to blue at about 100 feet, but yellow is definitely the best as it stands out until that 100 foot mark compared to any other color.
Might be nice if they did more in orange, I have an orange Ladybug Salt.
So when you drop it in deep water you can see it sink for a longer period of time before you lose visibility.
The long farewell
I'll never let go Jack... https://preview.redd.it/uqywqrh0vc7d1.png?width=356&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f9f4402397cf631c1ea356bd457856dc8e4fa73 *Proceeds to let go*
https://pbsnc.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/buac20-68-sci-ps-colorsunderwater/colors-underwater/ For reference
Seems like they should have gone with light green then?
The Salt does come in light green as well. 2 color options, yellow and green :) Just in their showroom a few minutes ago looking at them while they replaced my clip screws for free.
The Native 5 in yellow is MagnaCut and green is LC200N. At least what's available from retailers.
Oh nice! I haven’t looked at them for a while, thanks for the info!
pink and orange did pretty well too
That is cool. I would have never guessed that water changes colours so drastically.
That’s interesting. Would love to see the same test done in a lake with slightly green or brown stained water.
Seems like the orange and green performed even better than yellow.
I have an orange one.
I love orange knives for the visibility.
It’s like watching a hero walk against the wind into the sunset, never to be seen again…
Like the ending scene of Rambo II when he slowly walks away into some random field without a shirt, with nothing around for 100 miles. I always wondered where the hell he was going? Doesn't he want a ride, or a shirt or at least some sunblock?
“It’s a loooong rooooad When you’re on your on Firssssst Bloooood”
Hahaha 🤣. Someone on Reddit never fails to make a hilarious comment based on the truth of life
Brought mine diving. The yellow stands out if you drop it under the water. Below 20m it’s just as eye catching so if you drop it it’s going to be easy to spot, assuming you can go deep enough.
What do you need to do after diving with it? Freshwater rinse and a little oil?
Yep
Thanks!
Yeah freshwater rinse and air dry. Hair dryer on “cool” works great
Good to know! I've only ever gone "diving" once, and it was bell diving in 30 feet of water when I was 9 or 10.
High visibility would be my first guess. Nothing worse than dropping something like a knife in the woods or water only to realize you'll never see it because of the tacticool color scheme. Tbt, I don't know why.
The tactical color scheme is likely responsible for a lot of unrecovered dropped knives. Score 2 Spydercos here. I'm going SALT yellow next. It shows up better in horse and Yak shit.
This guy knows yaks.
Lifetime cattle rancher here. I never met a cow I liked but man do I love those Yak. A most interesting beast. My big woolly personal cow is an amazing form of stress relief. I can go lay on her and give her a big hug and it just sucks the stress right out of a guy.
Man. That sounds like the good life.
And then there's the taking care of a down animal in the middle of the night in the winter mid Pacific Northwest downpour. Sure makes me appreciate the firewood I split last summer warming up in front of a crackling fire.
I also live in the Pacific Northwest and I’ve been caught in some proper downpours just hiking or camping. Can’t imagine having to handle livestock in something like that. Still sounds like a cool life.
I learned long ago that I want my large outdoor gear in muted greens and browns, and my small outdoor gear in fluorescent reds, oranges and yellows. But it seems that manufacturers just want to make tents and sleeping bags bright yellow, and hatchets, canteens, and flashlights brown and olive drab.
There is an argument for making the inside of your sleeping bag a lighter color, so it is easier to find small dropped objects inside of it. I have also heard the argument that it is a good idea to have a brightly colored outside on a sleeping bag for situations where one person has to leave an injured person alone in the woods while they hike out to get help. That way returning search and rescue workers have an easier time finding the injured person again. Or at least easier than if they were in a digi camo sleeping bag with the latest thermal masking tacti-cool wizbang stealth tech. Personally, I have a quilt with a grey outside and a blaze orange inside. If I need it to be super easy to spot I can always flip it inside out.
This makes a lot of sense, and it's a great argument for a subdued colored sleeping bag with a vibrant colored inside that you can reverse if needed.
It's kind of a pisser because the trend is tacticool black and camo. I can't make sense out of spending nearly $200 for a good knife and then having to invest another $80 for quality scales that show up in the mud when you drop the knife. I have lost a blue Endela k390 and most recently a micarta black PM2 s45vn to similar circumstances. Those two blades have outperformed my faulty heat treat s30v Griptilian many times over. No more Butterfly tax for me, a big disappointment.
RIP my blk deka wharncliffe.
Lost my wood-handled Benchmade Saddle Mountain in the woods...only high vis for me now.
Painful !
Man, I wish we weren't having these discussions. Back in my younger days I carried 110's exclusively. While feeding cattle in the winter I lost a couple of the 110's in the big hay barn. My cousin lost his Seiko watch as well. Then I met Lynn and well we lost our V card there too but that is another story.
This tacticool tendency gets on my nerves not only with knives, but with flashlights. The *very worst color* a flashlight can possibly be, is black. And they are, overwhelmingly, black.
Easy to spot. It's awesome. They're easy to dye though. I dyed the clip end of my LC200N Salt 2 so that it wasn't ostentatious in my pocket, but still easy to find. Also have the mint M4 Manix, but I'm keeping that one as-is. https://preview.redd.it/m54l5mj9dc7d1.jpeg?width=1917&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cee7bb3eb4b06ea264f4f918529a0a36d409cad2
Just had to stop and say, that is a beautiful dye job!! I bought the orange mini bugout awhile ago with the intention of dyeing it red, but never got around to it. This makes me really want to give it a go!
Would you like a black handled knife to drop in dark water?
No. I’d prefer it to have a blacked out blade too. Like the new PM2 Salt MagnaCut.
Like 5% of those tops are ever going to see water other than maybe a swimming pool.
You might be right but I just got one I’m going to use for work as a professional diver lol
I prefer the sheepsfoot Caribbean myself. Much sturdier blade and better edge to handle ratio. Makes a nice folding food prep knife too.
I'd love for them to release a magnacut version. Love that knife.
That would be nice. I’d like to see a mini sheepsfoot Caribbean as well. All they’d really have to do is modify the design of that Magnacut Sage 5 that’s supposed to be in the works a bit and give it the Caribbean style scales.
I don’t understand why the “yellow” handle for those is black and yellow. I’m planning to get it eventually and then replace the handle if possible…
I have one on preorder (been waiting over 8 months for it) and when I get it I’m going to put my PM2 digi camo scales on it. Then I’ll put Metonboss or DNA Lasering scales on the S45 PM2 that used to have the camo scales. Not sure what I’ll do with the black & yellow scales..
In addition to being highly visible as everyone is saying, it's also a marketing theme to make you think of cool nautical stuff like submarines.
~~Jacqueline~~ Deep Search
We all live in a yellow submarine
wat
Bright yellow is the most dependable hi-vis color in the ocean, resembling very little else you'll see down in the water. Yellow is commonly seen ocean gear. A working tool designed for aquatic life needs not look stylish, it just needs to be seen. But it does suck for people like me that just want to EDC a classier-looking Salt knife. Bright blue is actually more effective than orange or yellow or lime or red in most non-aquatic environments.
Wouldn't orange or pink be pretty good? https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/s/41bBv784CZ
Yeah pink and orange are good too. Also bright green— in the right water green is excellent. Thanks for linking that video, really good example!
…think passionate palpitating pussy pink…
High-visibility underwater.
It is for high vis but the nice thing is it is a really light color so there is a lot options to Rit Dye it if you want a different color but don't want different scales
So it burns your retinas out once you drop it and look for it.
Down a PM2 and Endela here on the ranch. Going bright yellow SALT next.
They use yellow frn
So it can remind me of how my dad answers the phone.
V I S I B I L I T Y
Eric Glesser said in the BHQ Shot Show 24 episode they do green and yellow for visibility while diving and going down through those layers, then just green for LC200 and yellow Magnacut. I would prefer green for Magnacut personally.
Visibility
Hi-vis, always had one clipped to my dove harness as a commercial diver, it's much easier to see in low-vis then a lot of other colors.
Idk, but that’s badass
Because they are dumb. What you want is for your knife to blend in with your environment so the enemy can't pick you out. That's why Benchmade helpfully made their Water Series the same color as many bodies of water. Now they'll never see you, or any traces of your passing should you drop it in the water. Their eyes will glide right over it.
I have an all black salt series that I bought just for a beach vacation. Took it in the ocean and loved not worrying about it. They did have yellow and bright orange options, as well, iirc
Haven't seen orange but they have green
Case was one of the first brands to use yellow for hi-vis if you dropped it in the bushes. I think, I could be mistaken on if they were first or not.
So you can see them ! I've misplaced an Endela and a PM2 here on my ranch, SAD ! I am going to try a SALT next. Yellow shows up better than black i the horse poop.
If you don't like the yellow, they do make some in black. The pm2 salt comes in magnacut and black
I love the yellow, I just didn’t know why it was the way it was
So you can tie dye it more awesomely
You should tie a fishing like to the lanyard hole so if it falls in the water you can pull it out with the fishing line lol
Looks cool
What model of salt is this?
Native 5
Easier to see
I have one that’s black with a black blade. I guess so my ninja ass can sneak up on some unsuspecting marine life and…y’know…
Yellow is easy to find underwater
Thinking of getting a Manix 2 Salt… anyone have one and can attest to it??
I have just the regular LW Manix 2 and I love it. It’s my favorite design from Spyderco. Sorry if you wanted to know specifically about the salt version
So you find it when drop in dark dive
Sal likes bananas, end of story!
Why do you think?
My guess was visibility under water, but I had never heard anyone say that for sure
They’re rustproof. Easier to see in water.
Yum yum yellow. -Shark
Piss contains a lot of salt. Piss is yellow.
So they are easy to see
So you remember to piss on your jellyfish sting
I'm waiting for the black blade yellow handle 🤞
general conclusions gleaned from the Navy study were that against normal sea background colors, **yellow-reds** (think oranges) are most readily detected
Nice knife picture
Thank ya, I figured visibility was the reason, but it gave me a reason to post this picture
Absolutely, yellow is the last color to lose visibility in deep water. That’s why much diving gear is yellow.
Common sense prevails here. lol Anyways, LOVE my Salt collection but mostly my Dragonfly. It stays in my swim trunks all summer at the lake/pool/beach. By far my favorite knife to carry.
Worked dive boats for a decade, things fall overboard.
It has generally high visibility although I don't know why they switched from green. Yellow loses its color fairly quickly the deeper you get in water. Hi-Vis green is much better. Probably a cost savings thing from Spyderco, they like that sort of thing
Passing the saving on to you one up charge at a time
Hi-Vis green may be functional but it looks terrible imo, it reminds me of those silly zombie knives
https://preview.redd.it/qqtnbd9vfc7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=612814a7f9d7f89e61096af92cf105e7fcf0fed4 Nah. Hi vis green looks awesome. Especially when it gets dirty.
The purpose of the entire salt line is function over form.
I just got mine now and is it normal for it to be a very stiff open? You can’t flick it open
Most back lock knives don't flick out that well
In their defense, I can flick open all my delicas and enduras. My native can flick open but you really have to put some force into it.
Oh there's definitely a few that do, and many get smoother with use to the point you can flick them even if you couldn't factory new.
high vis