C89 Atlantic Salt

Atlantic Salt

The Atlantic Salt is a regular production Spyderco model designed to appeal to those looking for a totally rustproof knife with a rounded tip to reduce the risk of accidentally puncturing something. The Atlantic Salt became the third member of Spyderco's "Salt" family of knives. The folders in the Salt family share two common traits. All use H-1 steel, which is impervious to rust, and all are derived from an earlier model. In the case of the Atlantic, that model is the C14 Rescue which itself is a descendant of the C02 Mariner. The Atlantic Salt was introduced in February of 2005.

Appearance in catalogs

The Atlantic Salt first appeared in the 2005 catalog.

These are the Spyderco Product Guides that feature the C89 Atlantic Salt, that can be viewed online at the Spyderco.com website:

• 2006 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2007 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2008 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2009 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2010 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2011 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2012 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2013 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2014 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2015 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2016 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2017 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2018 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2019 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2020 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2021 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2022 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2023 Spyderco Product Guide
• 2024 Spyderco Product Guide

Designer

Spyderco

History, mentionings from the forums, etc.

The Atlantic Salt exists in four versions, PE with black FRN handle, SE with black FRN handle, PE with yellow FRN handle, and SE with yellow FRN handle. All four versions were released simultaneously. Over the years there have been several minor changes, none of which were considered variations by Spyderco. When first released, the Atlantic had a blackened steel clip secured by a steel barrel bolt, it also had its name, Atlantic Salt, engraved on the blade. At some point, the material of the clip and barrel bolt was changed to titanium. More recently, the name has been removed from the blade and replaced by a stylized H-1.

SE outsells PE 20 to 1 - Observation by Sal Glesser

Information from the Spyderco catalog on the web

The following info has been transposed from the Spyderco web catalog and is specifically from the page showing the black Atlantic Salt.

"It's been speculated the sheepfoot shaped blade originated with mariners who found the rounded tip especially beneficial when the knife was accidentally dropped (think working on a ship in pitching seas) as it couldn't stab the foot when hitting the deck. It's also been hypothesized that commanding officers on these ships preferred rambunctious hardworking sailors carry knives without pointed tips, especially while in port blowing off steam after months at sea.

Spyderco's Rescue knives are long favored by seafarers and the design has since been embraced by rescue workers, EMT's and ranchers-anyone cutting around flesh in an emergency. Now available in a rustproof version, the Atlantic Salt is a modified Rescue made with state of the art non-rusting H1 steel. H1 is a precipitation-hardened steel containing nitrogen instead of carbon, which cannot rust. The hollow-ground blade is available PlainEdged or SpyderEdged with both configurations offering remarkable cutting performance in and around fresh and saltwater. Textured with a Volcano Grip pattern, the molded fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN) handle comes in black or visible marine yellow equipped with a reversible titanium pocket clip for right or left- handed use. We recommend threading a thong or lanyard cord through the lanyard hole for back-up retention around water, where once dropped, a knife is often irretrievable or lost."

Variations

As mentioned above, there are for variations of the Atlantic Salt, all of which were released simultaneously.

Variations of the C89 Atlantic Salt

The C89 is made in Seki-City, Japan and has

• a Back Lock with Boye dent
• Sheepfoot Blade

The early C89s have an "Atlantic Salt" on the blade, which was later (when?) changed to "H1".

SKU	Handle	Edge(s)	Steel	From/To	MSRP	Note	Number made	Grind	Clip	Clip positions	Collectors club
C89SBK	Black FRN	SE	H-1	early 2005-	119.95$ (Current)		N/A	Hollow	Titanium barrel bolt	LH/RH, TU	Main
C89PBK	Black FRN	PE	H-1	early 2005-	119.95$ (Current)		N/A	Hollow	Titanium barrel bolt	LH/RH, TU	Variant
C89SYL	Yellow FRN	PE	H-1	early 2005-	119.95$ (Current)		N/A	Hollow	Titanium barrel bolt	LH/RH, TU	Variant
C89PYL	Yellow FRN	SE	H-1	early 2005-	119.95$ (Current)		N/A	Hollow	Titanium barrel bolt	LH/RH, TU	Variant
C89FPGR	Green FRN	PE	Satin LC200N	2020-2023	$177.00 (2021)	Black screws and hardware, including the lockbar.	Regular production	Full Flat grind	Black Hourglass	LH/RH, TD/TU	Variant
C89FSGR	Green FRN	SE	Satin LC200N	2020-2023	$177.00 (2021)	Black screws and hardware, including the lockbar.	Regular production	Full Flat grind	Black Hourglass	LH/RH, TD/TU	Variant

Technical Information

Typical measurements (mm and grams) of the C89 Atlantic Salt:

Variation	Length overall	Length closed	Length blade	Length edge	Hole Ø	Blade thickness	Weight
C89SBK	210mm	117mm	94mm	81mm	14mm	3mm	77g
C89PBK	210mm	117mm	94mm	81mm	14mm	3mm	77g
C89SYL	210mm	117mm	94mm	81mm	14mm	3mm	77g
C89PYL	210mm	117mm	94mm	81mm	14mm	3mm	77g

Typical measurements (Inches and ounces) of the C89 Atlantic Salt:

Variation	Length overall	Length closed	Length blade	Length edge	Hole Ø	Blade thickness	Weight
C89SBK	8 1/4in	4 5/8in	3 11/16in	3 3/16in	9/16in	1/8in	2.45oz
C89PBK	8 1/4in	4 5/8in	3 11/16in	3 3/16in	9/16in	1/8in	2.45oz
C89SYL	8 1/4in	4 5/8in	3 11/16in	3 3/16in	9/16in	1/8in	2.45oz
C89PYL	8 1/4in	4 5/8in	3 11/16in	3 3/16in	9/16in	1/8in	2.45oz

References

Spyderco Online Catalog (black version) illustration shows current markings

Spyderco Online Catalog (black version) illustration shows older, "Atlantic Salt" markings

Pictures

Atlantic Salts