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
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- | $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- | $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