Spyderco Atlantic Salt, what's the deal?

I purchased my first H1 knife a few years back, it was a serrated Dragonfly 2 and it was a great knife. I since then gifted that one to my brother in-law and bought a plain edge Dragonfly 2 in H1. After another year and a half I started eyeing the Atlantic Salt but I wanted that straight razor edge and all I saw were the serrated but at last finally saw the discontinued plain edge on eBay for the same price as the serrated and without hesitation pulled the trigger.

BLAM. One week later, straight from Poland came the plain edge Atlantic Salt. It has grippy 'Volcano Grip' FRN scales which I think I like more than the bi-directional FRN on the other Japanese made Spyderco knives. The construction was tight enough but easy enough to flick open and close the blade. It is riveted pin construction so taking apart the knife is impossible which I don't like as I can't order custom scales although I may end up ripping it apart anyway and making new pivots for the blade and lock.

H1 steel is very soft. It sharpens with very little effort. Also it is completely rust proof. The hardware used to assemble the salt series is also coated to help reduce the chances of corrosion as well. I can totally see how amazing the serrated version would be for divers or nautical uses. As a matter of fact the next version I get will be the serrated as the plain edge although razor sharp, loses that edge rather quickly in comparison to other steels I'm familiar with. Not saying it's a bad steel, it will still do what you need it to while you need it but I suggest the serrated as it seems to last much longer as I've experienced with my Dragonfly 2s. H1 is one of my favorite steels just for the fact it is razor, hair popping sharp in a minute and they're not too bad to look at.

The knife is rather large but very light in the hand, fitting great bare hand or with glove. I decided to add an anchor shackle through the barrel screw as a way to easily attach a lanyard I've made with a bobber when fishing just in case.

I've also tried it out in similar fashion to the Spyderco Assist. If it was serrated it would cut rope against the handle easier but I was able to cut through paracord simply with the plain edge closing against the handle. I've also ordered a glass breaker tip and pre drilled a hole for it in the butt of the handle. This is turning into a rescue EDC knife more everyday.

Should you pick one up? If you're looking for something different, yes. Odds are you'll only find the serrated which I may pick up one of in the long run anyway. It makes for a killer water knife with real grippy scales and rust proof steel. Worth it for a tackle box knife at the very least. Again the sheepsfoot blade isn't for everyone either so another alternative is the Pacific Salt or Salt 1.