Spyderco EDC Knives Don’t Get More Glorious (or Tough) than This Blacked-Out Beauty

This might be the most rugged edition of what is inarguably the Glesser family brand’s most important release ever.

Spyderco Military 2 Salt knife handle closeup

Published April 18, 2025

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Years ago, someone asked Spyderco founder Sal Glesser what folding knife he’d give his son to take into the military. Not having a good answer, Glesser designed one that would meet the rigorous needs of service while remaining lightweight. Thus, the Spyderco Military was born.

Although it took many years, the brand finally released a follow-up to that legendary knife, imbued with all the lessons Spyderco had learned. Now, that follow-up has its own follow-up, which could be its toughest expression ever: the Spyderco Military 2 Salt.

Spyderco Military 2 Salt knife on wet background — At 9.51 inches, the Spyderco Military 2 pushes the limits of reasonable sizing for an EDC knife.

A legacy in knifemaking

A beefy knife, the Spyderco Military is the precursor to some of the brand’s most significant releases, including the ParaMilitary, the Para Military 2 and the Para 3. Without it, none of these other knives would even exist.

While they share similar silhouettes and are sized nearly identically (the original is 9.52 inches, whereas the Military 2 Salt is 9.51), the original Military is a very different beast from its Salt sequel sibling.

For instance, the Military 2 has a Compression lock, whereas the original predates that mechanism, thus having a liner lock. Similarly, while the blade retains its signature shape and Round Hole manual deployment, this newest version gets a material upgrade to MagnaCut super steel.

One thing they do share is a G10 handle. However, there’s even a difference therein. The Military 2 Salt’s handle has a grooved pattern shared by its other Salt siblings (called Caribbean Bi-Directional Texture), giving it better overall grip in wet conditions. This handle style is a signature of the Salt lineup.

Spyderco Military 2 Salt knife with wet blade on tactical pack — Along with being a trendy super steel, MagnaCut is also incredibly corrosion resistant, making it perfect for a Salt knife.

Designed for the harshest environments

As exemplified in the signature Salt handle, the upgrades to this version of the Spyderco Military 2 aren’t done willy-nilly. They were chosen for a specific purpose: to make the knife tough enough to survive some of the harshest environments around.

For a knife, that means the ocean. Salt is a killer of blade steel. It wreaks havoc and can cause corrosion extremely quickly.

While the Military 2 Salt’s handle is G10 and is, thus, impervious to metal corrosion (since it’s not metal), the standard blade — CPM S30V — is not so lucky. Hence, Spyderco swapping it for MagnaCut.

While MagnaCut is undoubtedly the hot-ticket super steel in the EDC industry right now, it’s also incredibly corrosion resistant, making it ideal for a Salt series knife.

Editor’s Note: While the blade steel is highly corrosion-resistant, the knife’s liners, lock and hardware may not be as resistant. It’s recommended you clean the knife (at least rinse it with fresh water) after using it in corrosive environments.