Delica 4 FRN or Native 5 FRN?

As a personal opinion, I prefer Native5 by huge margin. During years of my Spyderco addiction I owned 6 Delicas4 and carried two of them: SE with SS handle and FRN with ZDP189 PE. All of my delicas are gone years ago. During last years Native5 became my most used knife. I carry and use 2013 Forum knife, Ti Fluted and regular production S35Vn (I only replaced scales). There are few reasons why I strongly prefer Native: it is much more comfortable in my hand (handle is little thicker, which certainly help to feel comfortable during heavier cutting),I love finger choil and the blade shape. Made in US is the icing on the cake.
May be as more objective advice: you need to try both.

gastonian said:
Check out the Centofante 3
It is a slim knife that excels at slicing due to its 2mm blade stock, which is thinner than both the Delica and Native.:thumbup:
I have been carrying mine exclusively for over a month, which for me is saying something lol
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+1 on Centofante 3. The knife certainly deserve attention.
 
I'm still trying to make up my mind on which to get. I've almost convinced myself that the N5 lightweight is the way to go, but having never handled one it's so hard to commit. I think it's beautiful, and I like that it's US made, with the more refined (is that what it is?) backlock. For a small lightweight knife, I want it to carry really easily and to have as much cutting edge as possible and I'm thinking the Delica beats it on these 2 points. Those of you who own and use both, what do you think?
 
Evany said:
I'm still trying to make up my mind on which to get. I've almost convinced myself that the N5 lightweight is the way to go, but having never handled one it's so hard to commit. I think it's beautiful, and I like that it's US made, with the more refined (is that what it is?) backlock. For a small lightweight knife, I want it to carry really easily and to have as much cutting edge as possible and I'm thinking the Delica beats it on these 2 points. Those of you who own and use both, what do you think?
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It's a tough decision isn't it? Comparing the specs on Spyderco's website the weight for each is very close as is the length of the cutting edge. The Delica is a little longer folded and the Native appears to be a little wider. Still not sure about thickness.

I have a Delica coming that I purchased from the exchange. So I'm committed to road testing that one. I'm pretty sure I'll end up with a Native one of these days too.
 
In my experience owning both, most of the times the ergonomics of the Native beat the extra little bit of blade surface of the Delica. For common tasks like opening packages or breaking down some cardboard, I only use some of the blade surface. Having a good grip on the knife is more important for those tasks.

And the few times I need a better EDC slicer I bring along the Delica. So if it's dicing a potato by the camp fire, the Delica wins, though that task usually falls to a Mora for me. I guess my point is that these two knives compliment each other well, and if there was ever a time to buy both, then this would be it. I still think these are the two best production EDC knives in existence, with the Dragonfly wrapping up the top three. It's a trifecta of awesomeness, though many would swap one of those out for a Stretch or Endura.

Here's a couple photos for comparison:

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Get those HAP40 Delicas while you still can, before my sister snaps them all up. I just have one for posterity.

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The forum native is pretty sweet, too.

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For me, I love the shorter height of the Native while closed, however, dislike the fact that I must use the choil for it to feel comfortable in my hand. Even then, it's a very boxy/chunky feel compared to the Delica.

If the Delica would be made with a smaller hole and less pronounced thumb-ramp, it would be perfect for me, but it wouldn't be a Delica at that point.
 
I think I'll go with the Native first, in spite of the scarcity of HAP40 Delicas. I already have a HAP40 Endura.
 
Sharp Guy said:
You had to go and throw that into the mix....Thanks! :)
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bh49 said:
+1 on Centofante 3. The knife certainly deserve attention.
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Sure, I skipped over the Centofante 3 for years due to its pinned construction. What a mistake!

I forgot it in my pants and accidentally ran it through the wash last week. The knife is fine:thumbup:

I would love if Spyderco would release a Centofante 3 sprint!
 
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