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Delica EDC Grind Question

Rhyno37

Rhyno37

Joined
May 27, 2012
Messages
291
Hey guys, looking to grab a Delica for EDC. I've found that it's about the only knife I will carry everyday due to its size, thinness, weight, and handle length (looking at you mini grip). That being said, should I go FFG or saber ground? I know that FFG is a superior slicer but sacrifices tip strength. After reading some more, I'm a bit confused. Some people say that with proper sharpening the saber can be just as good of a slicer. Is there any other major differences? Is the tip that brittle on an FFG delica? I know the saber ground is already thin enough.

Just to throw it in there since I'm so indecisive, what color do you guys prefer? I'm thinking of boring black just since it won't show wear and tear as much.
 
I like to cut with knives so I like FFG blades. If your using it hard enough to worry about tip strength then it might be time to start carrying a prybar too.

Go FFG, you will be happy you did.
 
I'd go ffg. You do notice better slicing with it but my sabre ground is no slouch eithier if you do go that route. Tip strength shouldn't have a noticable difference as long as your not abusing it

And c'mon man, delicas were made to be blue.
 
godzilla78 said:
Orange ones cut better, fact.
Click to expand...

^^^ This....

The orange one actually starts cutting before the blade hits what you are cutting. As a physics major, I could try to explain......but as this is the internet, what I tell you is true.

BTW, wife bought me an orange Delica 4 just for giggles today. :D
 
Knives are made to cut with. If you want to pry with a knife you will either be sacrificing cutting ability or sacrificing a tip to the broken knife gods.

I agree with knifenut1013. Pick up a ~$7 Gerber Shard for you keychain if you are worried about tip strength.
 
I think you will like either or, honestly.

I like them both, but personally prefer the saber grind. I find a good saber grind such as that on the Delica to slice reasonably well when up-kept, so I have no complaints on the slicing of the saber grind on the D4. I find it to be able to take a hell of a beating, do it well, and be easy to sharpen back to shaving in no time.

The FFG is still a very strong grind and I have no complaints on the robustness of the FFG on the D4. It's not going to have the weaknesses that you would see on a hollow grind, and it's a very useful blade shape that is very versatile in the sense that it can multi-task for almost any application a folding knife could see, and do it well. I also find the FFG to be a very easy grind to sharpen (and I find it to wear in a fashion that makes it easy to revive and without needing to remove a lot of metal.) Many users prefer the FFG over other grinds, as it gives excellent performance across the board.

The Delica/Endura line also have a blade shape which gives the tip a lot of strength naturally, and both grinds keep a generous amount of steel on/supporting the tip. These are knives people often used to pry with (they shouldn't, but they do) and they can withstand this usage very well. The steel used (VG-10) also helps here as with the way Spyderco does it, it's tough stuff (and very easy to sharpen, IMO).

As the edge geometry on both grinds of the Delica is excellent, this improves performance across the board compared to a knife with inferior design. My only complaint on the FFG is that I found the FFG green and blue handles to show a lot of dirt. On the flip side, I find the brown to be great at not showing dirt and think it actually hides dirt even better than the black. So to me, both are great.
 
I agree. Unless you're trying to cut thin slices of apples or something similar, the difference is not huge
 
A stronger tip is good for someone who is rough on a knife, who doesn't have the right tool with him. I prefer FFG. I also own the saber ground version. I thinned the edge on that one by laying the bevel flat to a stone. Now it's a scandi grind. Not perfectlyl flat ground, more like a slight convex. So if you choose the scandi version and later decide to improve cutting performance, it's not a big deal with a good coarse stone.
 
I don't think the FFG or saber grind makes that much of a difference for everyday cutting. My FFG delica is pretty thick behind the cutting edge......
 
gglotz83 said:
I don't think the FFG or saber grind makes that much of a difference for everyday cutting. My FFG delica is pretty thick behind the cutting edge......
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I notice a huge difference and really you can't argue geometry. The flat ground blade will have noticeable advantages in cutting and ease of sharpening.

If the user cannot tell the difference in daily use then I would suspect a good sharpening is in order.
 
Just an update guys, I went with a Black FFG delica. I do have a gerber shard already, figure with the size of the delica I won't be too tough on it. Thanks for the help
 
knifenut1013 said:
I notice a huge difference and really you can't argue geometry. The flat ground blade will have noticeable advantages in cutting and ease of sharpening.

If the user cannot tell the difference in daily use then I would suspect a good sharpening is in order.
Click to expand...

I have to respectfully disagree in some cases. I'm not a seasoned expert at sharpening, but with a lot of the things I do I don't see a huge difference between the two with respect specifically to the Delica. Especially when doing certain tip work in which the tip itself is cutting something that is very thin or very flat cutting of thin materials, I can't say I feel one is dramatically different from the other in respect to the D4. Both do great for fine tip work, IMHO. Certainly there are areas where the FFG is superior to a saber or scandi, and people wanting pure slicing power should go FFG between the two, but for what I personally use a Delica for, I think both get the job done very well.

I also think that for the Delica that both are very easy to sharpen in VG-10, although I do love how the FFG makes usage on the EP sooooo easy. :)






Rhyno37 said:
Just an update guys, I went with a Black FFG delica. I do have a gerber shard already, figure with the size of the delica I won't be too tough on it. Thanks for the help
Click to expand...

I think you'll really like your pick. It's a fantastic knife! Congrats!
 
You expressed desire/concern for having good slicing ability...well, speaking from experience with my Emerson Endura (I know, different model but same basic design), the sabre grind is very effective as a slicer. Is it as good as FFG? Probably not, but more than sufficient anyway.
 
John_0917 said:
You expressed desire/concern for having good slicing ability...well, speaking from experience with my Emerson Endura (I know, different model but same basic design), the sabre grind is very effective as a slicer. Is it as good as FFG? Probably not, but more than sufficient anyway.
Click to expand...

An Emerson Endura. Got any pics?
 
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coop1957 said:
An Emerson Endura. Got any pics?
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