Delica, Native or Endura?

I have both a D4W and a N3 and honestly, I highly suggest holding both in your hand before you buy.

The Native is a knife you either love or hate imo, the ergos for many are awesome, but for some just do not work. The Delica however, has a much more "standard" feel to it, works well with more people.

Personally I prefer S30V to VG-10, but both are great. I like the ergos of the Native, but the Delica4 wave is an awesome backpocket knife.
 
BoxANT said:
I have both a D4W and a N3 and honestly, I highly suggest holding both in your hand before you buy..
Click to expand...

Listen to BoxANT. Some folks like both, but there are lots of folks who greatly like the feel of one over the other (Delica/Endura vs. Native).
 
The RAM is better than all of them for a little more money, but if we stick to the direct question, the Native is the better choice. It looks better, it feels better, it can be had for less and with arguably a better steel. The VG10 models have a better pocket clip too. The Native and the Centofante are the real leader's in Spyderco's mid priced lineup, I'm not sure why the Delica/Endura seem to always steal the spotlight.
 
One more for the Native due to it's use of S30V; it's great ergonomics; it's slim profile in the pocket and it's great looking blade.
 
I have all three in my EDC rotation. They're all good knives.....pick the one that appeals to you most. Honestly, you can't go wrong.....

- regards
 
I have been carrying an Endura much longer than most...you can tell by looking at mine, it has the molded in pocket clip making this a 1st generation. In jeans the size never bothered me at all and that size does come in handy at times. This was one of the first popular serrated blades made and the first one I owned. I was amazed at the way it would cut cordage and the serrated blade led me to buy a Spyderco Tri-Angle sharpener. Not sure what steel it is, the knife is merely marked Seki Japan, I suspect something like AUS8. I would suggest going to a store and seeing how each feels in your hand and then decide which fits you best.

spyendura1.jpg


spyendura2.jpg
 
I fixed a 1st gen endura for a guy who i used to work with. He used it for opening concrete bags. I remade serrations and sharpened it up. I didn't really like it.
 
delica, light, strong, slim, easy to carry , my first choice
endura, bigger, heavier, great knife overall...but as i said...
native, strong, but beefy, not very suitable for IWB carry from what ive experienced, anyway , nice little knife

so, delica is my recomandation
 
My favorite is the Native. My lil bro lost his Delica I got him, he is carrying my Native right now. I like the Delica, it is a little small for me. I have an Endura 3 and 4. Native is a great all around knife, the Delica is more of an EDC knife. I've taken other Enduras on hikes etc. I don't like the 40-50 degree angle on the Enduras, so I bring it down to 25-30. I am thinking about getting the Enduras that I have brought to a full scandi grind. Anyway, I would get all three.
 
I'm partial to the Native III, but you want go wrong with any of them. I just parted with the E-4W a grunt needs it more then I do.
003.jpg
 
My first (and only) choice is the Endura. I've carried the same one since 1994 in many palces on this globe and have not found it wanting. Mine is partially serrated so I get the best of both worlds. It has been back to the home planet a couple of times for sharpening and minor repair - I broke the plastic clip off, they replaced it with a nice sturdy metal one. It continues to ride in my pocket and shall for a very long time.:D
 
I have all three. The Delica is my choice for day to day EDC'ing for hings like cutting apples or opening mail. I take the Endura ( I have the G10 handle model) on backpacking and hunting trips where the bigger blade can be used.

At this point the Native is in my emergency survival kit as I find the handle is a little small for a big handed person.
 
The Native is my first choice in that lineup, although all are excellent designs.

I carry it because my fellow Americans designed and built it, and it's ergonomically excellent for my hands. It's a great bargain at its pricepoint (and even at higher ones, in my opinion).

:thumbup:
 
Some excellent analysis and recommendations above. My $0.02: I've had all 3, and I still have the Delica and Endura.

The Native had great steel, but the lack of liners made it feel cheap (IMHO only, not that it ever failed). When opening a folding knife, I like a sharp "click" or "snick" vs. a dull "thwack" sound. The partially-obscured thumbhole was another minus, although I really liked the pointy blade profile. I wanted to like it, but I just didn't.

The D4 and E4 just seem better finished as well. I like the slender ergos better than the chunkier Native. I find the saber grind a little obtuse and fat, and one of these days I'll get around to researching/finding/modding a full flat grind Delica or Endura, like a G10 model.

Really, you can't go wrong.
 
Another thing to keep in the back of your mind is that Spyderco will be releasing a new N4 (not sure when). The current N4 is CF/VG10 but I heard that they are going to eventually release a FRN version. The N4 is a full flat grind :)
 
I own all three and the Endura is the only one that I have multiple copies of.
It just fits me better.
 
I own all three as well, and the Delica is the one I edc. It's slim and unobtrusive, perfect edc blade-length, and feels great in my hand. I like to switch things up with my Endura every once in a while though. My hands are around 3.5" across the palm not counting thumb if that helps. The grip on the native is just a bit small for me and doesn't feel quite comfortable; the contours don't fit my hand well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top