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Dilemma

E

EagleIH

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2009
Messages
179
I don't own any Spydercos, but my wife wants me to pick out a new knife for my 40th birthday. This may be comparing apples to oranges, but if you folks could only choose one knife...either the G10 Dragonfly or the FFG FRN Delica, which would you choose and why? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
 
I would try to get a superblue delica. I use one at work, I even cut drywall with it a few times. Has never messed the edge up at all, had a vg 10 also I gave it to my father and he loves it, he beat on it for a year and it sharpened up perfectly. Has a nice grippy handle that fits in the hand nicely and a perfect blade design and still lightweight.
 
I own many knives mostly spydercos and the frn delica 4 is one of my favorite knives. Its the perfect size, its lightweight its a solid knife overall. I also own a dragonfly frn version not g10, thats also a great knife, great ergos but i think you should go with the delica, you wont be disappointed.
 
Hmm I have both but they are so very different. If you work in an office the dragonfly would probably be the way to go but if you are an outdoors type and do a lot of cutting the ffg delica will be a better tool.

I would choose the delicia.
 
I would choose the Dragonfly. I've tried the Delica and for my medium-sized hands it didn't feel very secure when pushing on the thumb ramp - felt like I was pushing it out of my hand. The Delica has a very low blade-to-handle ratio and to me there are better options around the Delica size that also have better aesthetics. Both the Dragonfly and the Stretch have higher B2H ratios as well as smoother lines when closed and finger choils. I've also tried the G10 Dragonfly and although I'm a huge foliage green fan, the G10 Endura/Delica/Dragonfly versions don't open as smoothly as the FRN ones. I recently chose the ZDP-189 FRN Dragonfly over the G10 for that reason and it's also better balanced/lighter. Another thing to consider is that it can be difficult to adjust the pivot on the FRN Dragonfly because there aren't any metal liners to prevent the female fasteners from spinning.
 
I vote dragonfly as well. It's such a classy little knife that seriously disappears in your pocket. Although the delica isn't bad, just not as much of a cool factor as the DF.
 
In the Delica size range, I'd personally prefer a Caly 3.5, or a Stretch, since I like a little more edge than what you get with the Delica. Both of these knives have about the same size grips, but give you more usable blade. That said, the Delica is pretty great, especially in Super Blue. I would guess that the Stretch is a little "fatter" since it has a broader blade, but not by much.
 
Out of your list I would choose dragonfly. I strongly prefer knives with finger choil, but Native5 or Caly3/3.5 would beat both of them combined.
 
bh49 said:
Out of your list I would choose dragonfly. I strongly prefer knives with finger choil, but Native5 or Caly3/3.5 would beat both of them combined.
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Funny - I really like the grooved finger choil on my Sage 2 and Dragonfly for controlled cutting and hand work but for a knife that is used for slicing through cardboard or shrink-wrap or the like, I find that the finger choil gets snagged up and defeats the fun of slicing with a sharp knife.

The Dragonfly is a sweet little handful - a great little knife but as an EDC (and of the 2 knives asked about) I would vote for the Delica - a longer more useful blade, still fits well in the hand for controlled work, no grooved choil to bog you down when slicing, and a VG-10 blade that holds a good edge and sharpens to very sharp pretty easily.
 
Delica FFG. Go with any steel you fancy, they all are really nice and get the job done. The VG10 is very slick and requires next to zero care.
 
RayseM said:
Funny - I really like the grooved finger choil on my Sage 2 and Dragonfly for controlled cutting and hand work but for a knife that is used for slicing through cardboard or shrink-wrap or the like, I find that the finger choil gets snagged up and defeats the fun of slicing with a sharp knife.
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I agree with "Funny". I am using knives with choil since 2005. Last time I used a knife without it during Spring of 2006. I love my recycle days as an opportunity to cut cardboard. I used C83 Persian, Caly3.5 and for last couple years Native5. My recycle center allows to dump no bigger than 3"x2" or 3"x3". Last December I bought a new elliptical machine. Cardboard was pretty thick. My S110V Native made it fun to cut that box down into pieces. No problem with choil ever.
 
I've had both in FRN. I miss the D-fly more, only because as has been pointed out, there's Spydies with better BTH ratios than the Delica, and I have a couple of those, LOL.

If you plan on using this knife at the office, the D-fly would definitely be more NKP-friendly. In G10, you will have a knife rarely seen, with some 'presense' in your pocket. The FRN is so light, you can hardly feel it. I also strongly prefer the wire clip on the 'Fly, to that of the Delica.

If you plan on using this thing for more 'outdoorsy' activites, or even as a back-up in the kitchen, then the Delica would be the choice. You simply have more edge there. It can also fit into a self-defense role, if you were pressed. The FFG is certainly the right one to pick, IMHO.
 
bh49 said:
I agree with "Funny". I am using knives with choil since 2005. Last time I used a knife without it during Spring of 2006. I love my recycle days as an opportunity to cut cardboard. I used C83 Persian, Caly3.5 and for last couple years Native5. My recycle center allows to dump no bigger than 3"x2" or 3"x3". Last December I bought a new elliptical machine. Cardboard was pretty thick. My S110V Native made it fun to cut that box down into pieces. No problem with choil ever.
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I guess it's all in the wrist :). For many years my EDC was an Endura - no choil - I got used to the action of long slices, but now with the Sage II I have yet to learn how to work it without snagging the choil. I'm sure the shorter blade of the Sage contributes to the effect. I'll learn how to change my cutting motion in time but I can't deny that I'm experiencing a learning curve in the meanwhile. As we all know - plenty of different Spydercos for different folks and their carry and cut preferences.
 
i would vote the dragonfly 2 as well, but not in the g10 version, save some money and pick up the ZDP-189 version in frn, its lighter with a much better blade steel IMO, and the g10 w/ liners isnt needed in terms of rigidity for such a small knife, it also rides better than the delica and still capable of a 4 finger grip, perfect for EDC and any office task, and as stated before it has a better pocket clip and better blade to handle ratio, not to mention its just a better looking knife too.

All of this is just my opinion of course :)
 
You really can't go wrong with either. I have a ffg delica and an H1 dragonfly salt and I love them both. If you prefer smaller blades (I do) I would get the dragonfly. I have carried mine almost exclusively for the last year because it is small enough to disappear in your pocket and capable enough to handle all my EDC needs. If you prefer more medium size knives (overall about 7 inches) then go with the delica. It is also a great knife and it will do anything a dragonfly will and more. Plus it comes in some great colors. (The blue is my favorite!)

Hope this helps!
 
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