Edc?

B

Boxterr1

Joined
Aug 25, 2011
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18
Hey there everybody, im a noob to knives and the forums. Im only 14, so its illegal for me to carry a knife "under three inches" here in new york. And yet, my young passion for these tools we call knives is ever growing. Id like a knife that i would carry around on our summer fishing trips, (freshwater) and a camping trip or two, and just to hold and love and cherish forever ect. I guess for my age, thats considered edc... after much reasearch its down to 2 knives. Spyderco Delica 4 and the Spyderco Salt 1. comparison between h1 and vg10? the knife MAY see some saltwater use... not like i live on the beach or anything. And id like to know which is easier to sharpen, as i am almost a complete noob at sharpening anything. I would have liked the ZPD 189 version of the delica... but its too expensive and im lucky that my sheeple family is getting me a knife at all. I just like them always have. Any advice on the 2 knives, steels, and suggestions on other blades are helpful!


Best Wishes
-David

PS. in your opinions, how is the flat ground delica vs the saber ground? And also, it seems to me that the endura is "too big" for an edc... how is it? Thanks for everything guys
 
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Welcome to the Forums, David! The Delica and Salt 1 are both excellent choices. Unless you plan to swim with your knife clipped, or otherwise completely submerge your knife frequently or for extended periods of time, I don't think it matters too much if you go with VG-10 or H1 as long as you clean and dry your knife after use. But if you're out on the water for a few days, H1 might be the way to go. In terms of sabre vs flat grind, both are good: I find the flat grind is a better slicer and the sabre grind is a little more robust/sturdy.

I'd recommend that you add a Swiss Army knife to your collection as well. They're fairly inexpensive, very useful and easy to sharpen--a good knife to practice your sharpening skills on.

Good luck, young fella! :)
 
Hey there! If you will be around the water, I'd suggest the Salt.
If you want to carry a knife, maybe a SAK Classic or a smaller Case Pen Knife will work.
 
Mhmm. Delica would takes my vote. But the salt 1 is a good one also. The endura is huge, and over 3 inches :P
I have all 3, well, I don't have a salt 1, but I have a Tasman. I'd suggest getting a Delica. Brown and gray look the best and cover dirt better. But it's mostly up to you. :P

Good luck on your new knife!
 
Welcome to the forum. You seem way ahead of the curve for your age. Nice studying on your part. Timberweasel summed your 2 choices up very well. IMHO as an EDC the Delica may be a little more robust but both are excellent choices. (I have the ZDP Delica and the salt and the ZDP is very tough) The salt i carry when I go fishing tho not much salt water here on lake michigan lol.
 
Both good choices. The nice thing about H1 is that you never have to worry about rust. You can get it wet and dirty and leave it overnight, or you can just wash it in the sink or dishwasher and let it dry. The VG10 will hold a better edge longer and isn't super prone to rusting, but there is the chance of rust.
The flat ground blade is nice to have as it will cut more effeciently, but the sabre grind offers some added strength. For most cutting tasks, most people will find that the sabre grind cuts just fine, and that the flat grind is plenty strong though. The flat grind should be a bit less challenging to sharpen.
The Salt-1 and Delica-4 have slightly different handles. The Delica has steel liners and removable screws. The Salt-1 is linerless, and pinned. The Salt-1 is thinner and lighter. They have different pocket-clips too. The Delica is adjustible to 4 possitions, the Salt-1 is tip-up only, but switchable for left or right side carry.

It's a tough call. It sounds like this will be a somewhat dedicated fishing knife so I'd probably pick the Salt-1. If you intended on carrying it for general tasks, I'd recommend the flat ground Delica. Either way, you should be happy though.
On a side note, I'd also consider some of Victoinox's offerings. They are indeed easy to sharpen, and are very rust resistant in general. The Sentinel would make for a good fishing knife, or the One Handed Trekker if you wanted more gadgets.
 
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Thanks to everyone! If i may be so bold, I honestly try to not fit into the stereotypes where the elderly look down upon me. Not sure if carrying a knife around will fit that either, but i think everyone here is just as much a knife nut as me, if not more. Plus you guys have money to buy your own knives... :D. Now about knives! I was thinking of having a tasman salt, for fishing and if i ever had to go on the water, (the occasional deep sea fishing father son-trip) and having a delica for when rust shouldnt be a factor in the day. Also thinking about a bk2 for camping... I was aware of the differences between the delica 4 and the salt 1, (screws vs rivets) and I know the salt 1 more closely resembles the delica 3, but is there really and blade play? (would you NEED the adjustable screw?) And ive been looking at the SAK Rescuetool for when i can have a car, or even for my dads honda.. as peace of mind. What SAK could be good for me? I know Siggyhk said the sentinel or tracker, and Vanguard said the classic.. Ill just have to read up on some SAKs too :D. Again thanks to everyone, and i cant stress enough that this forum is one of the most welcoming ive found! Thanks again everybody, and as soon as i get my spydey (probably a delica saber-grind, as my sheeple family will likely not buy more if start breaking them.. cant be too cautious) i will be sure to post pictures of any small mods i do, and i will certainly update as of my soon to be growing collection. Thanks!
 
I would also recommend a Spyderco Sharpmaker sharpener. Really easy to use, and it will help keep your knives sharp. Plus, you can sharpen the family kitchen knives, if you have any, and the parents will LOVE it. Mine sure do. I'd really recommend getting the diamond rods, because if you're going to be sharpening knives that you don't know what the bevel is, and may need to reprofile, the gray rods take FOREVER to get the job done.

My H1 Spyderhawk is definitely less durable than other Spyderco offerings, but the lack of rust was great. It came with me to Mexico for my honeymoon, and spent a lot of time fully submerged in saltwater, with absolutely no ill effects. As mentioned, if you're going to be on the water, it's really worth having the H1. If not, I'd probably go Delica.
 
I was looking at the sharp maker, and i really need a good sharpening tool.. if you check out my other thread, i fixed up an old japanese knife, de rusted, sharpened, ect but i really botched the job. Was my first and wish i could have done better.. i sanded off the bezel and everything. But my parents are happy, thats now the sharpest knife in my house (until my spydey comes home ;)) and i only used a whetstone.. how complicated is the technique for re grinding it? Seems easy, but as ive learned its easy to foul up. And my dad is a bit knife savvy himself... so thats better than being surrounded by sheep :) god forbid i carried around a 99c fake swiss classic...
 
Technique is REALLY easy. Basically, you hold the knife with the spine vertical, taking care to keep it vertical, and you just start at the top of the rod, and back of the knife, and you'll naturally pull it back and down along the rod. The diamond rod will take off steel a lot faster. It comes with a DVD to watch to learn the technique, but it's VERY easy to get a shaving edge on the Sharpmaker, novice or not.
 
There are two more advantages about the Salt:
- if you buy it in bright yellow then it really doesn't look tactical at all, which helps for the perception from non-knife-people.
- I've had a Spyderco in VG10 rust on me. I wasn't in the water, it was the combination of nearby sea air and even more so the salt of my transpiration (a very hot day then) that caused it.

The one disadvantage is that you'll need to sharpen it more often.

About Swiss Army Knives, yes everyone should have at least one. Very good and useful. I'd recommend to start with the simple alox Pioneer or Farmer. Sturdy little tools. FYI I have many more expensive knives, yet the SAK finds its way most often to my pocket.
 
I wouldn't mind sharpening more often, considering iwouldt be carring this with me to school, ad do they make a salt 1 with torque screws and steel liners? How's the ukpk in s30v compare to the delica vg10? Id hate to have a blade rust on me... and I though about that "utility/rescue" approach the yellow salt has with non knife people, but id rather be looking at a black handle, regardless. Just my $00.02
 
For 14, you are well spoken. And that is a positive attribute in my book. Though I have not had the knives you speak of, I still wanted to reply to say what I've said!
 
It sounds like you parents have added fuel to the fire. It will be interesting to see what comes up next on the want list. I agree with others about the SAK though. Very useful little tools. I don't leave home without mine.
 
I'd say, if you have minimal sharpening experience, avoid the ZDP as it is very hard and a little more difficult to sharpen. H1 sharpens very easily, VG10 is easy as well, but H1 is easier still. One huge benefit of the Salt is the yellow handles which make it ideal for fishing. If you drop your blade in the water or the dirt, it will be easily recoverable. Judging by the fact that the ZDP Delica is too expensive for you, you probably have a similar budget that any of us would have had at 14 and 60$ is a fair amount. Hell, 60$ is still a fair amount to me sometimes, depending on the time of the week and my blood/alcohol content. I would suggest the salt, it's hollow ground, yellow handles, and semi-rounded tip should be the perfect fishing knife for you, not to mention the H1.
 
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