Fairly new to Spyderco..

H

Hypoxic_Gopher

Joined
Apr 2, 2016
Messages
6
Hello, this is only my second day on this forum. I am a huge knife nut, but mainly own lower grade steel blades (8CR13, 8CR14). I recently purchased my first "premium" steel blade, which is the Spyderco Delica 4 in VG-10 steel. I have owned the Ambitious for awhile now, and absolutely love it. I bought the Delica because of the quality I saw in the low-end Spyderco. I love the Delica 4, but have noticed it feels a bit flimsy. I also had to bend the pocket clip, due to it being too loose for my liking. It still isn't as tight as I prefer, but it isn't a big deal. Based off reviews, I know the Delica is a solid blade. I'm just used to bulkier blades in G10, such as my CRKTs. What are some good Spyderco characteristics that should persuade me to carry my Spydies more often?
 
welcome!

Spydies are engineered. If they need to make something stronger, they don't just make it bigger. So this means that a lot of their knives are pretty light for what you get, or are very resilient for what you will use them for. They are very much a form follows function bunch of designers, so while a lot of people don't like certain aspects, its hard to argue that those design choices are not extremely functional for the task they were designed to do.

But either you like them, or you don't. Not everyone sees them the same way. Thats sort of the joy of it, so many knives from so many makers to choose from, no need to really worry about what someone else likes.
 
They don't cut corners. If they think they can make a knife better, but it would cost more, they do it anyways and bump the price.. That said, the prices are great for what you get.
 
Not really a Spyderco fan myself, but click on "forum categories", select "manufacturers forums" and post this in the Spyderco forum...

And I'll bet you get a whole bunch of persuasion. There's a solid following for many reasons, and I bet you hear a bunch of them.
 
spend 40 bucks and buy a Spyderco Resilience.....steel liners, G10 handles, good 4 inch blade.... it cost me several thousand dollars worth of knives looking for the perfect ( for me ) EDC only to find it in a 40.00 made in China Spyderco.... I prefer it to some options I have that run 300+

the ONLY thing I'd change about it would be to replace the 12mm spyderhole with a 14mm hole for my fat thumbs
 
Hypoxic_Gopher said:
Hello, this is only my second day on this forum. I am a huge knife nut, but mainly own lower grade steel blades (8CR13, 8CR14). I recently purchased my first "premium" steel blade, which is the Spyderco Delica 4 in VG-10 steel. I have owned the Ambitious for awhile now, and absolutely love it. I bought the Delica because of the quality I saw in the low-end Spyderco. I love the Delica 4, but have noticed it feels a bit flimsy. I also had to bend the pocket clip, due to it being too loose for my liking. It still isn't as tight as I prefer, but it isn't a big deal. Based off reviews, I know the Delica is a solid blade. I'm just used to bulkier blades in G10, such as my CRKTs. What are some good Spyderco characteristics that should persuade me to carry my Spydies more often?
Click to expand...

Welcome man!

The delica 4 is amazing man. The plastic feels sort of cheap but don't let it fool you. It is a beast in a beautiful package ;)

Vg10 is one of my favorite steels. Easy to sharpen and gets a really nasty edge.

My personal favorite spydies are the szabo, military, civilian, and the domino. Just food for thought down the line :)
 
Why Spyderco?


geometry's designed for cutting performance versus durability for improper use.

access to exotic steels.

great edge geometry from the box 15dps with a 20dps micro

fast, comfortable deployment.

the hourglass pocket clip design

ergonomics designed for hands not eyes; great users.
 
DeadboxHero said:
Why Spyderco?


geometry's designed for cutting performance versus durability for improper use.

access to exotic steels.

great edge geometry from the box 15dps with a 20dps micro

fast, comfortable deployment.

the hourglass pocket clip design

ergonomics designed for hands not eyes; great users.
Click to expand...

+1 :thumbup: :thumbup:

The Delica is a great blade and it excels at what it was designed to do, but that doesn't mean it's the Spyderco for you. Some people, like you, love it. Some can't stand it...for all kinds of reasons. I don't own one currently(...my hand can't quite find the grip it longs for), but I have great respect for it. I do have an Endura. I also think there's a Spyderco for everyone. And, if there isn't one for you now, just wait a while...it's probably in the works. Ask Sal. ;)

My advice is to just carry the crap out of it, ignore most of what you hear on here and form your own opinion based off what the Delica does (or doesn't do) for you. :D
 
Hypoxic_Gopher said:
I have owned the Ambitious for awhile now, and absolutely love it. I bought the Delica because of the quality I saw in the low-end Spyderco. I love the Delica 4, but have noticed it feels a bit flimsy.

I also had to bend the pocket clip, due to it being too loose for my liking. It still isn't as tight as I prefer, but it isn't a big deal. Based off reviews, I know the Delica is a solid blade. I'm just used to bulkier blades in G10, such as my CRKTs. What are some good Spyderco characteristics that should persuade me to carry my Spydies more often?
Click to expand...

The Delica has been a long run model for a reason- it combines the whole Spyderco ethos in on easy to afford package. Personal preference means I like something with a 50:50 handle/blade choil like the Caly or Native, but that's down to the way my hand fits.

I would suggest what you are feeling is the difference between the G10/Exposed liner build of the Ambitious and the lighter, slimmer FRN/nested liner build of the Delica.

How to persuade you to carry them more often?-
I have a Delica 3 without liners (so the solid FRN handle unlike your -4). It's still going strong after 12-13 years of solid (ab)use.
No play.
No slop.
No failures.
Your Delica 4 will eat up everything you can throw at it. Carry it. Use the hell out of it. Sharpen it when it gets dull. Enjoy!
 
This.^
My friend tried to break his Delica and could not do it. But please, no one should ever try to break a knife.
Try another Spyderco model that catches your eye.
rolf
 
Carry it for a while. The delica is one of those knives that feel flimsy and looks weird but in use, it's one of the better knives I'd use. I wouldn't make a habit of doing a lot of bushcraft with it but for edc use it's just about perfect.
 
The thing is OP you either like it or you don't. I have an Endura and I really don't like it so it's a knife I just experiment on
 
OP, maybe Spyderco isn't for you. My first Spyderco was a Stretch and I wondered if I was crazy because everybody kept saying how amazing it was, while I found it to be very uninspiring. I still don't like it's little plasticky feel to this day. Maybe your gut is telling you what you need to know.

There are loads of great brand options out there that offer a more substantial in-hand feel for fair money. Ontario and Kershaw are good low cost examples.

Best of luck. :thumbup.
 
The Delica isn't for everyone (though apparently most people). I own dozens of Spyderco's and love them dearly, the Delica just isn't one of them. I've bought and sold them numerous times and it just doesn't work for me. I'm more of a Manix/Native guy, which I would highly recommend giving a shot. I love the lightweight versions, but they also make them in the "bulkier" full lined G10 variety.

If you've never held the Tenacious, that could be a great step up from your Ambitious. Same design, but larger and usually smoother action.
 
+1 for spyderco's well thought out manufacturing. light and strong is their theme. I've owned 7 different spyderco knives and none of them have lead to disappointment. If for some reason you just can't love it, Spyderco does make some more heavy duty knives. They are generally more costly but their line up is so vast, there's surely something in there that would meet your standards.
 
Welcome, Neighbor! Good to have you aboard.

I think that simply carrying and, more importantly, using your Spydies will be convincing enough. On most days, I carry a large Spydie with a small fixed blade of some sort. Typically I go with a PM2 or Endura 4:



 
The Delica is not flimsy, just light. But I get what you mean.

If you want something more stout, try the Gayle Bradley folder.
 
Hypoxic_Gopher said:
What are some good Spyderco characteristics that should persuade me to carry my Spydies more often?
Click to expand...

Every Spyderco I own has excellent ergonomics. It is like they were designed for my hands.

The full flat grind blades slice great, the serrated models go through any material I have tried them on.

Give your Delica a chance, carry it, use it. It just might grow on you more and more each day.

My little Spyderco line up...

2mmu63s.jpg
 
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