G10 Delica 4: Perfect small EDC

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biogon

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Jan 2, 2002
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I think I've settled on the perfect small office EDC... the G10 Delica 4.

I had the original FRN Delica 4 for a while. It had all the changes that finally convinced me to carry a D4: disassemblable screws instead of rivets, reinforced tip, dual steel liners.

But it was not quite perfect.

The FRN didn't feel exactly right, and the low sabre grind didn't cut as well as I wanted.

The G10 D4 fixes all the problems I had -- nice, grippy and warm G10 scales, metal backspacer, full flat grind.

It's sharp as I need it to be, the mid-lock won't fail like a linerlock, it's thin, lightweight, has a full-sized, comfortable handle, and, of course, the Spyderhole.

Two thumbs up, Sal. Thanks for making the G10 D4 a reality.

The only thing unfortunate? The price. ;)

Oh well! Gotta pay for perfection, neh?

-j
 
mhawg said:
I wish it still had a 'point' on it.
Click to expand...

I actually took the spine and ground in a shallower "clip" onto the point, wearing off the "curve" and putting in a straight "clip".

It doesn't have the absolute straight drop from the Spyderhole like the old D2/D3, but it is considerably more pointy than the stock D4.

It took me about 5 minutes on a wetstone.

-j
 
How is the verical blade play on the knife? I would concider getting a g10 version but i find that the unavoidable vertical play on my FRN D4 is enough to alter my confidence when using the knife. I know it is just a minor problem that all lockacks have, but it really 'throws me off' when doing something like whittling. Anyway, does it seem like spyderco decreased this vertical play on the new g10 version? Also, does the inside edge of the steel liners dig into your hand when gripping the knife really tightly? Thanks.
 
There is definitely some minor vertical play. It feels less than a Mini-Manix and the FRN D4, but still noticeable. My FRN D4 wiggled a lot though. The G10 one is less. I think Sal has said that it's an inherent limitation of the lockback/midlock setup in a the tolerances available on a production piece.

It's never bothered me before, but I don't whittle.

The inside edge of the liners and the edges of the lockbar is as sharp as the inside edge of the Spyderhole, which is to say, damn sharp.

However, the blade thickness (and thus width of the gap between the liners) is extraordinarily thin, so I've never had a problem with my hand being pinched or dug into by the liner edges.

-j
 
If the liner issue bothers you I'd suggest rubbing some sandpaper on the corner of them so they aren't as aggressive. I've done it to a few knives and it helps.
 
Thanks for the replies!
I too find that my D4 has ALOT of play (more than my chinese made Byrd Robin!!!). oh well, if i've kept it then i'm sure i'll be happy with the g10 version. suppose your right, it wouldn't be too too difficult to blunt those liners.

here's something else i've been thinking about, everyone on all these forums is always talking about how great ffg slices (like the caly 3, caly jr. etc) but that they wouldn't use it for hard-use tasks. are they talking about these specific knives or of ffg in general? because i always thought that the military/para were ffg, and those are definetly hard-use knives.:confused:
 
I don't know... I've never had any problems with a full flat grind and I've done a lot of heavy cutting/slicing in tough material. But it's all been cutting, and not chopping, batoning, splitting wood.

I suppose in theory, a low sabre is stronger... but to what purpose? Prying? Edge brittleness?

I doubt the edge on a sabre grind is less prone to chipping or folding unless you're chopping with it or something.

And I don't think I've ever had to pry seriously with a folder, much less with enough force to break the blade (the pivot would likely strip or bend before the blade of a flat ground was adversely affected).

The cutting ability of a full flat grind is significantly more than a low sabre, especially in dense material that I really can't go back to a sabre grind for a folder.

For something bigger... bushcraft or chopping oriented, maybe a high sabre?

-j
 
EngEdge said:
Thanks for the replies!
I too find that my D4 has ALOT of play (more than my chinese made Byrd Robin!!!). oh well, if i've kept it then i'm sure i'll be happy with the g10 version. suppose your right, it wouldn't be too too difficult to blunt those liners.

here's something else i've been thinking about, everyone on all these forums is always talking about how great ffg slices (like the caly 3, caly jr. etc) but that they wouldn't use it for hard-use tasks. are they talking about these specific knives or of ffg in general? because i always thought that the military/para were ffg, and those are definetly hard-use knives.:confused:
Click to expand...

This is something that confuses me as well. If you look at the "Post your Spyderco Pictures" thread you'll see my UKPK that's been heavily thinned out. There isn't a single thing I do with my knives that I don't feel confident in doing with his knife, despite the thin edge and lack of lock.

I've never understood, short of prying or appearance, why someone would want a sabre grind over full flat. Maybe users here with different knife uses can enlighten me on how the different grind styles benefit them?

Most edge damage occurs within the first MM or two of edge. So in theory, you should be fine with a 16 degrees inclusive secondary bevel and a 30 degrees inclusive micro bevel. Unless you do a lot of twisting or prying in your cuts, extra thickness behind that portion of the edge will only decrease cutting ability while providing little to no benefits durability wise.
 
Here ya go. :p

cutters1rw6.jpg


cutters2tj6.jpg
 
Just for the record, they're not all mine. The Mini-Manix is on loan, but oh boy, do I wish they weren't discontinued!!

-j
 
That G10 Delica is one nice knife! So is the Manix, which is why I own 2. Congrats on your new addition.
 
Yup I agree completely. Even though my favorite one-hander is my small classic seb, I can't go about without my D4 so I carry my large seb instead :). I too had a couple of issues with the regular D4 but this new G10 is sweet. Fit and finish is first class and it cuts like my sodbuster or vic farmer. I'll probably continue carrying a regular D4 at work simply because I dont mind beating them up but the G10 is in another league.
 
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