Should everyone own a Delica at some point?

One of the great things about this hobby, especially for a newbie like myself is the relatively low cost. I think I paid $72.00 including shipping for my Delica 4. My other hobbies include mechanical watches and hifi equipment so affordable EDC's are a relative drop in the bucket. But so far I haven't been able to raise my budget to the level of a nice Chris Reeve or similar.
Mountain Mike said:
The Delica is one of the best edc blades I own. It's ergonomic handles, ambidextrous one hand open/closing, and slicing ability makes it one of the great blades to own.

However, I bought mine back when they were priced $50- $55. Now at almost $70 (and going up at the first of the year), I'd go with other options for around that price (the new Chapparral in XHP for example). I feel the value of the Delica is diminishing with the continuous price increases and other options out there.
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For me in the $100 ish price range the benchmade bugout would knock the delica of of the running, thin, light, and axis lock is better than a back lock for edc in my opinion.
 
jwh720 said:
For me in the $100 ish price range the benchmade bugout would knock the delica of of the running, thin, light, and axis lock is better than a back lock for edc in my opinion.
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This is true for me as well, adding that you also get a half inch more cutting edge for a half ounce less carry weight.

That being said, the answer to "Should everyone own a Delica at some point?" is an emphatic "YES" in my opinion.

I'd say that the FFG Delica in VG-10 may be the finest EDC knife in its price range. It's around $50 cheaper than the Bugout, and you really don't give up much in the way of steel performance in this size and category of knife. The VG-10 done by Spyderco gets ridiculously sharp with really no effort and is super easy to maintain. The FRN is tough as nails, and the back lock is perfectly serviceable and very easy to use.

If my only knife happened to be a Delica, I certainly wouldn't feel underequipped.
 
kvaughn said:
Having grown up with and carried traditional slipjoints for almost 60 yrs, I had recently come to the reality that my severely arthritic hands were having trouble accessing out of my pocket and opening my old standbys. Enter the Delica. Easy to open and carry/access. Good steel/ease of free hand sharpening. Great ergonomics. Very useful blade shape. Small enough for discrete public use. Ugly as hell.-It certainly has a useful place in my EDC. Plus I got a good deal on BF.--KV
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Your "ugly as hell" observation may have stemmed from what you have been accustomed to for 60 years. From the first, I thought the Delica was a handsome knife, but that was when the whole knife thing was new to me and I had no real preconceptions. Highly functional things have a beauty all their own (a good deal helps :D.)
 
znapschatz said:
Your "ugly as hell" observation may have stemmed from what you have been accustomed to for 60 years. From the first, I thought the Delica was a handsome knife, but that was when the whole knife thing was new to me and I had no real preconceptions. Highly functional things have a beauty all their own (a good deal helps :D.)
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I think it's just the "hump and hole" thing that is a little weird for me. I am a big fan of functional simplicity and the Delica is certainly that.--KV
 
jwh720 said:
For me in the $100 ish price range the benchmade bugout would knock the delica of of the running, thin, light, and axis lock is better than a back lock for edc in my opinion.
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Last time I checked Bugout sells for $114.75 from dealers while Delica 4 vg10 for $68.97. A $45 price difference is almost good for a used but not abused Delica. These two knives are not in the same price range.
 
I started with a few Kershaw leeks then a Kershaw cryo. After using cheap knives for a few years and I knew I could trust myself not to lose something more expensive, I decided to pick up a Benchmade 940-1. Then I wanted a knife for my wife, something inexpensive that wasn't a frame lock or otherwise cheap garbage, so I got her a delica. I use it every once in a while and it's a good slicer, obviously, but I just can't get into the knife. A few months later I also picked up an s110v PM2 for myself. The 940-1 gets 90% of the pocket time but when I have a need for it the pm2 is a great alternative.

Here's what I've found after owning and using a small variety of knives. The delica is my least favorite and I would never carry one every day. They, in fact most Spyderco's, are just not very space efficient. But that's just part of the tradeoff for the spider hole. The axis lock has totally ruined me for most other knives, even most flippers I've tried. I can open, cut, close with unbelievable speed with almost zero effort just by flicking my wrist with the slightest movements. While the lockback is great for my wife because she's comfortable with it, I find it a pain to use. I personally cannot middle finger flick open a delica, I can only open with my thumb and in a slow, deliberate motion. That lockback just kills the blade movement and it doesn't feel all that smooth to me. Even my PM2 is crazy smooth and easy to open/close compared to a delica. But it's also more than twice the cost of a delica so it should be pretty smooth.

Now, that is to say nothing of the quality of the actual knife. Its built really well and fit and finish is beyond its cost. They are great little knives, but I don't think they're for everyone.
 
sharp_edge said:
Last time I checked Bugout sells for $114.75 from dealers while Delica 4 vg10 for $68.97. A $45 price difference is almost good for a used but not abused Delica. These two knives are not in the same price range.
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Looking at the Delica in the same S30V steel gives you a price of $84.95 and the Bugout goes at $114.75, this is true.

The S30V Delica and the Bugout are each within $15 of a C-Note. Both can be easily considered in the "$100-ish" range.

But I see your point as well.... the Benchmade is still $30 more than the Spyderco.

You are both correct. :D
 
I sold off my two Delicas as I found I preferred the Dragonfly 2 for a lightweight FRN carry and the Chaparral in Raffir Noble for a larger EDC that's still a wicked slicer. Delicas are great knives but Spyderco makes so many solid designs that are all just different enough that you're sure to find one or two that are absolute perfection for you.
 
I've had a couple since I got into knives. One saber ground, combo edged. The other in blue FFG. I've gifted them both to close friends. Something about the shape of the blade and the drop of the tip bugged (haha) me about the aesthetics.
However the new wharncliffe blade design has caught my eye. Not much interest in the bright orange scales of the CS offering or the Zome scales, but I may have to pick up a wharncliffe eventually.
 
I did say in my original post that my budget was $100.00. However I did pay $73.00 for the Delica 4 including tax so it is in a different price range.
sharp_edge said:
Last time I checked Bugout sells for $114.75 from dealers while Delica 4 vg10 for $68.97. A $45 price difference is almost good for a used but not abused Delica. These two knives are not in the same price range.
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If this is a contest between the bug out and the Delica now I’ll tell you they both have their pros and cons. Neither are perfect knives in my eyes but I can carry either without worrying if they are sharp enough or will fail. Great knife I’d recommend the Delica to anyone even if you think it’s ugly...give it a shot you’ll be surprised
 
GatorMedic said:
No. People should not be forced into purchasing any knife just because someone else likes it.
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Don't think anyone was arguing that. I think it's worth picking up most of the "highlights" or classics from a number of brands at least to try. Knives like the Delica (PM2, Manix, 940, Grip, the RATs, etc., etc.) have earned a place with many folks and it can help you identify what you value in a knife. Certainly helped me.
 
BilboBaggins said:
Don't think anyone was arguing that. I think it's worth picking up most of the "highlights" or classics from a number of brands at least to try. Knives like the Delica (PM2, Manix, 940, Grip, the RATs, etc., etc.) have earned a place with many folks and it can help you identify what you value in a knife. Certainly helped me.
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No doubt experiencing different knives can help a person determine what they like or don't like in a knife. Ideally you wouldn't have to own all those different knives to figure it out, and instead could either hold in hand at a store or borrow someone else's to try. But alas that's not easily available to some (arguably most). Regardless, I was answering the title question literally. If anyone does want to try out the Delica you might see if you can get on the list for Traveling Delica in the Spyderco subforum. Provided of course you will take cool pics and then actually pass it along in a timely manner.
 
Nothing against FRN handle but Spyderco back lock is a joke. I heard few times about it becoming slip joint. I had 3 Spydies with that lock, all had big blade play after while, I had to fix lock in Endura with a file because it was close to becoming slip joint folder.

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If you count the endura as a “larger delica,” then yes. If not, I can’t say as I haven’t owned a single delica. Frn is great, though not as great as American g-10. From here on, most if not all Japanese made spyderco’s I buy will be frn handled. Just like the first one I owned, a linerless black endura in aus 8, I think it was. I think it would be great if some idle agency would “force” people to own any knife at all!
 
GatorMedic said:
No doubt experiencing different knives can help a person determine what they like or don't like in a knife. Ideally you wouldn't have to own all those different knives to figure it out, and instead could either hold in hand at a store or borrow someone else's to try. But alas that's not easily available to some (arguably most). Regardless, I was answering the title question literally. If anyone does want to try out the Delica you might see if you can get on the list for Traveling Delica in the Spyderco subforum. Provided of course you will take cool pics and then actually pass it along in a timely manner.
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It's a good point. Most of what I have experienced has been sight unseen. No decent knife stores close by. The Delica was an exception as I hosted the original Mr. Brownstone in that Spyderco thread. I really came to appreciate that knife over the few weeks it stayed with me!
 
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