Spyderco clay 3 cf or delica 4?

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smitty1505

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Oct 24, 2009
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Hey guys looking for a good beater and can't decide between the delica or caly. Which do u guys think is a better beater knife? Also anyone have either and a sebenza? I'd like to see side by side pics. Thanks
 
For a beater knife, I'd go with a Delica in zdp-189. The Caly 3 is a great knife but CF can be brittle, FRN would probably hold up better if your gonna beat the crap out of it. plus you won't need to worry about getting that pretty carbon fiber dirty;).
Plus the Delica is cheaper.

Lighter edc, i'd say caly 3
 
I think a Saber Ground Delica would be more appropriate for the title "beater knife". Mainly because of the extra blade thickness and the lower price tag.

Caly does slice like no tomorrow, but I woulnd't want to beat it..

Edit: The 420J steel that sandwhiches the ZDP189 steel also scratches very easy so within short time your classy CF Caly 3 will be riddled with scratches. Also the vg10 on the Delica would be easier to maintain sharpening wise.
 
The Caly 2 is not what I would call a "beater knife. For one thing, they're $125. That's a lot for a "beater", by anybody's standards. Secondly, the knife is more of a scalpel than a hacker. I'd go with something with a more forgiving blade grind.

I'd go with a D4, Salt 1, Native, or even a Byrd Meadowlark. Or, if you're willing to look beyond Spyderco, a Benchmade Mini-Griptillian.
 
I find the handle on the Delica more comfortable than the Caly, it's only a bit larger but that extra material seems to make a huge difference to me. So if the knife is going to be used for long periods of time, my vote goes to the Delica. In fact, ever since I got a G-10 Delica my Caly sees very little use.

Price, blade grind and handle material also make the regular Delica 4 better suited for rough use than the Caly.
 
Like everybody else, I'm gonna say I'd so with the D4 if its an FRN version. They are deceptively tough. I have all 3 knives that you mentioned and the FRN D4 is the one that has survived working in a warehouse, being dropped onto a concrete floor from 10-15 feet up in the racks, cutting computer wiring and electrical cabling, and maybe a couple of things I don't know about 'cause someone's used it without my permission.

CF and G10 are probably a little classier as handle materials, but FRN is like kevlar for a handle. Nothing I've done seems to hurt it and it's even pretty difficult to mark it up accidentally.
 
I think most would consider the CF Caly 3 a gentleman's knife.

unless you're the type to drive a BMW M3 as a winter beater, lol.
 
Franciscomv said:
I find the handle on the Delica more comfortable than the Caly, it's only a bit larger but that extra material seems to make a huge difference to me. So if the knife is going to be used for long periods of time, my vote goes to the Delica. In fact, ever since I got a G-10 Delica my Caly sees very little use.

Price, blade grind and handle material also make the regular Delica 4 better suited for rough use than the Caly.
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Interesting. I've always found that the Calypso was far more ergonomic than the Delica (3). The handle length is practically identical, but the choil on the Caly extends the grip past the handle, which gives you more to hold onto. I didn't like the Delica because the knife felt too small in my hand. Heck, a Kopa fits my hand better than a Delica.
 
Delica 4 SpyderEdge. You'll be amazed how tough it actually is (long as you're not prying heavily) and how long the serrations stay sharp compared to a plain edge under heavy use.
 
Planterz said:
Interesting. I've always found that the Calypso was far more ergonomic than the Delica (3). The handle length is practically identical, but the choil on the Caly extends the grip past the handle, which gives you more to hold onto. I didn't like the Delica because the knife felt too small in my hand. Heck, a Kopa fits my hand better than a Delica.
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I'm the total opposite, I find choils uncomfortable and useless. The D4 handle fits perfect and keeps my hand close to the cutting edge when I white knuckle it. Holding the Caly 3 in the same fashion puts the cutting edge awkwardly far from your hand and cuts down on power.

One thing I didn't like about the Caly was the fact that the blade tip didn't bury very deep in the handle. It would take a lot less sharpening on that to have the tip start catching on things. The delica's tip on the other hand is buried way deep. I think if it went choiless and buried the blade deeper the caly would be pretty sweet.
 
Planterz said:
Interesting. I've always found that the Calypso was far more ergonomic than the Delica (3). The handle length is practically identical, but the choil on the Caly extends the grip past the handle, which gives you more to hold onto. I didn't like the Delica because the knife felt too small in my hand. Heck, a Kopa fits my hand better than a Delica.
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This seems to be the general consensus. Most knife knuts I've talked to feel this way, but I just can't argue with my hands and they prefer Delicas. :D I think the choil is part of the problem, it makes the handle shorter in a standard grip (without putting a finger on the choil). It's great for choking up and doing detail work, though.

The handle on the Delica 4 is also broader towards the lanyard hole, and that seems to make a big difference. In fact, I like the feel of the older Endura and Delica 3 more than the newer ones.

This is all highly subjective, of course.
 
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