Spyderco's "knife of the people"

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kgriggs8

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For as long as I can remember, the Delica was the knife of the people. It was a do-it-all EDC. It was small enough and yet big enough to be handy.

I think the D-4 has been pushed past the knife of the people status by the weight and extra cost.

My new knife of the people knife is the Centofante 3 and 4. To me, it carries on the tradition of what the older Delicas started. A lot of knife for the money in a small and light package.
 
Just so you guys know, I do like the D-4. I have been using my blue ZDP-189 Delica for the past two weeks and it is a great knife.

I just think of it as a different knife than the old D-3. The D-3 ideal to me is most closely seen in the Centofante 4 and 3.
 
I think the Delica is more the knife of the people than ever before.
It has added durability due to the SS liners (IIRC this only added about $2 to the cost).
Four way clip positioning, unlike previous generations it can be modified to suit anyones tastes in this regard.
PLUS, you can get it in ZDP-189, performance steel usually only available on custom knives.
 
I don't know if I agree with ya. It's price has been pretty stable over the years while improving all that time. More options than most other knives out there to fit a very broad range of needs/wants and price points.
 
Hi kgriggs,

I see your point. In my opinion the delica is still the "it" knife for spyderco. Having said that, I'll admit that I don't own a spyderco centofante yet (I do own a kershaw centofante). There is so much chatter regarding the delica that I'd be hard pressed to believe the centofante has supplanted the delica as knife of the people.

Of course, my opinion and a $buck will get you a cup of coffee. :D

Andy
 
fully serrated delica is the knife of the people.

and dwayne johnson is the peoples champ.
 
Silverdagger said:
I would think the first definition of the knife of the people would be "does Wal Mart carry it"? :D
Click to expand...

Yup, gotta agree that the Native is probably the current plebian spydie. I also agree that the Delica is probably the best overall for general purposes. Byrds could rule the class though if more widely distributed.
 
Delicia 4 is still only 50$ in VG10/FRN but my person fave is the larger Endura.
I don't even know what a Centofante looks like because I am more into the MBC spydies.
 
the delica 4 SE is really superb. good all around blade to have.

the salt 1 is awesome too, though the delica 4 is stronger cause the salt 1 doesnt have steel liners. i like the big spearlike tip of the salt 1 though, and the SE H1 steel has a lot of cutting power, i know i cause i sliced through a used backpack with mine and accidentally hit the zipper. the salt 1 SE blade went right through it:eek: only a tiny part of the blade edge needed to be resharpened after that, though it would have cut just fine without the touchup. rustproof too!
 
Hi Kgriggs8,

Interesting point of view.

Hard for me to say as the Delica4 was my design. I will say that I designed the Delica (and Endura) to be "the knife of the people". I included features that I felt the majority would want in a reliable, safe, hard working knife. Each model (1,2,3 & 4) offered things the previous model did not. I felt the added features were worth the "investment" in new tooling and promotion each time, which are expensive. Very few knife companies refine and improve their models if new tooling is required.

Also keeping price points reasonable is very challenging in todays knife market, often requiring lower margins than might be preferred.

That's not to say that the Centofante designs have not improved and refined over the years. Frank is an excellent designer and knife maker and we've spent many hours in refinement of his designs. (Frank is one of my teachers). With his experience (which is much greater than mine) I think we created what he felt was a very fine gent's folder.

It's easy for me to see why you like it. It's light, thin, easy to carry and use. Has a long cutting edge for the size, is reasonably priced and not offensive to NKPs. I do not think it's a "beginners" knife. It is very sophisticated in its design and takes one with more knife knowledge and experience to appreciate its "finery".

I've never thought of the Delica as a gent's folder. More of a "pit bull" in disguise. The name, like the "Civilian" has a bit of my sick humor in it. There's not much "delicate" about the Delica. I even strengthened the tip on the 4 to be able to handle the "tough" chores.

sal
 
I liked the older Delicas, but I REALLY like the Delica 4's. And IMO, the slight weight difference is hardly even noticeable. The cost difference is not great, either. And I appreciate the "bull nose" on the new version. Not only does it make the tip more stable, but I find for many of my uses, it helps me with the cuts I make with the tip of the edge to "push into" the cut.

I'd say the only real downside to the 4's is I'm not willing to just dunk it under running water if it needs a cleaning as I would be with the all-FRN handles. So in such a case, if I were going into such environment that may cause that dirtiness, I'd either use my Salt 1 or older Delicas.

Well, there is one more downside in my observation. Though I like my Delica 4 CE, it seems there are rarely any full SE or PE versions available to buy in stores. It seems there were more CE versions of this knife that were manufactured(?).
Jim
 
I personally prefer the D4 to the 3. The ergos are perfect for me, and I love the clip. The grind of the 3 has its merits, though. The Salt I is a great alternative to the D3, for my uses - definitely one of my favorite & most-used knives.

I consider the D4 the do-it-all EDC in my carry rotation. Despite having many more 'sophisticated' or higher-end knives, my D4 foliage green CE is my favorite EDC.

I am also a big fan of the Cento 3/4, but I would use them a lot more if they were available in a lefty-clip option. The thin blades are great, and they are nice looking knives too.
 
Never had a tip broken off sofar so how much I like my D4/SE, I only wish Spyderco would have put the Delica1 blade into the D4 design.

Serrated to the very tip(like it should;))
 
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