Tenacious vs Native III vs Delica 4

S

SangYuP

Joined
Jul 16, 2009
Messages
80
I just joined this forum and I have been trying to learn as much as possible. I'm in the market for a new knife. At first I was going to get the Caly3 CF, but after some consideration, I thought I would get a cheaper knife to begin with. This knife will be my EDC knife. I'm having trouble deciding between the Tenacious and the Native III and Delica 4. The price is about $10 difference so price is not a factor. Which knife do you think is the better knife? I know the tenacious has the better handle, but worse steel. The native III and delica 4 have the worse handle, but better steel. Is the FRN really that much worse than the G-10? Thanks in advance.
 
Really, I don' t think you can go wrong with either knife. I wouldn' t say G-10 is necessarily better than the FRN on the Delica 4 and Native III. It is only a little bit grippier and probably tougher than the FRN. But it doesn' t really make a significant difference. Trust me, you' ll never break the handle scales on either knife, and the FRN is textured just fine so it won' t slip from you hand. Also I wouldn' t say that 8CR13MoV is a worse steel than VG10, only the edge retention is slightly lower, but for that it sharpens up easier. So really, I' d just pick what design appeals most to you as all the knives you listed should perform more than fine.

Edit: Welcome to the forums;)
 
I would go with the tenacious, the vg10 steel is great but the grind on the delica is very obtuse, the full flat grind on the tenacious and G-10 make it very comfortable and a good slicer.
 
i do not own any of the knives in question, nor the steel. However, i do own a native in s30v. I love the ergos of the knife, and the blade is of adequate size for most chores. If the native III shares much of the s30v native's ergos, then it would be a fabulous choice.
 
I would go with the delica, VG-10 is a wonderful steel, the knife carries very nicely, and it feels good in the hand.

The same of course can be said about the other two knives you listed but for me it’s the delica.
 
I held a Tenacious the other day, and I didn't find the G10 as grippy as the G10 on other models. Plus, I like FRN anyway :D

The Tenacious is an awesome design. I only wish it had better steel. I'd still say that the Delica is the superior model, but they're both really good knives.

Solution: get both :D
 
I wanted to thank everyone for their input. Unfortunately there is no clear winner here. I was hoping everyone would pick a winner out of the 3, but it seems like everyone likes all three knives. I would love to purchase all of them, but the wifey said I could only get one (for now). I guess I'll do some more research and maybe more people will give me their opinions. Also, the tenacious is 4 ounces and the other are under 3 ounces. Does that make a difference for a EDC? Sorry for all the questions, like I said, I'm new to this and I'm trying to learn as much as possible. Thanks again!
 
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of the two , i have the native 3, great little knife
can stand some serious use, still going strong after some years of use , and its light, easy to clean, great for EDC
it does fall behind the military in cutting ability, and is a little bulkier than the delica, but it has a great grip do to the well thought handle
it aint as smooth in opening and closing, i mean , good luck flicking that open...it works..but not always
overall i like the little beater, and its my knife of choice for around the house EDC and light clothes wear.
 
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I really like the Native III for it's ergos. Some folks don't like that it feels wide in the pocket compared to the other two. All of the knives are good enough for any reasonable task for a folder. My choices in order of preference:

1) Native III
2) Delica 4
3) Tenacious
 
Hi SangYup,

Welcome to Bladeforums,

The three models were designed to serve the needs and desires of different customers. Each design has particular advantages to some, and as with all things, probably some down sides to some.

The Tenacious was designed:

To be sold at a price point that was accessible to most knife people.
(Spyderco knives have become expensive for many in modern times,
but "back in the day", we were always affordable. Japanese Yen and
USA mfg costs have gone up quite a bit).
We are able to do this by mfg the Tenacious in China where the Yuan /
dollar rate is favorable to lower prices.
To have the most blade length to handle ratio. This is important to some
knife people.
To have a Walker Linerlock which offers less resistance to opening.
A machined G-10 handle scales at affordable pricing.
A size that was legal and acceptable in most areas.
A fairly thick blade for hard use.
Skeletonized liners to reduce weight.

The downside includes;

Heavier.
Made in China, which to some is negative.
Blade steel with less edge retention.

The Delica4;

A 20 year evolution of the "ideal" pocket folder.
Light
Strong (nested skeletonized steel liners)
More affordable for a Seki made model (FRN scales)
VG-10 0r ZDP-189 blade steel (superior blade materials)
Mid lock-back which has a strong self close.
Bi-directional texuring which offers good grip even with gloves.

Downides;

Still more expensive than many competitive models
Some don't like FRN handles

The Native3 is part of the continued development of the Native model.

Large finger choil (for those that like finger choils).
Light.
Strong (FRN only)
Wire pocket clip
VG-10 blade steel - hollow ground
Very ergonomic countoured handle for continued useage.

Downsides;

Still more expensive than many competitive models
Tip up clip only

hope that helps.

sal
 
Obviously you really can't go wrong with any of the three, so its a nice little pickle to have. If you want the most bang for your buck, the Tenacious is your answer. The perceived downside to the Tenacious compared to the other two is blade steel and origin of manufacture.

The Tenacious may not have as good edge retention, but that's more than offset by ease by which you can touch it up plus the upgrade in G10 over FRN for handle material. It has a high flat grind starting from the spine, so its an excellent cutter. As an EDC, you probably won't be subjecting the blade to extremely vigorous use anyways, so for EDC purposes the 8CR13MoV steel is more than sufficient. If a knife made in China has substandard quality control, then that's an obvious problem, but this is NOT the case with the Tenacious. If the fit and finish is as good, but the lower overhead allows Spyderco to sell it at a better price point, what's not to like? I've got both the Tenacious and the Native, and I find myself reaching for the Tenacious just as often as I do for the Native.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi SangYup,

Welcome to Bladeforums,

The three models were designed to serve the needs and desires of different customers. Each design has particular advantages to some, and as with all things, probably some down sides to some.

The Tenacious was designed:

To be sold at a price point that was accessible to most knife people.
(Spyderco knives have become expensive for many in modern times,
but "back in the day", we were always affordable. Japanese Yen and
USA mfg costs have gone up quite a bit).
We are able to do this by mfg the Tenacious in China where the Yuan /
dollar rate is favorable to lower prices.
To have the most blade length to handle ratio. This is important to some
knife people.
To have a Walker Linerlock which offers less resistance to opening.
A machined G-10 handle scales at affordable pricing.
A size that was legal and acceptable in most areas.
A fairly thick blade for hard use.
Skeletonized liners to reduce weight.

The downside includes;

Heavier.
Made in China, which to some is negative.
Blade steel with less edge retention.

The Delica4;

A 20 year evolution of the "ideal" pocket folder.
Light
Strong (nested skeletonized steel liners)
More affordable for a Seki made model (FRN scales)
VG-10 0r ZDP-189 blade steel (superior blade materials)
Mid lock-back which has a strong self close.
Bi-directional texuring which offers good grip even with gloves.

Downides;

Still more expensive than many competitive models
Some don't like FRN handles

The Native3 is part of the continued development of the Native model.

Large finger choil (for those that like finger choils).
Light.
Strong (FRN only)
Wire pocket clip
VG-10 blade steel - hollow ground
Very ergonomic countoured handle for continued useage.

Downsides;

Still more expensive than many competitive models
Tip up clip only

hope that helps.

sal
Click to expand...

This has to be one of the more incredible posts I’ve ever read on BFC.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi SangYup,

Welcome to Bladeforums,

The three models were designed to serve the needs and desires of different customers. Each design has particular advantages to some, and as with all things, probably some down sides to some.

The Tenacious was designed:

To be sold at a price point that was accessible to most knife people.
(Spyderco knives have become expensive for many in modern times,
but "back in the day", we were always affordable. Japanese Yen and
USA mfg costs have gone up quite a bit).
We are able to do this by mfg the Tenacious in China where the Yuan /
dollar rate is favorable to lower prices.
To have the most blade length to handle ratio. This is important to some
knife people.
To have a Walker Linerlock which offers less resistance to opening.
A machined G-10 handle scales at affordable pricing.
A size that was legal and acceptable in most areas.
A fairly thick blade for hard use.
Skeletonized liners to reduce weight.

The downside includes;

Heavier.
Made in China, which to some is negative.
Blade steel with less edge retention.

The Delica4;

A 20 year evolution of the "ideal" pocket folder.
Light
Strong (nested skeletonized steel liners)
More affordable for a Seki made model (FRN scales)
VG-10 0r ZDP-189 blade steel (superior blade materials)
Mid lock-back which has a strong self close.
Bi-directional texuring which offers good grip even with gloves.

Downides;

Still more expensive than many competitive models
Some don't like FRN handles

The Native3 is part of the continued development of the Native model.

Large finger choil (for those that like finger choils).
Light.
Strong (FRN only)
Wire pocket clip
VG-10 blade steel - hollow ground
Very ergonomic countoured handle for continued useage.

Downsides;

Still more expensive than many competitive models
Tip up clip only

hope that helps.

sal
Click to expand...

Sal, thank you so much for taking the time to share that useful information. Wow, this forum is very friendly and there are so many experts that are willing to share info. Thank you!
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi SangYup,

The Tenacious

To have a Walker Linerlock which offers less resistance to opening.


The Delica4;

Mid lock-back which has a strong self close.

The Native3 is part of the continued development of the Native model.

sal
Click to expand...

What kind of locking mechanism does the native 3 have? Is it the same as the delica 4?
 
If you can get to a store that has them all, that will be helpful. Even if you don't buy there, you can have a better idea. I liked the idea of the endura more, got it, and is was just longer than I wanted- so I got the delica. I like it a lot, but sometimes think it's smaller than I would really like. That said, it's very handy and I often have a fixed blade on me too.
 
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