Thinking Spyderco Delica 4, user opinions wanted

I like the Delica 4 for light EDC. FRN is perfect on this knife, and it carries really light. About the only complaint I have is that the blade is less pointy than, say, the Police or Delica 3.
 
Great knife.:thumbup:

Finally tried a Spyderco after many years of thinking I wouldnt like them. A Delica 3 was the first and have since bought several flavors of the D4. It's the most used EDC knife model that I grab now.

Perfect size for me and solid lockup and sharp. The attributes are many.

Still wanting to get a FFG G-10 version...:D
 
i had a pacific salt which i think is pretty similar to the d4 (maybe like 1/16 inch difference and slightly differnet blade shape due to the larger thumbhole on the ps) but i liked it a lot. light as heck- i could barely feel it in my pocket and had great ergos. i'm personally not a huge fan of the spydercos frn, and im pretty sure i saw a thread somewhere on here about somewher ehaving the g10 ones for like 60 bucks. thats a friggin gnarly steal right there! and i also love vg10 (i think i might like it, dare i say, more than s30v just because for me it sharpens so easily.)
 
cgmblade said:
I don't think you are going to find many people who've used a D4 who don't like it.
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I have a Delica 4 and to be honest, I don't like it. Without going into too much detail, two things do it for me:

1. I DESPISE the tip. I've never had a problem with my tips chipping so I don't know why they had to "reinforce" this one by rounding it down.

2. The grind starts WAY too low on the blade. Therefore, this knife is a terrible slicer. Try slicing cheese like you would to put on top of some crackers and you'll see what i mean. It's terrible.

My EDC as of now is the Delica 3, which in my opinion is a MUCH better knife. It has a real tip, and the grind starts SLIGHTLY higher than the Delica 4 (although this could be better...can you tell I like full flat ground blades?)

If I had to rate them, I'd give the Delica 4 a 4 out of 10, the Delica 3, an 8. (1 point off for non-adjustable pivot, 1 point off for the still-too-low grind).
 
My son carried a Delica 3 for 12 years as a Boatswains Mate in the USN. It served him very well. I carry a Delica 4 PE VG10 with a Tom Krein Full Flat Grind. It is an awesome knife.
 
ans7812 said:
I have a Delica 4 and to be honest, I don't like it. Without going into too much detail, two things do it for me:

1. I DESPISE the tip. I've never had a problem with my tips chipping so I don't know why they had to "reinforce" this one by rounding it down.

2. The grind starts WAY too low on the blade. Therefore, this knife is a terrible slicer. Try slicing cheese like you would to put on top of some crackers and you'll see what i mean. It's terrible.

My EDC as of now is the Delica 3, which in my opinion is a MUCH better knife. It has a real tip, and the grind starts SLIGHTLY higher than the Delica 4 (although this could be better...can you tell I like full flat ground blades?)

If I had to rate them, I'd give the Delica 4 a 4 out of 10, the Delica 3, an 8. (1 point off for non-adjustable pivot, 1 point off for the still-too-low grind).
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Let me add to this a few reasons why I like the Delica3 better. First, I liked the clip attachment screw better (just one) than the D4 which requires 3 little screws. It was a much simpler design. Second, the handle was shorter due in part to the clip arrangement which meant the knife rode lower in the pocket.

I have nothing against the addition of the steel liners or the more rounded blade tip. I do dislike the lower grind and the different clip attachment. Overall, it's still a great knife. Good enough that I bought one, I just miss my Delica3.
 
I was lucky enough to pick up two Delica 3's about 8 months ago. Both were pretty cheap. One was lightly used (which I now carry), the other is brand spankin' new. No box, but it might as well have come straight from the factory; never used, no scratches/smudges. Hopefully nothing happens to the one I carry now so I can keep the new one in perfect condition.
 
ans7812 said:
I was lucky enough to pick up two Delica 3's about 8 months ago. Both were pretty cheap. One was lightly used (which I now carry), the other is brand spankin' new. No box, but it might as well have come straight from the factory; never used, no scratches/smudges. Hopefully nothing happens to the one I carry now so I can keep the new one in perfect condition.
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Do you know what steel your D3's are? I can't remember what mine was but I had no complaints.
 
I have a D3 CE in VG-10. It's still a great knife, but I find that I edc the D4 much more. I've really grown to like the tactile feel of the bi-directional grip.
 
Good knife. The flat saber grind is too thick I think. The hollow saber grind on the Stainless D4 is better. I would wait until a full flat ground Delica 4 comes out in the beginning of next year. I love how the D4 feels in the hand, but the main grind is just too thick for me. I also do not like the 'blunted' tip of the D4 versus the Delica 3 which had a nice splinter picker tip.

Hey just my view... ;)
 
The D4 is still one of my favorite EDCs since I got it a year and a half ago. I actually have the Wave version. You won't be disappointed.
 
I think the Delica is one of those knives that any knife fanatic/collector/user should own. I've got three: D1 with full Spyder Edge from the mid 90s, the Salt1 (which although it uses H1, IMO is a modified point Delica since it uses the D3 FRN scale) and the new D4 in FRN. I'm also considering getting one of the G10 flat ground VG10 blades too.
 
cgmblade said:
I don't think you are going to find many people who've used a D4 who don't like it.
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Well, here's one. :p I recently sold my D4. It was my intro to Spyderco, and now I own 8 Spydies with more on the shopping list. Like ans7812 adn David Lowry, I really disliked the fat saber grind and blunted point, and to a lesser extent the lack of choil. It was much better after moderate reprofiling but with the FFG coming out I lacked the motivation to reprofile it further or thin out the tip.

That being said, I have 2 Endura 4s and will keep them even after I pick up one or more FFG FRN Enduras and a Pacific Salt next year. My CE beater and wave are just too specialized to be easily replaced.

cgmblade said:
If you've never had a Spyderco before I think the Delica 4 is a great introduction to a great brand.
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This is the reason I got a D4, and I still agree. However, nowadays I think the Tenacious, Persistence, Centofante 3 & 4, and Dragonfly compete with the Delica for the previously uncontested "Intro to Spyderco" role.

thejamppa, enjoy your D4. It is popular for a reason! With your Case slippie, it mitigates the D4's stubby grind.
 
and has grown on me. I am also a Kershaw fan and my most popular EDC is a leek (have 4 leeks). The D4 is about the same size as a leek, although the blade area with the spyderhole makes it a little larger. The FRP scales are thicker than the SS leeks and about the same as the G10/S30V leek. Deployment is not as easy as Kershaw speed safe, but can be done one handed.

This was my first spyderco, and the D4 was a great choice, very useful but not too large for EDC. Get the full serrated and I think you will like it, one of the things that make the D4 different that everyone should experience.

If I have a leek and a D4 on my desk and I'm going out, I'll probably put the leek in my pocket. If I need a knife to cut or open something, I'll probably grab the D4. I think my leeks are more comfortable to carry, and the D4 more comfortable to use, although both do a satisfactory job if needed.
 
tradja said:
I really disliked the fat saber grind and blunted point, However, nowadays I think the Tenacious, Persistence, Centofante 3 & 4, and Dragonfly compete with the Delica for the previously uncontested "Intro to Spyderco" role.

thejamppa, enjoy your D4. It is popular for a reason! With your Case slippie, it mitigates the D4's stubby grind.
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Those are the two reasons why the Delica is different and better for some tasks than those other spydercos. The Delica seems sturdier for a lot of the work I do than the full flat grind blades. They both have their strengths so I find it hard to part with my D4. It's an easy to carry, quality knife that you can rely on for quite a number of tasks.
 
I like the Enduras, but don't care for the Delica's as much. They're not so bad, but I just think there are better Spyderco knives in that general size, e.g. Native, Caly3, Sage, etc.
 
cgmblade said:
...I love the BI-directional textured grip and the handle shape is very comfortable. For edc use I actually prefer the FRN over G10 and while the saber ground blade isn't as good a slicer as the FFG blade...
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I just traded for this Delica 4 and am thinking it was modified. Was there a FRN British Racing green 4 made with a FFG VG10 blade? Only ones I've seen are the G10 versions. At any rate it is the best of both worlds as it's light as a feather, fits in the hand really well and slices like the dickens!

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bigmo66 said:
I just traded for this Delica 4 and am thinking it was modified. Was there a FRN British Racing green 4 made with a FFG VG10 blade? Only ones I've seen are the G10 versions. At any rate it is the best of both worlds as it's light as a feather, fits in the hand really well and slices like the dickens!

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I don't think you got that from me. Unless there's another one out there, you probably got it from the person I traded it to, but FYI, it was originally a ZDP Delica. I swapped the FFG VG-10 blade onto it & put the ZDP blade onto my G-10 Delica.

I have since picked up a PE ZDP Delica & that blade is now in my G-10 Delica, so I now also have a light blue FRN ZDP Delica.

I was one of those that didn't care for the Delicas initially, but I have since changed my mind, although I prefer the G-10 models.

While the saber grind might not be the best slicer, it can be re-profiled (Or sent to someone like Tom Krein), but it's an excellent, time-testes design.

I also like the older Delicas, but at 4" closed, they're a little small. The D4s are 4.25" closed & that seems to be an excellent size. While it doesn't have a choil, I'm not so sure that's such a big deal. Although I'll admit that maybe there are some uses where a choil would be better, but I wonder if it's just people getting so used to Spydercos with choils?

At 2.5 oz., the D4's lighweight for its size. I agree that the older Delicas are nice because of their lighter weight (I believe 2.0 oz). I have an older Delica with ATS-55 & it still works very well. It's a SE model, but I'm not sure if it's a D2 or 3.

The Salt version would be a good choice if you want the older, lighter style. H1 is very good steel, but admittedly it isn't as good, edge holding wise, as VG-10, but it is still a good choice.
 
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