If only

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theJman

Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Messages
320
Some of these knives are very intriguing - specially for me, the Delta 5 - it's just a shame they're so difficult to purchase. I really like the indented thumb spot in the spine, which seems so much better that jimping! For those who have been able to get their hands on a Delta 5, how does that thumb depression work in the real world? To me it seems perfectly logical.
 
Hey Jman,

There are at least a couple of dealers that carry Dylan's knives. USA Made Blade and BladeCo USA come to mind. Bladeco has a Delta 5 listed on their website now if you are interested in 3/16" CPM 154.

http://www.bladecousa.com/fletcher-knives.html

Dylan also has a "dibs" request system where you can request a specific knife and you will have dibs if he makes it.

Dylan makes great knives, so it is worth the effort to be patient to get what you are looking for. Good luck.

Phil
 
Well, Bladeco had a Delta 5. Not anymore though. :D Thanks for the tip Phil! :thumbup:

They're selling it for 16% more then the price listed on the Fletcher website, so I almost didn't buy it. The $231 on the manufacturers website says it's for a "basic model" but gives no indication as to what precisely that means, so it's tough to say if the $275 Bladeco sold this one for was reasonable or an unnecessary upcharge for whatever reason. But the knife design interests me - orange is the predominant color in my kit, which is the color of the liners, and I like CPM154 - so I decided to go for it. Really appreciate your help.
 
theJman said:
Well, Bladeco had a Delta 5. Not anymore though. :D Thanks for the tip Phil! :thumbup:

They're selling it for 16% more then the price listed on the Fletcher website, so I almost didn't buy it. The $231 on the manufacturers website says it's for a "basic model" but gives no indication as to what precisely that means, so it's tough to say if the $275 Bladeco sold this one for was reasonable or an unnecessary upcharge for whatever reason. But the knife design interests me - orange is the predominant color in my kit, which is the color of the liners, and I like CPM154 - so I decided to go for it. Really appreciate your help.
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I am glad that it worked out for you Jman. I am pretty sure that the price difference you saw on that one is the upcharge for CPM 154 stainless. The base prices are typically for O1 tool steel, so the price you paid looks right to me.

Post some pictures and comments when you get it.

Phil
 
yeah .. getting a Delta 5 in CPM154 is kinda on the rare side. I thought stainless was more like a $60 up-charge.
 
I already received a shipping confirmation, on a Saturday no less. Looks like I should have it by Tuesday or Wednesday. That was fast...
 
Howdie! I'll chime in. By the way, you scored an awesome Delta-5. The prices listed on the website are base prices for models with no upgrades at all such as steel type or handle configurations. It covers just )-1 carbon steel, canvas micarta scales, and a sheath. Any time you see them for more than that, they have some sort of upgrade done to them. I am very particular about what dealers I do business with and all of them are honest, good folks. You'll never see my knives needlessly upcharged from any dealer. In fact, the only time you'll see a price that is different from what I would charge for a direct-to-customer sale is when they're on special.
 
I would be surprised if you said anything else like "oh, so you got that 2nd rate POS I wouldn't even wish on my mother-in-law!". :p All kidding aside... you make a very nice knife. This one shows great attention to detail and suggests a lot of pride went into the production.

I've only had it for two days now - so there's been no opportunity for me to get it dirty yet - but here are my initial thoughts:

Knife
  • Excellent craftsmanship. The end result is outstanding. Scales line up perfectly with the tang, pins and lanyard hole are completely flush to the handle, the micarta has been smoothed and rounded yet it still retains enough texture to ensure proper grip. Plunge lines are even and everything is symmetrical side-to-side. Sometimes quality is easier to sense than describe, and this would be one of those instances.
  • It feels lighter than I thought it would. Given the length and blade thickness I was anticipating a knife that felt heavier, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it this manageable.
  • In typical Kephart fashion, the tip is perfectly centered. For what I do that's beneficial.
  • Came razor sharp with a nice smooth edge on it. I find less value from a "toothy" edge, so this style is more my preference.
  • Spine is not sharp 90 degrees which makes it less than ideal for things like a ferro rod. I haven't tried it for scraping tasks yet, but my guess is it may not excel at those either.
  • Very unique appearance. I wanted something a bit different and this profile fulfills that need. But it's not different just for the sake of it - some of the distinctive features are functional as well. Like the thumb divot for example; that falls into the "why doesn't anyone else do this?" category. To some it might appear a bit ungainly, but from a functional standpoint it works brilliantly. My thumb rests in it perfectly, and the feel is totally natural to boot. I haven't used the knife outside yet, but judging by how comfortable it feels now I doubt my opinion will change.
  • There are 3 blemishes in the finish on the flat just above the FK makers mark. I saw indications of them on Bladeco's website but figured they might be artifacts in the pictures. They weren't. If I was a collector that would bother me, but my knives don't sit in a vault so they're only going to get more usage marks as time goes on.
  • The handle is long enough for my largish hands, which has definitely been an issue for me with other knives. It could be thicker though because it's barely enough for me to get full purchase on. The overall feel from the contours is good so I don't anticipate much in the way of hot-spots.
 
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Sorry for the multiple posts in order to complete my eval. bladeforums seems incapable of allowing even a measly amount of text to be placed into a single post; every time I tried to include all of it at once the forum puked out an error, so as a consequence I was forced to work around its shortcomings and use several posts instead.
 
Sheath
  • The Kydex seems to be good quality. It's made from two pieces - formed into the 'pancake' style - which is neither a plus or minus in my book. The edges have been smoothed over, so no sharp spots to deal with. For some inexplicable reason that detail is often overlooked by other knife makers and I have never been able to figure out why because it's no little thing. Spend any time in the woods with a Kydex sheath that has sharp edges and you'll know exactly what I mean.
  • It's as small as it could be, and I like that. Personally I'm not a fan of large/garish sheaths. I much prefer they be sized more in line with the dimensions of the knife, and that's the case with the Delta 5.
  • There's no belt loop or attachment point of any type. In a knife which costs this much I think that should be included. Having to go get a tek lok before I can even take it into the field is not OK with me. There's no drain hole either, something that should be standard on every Kydex sheath.
  • The knife fits almost perfectly in the sheath. Almost; shake it around and you can hear a slight rattle. There's no danger of it falling out though - and I'm not in a tactical situation where absolutely silence is mandatory - so I'm not particularly concerned.
 
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Dylan, since you are monitoring this thread perhaps you can answer a question for me... on Bladeco's website it says this knife will include a Certificate of Authenticity, but they never provided me one. I know you produce 40 unit runs before a model gets discontinued, so my guess is that certificate might be of value if I ever opted to sell the knife. Should I be concerned that they omitted mine?
 
Some images as well...

Fletcher_Knives_Delta_5_1.jpg


Fletcher_Knives_Delta_5_3.jpg


Fletcher_Knives_Delta_5_4.jpg


Fletcher_Knives_Delta_5_6.jpg


Fletcher_Knives_Delta_5_8.jpg
 
theJman said:
Dylan, since you are monitoring this thread perhaps you can answer a question for me... on Bladeco's website it says this knife will include a Certificate of Authenticity, but they never provided me one. I know you produce 40 unit runs before a model gets discontinued, so my guess is that certificate might be of value if I ever opted to sell the knife. Should I be concerned that they omitted mine?
Click to expand...

I would contact Bladeco and see if they just forgot to include it. I bought this Bush Operator II from them and it came with the cert.

20151021_135846.jpg
 
mistwalker said:
I would contact Bladeco and see if they just forgot to include it. I bought this Bush Operator II from them and it came with the cert.
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I never heard back from Dylan on that so I turned to Bladeco. They were quick to respond and are going to have another one made and sent to me. When it arrives I'll post an update.
 
Congrats! I'm sure you'll enjoy using it. Dylan's knives are top notch. :thumbup:
 
Kirkwood said:
Congrats! I'm sure you'll enjoy using it. Dylan's knives are top notch. :thumbup:
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Thanks! I'm hoping to get out in the field with it at least once before winter closes in (I live in the NW corner of New Jersey, so my dirt time for 2015 is drawing to an end).
 
Nice Delta 5 you scored. I scored a second hand Base model Delta-5 last year, OD green Canvas Micarta scales and black pins. It's a great woods companion.
 
Thanks for the review and photos Jman. I hope you enjoy using it for many years to come. It looks like a great fit for your hand size. Please keep us posted on your thoughts after you get some dirt time in with it.

Thanks,

Phil
 
Thanks Phil! This handle could be a little chunkier, but given that my hands are a bit larger than average I frequently have that concern so it's nothing new for me. I tend to sweat a lot as well, so those two issues combined usually make for a problem. The scales on the Delta 5 have a nice texture to them, something that helps counteract both problems. I did get to do a little work in the backyard with it and there were no issues.

I'm hoping to get a few more trips in before Old Man Winter decides I'm done for the year. I have three brand new knives that haven't gotten any usage yet; this Delta 5, a BR Bravo 1.5 and an Ambush Alpha. It's time they get some wear marks on them!
 
theJman said:
Dylan, since you are monitoring this thread perhaps you can answer a question for me... on Bladeco's website it says this knife will include a Certificate of Authenticity, but they never provided me one. I know you produce 40 unit runs before a model gets discontinued, so my guess is that certificate might be of value if I ever opted to sell the knife. Should I be concerned that they omitted mine?
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Bladeco contacted me about the certificate. It got lost somewhere between us. I have your address and will get one out to you.

Since you brought up a few subjects that people might want to know about, I'll address these also.

The grippy handle finish I do is a process I use that I don't think anyone else does. When I finish the handles, I polish everything. Then I go back and mask off the liners and spine, and sandblast the rest. That knocks out some of the epoxy resin, exposing fibers in the layers, which makes for an incredibly grippy finish that also looks nice and smooth. It's deceptive, because it looks very smooth, but will give you incredible grip no matter what gets on your hands.

The CPM154CM I use is "mill-finish" as apposed to "precision ground". The precision ground stuff costs twice as much and would jack the price of the knife way up, so I use the mill-finish steel to keep the price down. It's not inferior in any way and it lets me keep the price point in the range where everyone can afford it. That being the case, it's not uncommon to see small divots or spots here and there in the finish that would have otherwise been surface-ground off. A lot of other knifemakers use this same steel, but do some crazy finishes or texturing to cover that up, and charge extra for it. I feel like turning the entire surface into a blemish to cover up a small blemish here and there and charging money for it is kind of silly, so I don't do it.

As far as the spine being rounded; I used to do a sharp spine on my knives. My argument was that I wanted people to be able to scrape with it and strike a firesteel. After having several conversations with experts way beyond my own experience such as Ron Hood, Ethan Becker, etc., the general opinion was that, considering strikers don't weigh anything, and you can always use the edge of your knife if you lose the striker without causing almost any damage, why not just carry the striker? Having a rounded over spine makes it much more comfortable to use. Also, using a stainless knife to strike a firesteel is awful to begin with, so just carry the striker since it's made out of carbon steel. I brought up the "ounces vs pounds / ultralight" aspect, and they told me to shut up and carry the striker. It doesn't weigh anything.
 
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