My Spyderco Delica 4 FFG

[Sharp Guy]

Everyone would love to hear your perspective on the Lil' Para vs the Delica as well. I don't feel like this is "my thread" I feel like it is "our thread" and anyone who feels inclined to share their impressions of the Delica, or variants thereof, please feel free to do so.

I honestly can't say whether or not the ergos on the Lil' Para Mod are better or worse than the stock Delica. While they're definitely different, they both feel good to me. I do find that the the Lil' Para does seem to fill my hand a little better than the stock Delica but, in all fairness, I've never thought the handle of the stock Delica was too thin for my medium-sized hand.

I do like the addition of the finger choil and I like the fact that it can be added without giving up any cutting edge length. When not choking up on the Lil' Para Mod the blade is a little farther away from the hand than the stock Delica but not enough (IMO) to make it feel too awkward to use that way.

As far as G10 vs. FRN. I really like the bi-directional texturing that Spyderco uses on their FRN but the G10 that Boomer uses on the Lil' Para scales is extra grippy. So pretty much a wash there. I haven't used either with wet hands but I imagine the stock Delica might have the advantage there. I could certainly be wrong there though.

All in all I like how the Lil Para scales changes the knife. As I said previously, deployment actually feels smoother to me and I'm not really sure why. However, I won't say it's an improvement over the stock Delica. While different, both knives are excellent.

 

[harronek]

This will be interesting! These days I much prefer FRN over G10

This is something I've been going over in my head for weeks now .
I own a Delica with custom G10 scales and I love the look and " vibe " of it , but if I'm really honest with myself I think I lean towards the FRN for functionality , simplicity , weight , cost , availability , color options , dimensions and the fact that Spyderco got it very close to perfect from the factory .
The one area that the G10 exceeds the FRN in performance for me is clipped in pocket retention .
The texture and grooves in my G10 scales really grip the pocket and it takes a lot more effort to extract the knife .
This gives a much greater sense of security against lose and is a feature that I like .
I know many people say they a clipped knife like that wears out the material of your trousers etc , but I wear heavy jeans everyday at work and the job I do destroys jeans faster than any tightly clipped knife in my pocket will ever do .
On the Standard FRN scales the clip sits against a flat section , I would personally love to see the bi-directional texture completely cover the scale , thus making it harder to extract the knife from the pocket .
I know I'm in probably the only one that thinks this way , but hey a man can dream can't he .

Ken

 

[Gizler00]

I hate Bladeforums..................I just ordered another delica 4! I thought I was over these things. Then I read through this thread.

 

[uxo2]

I put my Sebenza in the EDC drawer and started carrying this beautiful Delica. I have used it for all of the standard EDC type tasks one comes across such as:


I don't know if it will replace my Sebenza, but I know that the two will fight for some pocket and usage time--however, in the end--they can certainly coexist as two fine knives made by two excellent and respected makers:

You stating how a $65 knife competes with a $400 knife for pocket time should really show the naysayers the excellence that Spyderco is producing.

Who would of thought that a CRK guy would make such a comment.

 

[DesertDrifter]

What I love about the Delica 4 is that it disappears in my pocket when carrying it. With the blade quality and performance you get in such a light package, it's amazing!

 

[ps72]

I hate Bladeforums..................I just ordered another delica 4! I thought I was over these things. Then I read through this thread.

This made me laugh. I did the same:

 

[MostMenAreRuthless]

So do I. The FRN strength is great and the weight is a definite advantage. Also the price!

The price is outstanding on the Delica--what a bargain!

I honestly can't say whether or not the ergos on the Lil' Para Mod are better or worse than the stock Delica. While they're definitely different, they both feel good to me. I do find that the the Lil' Para does seem to fill my hand a little better than the stock Delica but, in all fairness, I've never thought the handle of the stock Delica was too thin for my medium-sized hand.

I do like the addition of the finger choil and I like the fact that it can be added without giving up any cutting edge length. When not choking up on the Lil' Para Mod the blade is a little farther away from the hand than the stock Delica but not enough (IMO) to make it feel too awkward to use that way.

As far as G10 vs. FRN. I really like the bi-directional texturing that Spyderco uses on their FRN but the G10 that Boomer uses on the Lil' Para scales is extra grippy. So pretty much a wash there. I haven't used either with wet hands but I imagine the stock Delica might have the advantage there. I could certainly be wrong there though.

All in all I like how the Lil Para scales changes the knife. As I said previously, deployment actually feels smoother to me and I'm not really sure why. However, I won't say it's an improvement over the stock Delica. While different, both knives are excellent.

"While different, both knives are excellent." Thanks for your input!

This is something I've been going over in my head for weeks now .
I own a Delica with custom G10 scales and I love the look and " vibe " of it , but if I'm really honest with myself I think I lean towards the FRN for functionality , simplicity , weight , cost , availability , color options , dimensions and the fact that Spyderco got it very close to perfect from the factory .
The one area that the G10 exceeds the FRN in performance for me is clipped in pocket retention .
The texture and grooves in my G10 scales really grip the pocket and it takes a lot more effort to extract the knife .
This gives a much greater sense of security against lose and is a feature that I like .
I know many people say they a clipped knife like that wears out the material of your trousers etc , but I wear heavy jeans everyday at work and the job I do destroys jeans faster than any tightly clipped knife in my pocket will ever do .
On the Standard FRN scales the clip sits against a flat section , I would personally love to see the bi-directional texture completely cover the scale , thus making it harder to extract the knife from the pocket .
I know I'm in probably the only one that thinks this way , but hey a man can dream can't he .

Ken

Interesting idea.

I hate Bladeforums..................I just ordered another delica 4! I thought I was over these things. Then I read through this thread.

You can NEVER get "over" a Delica!

Who would of thought that a CRK guy would make such a comment.

I know it--I almost felt like I committed a heresy. Don't get me wrong--CRK and the Sebenza are legendary for good reason!

What I love about the Delica 4 is that it disappears in my pocket when carrying it. With the blade quality and performance you get in such a light package, it's amazing!

Agreed.

This made me laugh. I did the same:

Nice!

 

[MostMenAreRuthless]

The "Lil' Para" has been put to use a bit, but not enough to form any serious opinions vs. the Delica as of yet.

Smoke bushes needed a little more taming:


"Suckers" from the roots of the Canadian Chokecherry needed to be cut down:


Dead tips from the Spiraea taken back:


The forward grip via the choil:



The standard grip:


The choil is done very well--such a simple mod makes such a big difference!

 

[unbrokenchain33]

Forgive my ignorance, but wouldn't the Spyderco Salt be a better option? Seems to be the same, except salt water resistant, no?

 

[Sharp Guy]

Forgive my ignorance, but wouldn't the Spyderco Salt be a better option? Seems to be the same, except salt water resistant, no?

Technically a Salt might be a better option. I recently bought a serrated Salt 1 specifically for yard duty. However, VG10 is very stainless and I've been using a variety of VG10 knives (as well as others) in the yard and kitchen without a problem.

 

[gravesen]

Great Delica

[/IMG]

 

[MostMenAreRuthless]

Forgive my ignorance, but wouldn't the Spyderco Salt be a better option? Seems to be the same, except salt water resistant, no?

Thanks for posting--great question . . . I have never owned a Salt, but they seem to be a popular series. The Salt specs seem similar to a Delica, but of course the different steel as you stated. The Lil' Para (a mod kit made by BF member BOOMER52) in the above posts is quite different from the Salt in that it has a modified scale to include a forward choil. In addition, the scales are G10 vs FRN.

Looking back at my posts it does seem like I use my blade for mostly yard work type tasks; however, that is only a small portion of what my EDC gets used for. It gets carried every day and used for anything and everything a knife gets used for. So, for me I prefer the Delica/variants for my daily carry.

Technically a Salt might be a better option. I recently bought a serrated Salt 1 specifically for yard duty. However, VG10 is very stainless and I've been using a variety of VG10 knives (as well as others) in the yard and kitchen without a problem.

I have looked into a SpyderEdge knife for a dedicated yard knife, but I seem to prefer a standard EDC type blade as my preferred carry.

Great Delica

[/IMG]

Nice pic!

 

[MostMenAreRuthless]

Here are a few pics showing just why this mod for the Delica has been named "Lil' Para" by the maker. In hand and in use it really does feel like a mini PM2, excepting the lock mechanism, but it has the same style and feel.

 

[Gizler00]

I really like that

 

[ejames13]

I picked up a LNIB Mantra off of the Exchange thinking that maybe it could kick the Delica out of my pocket. . I have been EDC'ing it over the last couple of weeks. . . Guess which one is in my pocket today?

Here are a few shots of the Mantra. . .

What was your conclusion on the Mantra? It looks like you ended up going back to the Delica, but I don't recall seeing a final outline of your thoughts comparing the two.

 

[MostMenAreRuthless]

What was your conclusion on the Mantra? It looks like you ended up going back to the Delica, but I don't recall seeing a final outline of your thoughts comparing the two.

Hello Mr. James. . . Thanks for reading the thread and thanks for the question. You are right, I favored the Delica over the Mantra. In fact, the Delica beat it out enough that I actually sold the Mantra knowing I wouldn't likely carry it much.

The subjective pros of the Mantra:
*superior steel (M4) and it was super sharp out of the box)
*smooth action
*excellent blade:handle ratio
*Ti Framelock (I prefer a FL without the SS insert ala CRK, but it's not a deal breaker)
*Excellent fit and finish

The subjective cons of the Mantra:
*Flipper--generally speaking I do not like flippers. I knew this going in and hoping the Mantra's flipper would win me over, but it didn't. It flipped OK, not great, but OK.
*Flipper--my biggest gripe against flippers is that the flipper tab forces your grip back towards the butt of the handle, thus pushing your index finger a touch further back from the pivot. It seems like a small nuance, but it really makes a big difference in how the knife feels in hand and in use. The Delica finger placement, in my opinion, is ideal.
*Flipper--for whatever reason the flipper tab hurt my index finger when the knife was in use--the tab itself is contoured nicely, but having that piece of steel jab into the side of my finger was simply uncomfortable. Maybe I have sissy hands. In any case I found it uncomfortable.

Bottom line was that the flipper killed it for me. Now, take off the flipper tab and make the grip position the same as the Delica? Now we would have a serious contender against the Delica. OR, simply do a SPRINT RUN IN M4 on the Delica!!

 

[ejames13]

Hello Mr. James. . . Thanks for reading the thread and thanks for the question. You are right, I favored the Delica over the Mantra. In fact, the Delica beat it out enough that I actually sold the Mantra knowing I wouldn't likely carry it much.

The subjective pros of the Mantra:
*superior steel (M4) and it was super sharp out of the box)
*smooth action
*excellent blade:handle ratio
*Ti Framelock (I prefer a FL without the SS insert ala CRK, but it's not a deal breaker)
*Excellent fit and finish

The subjective cons of the Mantra:
*Flipper--generally speaking I do not like flippers. I knew this going in and hoping the Mantra's flipper would win me over, but it didn't. It flipped OK, not great, but OK.
*Flipper--my biggest gripe against flippers is that the flipper tab forces your grip back towards the butt of the handle, thus pushing your index finger a touch further back from the pivot. It seems like a small nuance, but it really makes a big difference in how the knife feels in hand and in use. The Delica finger placement, in my opinion, is ideal.
*Flipper--for whatever reason the flipper tab hurt my index finger when the knife was in use--the tab itself is contoured nicely, but having that piece of steel jab into the side of my finger was simply uncomfortable. Maybe I have sissy hands. In any case I found it uncomfortable.

Bottom line was that the flipper killed it for me. Now, take off the flipper tab and make the grip position the same as the Delica? Now we would have a serious contender against the Delica. OR, simply do a SPRINT RUN IN M4 on the Delica!!

Thanks for that detailed summary! Looks like you saved me $170 of having to find out for myself.

I was definitely tempted by the sizable increase in cutting edge on the Mantra, but I also am not really a flipper fan. I saw somewhere (either on here or Spyderco forums) where someone ground the flipper tab off completely. I wonder if that would make a difference in how the grip feels.

 

[MostMenAreRuthless]

Thanks for that detailed summary! Looks like you saved me $170 of having to find out for myself.

I was definitely tempted by the sizable increase in cutting edge on the Mantra, but I also am not really a flipper fan. I saw somewhere (either on here or Spyderco forums) where someone ground the flipper tab off completely. I wonder if that would make a difference in how the grip feels.

That mod would be interesting to see--I would like to see if I could find that thread. That being said, that's an expensive mod if it gets fouled up and I don't think I have the fortitude or the funds to make such an attempt!

 

[ejames13]

That mod would be interesting to see--I would like to see if I could find that thread. That being said, that's an expensive mod if it gets fouled up and I don't think I have the fortitude or the funds to make such an attempt!

Found it!

http://spyderco.com/forumII/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=60127&p=1076607&hilit=mantra#p1076607

 

[Sharp Guy]

Found it!

http://spyderco.com/forumII/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=60127&p=1076607&hilit=mantra#p1076607

I've seen that mod/post before too. It does look like the flipper tab interferes with the grip a little but, while I certainly have the capability, I'm not sure I'd want to mod the knife like that either. I am curious to find out how the Mantra works for me. So I'm currently in search of a secondhand Mantra to test out. Like MMAR, and a lot of folks here, I enjoy trying out different knives just see what they're all about. So far, all of the Spydies I have are really good!