Photo comparison of FFG Endura & Delica

mongatu · #1

I took a few photos to try to show someone the differences between the :spyder: FFG Endura and Delica. I thought they might be of general interest (not that they are particularly great or anything :) ) so here they are:

I think it would be cool if there was a version of the Endura that had blade thickness as thin as the Delica. (Obviously, would not be good for heavy duty uses.)

Actually, does anyone know of any other :spyder: models that are FFG as well as long like the Endura but also thin like the Delica? (And it wouldn't hurt if they were also super values like the Endura and Delica are.)

recon1s14 · #2

I kinda prefere the thicker blade on the FFG knives, it unsures that it wont snap under pressure, and in my line o work they have a tendency to snap XD

SQSAR · #3

+1 with Recon1s14. I like FFG well enough, but only when it comes with a thick enough spine to add strength. That's why I like the new SpuerLeaf so much. Nice pictures by the way.

unit · #4

That is funny. I spent a lot of time grinding my E4 to be as thin as my D4. I like 'em thin!

SQSAR · #5

Ken: I was thinking about your proclivity for thin blades as soon as I read the original post.

mongatu · #6

unit wrote:That is funny. I spent a lot of time grinding my E4 to be as thin as my D4. I like 'em thin!

Me too! I bet that would take a long time if done by hand. I've been thinking about attempting it (with a DMT XXC for the major metal removal part of the job) on one of my FFG Endura's. For my mostly lighter uses, I think it would still be plenty strong enough. I have a Japanese kitchen knife (Tadatsuna gyuto) that has a 265mm long blade that is only 2 mm thick at the thickest part of the spine and it is still plenty strong for kitchen duty. It's an awesome slicer of course. Made of Ginsanko (Gin 3) steel.

unit · #7

It took a couple hours with a DMT XC. Well worth the effort IMO. It is the knife in my avatar.

More photos and discussion of this knifein this Spyderco forum thread if anyone is interested.

recon1s14 · #8

Yah I feel the same thick ffg=excellent cutter and great utility blade. How does the Superleafs handle ergos feel btw?

SQSAR · #9

Recon: The SuperLeaf has quickly become my favorite Spyderco, hands down. Ergos are great in both forward and reverse grips. Handle just settles into the hand with subtle tact, and you know/feel you have a solid grip without having to squeeze real hard to maintain it. Large choil is nice (even though I rarely use it), with plenty of jimping therein. It's just a sweet knife. I know some will disagree, but to me, it seems like a beefier Para2, , , and who doesn't like that?

recon1s14 · #10

LOL that sounds awsome :) I can appreciate the reverse grip for sure, and the finger choil is also of use to me, now to find a Super Leaf at a super discounted price XD like my new Native which only cost me 42.87 XD

marknett · #11

the stretch 2 is about the same thickness as the delica and is longer than delica but shorter than endura .. plus it 's got that cool drop point :)

Blerv · #12

Personally I'd just get a zdp Stretch or Endura and put a sick edge on it. It will take angles VG10 won't. Same goes for other exotic steels like M4 and S90v.

That way you get edge geometry w/o sacrificing spine thickness. Most folks need that extra 1mm...because they would snap tips off.

recon1s14 · #13

Yah? And it has a better price tag too :) hmmm maybe thatll be my next Spydie XD

mongatu · #14

Blerv wrote:Personally I'd just get a zdp Stretch or Endura and put a sick edge on it. It will take angles VG10 won't. Same goes for other exotic steels like M4 and S90v.

. . . .

Sounds like a good idea except I'm a little burned out on ZDP and I'm very much enjoying how easily and quickly VG-10 sharpens and touches up. I really like the edges I'm getting with that steel.

I think the Endura FFG will be fine and I also decided to get a Caly 3.5 which I know has a 3mm spine same as the Endura but I want to experience a somewhat higher end VG-10 :spyder: .

mongatu · #15

unit wrote:It took a couple hours with a DMT XC. Well worth the effort IMO. It is the knife in my avatar.

More photos and discussion of this knifein this Spyderco forum thread if anyone is interested.

Nice work on that Endura! I'm going to take a look at the other photos. I'm very tempted to try thinning the blade like that on one of mine. The XXC would make even faster work of it since obviously it cuts quite a bit faster than the XC. I once thinned one of my J. kitchen knives (an Aritsugu A series) that was made of an exotic and somewhat mysterious semi stainless steel called "gokinko" that is very wear resistant almost like ZDP, although the hardness is lower. Took forever to grind it down, even with the XXC. Came out great though. Here's a photo of the finished knife but it doesn't really show how thin I was able to get it behind the edge:

Anyway back on topic: Since the Endura is so reasonably priced, it is a great knife to experiment on.

yowzer · #16

mongatu wrote: Actually, does anyone know of any other :spyder: models that are FFG as well as long like the Endura but also thin like the Delica? (And it wouldn't hurt if they were also super values like the Endura and Delica are.)

Chokwe?

.357 mag · #17

Thanks for the pictures.

When I was looking for a new blade just this last Chrismas, I was debating on the Endura. I ended up with the Delica and after your pictures, I'm glad I did. The Endura is way to big for my EDC.

SQSAR · #18

Mongatu: That is an awesome job (and photo) of the Aritsugu A.

mongatu · #19

SQSAR wrote:Mongatu: That is an awesome job (and photo) of the Aritsugu A.

Thank you very much. It literally took a lot of sweat as well as some blood. :) But it did greatly improve the performance of the knife which isn't saying much since it was unsharpened when I bought it. Btw, the steel on that knife is very unusual. It is only about 60 on the Rockwell scale (according to the vendor) and does not contain enough chromium to be classified as a true stainless but it is not reactive. It takes forever to grind but that gives it its incredible edge holding ability (much like ZDP in that respect). One more photo:

@.357 mag: I can understand finding the Endura too big for EDC but for some people (like me) the length is fine. I tried to go back to the Delica for EDC but I just kept finding it to feel too short to be optimal for many tasks even though I had happily used a Caly Jr. (about same blade length as the Delica) as my EDC for several years. But after using the longer blade for a while now I just find the longer blade to be a lot more functional and easier to work with. Especially for tasks such as prepping food and dining which are two things I find myself using an EDC for fairly frequently. If I was mainly just opening mail and packages, the Delica would be fine though. But tbh, I find I don't notice much difference between the two wrt how they feel once they're in my pocket.

Anyway, it's great that Spyderco makes them in the two sizes to satisfy everyone's preference. The Delica & Endura FFG models are just fantastic, imo, even though I did just order a Caly 3.5 the other day. I really want to see what a higher grade :spyder: is like and that knife just seems like it might be perfect for me. But maybe Spyderco should keep making the Caly 3, along with the 3.5, for people who prefer smaller knives.