Delica lifetime

wmcilvain · #1

I am curious as to how long a delica 4 will last?

I own and use a sharpmaker only. I only ask because i had a friend in what was such a kind gesture attempt to sharpen my knife and he removed quite a good amount of metal. after the hijacking i smoothed out the edge and it is good again but it raises the question how long will it last until i am carrying a shiv not a knife. i love this knife so much i am temped to by a preemptive back-up...

as always any information would be great and pictures even better to show hard/long use

razorsharp · #2

Saber or full flat?

xceptnl · #3

I would anticipate a delica under normal use and sharpening to last half a lifetime so I suggest getting a backup or 4. Seriously, this is all relative to how you use your knives and how often you typically have to sharpen VG-10. If your use is heavy, maybe you want to look into a more wear resistant steel like ZDP.

wmcilvain · #4

its a full flat grind. and I thought about a zdp but was concerned because I do alot of camping/canoeing/hunting/fishing etc etc. and I have heard the corrosion resistance is sub-par with VG-10. some-times hunting/everything trips last 3-5 days without being back to clean up anything

SpyderNut · #5

Good question, Wmcilvane.

(On a humorous note, this kind of reminds me of the old commercial for Tootsie Pops: “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?”) :)

All jesting aside, however, the general longevity of the Delica’s blade (or any knife blade) will vary widely based on how often you use the knife, the types of material being cut, and how often you re-sharpen the blade. For instance, if you only use the knife for light-duty type chores (e.g. opening mail/packages, cutting thread, cleaning fingernails, etc.), then the blade should last quite a long time since you probably won’t need to re-sharpen it very often. If, on the other hand, you subject the blade to heavy-duty cutting chores on a regular basis (e.g. cutting through asphalt shingles, hardwoods, drywall, etc.) then you will probably need to re-sharpen the blade quite a bit more frequently which will then shorten the life of the blade/knife. This is where the high-end, premium steels such as ZDP-189 really shine, though. These types of steel are basically made to take quite a bit of wear and tear before they begin to break down and require a new edge. Hope this helps!

Srg. Trollski · #6

Get 4 of them, and convert them all into short range hand held lasers.

SpyderNut · #7

As long as you wipe the blade off with a dry cloth after you're finished using it, you shouldn't have to worry too much about rust/corrosion setting in (on the ZDP-189). I've not had any trouble with corrosion/rust on my Manbug so far. If the blade becomes soiled while out in the field, I'd probably just rinse it off with warm water and wash with a mild soap. I'd make sure to let it dry thoroughly before I stuck it back into my pocket, though.

Blerv · #8

Depends on your use and sharpening style.

In general quite a while. Far longer than most things that cost $55. :)

wmcilvain · #9

it would be nice to get a delica in s30v with a full flat grind. but that may not happen. i guess I can wait to get another later on since i seriously doubt the delica design is going anywhere

xceptnl · #10

wmcilvain wrote:it would be nice to get a delica in s30v with a full flat grind. but that may not happen. i guess I can wait to get another later on since i seriously doubt the delica design is going anywhere

Not likely at all, but maybe you should consider another Spyderco platform that you know comes in S30V and has similar dimensions. The Sage series or the FRN Native could also prove very worthy.

GoodEyeSniper · #11

if you like the Delica and s30v you should definitely check out the frn native. I much prefer the native platform over the Delica. ymmv.

also, if you have time to wash your hands when hunting/camping you have time to keep your knife from rusting. I brought three non stainless knives camping this weekend that saw a lot of moisture and acidic foods (marinated meat, onions, peppers, fruit, etc...) the only one that was actually rinsed afterwards was the one that cut raw meat, all the rest got wiped off quickly and set aside.

no rust problems.

Clip · #12

How much steel was removed? I'm picturing a saber grind turned into bar stock again :)

jsveiga · #13

I have a G-2 Delica "1", which I think I bought 19 years ago. I did break the tip (some 3mm) somewhere along the way (can't remember how), but I ground a new one.

It lasted so much because I never had (still haven't) the patience to learn how to properly sharpen its serrated edge. It still cuts very well. It won't shave nor split hair, but it can do any actual useful work a pocket knife is supposed to do. I was happy with that until...

I bought a ZDP Stretch, a ZDP Dragonfly, and a Persistence 6 months ago, all plain edge, and I'm sure I removed more steel from each of the ZDPs in these 6 months than I ever did from the Delica in 19 years - because I got a bit OCD with sharpness. I'm sharpening these knifes sometimes twice in the same week, and I'm not even using them for real work (just slicing magazines, shaving/splitting hair, and getting my family a bit worried about me).

At this pace, these knifes will NOT last 19 years, even in ZDP (nor will my Sharpmaker, nor my fingers, nor my arm hair, I guess).

So I'll HAVE to buy me a S30V and a VG-10 knife soon, as some people say they may take sharper edges.

Well, seriously, I think that if you use the knife often, and carry it around a lot, your risk of losing it or even breaking it is higher than of "running out of blade" due to sharpening (unless you become obsessive as I think I'm becoming and keep sharpening when you don't need to), so a preemptive backup is a good idea anyway. Every one has a good rational excuse to buy more Spydercos (yeah, I think I'll use that with my wife when I buy the new knifes, thanks).

Here are images of my long use and neglected (but not hard use) Delica, from the good times when I only had that and a Victorinox which I didn't know nor care about how to sharpen.

best regards,
Joao S Veiga