The Delica problem

[Wartstein]

....
I'm planning on gifting a small EDC knife to my wife, and I'm not quite sure if it should be the Squeak or the Dragonfly.

Is the Squeak still available?

What speaks for that model: It features an for the two of us "homemade", AUSTRIAN steel (N690), which is a huge plus of course...

That said: I briefly had a Dfly, but never a Squeak, but functionally speaking I would prefer the former: A lock, thinner and a bit longer blade, also an a bit longer handle while still being even lighter, supercool looks... the Squeak should carry deeper though, if this is a thing for your wife.

/ Now there is another smaller-than-the-Delica Spydie, which perhaps could solve the Delica "problem" for YOU:

The Chaparral... An amazing knife! Taichung quality, very thin carry, but bombproof built (metal liners, metal backspacer and of course metal lockbar), some really classy versions, to me great ergos (and I have L to XL hands) and first and foremost the only (??) Spydie with a just 2 mm AND ffg blade - great slicer while still surprisingly strong.
Also the best backlock I´ve ever tried (has an internal stop pin)

AND: There is a really good deal on the serrated one right now (https://www.boker.de/chaparral-frn-gray ... e-01sp1261) as Benja-man kindly let us know (viewtopic.php?p=1805739#p1805739)
I placed an order as soon as I read his post

/ The Chaparral might not be the right choice for your wife though, if she is not used to (backlock) folders yet: The particular Chap lock is a bit harder to operate than most others (though there is a remedy for that)

[Skywalker]

...

@Skywalker - M 390, S30V and ? on the first picture? I'm not sure if I need to go bigger, as I live in a semi-urban environment, and I don't want to scare people away. K390 is really awesome, I love it.

...

The burnt orange is laminated HAP40. They were a sprint run run around 2015-2016. It's a Japanese PM steel very similar to REX 45 (so non-stainless high alloy tool steel, leans a little more into wear resistance than toughness).

It's a good steel but honestly you're not missing anything against current options for K390 (more wear resistance) or PD#1 (more toughness) if you like those kinds of non-stainless tool steels.

[Wartstein]

The burnt orange is laminated HAP40. They were a sprint run run around 2015-2016. It's a Japanese PM steel very similar to REX 45 (so non-stainless high alloy tool steel, leans a little more into wear resistance than toughness).

It's a good steel but honestly you're not missing anything against current options for K390 (more wear resistance) or PD#1 (more toughness) if you like those kinds of non-stainless tool steels.

I love HAP40, but can´t weigh in how it compares to K390 or PD#1 (no experience with those two)

One thing though that is special about Spydercos HAP40 and you @Palestrina might like or not:

This steel is cladded with SUS 410.

- So only the core of the blade (and of course the exposed edge and a bit of the blade above) is actually HAP 40, but outside there is a SUS 410 layer on each side.
- SUS 410 is very rust resistant and also really soft (I think that´s the right term).
- So it protects the HAP40 from rust and perhaps makes the blade stronger when it comes to bending.
- But SUS410 also scratches up very easily.

I personally like the look this gives HAP40/SUS410 blades: A unique and distinctive "scratch pattern" on the SUS410 part, a nice patina on the HAP40 part below. So every blade looks different and "personal" to the owner.

What´s cool too: I think this "cladding" technique is in the tradition of old Japanese knife/sword making... and I know you like "traditional...."

[jwbnyc]

The laminate steel blades are great. It’s amazing how thin they manage to keep them.

[ugaarguy]

Hello again,
....
I've been interested in the Native 5, but
....
How do I break this cycle?

My fellow Spyderco enthusiast, you buy a Native 5. You experience the joy of the superb lockup of the Golden, CO, USA, Earth back locks. You fall in love with their ease of disassembly and reassembly. You start buying Native variants until you have to get the Sal Glesser special, the Native 5 fluted carbon fiber S90V variant. You put the blade and guts of at least one Native 5 LW into a set of AWT aluminum scales. Then you have to break that cycle...

[Palestrina]

- I really think you should kill two birds with one stone and just get a serrated Salt 2... It is a Delia, but... not

Noted!

i'm certainly not looking for a fight, and definitely not for a knife fight. like i said, it's for creating space to get away.

some people carry them without the signet ring just because it deploys quicker for them with they're working on something. can't hurt to try it out either way.

i really wanted a matriarch at one point for going for runs in the dark part of the morning or night. i would've put a signet ring on that too, but that's when i realized it wouldn't make sense for that knife. there would be too much space between my hand and the blade and the blade shape isn't as versatile. it would still be good for regular grip slashing, but not as effective in reverse grip and not good for stabbing. i don't plan on doing either, but i don't want to have to think about what i am limited to in the moment.

i also put a 5x5 pickpocket on my yojimbo. i like it for the quick draw and for ergonomic reasons as well. i have a whole writeup on it here on the forum if you're interested.

i don't want a wave on every knife, but i don't like them for certain purposes.

That's an interesting take on Matriarch. I thought it might be easy to use, since stabbing in defense as a move seems harder to do compared to a slicing move - which I think might be fairly easy to pull off as an untrained person. But as you said, in a critical situation you might be better off with a versatile blade shape, just to have more options.

I remember my grandfather once told me he had to pull his knife once in his lifetime to scare an offender off, and I assume he was talking about a small traditional knife - and it worked. It's all really tricky, if the attacker is unarmed, a knife like the Matriarch for sure should be able to induce fear just by the looks of it. If the attacker is armed himself? I don't know, creating space and running away seems to be the best choice, and thinking about it, in such a situation it wouldn't make much difference which knife I carry.

But I'm here in Europe, so it would probably be better to not resist and get robbed or murdered anyway, self-defense is frowned upon in our culture as well as our legislative system.

Is the Squeak still available?

What speaks for that model: It features an for the two of us "homemade", AUSTRIAN steel (N690), which is a huge plus of course...

...

The Squeak is still available, yes. And my wife works at the University - so a non intimidating small folder would be great. And here the Roadie, Dragonfly and the Squeak seem to be the best options - aside from her SAK Classic, which is just a bit too flimsy and small. You know, University employees can be quite diffcult to deal with and might get scared if someone opens up a box with a threatening Machete like the Chapparal or the Delica.

You seem to really enjoy the Chapparal, I have to look into this stop-pin mechanic.

N690 is a decent steel, I'm happy with it on my Urban.

I love HAP40, but can´t weigh in how it compares to K390 or PD#1 (no experience with those two)

What´s cool too: I think this "cladding" technique is in the tradition of old Japanese knife/sword making... and I know you like "traditional...."

K390 is amazing, I can highly recommend it.

That cladding technique is also found on the Caly 3.5 I think, it's really interesting.

...

@Skywalker - M 390, S30V and ? on the first picture? I'm not sure if I need to go bigger, as I live in a semi-urban environment, and I don't want to scare people away. K390 is really awesome, I love it.

...

The burnt orange is laminated HAP40. They were a sprint run run around 2015-2016. It's a Japanese PM steel very similar to REX 45 (so non-stainless high alloy tool steel, leans a little more into wear resistance than toughness).

It's a good steel but honestly you're not missing anything against current options for K390 (more wear resistance) or PD#1 (more toughness) if you like those kinds of non-stainless tool steels.

It looks great. Thank you for reassuring me that I'm not missing out. K390 is my favourite steel, when I first got mine I expected the patina to look a bit more like I'm used to on my regular carbon steel blades, but it's a very "soft" on K390. Fantastic steel, I hope they keep it in the line-up.

My fellow Spyderco enthusiast, you buy a Native 5. You experience the joy of the superb lockup of the Golden, CO, USA, Earth back locks. You fall in love with their ease of disassembly and reassembly. You start buying Native variants until you have to get the Sal Glesser special, the Native 5 fluted carbon fiber S90V variant. You put the blade and guts of at least one Native 5 LW into a set of AWT aluminum scales. Then you have to break that cycle...

Sir, you're making my choice way harder.

The Golden CO lockup is fantastic on the Lil' Native, I assume it will be of the same quality on the Native 5 then.

I've looked up the carbon fiber S90V, but I'm afraid I would barely use it, as it is so special.

These AWT scales look great, but that would nearly double the price for the Native 5 LW for me here in Europe.

If I would start out with the Native 5 I would probably go for the basic S30V LW or the SPY27. Which one would you recommend?

[hobbyist]

> but then I thought to better get the Delica K390 before it gets discontinued

Wait is this happening?

[Skywalker]

> but then I thought to better get the Delica K390 before it gets discontinued

Wait is this happening?

The serrated edge and wharncliffe K390 Delicas (along with several other SE / WC Seki models) were on the 2024 discontinued list.

The plain edge, standard (clip?) blade shape K390 Delica was not on the 2024 or 2025 discontinued lists and will hopefully stay around for a long while.

[hobbyist]

K390 better be staying around. Top 3 steel.

[Wallach]

The 2025 list just has the K390 Leafjumper being discontinued (since I guess the model in general is getting retired).

[Wartstein]

- I really think you should kill two birds with one stone and just get a serrated Salt 2... It is a Delia, but... not

Noted!

i'm certainly not looking for a fight, and definitely not for a knife fight. like i said, it's for creating space to get away.

some people carry them without the signet ring just because it deploys quicker for them with they're working on something. can't hurt to try it out either way.

i really wanted a matriarch at one point for going for runs in the dark part of the morning or night. i would've put a signet ring on that too, but that's when i realized it wouldn't make sense for that knife. there would be too much space between my hand and the blade and the blade shape isn't as versatile. it would still be good for regular grip slashing, but not as effective in reverse grip and not good for stabbing. i don't plan on doing either, but i don't want to have to think about what i am limited to in the moment.

i also put a 5x5 pickpocket on my yojimbo. i like it for the quick draw and for ergonomic reasons as well. i have a whole writeup on it here on the forum if you're interested.

i don't want a wave on every knife, but i don't like them for certain purposes.

That's an interesting take on Matriarch. I thought it might be easy to use, since stabbing in defense as a move seems harder to do compared to a slicing move - which I think might be fairly easy to pull off as an untrained person. But as you said, in a critical situation you might be better off with a versatile blade shape, just to have more options.

I remember my grandfather once told me he had to pull his knife once in his lifetime to scare an offender off, and I assume he was talking about a small traditional knife - and it worked. It's all really tricky, if the attacker is unarmed, a knife like the Matriarch for sure should be able to induce fear just by the looks of it. If the attacker is armed himself? I don't know, creating space and running away seems to be the best choice, and thinking about it, in such a situation it wouldn't make much difference which knife I carry.

But I'm here in Europe, so it would probably be better to not resist and get robbed or murdered anyway, self-defense is frowned upon in our culture as well as our legislative system.

Is the Squeak still available?

What speaks for that model: It features an for the two of us "homemade", AUSTRIAN steel (N690), which is a huge plus of course...

...

The Squeak is still available, yes. And my wife works at the University - so a non intimidating small folder would be great. And here the Roadie, Dragonfly and the Squeak seem to be the best options - aside from her SAK Classic, which is just a bit too flimsy and small. You know, University employees can be quite diffcult to deal with and might get scared if someone opens up a box with a threatening Machete like the Chapparal or the Delica.

You seem to really enjoy the Chapparal, I have to look into this stop-pin mechanic.

N690 is a decent steel, I'm happy with it on my Urban.

I love HAP40, but can´t weigh in how it compares to K390 or PD#1 (no experience with those two)

What´s cool too: I think this "cladding" technique is in the tradition of old Japanese knife/sword making... and I know you like "traditional...."

K390 is amazing, I can highly recommend it.

That cladding technique is also found on the Caly 3.5 I think, it's really interesting.

...

@Skywalker - M 390, S30V and ? on the first picture? I'm not sure if I need to go bigger, as I live in a semi-urban environment, and I don't want to scare people away. K390 is really awesome, I love it.

...

The burnt orange is laminated HAP40. They were a sprint run run around 2015-2016. It's a Japanese PM steel very similar to REX 45 (so non-stainless high alloy tool steel, leans a little more into wear resistance than toughness).

It's a good steel but honestly you're not missing anything against current options for K390 (more wear resistance) or PD#1 (more toughness) if you like those kinds of non-stainless tool steels.

It looks great. Thank you for reassuring me that I'm not missing out. K390 is my favourite steel, when I first got mine I expected the patina to look a bit more like I'm used to on my regular carbon steel blades, but it's a very "soft" on K390. Fantastic steel, I hope they keep it in the line-up.

My fellow Spyderco enthusiast, you buy a Native 5. You experience the joy of the superb lockup of the Golden, CO, USA, Earth back locks. You fall in love with their ease of disassembly and reassembly. You start buying Native variants until you have to get the Sal Glesser special, the Native 5 fluted carbon fiber S90V variant. You put the blade and guts of at least one Native 5 LW into a set of AWT aluminum scales. Then you have to break that cycle...

Sir, you're making my choice way harder.

The Golden CO lockup is fantastic on the Lil' Native, I assume it will be of the same quality on the Native 5 then.

I've looked up the carbon fiber S90V, but I'm afraid I would barely use it, as it is so special.

These AWT scales look great, but that would nearly double the price for the Native 5 LW for me here in Europe.

If I would start out with the Native 5 I would probably go for the basic S30V LW or the SPY27. Which one would you recommend?

Concerning "Dfly less of a "threatening machete" than Chap or Delica (I know of course you were kidding , but still), one cool thing about the Chap actually is:

- CLOSED (= in handle length) it is a lot closer to a Dfly in size than to a Delica (Dfly 85mm, Chap 91mm, Delica 108 mm)
- The Chap BLADE though is closer to Delica size than to Dfly size (Dfly 58, Chap 71, Delica 74 mm)
- What of course also shows that the Chap has a much better blade to handle ratio than both Dfly and Delica, but still (to my L to XL hands) very good ergos when I use the choil...

I am sure you´d love the Chaparral, it has an even thinner blade than Dfly and Delica, but a really tank-like built (and as said there are classy versions like that one https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/C152WD/1917)
Since you are in Austria too, I could actually send you my Chap so you can try it out for a while, just pm me for that should you consider it (soon I´ll also have the serrated version

/ And yes, the Native backlock / lockup is great, to me undoubtedly better than the Delicas, as much as I prefer the latter otherwise (and the Delica lock is fine too, don´t get me wrong).

[nerdlock]

And don't forget the Bento Box Lil' Matriarch. Delica with an S-shape blade.
https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/detail ... usive/2107

Does BBS still even exist? I can't believe it's been YEARS since I visited their website!

[Wartstein]

Does BBS still even exist? I can't believe it's been YEARS since I visited their website!

They do and actually have HAP40 Delicas in stock, both in regular and wharnie blade shape (and HAP40 Stretch 1, great knife!)

Only inside US shipping though

https://www.bentoboxshop.com/

[Cowboyfromhell]

Everyone has their favorite... Me its the endura...

[legOFwhat?]

I won't pile on any since you've taken on so much, but I will say that my wife carries the ZDP-189 dragonfly and she loves it. Discrete and punches above it's weight!

[ugaarguy]

My fellow Spyderco enthusiast, you buy a Native 5. You experience the joy of the superb lockup of the Golden, CO, USA, Earth back locks. You fall in love with their ease of disassembly and reassembly. You start buying Native variants until you have to get the Sal Glesser special, the Native 5 fluted carbon fiber S90V variant. You put the blade and guts of at least one Native 5 LW into a set of AWT aluminum scales. Then you have to break that cycle...

Sir, you're making my choice way harder.

The Golden CO lockup is fantastic on the Lil' Native, I assume it will be of the same quality on the Native 5 then.

I've looked up the carbon fiber S90V, but I'm afraid I would barely use it, as it is so special.

These AWT scales look great, but that would nearly double the price for the Native 5 LW for me here in Europe.

If I would start out with the Native 5 I would probably go for the basic S30V LW or the SPY27. Which one would you recommend?

I don't think there's enough difference between SPY27 and S30V to see any real advantages or disadvantages compared to each other in real world use. I would lean toward SPY27 for a few reasons. I like the handle color better, you can get an S30V blade knife from pretty much every reputable knife maker while SPY27 is exclusive to Spyderco of course, and as a Spyderco fan it's nice to have in the collection. I think those factors make the SPY27 variant worth the slight price premium.

I also think the LC200N Native 5 Salt is worth looking at when Spyderco does another run. I like both the toughness and ease of sharpenability of LC200N, along with the obvious extreme corrosion resistance. Likewise, while LC200V isn't a Spyderco exclusive, they're one of the few companies using it while many companies are offering knives in MagnaCut.

[Mr Blonde]

Did someone mention the Delica?

Welcome to the party, the rabbit hole goes deep though...

[Wartstein]

Did someone mention the Delica?

Welcome to the party, the rabbit hole goes deep though...


..

Very nice!

Especially the antler scales with the blueish bolster look great!

[benben]

Hello again,

after purchasing my first two Spyderco knives - the Lil' Native and the Urban - my third one roughly half a year ago was the Delica 4, VG-10, saber grind.

And then it all began.

I've been interested in the Native 5, but then I thought to better get the Delica K390 before it gets discontinued. Received it, loved it - bought a second one as a backup, just in case, you know?

But what if something breaks or I ruin something when cleaning it? I'll better get me a basic Delica as a parts carrier - finally, peace of mind. And the option to create a Frankenstein K390 with black scales, maybe...

Yes, the Native 5, and I'm really, really looking forward to the Lil' Native lightweight. I'm gonna get me a Native 5 now... but better get the Delica Wharncliffe first, in case it gets discontinued - I've been late to the party and already missed out on the K390 Wharncliffe, so at least get the regular one.

Now I can't leave the house without one of these two...

20241108_151512.jpg

And now I still don't have a Native 5, and in the back of my head I'm thinking about serrated Delicas...

How do I break this cycle?

20241108_145250.jpg

20241108_142609.jpg

After seeing this pic, you need a green serrated Salt 2 in LC200N in your life! Drop point or Wharncliffe….that’s up to you?

[Palestrina]

I am sure you´d love the Chaparral, it has an even thinner blade than Dfly and Delica, but a really tank-like built (and as said there are classy versions like that one https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/C152WD/1917)
Since you are in Austria too, I could actually send you my Chap so you can try it out for a while, just pm me for that should you consider it (soon I´ll also have the serrated version

/ And yes, the Native backlock / lockup is great, to me undoubtedly better than the Delicas, as much as I prefer the latter otherwise (and the Delica lock is fine too, don´t get me wrong).

That's a really nice offer, but I have to decline, as I'm pretty sure the one knife I would lose or chip the blad would be a borrowed one :) But you somehow already sold me on the Chapparal, I've looked into it, and it seems like a step between my Lil' Native and the Delica.

The Lil' Native lockup is great, for sure more refined than on the Delica, but then - we're whining on a high level here, I'm confident I will never have any issues with the Delica lockup. It's just a different feeling while opening and closing.

Five Delicas - no noticeable lock rock for now, seems fine to me.

I don't think there's enough difference between SPY27 and S30V to see any real advantages or disadvantages compared to each other in real world use. I would lean toward SPY27 for a few reasons. I like the handle color better, you can get an S30V blade knife from pretty much every reputable knife maker while SPY27 is exclusive to Spyderco of course, and as a Spyderco fan it's nice to have in the collection. I think those factors make the SPY27 variant worth the slight price premium.

I also think the LC200N Native 5 Salt is worth looking at when Spyderco does another run. I like both the toughness and ease of sharpenability of LC200N, along with the obvious extreme corrosion resistance. Likewise, while LC200V isn't a Spyderco exclusive, they're one of the few companies using it while many companies are offering knives in MagnaCut.

Your arguments for SPY27 seem convincing, and I'm also into the blue handle on the Native 5 LW. LC200 seems more versatile than H1 or H2 if I'm trusting the Internet.

I won't pile on any since you've taken on so much, but I will say that my wife carries the ZDP-189 dragonfly and she loves it. Discrete and punches above it's weight!

I guess VG-10 should be fine for my wife as well, she usually only cuts open coffee bags, packages and comparable things. Easy office use, so to speak.

Everyone has their favorite... Me its the endura...

The Endura seems a bit big for a folder, does it feel as strong as a Delica?

Did someone mention the Delica?

Welcome to the party, the rabbit hole goes deep though...
..

Some of them are so beautiful I would be afraid of ever using them, really impressive, especially the "266" with the bonne handle and the bug bolsters.

After seeing this pic, you need a green serrated Salt 2 in LC200N in your life! Drop point or Wharncliffe….that’s up to you?

Everyone recommends the Salt series. I'm fine with either a yellow or green handle, so I have to decide if I should go for LC200 oder H1 steel. C88FSGR2 has caught my attention...