Looking for advice!

[Sajtosropi]

Hello

I'm new on the forums and I need a little advice on buying my first Spyderco, because I'm not really an expert when it comes to knives and you guys seem to be knowledgeable and helpful.

So I'd like to get a :spyder: for EDC purposes and for hiking/camping all in one. My friend already has a spyderco (not sure which), at first I thought it was ugly ,but once I held it in my hands I started appreciating the design and knew I had to buy one too.
EDC would include opening packages preparing food ,you know, the usual.
Hiking and camping would require a knife that could handle wood carving like carving a spoon/spits.
8 cm is the max blade length where I live.

I really like the design of these "FFG"(full flat grind?I have no idea what that means) delicas , the blade shape is just awesome and the brown coloration seems really nice, but I'm not sure what it could handle.

So could you recommend me some knives please?

Thanks in advance
-Sajt

P.S.:
My english isn't very good, so please try to overlook that.

[MCM]

A Manix 2 might work. Blade at the upper end of your limit.

[ChrisR]

Depends really on where in the world you are - and what your EDC laws are there :)

Assuming you can carry locking folders over 3-inches then something like the Stretch would handle all those slicing and whittling tasks easily ... not sure about carving in wood - for that you might prefer something with a stronger point, like a sabre-ground Endura or Delica. FFG knives have a thinner cross-section and so perform slicing very smoothly without over-parting the 2 pieces but it does make the point a little bit weaker than sabre-ground knives.

You can't really go wrong with the most popular and best-selling Spydercos in the product range :)

Anyway, I have none of these great knives because I can only justify EDCing a non-locking folder here in the UK ... and if you are the same then something like the G10 UKPK would be a great FFG knife or its Lightweight (FRN) version would be a very useful, cheap hollow sabre-ground blade :) Alternatively a Terzuola SLIPIT would be very good but they are expensive because they are made from higher-end materials and they are probably not something you'd like to treat rough and get dirty :)

[unit]

Honestly, I would suggest a Salt 1. They are fairly in-expensive and they will hold up really well for the tasks you mention.

FFG means that the blade is ground into a wedge shape from the spine to the cutting edge and is flat on both sides. This makes a knife slide easily through deep media, but the down side is the knife is less suited to torsion cuts and I certainly would not recommend prying of any sort with a FFG. Go hereand scroll down to see more photos of grind types and blade shapes.

Look up the Salt 1 or watch this video:

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The small Yellow knife is a Salt 1, and everything else is a Spyderco with a FFG...notice the difference in the sides of the blade? The Salt is what I call a hollow ground saber grind and has a tip similar to a wharncliffe or sheeps foot that leaves more material there for strength, but you have less of a point for finer work. This blade shape is easy to maintain and sharpen (bigger curves and more "belly" sometimes gives people a bit of difficulty sharpening).

Similar to the Salt 1 would be a Delica with a saber grind...these are still available I believe, and would also be a great option for what you discuss.

Some people shy away from pinned construction (and the Salts are going to switch to screw construction at some point) but I think for a work knife in the hands of someone that either is new to knives or does not want to bother with periodically checking screws, pinned construction is fantastic and worry free. It is also a LOT stronger than people sometimes give credit.

[tanrichguy]

I would also recommend a salt 1 if your primary focus is going to be camping/light woodworking tasks. The saber grind tip is more robust and the H1 steel is rust proof.

If however, you were looking for a better slicer (i.e. cardboard, plastic packages, food prep, etc) and not planning on using the tip for prying, I would recommend the Paramilitary 2. If the blade is not too long for your place of residence it is a fantastic EDC knife. Very comfortable and it has a compression lock that is quite strong. It's reasonably light too. A little more expensive than salt 1 or manix 2 but more than worth it IMO.

Good luck with your choice and welcome to the forum!

[dbcad]

Welcome Sajtosropi, you've come to the right place for suggestions, they'll all be different though

I would suggest a plain jane Delica, saber grind. The FFG's are great slicers, but they might not be as well suited for a camp knife.

For anyone buying a new :spyder: I would suggest the Delica. It's been in productionfor almost 20 yrs.??? It's a great quality all purpose knife at a price the makes your wallet feel good....And it cuts really well :D

Let us know what you decide

Charlie

[dj moonbat]

I would second the recommendation for a standard Delica. I like FFG for the type of tasks you run into in an EDC role, but for those camp tasks you mention, they're suboptimal.

[Jay_Ev]

Another recommendation here for the Delica. It is a capable knife that would suit your needs.

[Franciscomv]

How much money are you willing to spend on the knife?

Like some of the guys already mentioned, you really can't go wrong with one of the classics like the Delica. If you're going to be doing a lot of whittling, then get one of the regular sabre ground ones. The FFG Delicas have very delicate tips.

The Salt, which is pretty similar to the Delica but in H1 steel, would also be a solid choice. H1 steel is rust proof, it needs zero maintenance and that can be a good thing in an outdoors setting. Edge holding is inferior to that of VG-10 or S30V, but it's still good. They also come with bright yellow handles that makes them easy to spot if you drop them.

If you want to get something a little nicer, look at the Sage 2. It's a great knife that will cover your needs well, and the blade is under 8cm (it's 7,6cm long). The steel used is top notch (S30V), it's flat ground (but the tip isn't as thin as the one on FFG Delicas) and the titanium RIL is an excellent lock. It's also easy to clean thanks to the open construction.

The Caly 3 is an other great option in that size category. The blade is also 7,6cm long, flat ground and it comes in two versions. One of them is made out of VG-10 steel with a G-10 handle (discontinued but still can be found) and the other uses ZDP-189 (one of the best stainless steels available today) and carbon fibre for the handle. I'm quite happy with my VG-10/G-10 version and I've never seen the need to upgrade to the more expensive ZDP one. The Caly is very compact for its size, at least for me the handle is just a little bit too small. The Sage and Delica feel a lot better when I need to use the knife for a longer period of time.

[Sajtosropi]

Thanks for the quick replys!
To tell the truth the shipping to my country is already like 30-40 dollars and I wouldn't like to spend more than 100 dollars on a knife.
So I guess I'll settle for the delica, it looks nice, although the ffg version looks much nicer IMO.

Also, I found one of those ZDP delicas(very dark green).Would it be worth the extra 20 $ ?I'm not really an expert so I'm not sure whether I would notice a difference between VG-10 and ZDP.

Would I be not able to carve wood with a FFG blade?I really dig how it looks, maybe if I were extra careful?Then again I tend to overdo things.

[ChrisR]

Also, I found one of those ZDP delicas(very dark green).Would it be worth the extra 20 $ ?I'm not really an expert so I'm not sure whether I would notice a difference between VG-10 and ZDP.

I think if it is one of your first Spydercos then go for the VG-10 - it is a great steel. The ZDP will hold an edge longer and is a really exotic steel ... but most people report that it takes more effort to resharpen :)

[dj moonbat]

I'm not really an expert so I'm not sure whether I would notice a difference between VG-10 and ZDP.

Well, if you bought one of each you would. If you only had one, say for instance the much-cheaper VG-10 version, you would only be able to remark that it was a better steel than you had ever encountered in a stainless knife.

[ChapmanPreferred]

What type of sharpening media do you have access to when the time comes? If you are new to sharpening, I would suggest the FFG VG10 version of the Delica in any color available. If you are an experienced sharpener with access to a Spyderco Sharpmaker, or DMT diamond products you could easily handle ZDP 189.

I do not think occasional wood whittling would be a problem for a ffg VG-10 blade steel Delica. That is you could put a point on a stick for roasting over the fire, or making a tent peg.

[Franciscomv]

Would I be not able to carve wood with a FFG blade?I really dig how it looks, maybe if I were extra careful?Then again I tend to overdo things.

If you like the FFG, go for it. It's fine for wood carving as long as you don't apply lateral stress to the tip. They cut really well and are super light. I've got one in blue FRN and one with green G-10. Although I've got quite a few folders in that size range, I keep going back to my Delicas (and I keep getting different versions!).

[Sajtosropi]

I only have some whetstones / japanese oil stones and a ceramic sharpener stick, but I have a friend who is into knives/swords and stuff and he has professional equipment. So I'm as inexperienced as it gets when it comes to sharpening.

So it comes down to FFG delica and Saber grind delica in the end.I'm really leaning towards the FFG just because it looks so good.
I wish there was a test or something.I've checked out some videos on youtube but couldn't find any tests for these models only for bigger models like military and native.
I also found one for the centofante 3 which looked like a typical edc knife(the guy whittled some wood too!).

How tough is the FFG blade compared to centofante 3?
maybe that would be a good starting point.If it's equal or better then FFG would be tough enough.

I'd be really grateful if someone could give me a comparsion.
And thanks for all the replys!

[dj moonbat]

So it comes down to FFG delica and Saber grind delica in the end.I'm really leaning towards the FFG just because it looks so good.

It's true, the flat grind looks sweet. And it cuts really well.

But if you're going to dig that tip into some wood, you'll want something with more metal behind the edge. I use a FFG blade, but I just use it for straight-up cutting. Any type of whittling involves a little more excavation than that.

[dbcad]

For me I would go for the ZDP189 model, especially if you're overseas and have to pay the exorbitant shipping fees anyway. Don't let it get dull though. Touch ups are relatively painless and this steel keeps a really nice edge for a very long time.

Pretty sure you'll be happy no matter which model you decide on. VG-10 is terrific steel also, but ZDP seems to hold an edge forever :D

Charlie

[Sajtosropi]

One last question, since there weren't any people who could do the comparsion between ffg delica and centofante 3 toughness.

What if I bought the ZDP delica and had it reprofiled to FFG by my friend?
Would that be able to handle everything I mentioned?

[dsmegst]

Hi,

ZDP is a great steel and probably ideal for your EDC needs. A thin ZDP blade would be a wonderful slicer but regrinding the blade from Saber to FFG will be pretty challenging to say the least. If you (or your friend) can pull it off, it will be pretty awesome.

For camping/hiking, I would ideally choose a fixed blade with a tougher steel than the ZDP. Unfortunately, for fixed blade knives, the blade lengths are all above 80mm. As for blade steel, S30V, VG-10 and H-1 are all tougher (able to handle lateral forces better), H-1 being the toughest. I've seen tests were the blade was bent 90 degrees without it breaking.

Edge holding (ability to keep a sharp edge longer) is the reverse of toughness. ZDP will retain a shaving sharp edge long while H-1 will lose it sooner.

I suggest that you think about what your primary use will be and lean towards it. Since you're looking at one knife to do everything, you're going to have to sacrifice a few things.

Your folder choices are the Delica, Salt 1, Native, Caly3, Cento3, Sage, Persistence, UKPK. The others are over 80mm or too short for outdoor use.

- The Salt 1 and Cento 3 come with unlined FRN handles. That means they will tend to flex more during hard use.
- The Salt 1, Cento 3, and Native are pinned together. That means you cannot take it apart for cleaning/maintenance. That's no big deal for US customers but being international, sending it back to the US for warranty/repair work may be difficult.

Regarding your question, the FFG Delica has the tougher handle but weaker blade. The Cento3 has a tougher blade but a weaker handle. :) The saber grind Delica is tougher than both.

If you want a recommendation, I would say the saber grind VG-10 Delica, only because of the camping/hiking use. For pure EDC, it's the FFG Delica for me.

[Sajtosropi]

Thanks for all the answers , you were all incredibly helpful!
I choose the VG-10 saber grind Delica, I think that'll be just perfect for me!