Looking for an EDC to replace Native... Recommendations?

[JustAnEDC'er]

Hey guys, I've read these forums on and off for a while now and while I've never posted here, I've always thought of this community as a well informed and helpful one, and i'm sure you guys can make a recommendation to me on a new EDC. I bought a wal-mart Native (S30V) a while ago to use as an EDC knife which I carried for a little while, mainly for small, everyday tasks and just to have a knife to carry on me. I really liked the design and the blade was, as it seems all spydies are, nice and sharp. I lost the knife fairly shortly after buying it and replaced it with another Native. I havent really carried or used the second one as much though until recently and I've kind of gotten over the design - I want something new! Now, The size of the native is pretty good - I won't ever need the knife for heavy cutting duties, just opening plastic packages, boxes, letters, and stuff like that. So I would think I should cap the blade size at around 3-3.5 inches so as to keep the knife small and light. I've looked through a lot of different knives and as of now I think the Delica is my top choice - the Caly3 seems mighty expensive and the UKPK has no back lock which I need. I would like to spend around $50 on ebay - Most of the Delica's can be found for this price, but would you guys recommend another knife for the purpose of a nice, well built EDC knife? As far as Delica's go, I'm kinda torn on which model to get - I used to dislike the shape of the waved blade but it has grown on me and I like the dark blue scales as well. The wave seems to be a nice feature to have, as well as the bottle opener aspect of it… How hard is it on shorts if you don't pull the knife out too hard? As well, someone said the knife hinge wears out faster due to the forced wave opening - if you deployed it from your pocket at a reasonable speed and pressure, I cant see this being a problem, although I could be wrong. The stainless model is also very nice although I don’t know if it would seem to heavy or discolor. The G-10 Delica is sweet as well although those all seem to be getting around 80 shipped on ebay - I'm not going much higher than 50 and some people have said that the G-10 rips up your pants with the pocket clip? Basically, the Native was a good size, I'd just prefer a different style knife (I may return the native as its basically new to put the $40 towards a new knife), one with a thumb ramp and maybe a little thinner profile. The wave feature is tempting as well as long as I'm sure I like the looks, although any delica or similarly sized spydie is a strong contender. Sorry for all the rambling, just trying to be concise, can anyone make a recommendation? Thanks!

[THG]

The Delica w/ Emerson Opener is a lovely knife, I can tell you that. It's my EDC and has been for 2 months. It's an inexpensive knife that performs quite well.

I actually like the blade shape of the Emerson Openers better than the regular Delicas.

The Emerson Opening hook is actually very easy on the pocket, especially compared to the Cold Steel Ti-Lite. The Ti-Lite has ruined the seams of my pockets, but the "hook" on the Emerson Opener is gentle.

Mine has a very small hint of vertical play (I have to put my pinky through the hole and tug, and I can feel a small amount under my thumb), but I'm not sure whether it was due to waving it or not. I didn't check in the beginning, so I don't know if it was developed after the fact.

Also, the blue/gray FRN is my favorite color :D

PS: You can find Delicas on New Graham or Knifeworks for $50-ish (the Emerson Opener more expensive, of course), so if you want to avoid ebay, you can.

[LowSpeedHighDrag]

Well, youve got alot of great options to choose from.

The Tenacious is a good cheap knife for EDC that wont see much use. G10 and 8cr13mov steel and around $30-$40.

The Delica is an amazing knife, and on Ebay can be found for less than $50 new. The Waved Delica is pretty cool.

My choice would be the Para Military. Small blade with a cool top side compression lock. Fits in the hand nicely. Also comes with CPM S30V steel and G10 scales. Can be had for $80-$150 online.

[lsutigers1010]

Hey guys, I've read these forums on and off for a while now and while I've never posted here, I've always thought of this community as a well informed and helpful one, and i'm sure you guys can make a recommendation to me on a new EDC. I bought a wal-mart Native (S30V) a while ago to use as an EDC knife which I carried for a little while, mainly for small, everyday tasks and just to have a knife to carry on me. I really liked the design and the blade was, as it seems all spydies are, nice and sharp. I lost the knife fairly shortly after buying it and replaced it with another Native. I havent really carried or used the second one as much though until recently and I've kind of gotten over the design - I want something new! Now, The size of the native is pretty good - I won't ever need the knife for heavy cutting duties, just opening plastic packages, boxes, letters, and stuff like that. So I would think I should cap the blade size at around 3-3.5 inches so as to keep the knife small and light. I've looked through a lot of different knives and as of now I think the Delica is my top choice - the Caly3 seems mighty expensive and the UKPK has no back lock which I need. I would like to spend around $50 on ebay - Most of the Delica's can be found for this price, but would you guys recommend another knife for the purpose of a nice, well built EDC knife? As far as Delica's go, I'm kinda torn on which model to get - I used to dislike the shape of the waved blade but it has grown on me and I like the dark blue scales as well. The wave seems to be a nice feature to have, as well as the bottle opener aspect of it… How hard is it on shorts if you don't pull the knife out too hard? As well, someone said the knife hinge wears out faster due to the forced wave opening - if you deployed it from your pocket at a reasonable speed and pressure, I cant see this being a problem, although I could be wrong. The stainless model is also very nice although I don’t know if it would seem to heavy or discolor. The G-10 Delica is sweet as well although those all seem to be getting around 80 shipped on ebay - I'm not going much higher than 50 and some people have said that the G-10 rips up your pants with the pocket clip? Basically, the Native was a good size, I'd just prefer a different style knife (I may return the native as its basically new to put the $40 towards a new knife), one with a thumb ramp and maybe a little thinner profile. The wave feature is tempting as well as long as I'm sure I like the looks, although any delica or similarly sized spydie is a strong contender. Sorry for all the rambling, just trying to be concise, can anyone make a recommendation? Thanks!

i pernsloy love carrying the caly 3 it carry's very deep and some times i hardlyknow i have it cliped to my pocket and it fits in the hand like the glove the ergonmiox ergo's are perferct for edc the blade is just under 3 in so its leagel the vg-10 holds it edge very good and can come to a very very fine and razor sharp edge thats preaty much it :D

[ozspyder]

I would go for a Delica 4 in FRN according to your requirements. If you can afford to I would get either the Caly 3 or the Mini Persian. But the Delica 4 will do all you need

[kimjune01]

Wait for the Full flat ground next-gen Native.

O wait, that's too expensive. Wait some more until they make the Frn version of it.
O wait, that's too much waiting. I recommend the Delica wave, as well - jeans are plenty strong to withstand the waviness. :D

[Fred Sanford]

I personally would go for the Native III. I think it's much better than the Native I.

Plus I don't think Delica 4's cut/slice as well as a Native due to having a flat saber grind that seems to go from edge to full width darn quick. The Native III is a hollow saber grind but it comes up further than the Delica 4 grind.

It's up to you. I love the Delica 3 but the Delica 4 is just missing too much for me to have one anymore. The Delica 3 has a better tip and a higher flat saber grind than the D4.

[JustAnEDC'er]

The Delica w/ Emerson Opener is a lovely knife, I can tell you that. It's my EDC and has been for 2 months. It's an inexpensive knife that performs quite well.

I actually like the blade shape of the Emerson Openers better than the regular Delicas.

The Emerson Opening hook is actually very easy on the pocket, especially compared to the Cold Steel Ti-Lite. The Ti-Lite has ruined the seams of my pockets, but the "hook" on the Emerson Opener is gentle.

Mine has a very small hint of vertical play (I have to put my pinky through the hole and tug, and I can feel a small amount under my thumb), but I'm not sure whether it was due to waving it or not. I didn't check in the beginning, so I don't know if it was developed after the fact.

Also, the blue/gray FRN is my favorite color :D

PS: You can find Delicas on New Graham or Knifeworks for $50-ish (the Emerson Opener more expensive, of course), so if you want to avoid ebay, you can.

Glad to hear that you've been having success with your D4W as an EDC, the ease of pocket carry is a top priority. As well, its good to know that its not falling apart from wave opening because I often just mess around with my Native and other knives just flicking them open and such - the wave seems like a good way to get added ADD-suppressing deployment functionality in a way that actually adds usefulness to the knife. lol just messing, and the blue/gray FRN is my favorite color as well man, good call ... the FG G-10 looks really nice too though.

I was gonna quote everybody's comments (thanks for the quick help) but I'll just reference them here to save all the copying and pasting. Here in FL, there is no set size of blade length as far as legality goes so I have no concerns about a blade over or under 3". As far as a Caly3 goes, I like them, they look cool, but I think it would be hard to find one for under 90-100 bucks and I really am not willing to spend that much.

Also, is the G-10 harsher on pants with the clip or no? The G-10 Delica is sick but it seems to sell for upwards of 40 bucks more than the regular delica.

I'm kind of staying away from the Tenacious because its built with such a low MSRP price that im thinking its build quality is lesser than of other models, I could be wrong though. What about a Sage?

And finally, if I do decide to go with a D4, is the D4W the one to go with or should I try and find a good deal on the G-10, the SS, or some other variant? I know I'm definitely sticking with PE though. Also, does the lack of a finger choil make it slightly more difficult to cut with the D4? I've gotten kinda used to the one on the Native, I'm just really wanting a new knife to EDC and mess around with...

[stap2211]

Whenever I review my FRN knives, the two that nearly always feel right in my hands for light to medium cutting chores are the Cento III and my "go to" beater, a revered Endura 3 CE. They both have a lot of smooth surface ... and that seems right for light work. Also, they're the ultralight champs of their size classes.

The Centofante III is just a great all around cutter with plenty of edge ... and the price is right up your alley. It's a classy edc for 50 bucks !!!

[THG]

Glad to hear that you've been having success with your D4W as an EDC,

I have, and that's after all the abuse it has taken lol

I've F-ed up some torx screws (had to drill them out and replace them), got sand in it, ruined the tip (I rounded it off with poor sharpening skills)... But it still cuts well.

You'll not want to get a scratch on it at first, but after a few dings, you'll have no problem using her to her maximum potential!

the ease of pocket carry is a top priority.

This is my favorite way to carry (sideways rather than vertical makes the Emerson Opening 1000x easier, too):



This way it doesn't bother me if I'm leaning on a counter or sitting down or something. Not all my pockets are this wide to allow this type of carry, though.

And finally, if I do decide to go with a D4, is the D4W the one to go with or should I try and find a good deal on the G-10, the SS, or some other variant?

Honestly, I don't think there is a huge difference between the FRN and SS Delicas (besides the obvious one). Personally, I'd rather go with the grippier, indestructible FRN.

The G10 version is very nice, a good step up in my book, but the price is just too high for me. I'd kill for the flat-ground blade, though; I wish that were an option on the FRN Delicas

Also, does the lack of a finger choil make it slightly more difficult to cut with the D4? I've gotten kinda used to the one on the Native, I'm just really wanting a new knife to EDC and mess around with...

The lack of a choil has never bothered me. Personally, I don't like those "precision choils." I wouldn't call the Native's choil a "precision choil," though; it's part of the grip rather than for "choking up close."

[JustAnEDC'er]

Wow man, thanks for all the help, I'll have to try carrying my Native like that to see if my pockets are big enough - I can definitely see how it would make waved opening easier though... Also, if you can, could you take a pic of your standard cutting grip on the D4W, just to see size-wise what the grip looks like in-hand compared to my Native?

[Agent Starling]

Sorry for all the rambling, just trying to be concise, can anyone make a recommendation? Thanks!

Yes! Get a Harpy. A hawkbill. While most like to recommend the Tasman when thinking of hawkbills, my old standby is the Harpy. I vastly prefer it to the Tasman. YMMV.

But give it a try. You just might get "hooked"... :rolleyes: :D

Agent Starling

[Sam Vimes]

I'm kind of staying away from the Tenacious because its built with such a low MSRP price that im thinking its build quality is lesser than of other models, I could be wrong though.

I have three and I believe that you are wrong . There's been plenty of snobbery exhibited on the various forums (which does seem to have softened over time) but it's a fine knife at an excellent price.

What about a Sage?

It's also a fine knife, if you can find one for fifty bucks then I'd suggest you buy as many as they'll sell you.

[carrot]

Centofante 4 would be a nice choice.

[mrappraisit]

I recommend the Native III, D4, or Tenacious- if you like liner locks. The Caly 3 is an amazing knife, but if you don't have it to spend, you don't have it. Any of the first three choices will give you years of service, and are good values.

[bh49]

I would go for Native3 with Cento3 would be my second choice

[slice22358]

Yes! Get a Harpy. A hawkbill. While most like to recommend the Tasman when thinking of hawkbills, my old standby is the Harpy. I vastly prefer it to the Tasman. YMMV.

But give it a try. You just might get "hooked"... :rolleyes: :D

Agent Starling

+1 for the Harpy

[JustAnEDC'er]

Yeah but is the Harpy effective at everyday cutting tasks? It looks like its very specialized?

I've looked at the Centofante 3 quite a bit before but I dont like how slick the grip looks and its pin construction as well which turns me off slightly, my 2nd native doesnt have nearly as smooth of an action as my first one and if I had screw construction I could loosen the pivot slightly to make it smoother...

I looked into the Sage more extensively and you're right, I dont think I could find one for around $50, hahaah and if I can, i'll certainly buy as many as I can and sell them to you guys =P

Tenacious is a contender right now too but I like the look and shape of the Delica a little more

If I were to go Delica, which model would you recommend? I would go for anything except the plain black one - White? SS? Waved? G-10 (expensive!)? an older CF?

[slice22358]

Well it seems like most people who have never tried a hawkbill think that it can't be used for everyday tasks. But the shape is surprisingly versatile once you get used to it. I find that a good old fashioned Harpy can fill most if not all of my cutting needs.

[kimjune01]

The white has class. and it's a lil more nkp-friendly.