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Spyderco Delica 4
Spyderco Delica 4 Review Facts
On the hunt for a good folding knife? Well, we decided to go right into researching one that has a lot of fans already from a company most knife owners likely know, Spyderco. The line we chose to look at today is the Delica, and more specifically the Delica 4 folding knife flat ground Spyderco edge knife. While it is a mouth full to say, there are several versions of this blade produced by this company. There are one or two slight differences between each, but for the most part, the difference is in the color, not the design. Rather than go into that right away, though, we wanted to show you what the original version looked like and tell you what you can expect with its base design- after all, if a knife isn’t good at its base, it isn’t likely to get better just by changing its appearance.
So, is this a good knife by design? From the way customers talk about it, yes! Any product we bring to your attention has to have something worth discussing after all, and we feel this one does. It looks good, the company is one many like and trust, and depending on the version it has a decent price. The fact it spikes high ratings wherever you look also has our curiosity going wild. After all, we know ratings may not be entirely reliable, but when you have more than a couple of thousand buyers overall and you still have a high opinion from the majority of them, there has to be something worth looking at and buying. As with any product, however, you have to make sure when you purchase it that the seller is also noteworthy in a good way (or just make sure it’s the actual company- as that is the best way) because with a company that has such a high review rating you are bound to have scammers selling much lower quality gear under the claim they are selling actual Spyderco gear. As long as you make sure, though, you should get a tool that our review is actually covering.
Without further rambling on the overview, let us check out what this knife has to offer, and whether it is the one missing in your inventory.
Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
- 3 different types of steel grades
- Several handle colors
- Durable
- Reputable company
- Great belt clip
- Easy open
- Good locking mechanism
Cons
- Old-fashioned
- Somewhat of a larger pocket knife
- A little pricey for its build
Primary Use
This knife was designed to be used for everyday tasks and doesn’t seem to be as known for working well in the areas outside of modern life. Its standard blade dulls too quickly for use on carving wood or using for hunting purposes but maintains its ability to go through tape or packages for a decent amount of time. If you are looking for a pocket knife you can rely on for tasks such as that, or to have ready just in case, then it does fairly well at its standard build. If you want it to do more, your likely to have to pay a little extra to upgrade what type of steal it is built from and make your choice based on if the importance is the anti-rust or if it is more important that it remains sharp. Each metal you can choose from has its own benefits, and whichever you decide on will change the outlook for what you can use it on.
Blade
The blade for this one has several different choices for its groove and edge, but that isn’t what caught our attention. The shape is a beautiful leaf style appearance, with the well-known Spyderco hole that makes them easy to open, but even that isn’t what kept our eyes, it was the optional types of steel this blade comes in. Of course, the price does go up for some types, so we decided to list each one, and its benefit as well as its price so you can decide if it offers what you need.
The full stainless-steel version (blade and handle) is beautiful and has a good shine to it, unfortunately, while it doesn’t ding or bend easily, it does tend to scratch up easily. It is true Japanese VG-10 blade which also means it doesn’t rust easily, but the catch is that it wears out in how sharp it is and is very difficult to get back to that edge. It sells for right around $140 in this variant which is a bit pricey.
Another style of metal you can get this blade in is ZDP-189, which is better quality steel in that it can hold its edge longer and in some regards., it performs better, but it isn’t as rust resistant. It doesn’t require sharpening as often, but it can be sharpened to a much thinner and sharper edge, which makes it a higher level of steel than the original stainless steel which is a VG-10. This blade will run you about $160 but may be worth the upgrade in the end.
The other type of steel is known as ‘Super Blue’. This type is extremely sharp and does not wear out very easily. It is one of the most recognizable steels in Japanese knives because they are both easy to sharpen and can take the sharpest edge without wearing down. It is incredibly hard to damage as well, which has earned it the ‘super’ end of its name while it’s ‘blue comes from the slightly blue tint of the steel. Not surprisingly, this is the hardest version to find, and also the most costly- running about $300 per knife.
The full stainless-steel version (blade and handle) is beautiful and has a good shine to it, unfortunately, while it doesn’t ding or bend easily, it does tend to scratch up easily. It is true Japanese VG-10 blade which also means it doesn’t rust easily, but the catch is that it wears out in how sharp it is and is very difficult to get back to that edge. It sells for right around $140 in this variant which is a bit pricey.
Another style of metal you can get this blade in is ZDP-189, which is better quality steel in that it can hold its edge longer and in some regards., it performs better, but it isn’t as rust resistant. It doesn’t require sharpening as often, but it can be sharpened to a much thinner and sharper edge, which makes it a higher level of steel than the original stainless steel which is a VG-10. This blade will run you about $160 but may be worth the upgrade in the end.
The other type of steel is known as ‘Super Blue’. This type is extremely sharp and does not wear out very easily. It is one of the most recognizable steels in Japanese knives because they are both easy to sharpen and can take the sharpest edge without wearing down. It is incredibly hard to damage as well, which has earned it the ‘super’ end of its name while it’s ‘blue comes from the slightly blue tint of the steel. Not surprisingly, this is the hardest version to find, and also the most costly- running about $300 per knife.
Accessories
While the knife itself doesn’t come with a lot of accessories, per se, we feel that it does warrant some mention of the wide variety this blade offers, from types of steel to the colors and designs you can have on it. This blade boasts a much bigger tone in colors, both in the handle and, oddly, in the blade's edge itself. Offering everything from your normal thin edge to a serrated lower blade and even a much deeper groove, the blade has a lot of options. We mentioned above the types of metal that you can choose, which cause a change in price (usually up) from the original, and undoubtedly the edge types also vary it as well.
The color of your handle can also boost the price slightly in some cases, but if you must have a match to your sense of fashion, the number of colors can be a surprisingly good thing. The colors offered (respectively listed in order of lowest cost to highest) are gray, blue, purple, black, green, zome green, brown and orange. The variance in price is about 25 dollars overall, with $2 to $10 jumps. There is even a fully stainless-steel version which has a smooth handle rather than the rougher version for a few dollars more than the orange blade costs, so if you don’t like the rough-textured handle of the others, this may be a better choice.
The color of your handle can also boost the price slightly in some cases, but if you must have a match to your sense of fashion, the number of colors can be a surprisingly good thing. The colors offered (respectively listed in order of lowest cost to highest) are gray, blue, purple, black, green, zome green, brown and orange. The variance in price is about 25 dollars overall, with $2 to $10 jumps. There is even a fully stainless-steel version which has a smooth handle rather than the rougher version for a few dollars more than the orange blade costs, so if you don’t like the rough-textured handle of the others, this may be a better choice.
Durability
This all depends, once again, on the type of metal, and what you are looking at as durability. If you are looking at how long overall the metal will last, the stainless steel may actually be the longest lasting of the types you can use. However, if you are looking at durability when it comes to how long it can hold an edge, you will want to look into purchasing it with one of the other types of metal- such as the Super Blue, since the edge stays sharper longer. Of course, there are those of us who would take the last option and see durability more as ‘how many times can I sharpen this blade easily and keep it up to par?” and in such a case you would prefer the ZDP-189, which is easier to sharpen and maintain. No matter which you go with though, this blade does have its options open for some extra pennies, and the durability in the rest of it seems to have a lot of praise.
Weight
The lighter range of pocket knives is often where many try to head. Of course, wanting the perfect blend of light and durable has many trying to find out what really is that ‘perfect weight’. The Delica 4 actually is a tad heavier than what most consider ‘lightweight’, but still falls into this category. The thing that makes it even more unique is that, despite this slightly heavier weight for its category, it actually is considered one of the best as well. Its blade to weight ratio and its ability to easily be used efficiently has it firmly in the top choices of many collectors. At 2.5 oz, this knife may still have you thinking it is the best of the competition available, even if weight is the most important part of your choice.
Finish
The finish here depends on the type of material as well, which, to be fair, is beautiful no matter what you finally decide on. Whether you desire that shine of silver metal or the tint of a Super Blue, you won’t likely find yourself disappointed by this purchase. The way it looks when you receive it is professional quality as one should expect, and dependent on the metal, you may find that the look never deteriorates. This is awesome for those who really enjoy a knife that looks good whenever they pull it out- of course, you still have to take care of it if you really want it to shine!
Safety
One thing is for certain, most agree that one of the defining qualities of this knife is its locking system. Unlike many we have looked at recently, this knife actually has a locking system for both the knife open and while it is closed. What many might think is that if it locks when it is shut, that it might be more difficult to open, but that just isn’t true according to those who have used this knife. They all claim it works flawlessly both ways, and that it opens easily when needed. The other surprising factor to those using the knife is that the locking system being used is the mid-lock which Is not a very common locking system used anymore. The part about it that has us nodding and really finding it worth mentioning is that with this lock, the blade doesn’t wiggle or have as much given once in a place like some of the other knives that are out there. It holds exactly as it was meant to and gives a really good shine to the safety of this particular blade. If safety and sturdiness are what you want most, this is one knife you do want to consider closely.
Price
Out of everything on this product, the price is where most come to a screeching halt. The fact is, the price isn’t excessively high for its quality, but there are others in competition with it that some feel offers just that little bit more for the same price range. Most of this one’s cost comes from the choice in color and metal, but is it really worth the extra bucks to get that color to match? While the material used to make it really is a selling point, perhaps it is the fluctuation in simply changing the color of the handle that brings the skeptical gaze onto this knife. Since it does vary from $89 to $124 just based on the color, we can kind of understand- especially if you’re also thinking of ‘upgrading’ the material of the blade itself which can all but double its cost. We admit, though, in this case, it really does come out to the opinion of the buyer.
Key Features
-Superb locking mechanism
-Handle options
-Material options
-Great durability for each material type
-Everyday knife
-Handle options
-Material options
-Great durability for each material type
-Everyday knife
Bottom Line
If you are looking for a knife to carry with you anywhere you go, this is a great fit. It has plenty of options available, and despite its old-fashioned style, it is a knife you can depend on. Though a bit on the pricey side, by comparison, its quality makes each penny well spent. Of course, if what you are looking for is hunting or camping gear, this may not be your best option, but it still could prove to be a good back up depending on what you decide is best for you.
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