Spyderco Delica 4 Lightweight 7.15" Signature Folding Knife with 2.90" ZDP-189 Steel Blade and British Racing Green FRN Handle - PlainEdge Grind - C11PGRE

I really love the Spyderco Delica knife. It is a great lightweight knife that I have carried in my work dress pants for 4-5 years. I have been using a VG-10 version from approximately 2008 that has held up extremely well. You can carry this knife in virtually any pants without it being to heavy, which can't be said for some other knives I have. The blade is less than 3" so it should be legal in most jurisdictions in the country so you don't have to worry about "legal" issues. The Endura, while a similar design, just larger seems too big from my perspective. I'm am looking forward to years of top performance from this version of the Delica with the premium ZDP189 steel. I have read lots of reviews of the ZDP-189 steel and they all talk about outstanding edge holding capabilities. Just sharpen it regularly because it is very tough to resharpen if it gets too dull and don't "pry" with it because it is on the the brittle side. The knife looks great with the green handles and razor sharp blade. There are many improvements of the Delica4 versus earlier versions, including a grippier handle, a better pocket clip attachment method (my old one has a single stud attaching it which often needs to be tightened, vs the 3 allen screw attahment method.) The clip can also be attached in 4 different positions vs the old version's 2 positions, although I usually leave it tip up carry, you have the option with the 4 to carry tip down. The price on Amazon was 15% or more cheaper (~$84) than any knife shop and included free delivery. If this is too expensive for you, you won't go wrong with a Delica 4 VG-10 model for about $54. In any case the Delica 4 ZDP-189 is a Awesome Knife for a Great price!!

Spyderco Delicas are solid every day carry and use knives. Perfect size, not too big or too small. Great ergonomics, blade is razor sharp out of the box, the lock up is solid as a vault. Just be aware that the photo depicts a sabre grind blade which is very strong due to greater thickness of the spine and blade. I have a Delica with the sabre grind and thicker spine and it is a workhorse of a knife. Thought I was getting the same blade only in ZDP-189 when I ordered this knife. Was a bit disappointed when the knife arrived and it was a flat grind blade. The flat grind is thinner and a much better slicer of fruit and other food. But it doesn't give you the same confidence if you plan on making this a "hard use" knife. However, take into account that this is a Spyderco, a brand famous for high quality blades, and that the steel is a premium steel of exceptional strength. Therefore, I didn't return the knife and I've been very happy so far using it. But I still don't use it for the tough jobs that my other Delica or my Native gets.

Absolutely love this knife! I have a VG-10 Delica 4 and Dragonfly2 (along with 50+ other knives of various brands) that are also great knives, but this one has become the knife I carry 99% of the time. I'll echo the other reviewers sentiments that the ZDP-189 is harder to sharpen, but once sharp it maintains an edge much longer than the VG-10. Both are great knives, and some may prefer the VG-10 for ease of sharpening and the fact that this version costs about 50% more. But the color on this one is hard to beat, steel-type aside. The clip on these knives is really awesome, though I did manage to bend it on my other Delica by letting it get caught on something while it was in my pocket. They're really strong though so I think that's the exception. They do tend to get scratched over time and the black finish on the pocket clip will wear off especially around the edges and top. This knife is probably the biggest I would carry every day. I had an Endura as well, and before I lost it I carried it some but it was a bit unwieldy for daily use. The full size handle on this one is perfect for my larger hands; compared to the dragonfly which is a bit harder to open and close single handed due to the small size. On that note; opening this knife and any other Spyderco is extremely easy due to the large hole that can be used with or without gloves to open the knife. The handle material is extremely durable and the grippiness is just right without being abrasive or uncomfortable to hold. I love the jimping on the top back side of the knife to rest your thumb when they blade is deployed. It makes the knife feel much more stable especially when you're doing a scraping motion away from you (like sharpening a stick to use as a stake for example). TL;DR Awesome knife. Buy it. You will not regret it. Consider the dragonfly2 and the VG-10 version of the delica.

I have owned a Delica since 1994. Old steel, old plastic clip, several trips back to Colorado for tweakage. This knife has better steel, insanely sharp, metal clip, and can be taken apart. I know i DID wait 21 years to get another one, but this one is worth the weight. It is harder to sharpen, so i went all in, brought edge down to 18 deg per then stropped, polished, and buffed. Insanely sharp. Must be careful sharp. Action could be a little looser, but ill let time do it. I run it on my hip under belt with slacks on, in pocket of jeans, and/or clip out on brief case. The plastic is a big ruff, but its fine. Missing star: RUST! Couldnt believe it. I am anal with my lubes...as any good man should be! I was using food safe lanolin based fluid film, which i love. This AFTER 20 mins bring her to a nice polish with flitz. SOMEONE cut something wet, and folded her back up and did clean her or wipe her down...some time later, no idea, but less than a week as I clean all three EDC knives weekly, I opened her up & bam! Wasnt expecti g the film, rust, spots, its, on the 189 & with the polish and lube. Pretty much buffed out and off now, but MAN was I upset!

**NOTE : this knife does not have the saber grind that is shown in the default amazon picture (as of 10/24/2013); it is a full flat ground knife, as is shown in the other pictures attached to this item. The description also correctly describes the item as full flat ground. Pros : -blade geometry is optimal for for every day carry. It excels at slicing, is thick enough for piercing, is easy to wipe off, and is the perfect size for EDC -thin and light -excellent jimping -superlative blade steel (ZDP-189) -adequate blade centering (close to perfect, but not quite; adjusting the pivot screw makes no difference in blade centering with this knife) -grippy scales -offers four clip locations Cons : -not US made, but there's no shame in carrying a knife made in Seki City, Japan -very wide in the pocket when closed. -lockback knifes are somewhat rare in modern knives for good reason : they're much harder to disengage with one hand (though it's still possible with the delica) If you only want to buy one knife you plan on using and carrying with you every day for a long time, this would be a great choice. If you are a collector of knives, this is probably the best deal you can get on a reasonably sized knife with ZDP-189 blade steel. If you already own a delica and are curious about the ZDP-189 : it's great. If you already own this item and are just reading reviews to see if everyone else loved the knife as much as you : they did. :)

This has been an awesome knife so far. It is the knife that I grab when I leave the house. At the hardness mine was sent out at it is not brittle at all! I had an S30V and a CMP-D2 that where a lot more brittle from my experience but maybe it is partly because I expected to have to be more careful with the blade? I also noticed that the blade was fairly resistant to staining. The scales feel cheap and plasticy but they work great with plenty of traction, and nice and thin. I use this knife for work usually and carry a Benchmade 581 on my off time. I found it to hold a great edge with the factory angle but experimented with an 8-9 degree angle (done with non-diamond stones on an Edge-Pro like sharpener and it was not to much trouble did it while watching a movie) found that it was to much angle for my use at work so I put a 14-16ish degree edge on it and it seems to be holding well perfect for my work application... works out well having the 10 deg behind the 15 and only takes about 10 min to sharpen now. With 10,000 grit stone and 15 deg angle it is hands down the sharpest and best cutting knife I have ever used or been around. I really like it.

This is a great little lightweight knife. It clips nicely in the change pocket of my Levi's, and I barely notice that it is there. I've found that I can easily open it with one hand. (For safety reasons I always use two hands to close folding knives.) The ZDP-189 steel is shaving sharp right out of the box, and with a hardness of 64 Rockwell the blade should stay shaving sharp for a very long time. ZDP-189 is a stainless "super steel" that has an unheard of 3% carbon and 20% chromium. The high carbon makes it very hard and the high chromium makes it very stainless. The knife is put together with tiny hex bolts rather than rivets, so it can be tightened/loosened or taken apart. That's a nice feature. People with large hands might want to avoid this knife and get someting a bit larger. I have small hands and they cover this knife's handle when I'm holding it.

This review is from my website: [...] Short Form: I don't think the Delica 4 is perfect (nothing is), but it is a really, really nice blade, especially for the price point. Its merits (many) outweigh its flaws (few). Not the most discrete knife in the world, though. Size: Medium The knife is 7.125" open, 4.25" closed. The blade itself is 2.875", but the cutting edge is only 2.563". This puts it in the medium category, creeping up on what I'd call large for an EDC blade. Some people complain that there's a lot of handle for not much knife here, and I think that's valid. You can get a lot more cutting edge in a smaller package with something like a Benchmade Mini-griptilian. That said, I think the increased size does pay dividends in ergonomics, but we'll get to that in a second. Usage Rating: Medium Unlike the Kershaw Leek, which seems downright dainty, this is a knife I would (and have) taken into the woods. Like most Spyderco knives, it has a rock solid lock-up that has stayed with absolutely zero play after a year of solid use (abuse) at my hands. The grip is solid from an ergonomic stand point and is appropriate for heavy chores. Between the thumb ramp and the bi-directional texturing on the handle scales, you're just not going to accidentally let go of this knife... ever. Great for fishing and light bushcraft. The only reason I don't rate this as hard use is because of the thin blade-stock and fairly steep secondary bevel. Blade Steel Quality: Moderate / Superior The VG 10 on the regular model is one of the best all-around steels I can think of. Notably better edge retention than the "budget" steels like 8Cr13Mov and 420HC. It is also crazy-easy to sharpen and polish. It takes a great mirror edge and resists rust quite well. I feel like this particular steel really hits that "sweet spot" where it performs well, but isn't so expensive that you would baby it and keep it from being really used hard. I put the "superior" tag on there for those that want to fork out $30 extra for the ZDP-189 steel. I have both versions of the Delica 4, so I figured I'd throw this information in. ZDP-189 really is in a league of its own. I don't think I've ever seen steel (even s30v or D2) come close to the edge retention properties of ZDP-189. It will take and hold an extremely steep (less than 30 degree inclusive) edge for months at a time. I am a sharpness freak with my blades, and I have gone three or four months without sharpening my ZDP-189 Delica because it can still shave hair. I will place a few warnings on this steel, though. 1. Higher price point = greater fear: I do find that I "baby" this one more than my regular Delica. It has that wonderfully ground, super-hard blade and I'd hate to screw it up, especially since it is so damn expensive for an everyday use knife. As a result, it sees less actual use than some of my cheaper "workhorses". 2. Corrosion prone: a whopping amount of carbon is to blame for that wonderful edge retention. The trade off is that it is more rust prone than most high end knife steels. You really can't let this thing get wet, and even handling it regularly with your hands creates a noticeable "patina" over time (although this doesn't affect the performance of the blade in the slightest). 3. Chips: Because this steel is so hard, it is more prone to chipping at the edge than rolling like softer steels do. This matters because this steel is, frankly, a royal pain in the ass to re-profile and polish. The hardness which lends to its performance adds challenge to the maintenance. Deployment Method: One-Handed Ambidextrous Ahh... the truly ambidextrous knife. Lefties and righties can open and close this thing with equal ease. And "ease" is the operative term here. The 14 mm Spyderhole is about the easiest opening method on the market, as far as I'm concerned. I've never met anyone that didn't quickly fall in love with this method and start grousing about thumb studs in short order. No matter your hand size or position, wet or dry, gloved or no, you'll be able to get this knife open easily. I should point out, though, that the deployment on this one isn't lightning fast. The sturdy back lock, which makes for a thin knife and makes it truly ambidextrous, does slow deployment a bit. The reason is because of the tension that the back-spring puts on the blade as it rotates out into the open position. Don't be expecting that explosively fast opening that you get on a Kershaw assisted opener or even a really well-designed liner-lock knife. Not a deal breaker for me, but I know it bothers some people. Performance Aspects: 1. Slicing - The Delica is a decent slicer, but not spectacular. The lack of curvature in the blade means it doesn't perform quite as well as a Mini-Griptilian or even the Delica's cheaper cousin, the Persistence. That said, the extremely thin blade-stock and steep secondary bevel do make up some of that lost ground. The extremely ergonomic grip also helps. I've never been aggravated with this knife's slicing performance, but I've never really been blow away by it, either. 2. Piercing - The Delica is a decent piercing knife. This iteration has a stronger tip than previous incarnations. You used to read about older versions losing their tip when dropped. That isn't an issue here, but that stockier tip costs the knife some of its piercing power. It doesn't pierce nearly as well as a clip-point knife or something with a needle-fine tip, like a Kershaw Leek. That said, I'd be much more comfortable driving this into a hard material. 3. Push-Cutting - The Delica is a pretty good push-cutting knife. The fairly straight blade, which hurts slicing, seems to help in this aspect. Further, the thin blade stock and steep bevel help here, too. Again, I can't stress how much the good grip on this thing makes all its uses easier. Reading the three evaluations, you get the impression that the performance on this blade is kind of "meh". Let me try and disabuse you of that notion. While it doesn't do any one thing spectacularly, it does just about everything well. The more you use one, the more you'll appreciate the value of this. For an EDC blade, I think you really need something like that. Retention Method: 1. Functionality - Like most things Spyderco, this is the focus. This hourglass pocket clip isn't pretty or discreet, but by God, it does its job. It will hold the knife in the pockets of about any pants (jeans to light slacks) securely, based on the broad surface area "pinching" the fabric. Also, the fact that the bow of the clip contacts the smooth logo panel (regardless of configuration) means that your pants won't get torn to shreds on this one. 2. Discretion Factor - Fail. This is a large clip, but in tip-up carry (which is the preferred option for most folks), a large portion of knife sticks out of your pocket. Some people like this for the ease of drawing it out (again - Spyderco cares about function), but I can't say as I've ever had any serious problems pulling out blades with deep carry pocket clips (which I greatly prefer). 3. Versatility - As versatile as it gets. Four way carry plus lanyard plus wave capacity with a zip tie means you can carry this thing however you like to carry knives and it will work quite well. Fit and Finish: The Spyderco knifes from Seki in Japan are good, but not mind-blowing. Everything was clean and functional. No gaps, stripped screws, or overtly sloppy bits of work. On closer inspection, though, two of the three Delicas I own have centering issues. Two also suffer an uneven grind at the tip, like the person grinding it just nodded off. It doesn't affect the performance noticeably, but for perfectionists, I might be irksome. I will point out that the ZDP-189 Delica had significantly better fit and finish. Immaculate grind and perfect centering to supplement an already great knife. Ease of Maintenance: Generally pretty good. A monthly touch-up on the Sharpmaker will keep the VG-10 shaving sharp. It takes a fine edge easily. The more I use and evaluate knives, the more I start to appreciate how much ease of sharpening matters. The ZDP-189 stays crazy sharp so long as it gets touched up bi-monthly, but God help you if you put a nick in it or really trash the edge. Getting it back to razor sharpness is a certifiable nightmare. Because of the closed, lock-back design, these things are definitely lint magnets. Invest in pipe-cleaners and compressed air to keep the mechanism free of debris. If you're not finicky about keeping grime out, the action on these knives does get gritty. For reasons I don't know, my ZDP-189 Delica attracts grime way more than the VG-10. Perhaps the tighter tolerances make it more noticeable when something is out of whack? The phosphor bronze bushings make the knife open smoothly, but I've also found that these blades need a dab of mineral oil or teflon spray to keep their peak performance. Conclusion: It is really easy to see why this blade is in the pantheon. It is one of the most quintessential examples of the qualities that makes Spyderco a great company. If you need a small-medium size folder to keep you company for a half decade or so of regular use, and still be a fantastic tool at the end, this one is for you. I really can't think of a more versatile lock-bladed folding knife