Spyderco Delica 4 Lightweight 7.15" Signature Folding Knife with 2.90" Flat-Ground Steel Blade and High-Strength FRN Handle - PlainEdge Grind

If you don't want to waste time reading, JUST BUY IT NOW, you won't regret it! I purchased the gray handled Delica 4 because frankly it was the cheapest handle color at the time I was looking. I do like how the gray color is a little more low-profile than the green or orange handles though. My new Delica 4 has replaced the Para 3 and several other more expensive knives in my EDC rotation.... the Delica 4 is the only knife I've carried for the last couple months. I take it everywhere, literally... even around the house. It is perfect... light weight, durable, tough, easy to open/close one handed and the VG10 blade steel is pretty solid from what I've seen so far (and it arrived pretty sharp). This thing is so light that I often forget I have it on me - it easily fits into all jeans pockets and I enjoy carrying mine in my watch pocket on the right side of my jeans. Mesh shorts or a pocket t-shirt are also great for carrying this - it really is the ideal size and perfect weight. The grip/handle easily fills my hand (I have medium-large hands) but the blade is not so big that people freak out if you have to take it out to use it, like perhaps with the much larger Endura. My wife even borrowed it to carry and she said she likes it a lot more than her SOG Aegis tanto, which is also very light weight. So, I went ahead and ordered her the purple handled Delica 4 as an early Christmas gift and she loves it! If you're on the fence about this Delica 4, I suggest you go ahead and try it. You won't be disappointed! And if you are disappointed, buy through Amazon and they'll let you return it within 30 days (their customer service is great like that). I've been searching for the perfect EDC knife for years now, but the search is finally over now that I found my gray Delica 4. Only problem is now I also want the green handled ZDP-189 version, the all black half serrated version... I'll probably end up owning each color within a year or two haha! Seriously, it's an awesome EDC knife... just buy it. In a future Delica 5 version, I wouldn't mind seeing SPYDERCO add a compression lock, a G10 grip option (like they used to have with the D4!) and perhaps a better, more premium steel like CTS-XHP or S30V. And SPYDERCO, please offer an all-black DLC-coated blade option that is entirely smooth edge instead of just half serrated!

A review of the Spyderco Delica 4 knife. When I was a kid, I was told the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In this story, the little girl would try out things in the Three Bears home until she found just the right thing she was looking for. Upon choosing the item that fit her best she would say, “It’s just right!” And that my friends, is just what the Spyderco Delica 4 (FFG) is all about, “It’s just right”. So, what makes this knife, “Just Right”, well let me tell you. It’s not too heavy or too light. It’s not too big or too little. (4 ¼ inches closed and 7 ¼ inches overall) It fits small hands or large hands. Its blade is not too long or too short. (three inches total) The blade has a big hole for easy opening. The blade comes very sharp right out of the box. The blade is a true Full Flat Grind aka FFG. It has a great functional pocket clip. The pocket clip can be put on either side and on either end. The knife is just the right size for cutting or peeling all your fruits and vegetables. (This is my number one use for this knife and it’s truly outstanding in this application.) The knife can be had in a lot of great colors. (But the colors do change from year to year, so if you see a color you like order it while you can. I chose blue, my wife has a pink one.) The scales (handle) has a great grip texture, that of course, is not too rough or too smooth. The scale pattern provides a good grip even when wet. Now let me tell you I have not always been a Spyderco fan. I mean “Spyderco” it’s just not a knife name I grew up with. I am old school, a real knife was a Buck, a Case, or a Boker. You know US or German knives like your Dad or Grandfather carried in their pockets and passed down to their children. I still own those brands and love them but they are not even what I carry now. Now, after carrying and using pocket knives for over 50 years, I want something light weight, sharp, easy to re-sharpen, easy to carry and easy to open with one hand. I want that “Goldilocks Knife” and in the Spyderco Delica 4, I think I just may have found what I have been looking for. Don’t let your porridge get cold before you order one for yourself! Take care, Your Ol' Uncle Sawberry.

My Delica 4 has been my EDC now for 4 years. It’s a fantastic knife for that purpose! It is the perfect size for hanging inside a jeans pocket, perfect box opener, perfect apple peeler, perfect whittler, it can even open a bottle of beer! After four years of literal every-single-day use, it beginning to show it’s age. It has been sharpened so many times now that it just can’t hold that fresh-sharp edge for more than a couple weeks. (I use the spyderco sharpener). It has been a GREAT knife for the purpose. Likes: When new, VG-10 holds a razor-sharp edge for a long time. The size of this knife is perfect! The jimping on the blade ramp allows superb control with your thump to really put pressure on the blade when cutting something hard or whittling. That’s is a feature of most Spydercos, and why I’ve become a brand loyalist. The fit and finish has always been spot-on, everything lines up as it should. The internals are nearly as tight as ever... it has NEVER accidentally unlocked no matter how much pressure was used. Speaking of the lock, I love having it on the backbone. Yes, it takes two hands to unlock, but this type of mechanism really comes in handy when training Cub Scouts knife safety as there is no way to “look cool” closing it one-handed. This design has sold a few parents of Spyderco. The bad: Edge retention after years of use (mentioned earlier). The plastic on the handle is not as sharp as it used to be and as getting a bit slippery from the wear. The handle also got some nicks in the end (from prying bottle caps). The paint chipped off the pocket clip fairly early, but the stainless under the paint polishes-up nicely. Over-all I’m extremely satisfied with my Delica 4. I purchased a Dragonfly VG-10 a few years ago, but it’s a bit small for my style of EDC (the dragonfly isn’t quite deep enough to slice an apple where a Delica can). The Dragonfly shines however when wearing gym-shorts or for a lighter-weight knife for backpacking. I am now in the market for a new EDC knife. I’ve settled on Spyderco for the easy-open and jimping, and settled on a back-lock design. I considered moving up to the Endura 4, simply because I still have a perfectly good Delica in my arsenal. Just found out today Spyderco has a new size between the Endure and Delica, called the Endela. May try to find one of them. If not, I may just end up with 2 Delicii.

This is a great knife but I would spend 10 dollars more for the Plain Edge as opposed to the ground flat edge. It is the same knife only the blade is twice as thick and they sell it here on amazon for 60 bucks. It is a more substantial knife and the blade is much more substantial. This is the best edc because of the steel, construction, and the thumb push. This is probably the least popular config out of all the other delica 4 config's because of the flat ground blade, but whichever config you choose these are great knives. The blade under 3 inches and under 3 ounces is simply what you want in your pocket, the vg10 is a steel that once you buy it you never want anything else, and Spyderco makes some of the best knives anywhere. I have this one and the 100% stainless serrated delica 4. I suggest you buy them both, but this one is better for every day carry because of the weight. Yes, the blade is very thin in comparison to other models like zt or even the serrated version of the same knife, but that is what plays into this knife being so unassuming but yet sharp as a scalpel. I put the blade thickness in the medium category, there are thinner ones out there. This knife is truly a wolf in sheep's clothing, think this is a sheep and this sheep will cut your head off if you need it. The thumb push would give you the thrust of a dagger, but daggers are illegal almost everywhere to carry. FRN is great as well. Leek and benchmade are fine knives, but the delica 4 is the best IMO, and you cannot touch this quality for 50 bucks. My first police model spyderco I bought around 30 years ago, still is like brand new except for a couple scratches. Nothing like vg10!! This size is better then the police, very unassuming. Simply my favorite folding pocket knife ever. The serrated stainless version of this knife is totally different then this config. It is heavier but also the blade is thicker from tip to back. If I had to choose only one knife, the stainless 100% serrated version would be my choice, for a lighter friendlier carry option this would be my knife. They are really two completely different knives, and the serrated one has better construction all the way around and much thicker blade, but it comes at a price both money wise and weight wise. The stainless serrated delica 4 is the knife of a lifetime, it will last forever in adult hands. This version is still very good for what it is, but it is much less knife. .

I have a few pocket knives and this one is by far my favorite! After carrying it every day for a few weeks I can see why so many people rave about spyderco. It's the perfect size for an EDC blade. It has the same cutting edge length as a victorinox knife, but is far superior in strength, ergonomics, and ease of use. The blade shape is great - excellent for piercing, straight line cuts, paring, slicing, etc. and the solid lockup feels safe and reliable. The jimped thumb ramp behind the spyder hole is a wonderful addition for grip stability, and also as a place to rest the side of your finger when doing paring or peeling cuts. The knife came really sharp and seems to have a high degree of durability. The overall shape of the closed knife may look a little unusual to some. The plus side of the asymmetrical design is that my hand learned exactly how it is holding the knife just by feel, and I can pull it out of my pocket and have it open and ready to use without even looking at it. The large thumb hole is a bit of genius that you don't really get a sense of how great it is until you've tried it for a few days. With a little practice, one handed closing also becomes second nature. The handle ergonomics are great - the longer handle fills my hand well, and the knife is well balanced and grippy. I love the purple color! The knife fits well both clipped in or simply carried down in my pocket. I'm a lefty so I really like the repositionable clip, and that the screws go into the metal liner, not just the plastic. The clip has a dip in it that is perfectly curved for resting your finger in when removing the knife from your pocket. The lockback design is also equally good for left or right handed use - so I appreciate that. A couple of very minor dislikes - in clipped, tip-up carry there's a bit more handle sticking out of the pocket than I would prefer. I often find myself dropping the knife down in my pocket so it's not visible. Also, the thumb hole had a very sharp feeling when I first got the knife. I dulled that (and the sharp top edges of the blade) in a couple minutes with some 400 grit sandpaper. If you're reading this and want to try, be careful that you don't sand the hole too much - I took off enough of that sharp edge that my thumb started to slip off the hole when opening the knife. Luckily I was able to square it back off by wrapping the sandpaper around a pen and sanding at a 90º angle inside the hole. All in all a great knife with really well thought out details. Highly recommended.

I've been using a Chinese Spyderco Tenacious with G10 handle and combo blade for about 10 years or so, and I wanted to try something else. I like the Spyder hole deployment feature, so I stuck with Spyderco and got this Delica 4 with FRN handle and plain blade. G10 feels a bit more refined/fancy and smooth (in a good way), and the FRN feels more, well, plastic. FRN weighs a bit less, but not enough to matter. The FRN handle of the Delica 4 does have noticeably more "grip" to it, but that's possibly because of the design rather than the material itself (Tenacious G10 has a light check pattern, and Delica's FRN is a much deeper pattern). The Delica's lockback is very solid with no play, but less convenient to undo than the liner lock on the Tenacious. That said, both are easily deployed and stowed with just one hand once you're familiar. Ergonomics of the Delica are good, but the larger/meatier Tenacious feels a little better in hand. The biggest win of the Delica 4 vs my old Tenacious is size/weight since this is my EDC. With the Tenacious, I had to remove it from my pocket in order to take my phone out (same pocket, Levi's), but the Delica is slimmer and my iPhone 13 mini goes in/out of pocket while the Delica is clipped on without any trouble. The Delica is just the right amount of lightweight without feeling like skimpy, underbuilt junk. I went with plain blade instead of combo because of sharpening ease. My old Tenacious has the combo blade but I almost never used the serrated portion. The Delica 4 was decently sharp out of the box, but not "razor sharp" as I've seen in so many reviews. I did spend a few minutes with my 1000 grit whetstone and it made a noticeable difference. Lastly, I don't notice any special magic in this Japan made Delica 4 versus the China made Tenacious. Both are great knives with solid locks and smooth action. If size (and price) was no issue I would have probably gotten the Spyderco Shaman.

I can see why the Spyderco Delica is a popular knife. It's the perfect size, with a grip that fits perfectly in any hand. Fully extended, the Delica is a little over 7 inches, with the blade a little under 3. The blade is unique with gimping that's this upward slope design, which allows the handler to add pressure without loosing control. The blade is super sharp, probably the sharpest I've had the pleasure of using (more than my benchmade griptillian). I didn't rate this knife 5 stars, because I don't think its perfect. Though the handle is ergonomic and fits perfectly in the hand, it feels kind of cheap. I love the design, but it doesent scream quality. Its flipper action is very stiff. I know after time or with a little tinkering, it should open with ease. I feel like its going to take some time and effort on my end to make it flip open like the griptillian or even the 30 dollar Ruike I own. Closing the blade is not a one handed action. The frame lock is really cool, (its placed on the back), but its impossible for me to close with a one handed motion without looking like I'm playing itsy bitsy spider down the handle. The clip is fantastic. Its not a deep carry clip but its one of my favorites that I've used on a knife. It feels secure and I don't have to use two hands and a prayer to the Knife God's to clip it on my pants. All in all, I think its a good purchase for 65.00 dollars (that is what I paid for this on Amazon by a reputable dealer). I plan on updating my review after a few months of use. I am happy with my purchase, it's just not my favorite out of the many knifes I don't need to own in the first place.

I've had this knife and carried it exclusively, it replaced my bear grylls scout folder (which is not half the knife the spyderco is). It's not as pretty as some of the nicer spyderco knives, I really dig the rounder leaf shapes, but there isn't a knife that provides as much function and quality steel for the money. I can't decide whether I like the looks, I'm always kind of in limbo with that, but it performs so well i wouldn't care if it was pink and rainbows. The handle is very sturdy. The texture and gimping over the spyder hole make for a very solid feel. I have small enough fingers that I prefer to choke up on the unsharpened part of the blade and can do so safely. I'm very happy with the solid feel of the knife since it is so light you forget it's in your pocket, until you need it. The opening is smooth. If you go slowly, no it's not perfect, but this isn't made to be put in a glass box and admired. Lock up is solid. Even as the blade loosened up enough to be flipped out (via thumbnail stuck in the hole, leaves a mark on your nail but that doesn't concern me) the blade has not even given a wiggle once fully locked in place. The paint comes off the pocket clip after a while, kind of wish they just left it unpainted, but it's not a big deal. The pocket clip can kind of move side to side after a few months, but it's not threatened retention nor has it broken. The clip is probably the weak point of the knife, really. I would not be surprised if it broke for those who use their knives heavily. There is a lanyard hole, a bit small, too small for paracord type III, but it's there if you want to experiment with that. I don't mess with it. I think it is a bit big for a lanyard knife unless you are doing so for a camping trip for extra security. All that is nice but the blade is what really makes this knife so great. I prefer the look and function of the full flat grind, it is an EDC, not for construction work, for me. Saves a bit of weight as well. The edge holds up really well. Through normal use the edge will roll or misshape a bit, but all I have to do is run it through a handheld sharpener and it's back to new (one of those with the metal teeth that make a "V", they don't sharpen so much as straighten a blade). I've cut paper, opened packages, cut vines about a quarter inch thick, and after that it still can cut through a tomato or a peach with ease, and I have done both without sharpening beforehand. I have not needed to bring it to a stone yet, though some time far in the future I'm sure I will. And it will not rust. On a humid hike a different knife made of 13CrMOV came back with multiple rust spots and the Delica came back spotless. It's been through the washer machine and still no problems. This knife will do everything reliably if not easily as long as you do not use it as a pry bar. It's a great all around knife. The belly in the blade isn't the best for packages or related tape as far as finding a place to start a cut, but that's the only place it didn't perform just perfectly. I've even used this over scissors to cut tiny coupons because I felt more confident with the knife. There are better knives for specific purposes, but I wouldn't ask for more from an EDC. If you're in the market for an EDC, give this a good long look. I doubt you would be disappointed with this knife, and surely not with the choice of blade grinds and edges the Delica line offers.