Reviews > Knives > Folding > Spyderco Delica CombinationEdge > James E. Triplett > Initial Report

Initial Test Report:

Personal Biographical Information:

Backpacking Background:

I was brought up exploring the woods, primarily West of the Mississippi from Missouri to as far North as Hudson Bay, and have a heavily ingrained appreciation for nature.  In college my recreation consisted of hiking to bouldering areas and rock climbing on the bluffs and trails in Southern Illinois, which ultimately led to continuously hiking the lower 1/3 of the Appalachian Trail.  I hike every day, and backpack when possible.  I am a mid-weight backpacker, experienced hiker and camper, and have had some exposure to longer hikes of 50 to 500 miles (80 to 800 km).  I prefer a tent over a tarp, in fact I love tents, but have not yet tried a hammock.

Manufacturer Information:

Note:  Spyderco lists a number of e-mail addresses on their website, from sales and marketing, to customer service and technical support.  They also have a link to a forum for the discussion of anything Spyderco.

Additional Manufacturer Information:

Spyderco's first product was the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker (click here for BGT reviews), which is a knife sharpening device.  I was fortunate enough to receive this product as a gift, slightly before receiving the Delica knife to test for BackpackGearTest.org.  At any rate, Spyderco originally started by making knife sharpeners, and later got into the actual knife business.  It appears that Spyderco prides themselves with making products that work, which in turn makes their products unique in appearance, but quite usable, and above all - safe and dependable!  They do extensive testing on areas such as corrosion resistance, edge retention, stress, wear, and the force needed to open and close a knife.  Spyderco also says they consider things like one-hand opening, serrations on a folder, and a clip to attach a knife to a pocket.  The knife owner can return a knife to Spyderco's corporate headquarters for complimentary sharpening for as long as they own it.   (Shipping costs are to be paid by the knife owner.)

Product Information:

• Blade length 3" (77 mm)
• Blade thickness 3/32" (2.5 mm)
• Cutting edge 2 11/16" (68 mm)
• Length closed 4" (102 mm)
• Hole diameter 15/32" (12 mm)
• Blade steel VG-10
• Handle material FRN

• Delica CombinationEdge Black FRN (this test!)
• Delica PlainEdge Black FRN
• Delica SpyderEdge Black FRN

• CLIPIT - Spyderco's trademarked term for their line of folding knives which feature a pocket clip. A CLIPIT fan is often called a CLIPITEER.
• FRN (Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon) - A nylon polymer mixed with glass fiber that is then injected into a mold for making lightweight knife handles.
• Volcano Grip - Our trademarked name for the waffle texture found in our FRN handled lightweight knives. The continuous pattern of small squares offer better hand grip while cutting.
• Flat-Saber Grind - A knife's edge, ground completely flat without a radius that tapers from the cutting edge to a grind line down the center of the blade. Unlike a Full Flat Grind, which tapers from the cutting edge all the way to the blade's spine the Flat Saber only is flat ground just to the grind line.

The Spyderco Delica feels nice in my hand.  I am used to the feel of a bone or metal handle, so the FRN (Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon) handle of the Delica feels a little different, and quite frankly, cheaper.  All surfaces are well finished however, and there are no plastic burrs or nit lines, or other imperfections sometimes seen on molded parts.  The waffle texture ("Volcano Grip") of the handle creates a rough surface which feels stable in my hands.  The waffle pattern is actually horizontal and vertical grooves spaced about 1/8" (3.2 mm) apart creating a checker board pattern, with a round dimple (like on a golf ball) in each square.  This pattern is on the flat surfaces only, and the perimeter edges are smooth.  The picture below probably tells the story better than what I have just described.



The pocket clip is oriented so that when the knife is in my right-hand pants pocket (with the clip outside the pocket as recommended by Spyderco) the blade hinge is down, and the blade itself is toward the outside or back of my leg.  Pulling the knife out with my right hand, the Delica is oriented properly in my hand for the one-handed opening using my thumb to pivot the blade, with the pad of my thumb in the hole, into the open and locked position.  This works well.  Once open the clip rests against my fingers (again, in my right hand) and the non-clip side of the knife is against my thumb.  The recess for the flat slotted screw/bushing which holds the clip is duplicated on both sides of the knife, so it appears that the clip can be switched to the other side for left-handed users.  I will examine this further as my testing continues.



The release for the springy blade lock on the Spyderco Delica is on the back of the knife.  Releasing the lock involves moving my thumb back to the release lever location and then folding the blade in with my other hand.  Playing around with the knife, I have been able to flick my wrist so the blade moves past the locked position, and then fold the blade in one-handed, but this is somewhat difficult to do.  Having the lock release on the under side of the knife would go a long way toward easing one-handed folding, but that would require a redesign of how the blade locks.  Spyderco recommends rotating the blade back into the closed position by using the thumb in the same way (but in the opposite direction) as for one handed opening.  In my brief experience with the knife, I prefer to use my fingers over the spine of the blade as this insures they are out of the way when the blade snaps into the closed position.



The edge of the blade seems pretty sharp, but I wouldn't say incredibly sharp.  I would say it is as sharp as or sharper than the other knives I have purchased over the years.  I have already verified that it can cut skin easily.  Ouch!  The usable part of the blade has a "double grind" up to the grind line, with a flat (no radii) taper.  On the plain part of the blade there is double grind up about .04" (1 mm) creating the sharp edge of the blade.  On the serrated portion of the blade, the serrations are only on one side with the back side of the blade being flat, though the grind of the serrations is deep enough that the serration cutout is present on the back side.  This is depicted in the pictures below.

Test Plan:
I will be using the Spyderco Delica CombinationEdge folding knife for all my pocket knife needs during the test period.  It is difficult to predict when and for what reason I will need the knife, but my first reach will be for the Delica.  I am curious as to the durability of the FRN handle, and whether the Volcano Grip attracts dirt, and if so, if it is easy to clean.  I am also interested in how long the blade holds an edge, and the results of sharpening the Delica on the Sharpmaker.  Other areas of interest include one-handed opening and closing of the knife, stability of the locking mechanism, weight and balance of the knife, and the ergonomics of the knife in actual use.

Reviews > Knives > Folding > Spyderco Delica CombinationEdge > James E. Triplett > Initial Report