The Best EDC Knife that exists is the...

Spyderco Delica 4

I have carried my Spyderco Delica 4 on two continents.  I had it in the United States,and Africa.  I carried it all over South Africa and Lesotho.  It has been my go-to knife since 2008. 

Ergonomics- I would say that I have medium sized hands and the way that the handle of the Delica curves fits my hand perfectly.  The scales are made of FRN or fiber reinforced nylon and they have what Spyderco call, bidirectional texturing.  Through my experiences I have found that this texturing is fantastic, even when your hands are wet from water or sweat.  They are also durable.  Five years of use does show a little bit but the functionality of the scales is exactly the same. 

If there is one thing that I can trust Spyderco it is proper jimping on their knives.  The thumb ramp and jimping is sharp and well executed.  Your thumb will not slide forward on the Delica. 



The Delica has the standard Spyderco pocket clip which I like a lot.  It is not deep carry but I have never had to worry about my knife falling out of my pocket.  The clip holds the knife very securely. 

I love the Spyderco thumb hole opening.  I do have a few knives with thumb studs but those knives always take second place to my Spydie hole knives.  One reason why I like the Spydie hole so much is because of an incident that happened while I was in Africa.  I was at a house late at night on the edge of a town.  Going to this area always made me nervous and this night was no exception.  I always carried my Spyderco Delica in my right hand pocket and at night my Surefire L1 was in my left hand.  Both were ready for use.  As a friend and I knocked on the door of the house we were supposed to visit, we heard dogs barking across a field.  These were feral dogs.  It is interesting how your mind works when the fight or flight response hits.  My mind tends to slow things way down and then I think through what I want to do.  It feels like it takes a long time, but in all actuality it probably only takes a fraction of a second.  The first words out of my mouth were, "Oh Shit!."  I don't remember taking my Delica out but grasped it firmly and without thinking the blade was opened because of the Spydie hole.  Under all that stress I didn't even have to think about getting the blade open.  Luckily I did not need the knife because the second I lit up the dogs with my flashlight they turned and ran. 

Durability-VG-10 steel is one of my favorites.  It holds a very sharp edge for a good amount of time and then it resharpens back relatively easily.  I have also found it to be very rust resistant.  My Delica is the model with the Saber Grind.  I have no problems with it but if I would buy a Delica today I would probably buy one with the Full Flat Grind.  I just prefer that more now. 

Value-   I don't remember what I paid for my Delica back in 2008.   But BladeHQ sells the Delica for $65.57 and Cutleryshoppe.com sells the Delica 4 with a full flat ground bade for $58.80 I probably will buy another Delica soon.  I want to carry the one that I carried in Africa less, I really don't want to lose it.  I am considering buying the Spyderco Salt 1 to replace it. 

Rating-I give the Delica a 10/10 as an EDC blade.  In my experience it will do anything that you can ask of a knife (within reason) It is a folding blade and cannot be torqued or cranked on like a fixed blade. 




I also carried a Tasmin Salt in Africa.  Here it is.