REASONS TO BUY
Big blade
Excellent steel
Four pocket clip positions
REASONS TO AVOID
Bulky pocket carry
Slim handle in use
Spyderco Delica 4 Review
A modern classic folding pocket knife with proven materials and proven performance attributes; maybe not the perfect model, but it will do well for most
Credit: Amazon
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Our Verdict
The Spyderco Delica 4 is a proven top pocket knife made with excellent blade steel. The deep but narrow blade is its most salient characteristic. A thin, gently tapered edge is tuned for delicate tasks and frictionless edge hone, but the overall depth of the blade lends strength and confidence. Some of that deep blade is cut out with Spyderco's standard-setting, one-thumb-opening hole. That deep blade sticks out of the handle in stowed mode, making the whole folded package bulkier than is perhaps necessary but not so large that you wouldn't take it with you on a backpacking trip. On the flip side, the handle is narrower and smaller in your hand than you might like.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Spyderco Delica 4 | |||||
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| Awards |  Best Everday Carry |  Best Bang for your Buck | Best on a Tight Budget | Best Knife for Hunting | |
| Price | $126 List $85.94 at Amazon | $61.00 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $77 List $57.38 at Amazon | $48 List $48.00 at Amazon | $65 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A long-time classic, enduring for its solid design, significant customization options, and continuous improvements | This thin knife disappears in (or on the edge of) your pocket, tackles most tasks, and is easy on your wallet | There's sure to be a colorway that suits you in CIVIVI's lineup. And take confidence that a great knife will come with it no matter what | CRKT designed this knife to be especially portable and included some commendable material selections | For hunting, you want a new, carefully tuned factory edge all the time, and this design makes swapping in and out new blades easy |
| Rating Categories | Spyderco Delica 4 | Kershaw Leek | CIVIVI Button Lock... | CRKT Drifter | Havalon Piranta Ori... |
| Blade and Edge Integrity (30%) | |||||
| Ergonomics (25%) | |||||
| Portability (20%) | |||||
| Construction Quality (25%) | |||||
| Specs | Spyderco Delica 4 | Kershaw Leek | CIVIVI Button Lock... | CRKT Drifter | Havalon Piranta Ori... |
| Blade Length (Measured) | 2.50 in | 2.90 in | 2.77 in | 2.75 in | 2.31 in |
| Length Open (Measured) | 7.00 in | 7.00 in | 7.05 in | 6.49 in | 6.62 in |
| Length Closed (Measured) | 4.10 in | 4.00 in | 4.15 in | 3.65 in | 3.79 in |
| Weight (Measured) | 2.30 oz | 3.00 oz | 3.15 oz | 2.20 oz | 1.85 oz |
| Closed Thickness w/o Pocket Clip (Measured) | 0.40 in | 0.31 in | 0.52 in | 0.33 in | 0.36 in |
| Blade Style | Clip point, plain edge | Drop point, plain edge | Drop point, plain edge | Recurve blade, plain edge | Interchangeable scalpel blades |
| Blade Material | VG-10 stainless steel | Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel | Nitro-V stainless steel | D2 stainless steel | S30V stainless steel |
| Closed Blade Lock | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Open Blade Lock Mechanism | Lock back | Frame lock | Button lock | Liner lock | Frame lock |
| Handle Material | Fiberglass reinforced nylon | 410 stainless steel | G10 fiberglass laminate | G10 fiberglass laminate | Stainless steel with G10 inlay |
| Opening Style | Ambidextrous thumb hole | Flipper (assisted), ambidextrous thumb stud | Flipper (non-assisted) | Flipper (non-assisted), ambidextrous thumb stud | Ambidextrous thumb stud |
| Carry Style | Pocket clip, lanyard hole | Pocket clip, lanyard hole | Pocket clip, lanyard hole | Pocket clip, lanyard hole | Pocket clip, lanyard hole |
| Other Features Or Functions | None | None | Lanyard hole | Lanyard hole | None |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
The Delica 4 is the latest in a long line of Delica models (at the time of publishing). It started out innovative and has lasted with minor tweaks along the way. The latest version feels a little “behind the times” but is surely worthy of your consideration. It is a “modern classic” with some practical benefits and proven attributes and materials.
Performance Comparison
The Spyderco Delica is a classic design with a loyal following. We like it, but aren't completely enamored.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Blade and Edge Integrity
The Delica 4 blade is thin, steeply tapered tip-to-bolster, and made of VG-10 steel. VG-10 is Japanese high carbon steel commonly used in high-end kitchen knives. Spyderco's resulting blade is readily sharpened and tuned for finer tasks, while its depth lends sturdiness. Much of the depth is included to accommodate the large thumb-opening hole.
The tapered edge makes it stronger than its length suggests, but the power of this blade isn't backed up by its handle.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Ergonomics
The handle of the Delica 4 is full length. 4.1 inches is pretty long for a typical pocket knife. On paper, we like that size. To consider a pocket knife as “full size,” we generally look for a handle length of at least 3.5 inches. The one-handed thumbhole opening is simple and at one time led the field in terms of opening innovation.
This tester's thumb is opening the blade using the hidden hole in the blade.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Our primary wish is the handle of the deployed knife was larger in width. In a tightly clenched fist, the handle still seems a little small for sturdier use. In use, the shape of the back of the blade is optimized for thumb pressure. This is good because that same deep section of the blade sticks out considerably when the knife is closed. The handle could be made a little bulkier, in a good way, without really changing the pocket dimensions of the knife.
Our only complaint in performing heavier tasks with the Delica is that its handle is a little thin for the typical adult fist.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Portability
The Spyderco is pretty light and compact for a full-length pocket knife. 2.3 ounces is featherweight for the size. The folded knife is thin (0.4 inches) but wide. It is almost 2 inches wide in its folded configuration. For the relatively narrow in-use handle, the Spyderco Delica takes up a disproportionate amount of space in your pocket. The pocket clip is tight and fully customizable. The Delica is one of only a few knives on the market that offers four different carrying orientations with the pocket clip. If you don't yet know how you like to carry your knife, full customization as on the Delica is great.
Stowage of the Delica is pretty visible, thanks to the pocket clip's attachment location relative to the end of the knife. This might not work with your wardrobe requirements in some situations.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Construction Quality
Initial impressions of knife quality are often tied to their weight. A heavy knife feels sturdy. All metal components make for a denser package and lend a sense of confidence. In practice, a knife doesn't have to feel sturdy to be sturdy. The Delica feels light. All components are tight and optimized, but the overall package is lightweight. Longer-term GearLab testing has revealed no issues. Decades of Delica use by others prove its integrity.
Spyderco's Delica has a wide (in this case, the distance up and down), thin blade. It is sturdy and sharp but takes up significant space.
Credit: Jediah Porter
Should You Buy the Spyderco Delica 4?
The Delica model and basic design are decades old and marked an important step in pocket knife evolution. The entire market of one-handed opening, pocket-clipped locking blades owes much of its existence to the initial development of the Delica. While the Spyderco Delica 4 lags behind some of its modern competitors, the blade material alone makes it worth the investment.
Picnicking, camping, traveling... The more you move around, the more you might need a knife like the Delica. This Spyderco is great for all kinds of cutting tasks.
Credit: Jediah Porter
What Other Pocket Knives Should You Consider?
The Delica 4 is an expensive knife, and the long legacy of the Delica design proves its value as much as anything. But at this price point, other knives like the Kershaw Leek bring a more refined design to the table. It is also worth considering a knife like the SOG Twitch II, which scores similarly to the Delica 4, yet costs half as much.
—
Jediah Porter
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