Spyderco Delica 4 — 2.875 inch drop point blade in VG-10

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Spyderco Delica 4 · Drop Point
2.875″ blade · 0.098″ spine · 2.5 oz · ~1.16″ tall

Spine thickness, same scale

0.098″

Length and spine thickness drawn to true scale from published specs. Outline traced from the maker's side-profile photo.

Spyderco

Spyderco Delica 4

EDC FolderFolding

The Spyderco Delica 4 is a 2.875" drop point folder in VG-10, full flat ground. The handle is FRN, secured by a back lock. Made in Japan, one of 4 here from there.

Blade: 2.875″
Weight: 2.5 oz
Steel: VG-10
Price band: Mid

Best for

Everyday carry in pocket-knife-restricted areas

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Specifications

Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against knifeworks, knifecenter.

Blade length: 2.875″
Cutting edge: 2.56″
Spine thickness: 0.098″
Blade shape: Drop Point
Grind: Full Flat
Steel: VG-10
Overall length: 7.125″
Closed length: 4.25″
Weight: 2.5 oz
Lock: Back Lock
Deployment: Manual
Handle material: FRN
Country of origin: Japan

Why a drop point

The default hunting and EDC shape, and the safest general answer. The spine curves down to the tip in a convex line, which keeps the point low and strong and leaves plenty of belly for skinning. It is hard to make a drop point bad at anything.

Every drop point here →

About VG-10

The Japanese standard. Takes a very keen edge quickly; loses it sooner than the powder steels.

Edge retention

2/5

Toughness

3/5

Corrosion resistance

4/5

Ease of sharpening

4/5

1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All VG-10 knives

What owners say

Drawn from 1,736 owner discussions of the Spyderco Delica 4 since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.

What owners like

Long service from one knife: one owner has used Delicas as a harness knife for 11 years through rain, snow and shine (the first blade snapped on a zip tie after seven years of hard use), others report 8, almost 10 and at least 10 years on one knife, and another Delica has reached 12 years on its second blade
Narrow in the pocket and very light, and one owner has used it as an everyday work knife for five years and bought a second
The thin full-flat blade is a strong slicer for its size, with an owner who had collected for ten years before buying a $50 VG-10 Delica calling it an honest everyday slicer
VG-10 is easy to sharpen: a self-described novice says it sharpens easily and still holds a decent edge, and another owner calls it easy to maintain and fairly rust resistant
The back lock is trusted and comfortable one-handed for one owner, another calls it a good knife to recommend to people new to knives because everyone knows how a back lock works, and a third says the Delica is what first won them over to back locks
Cheap to upgrade: Flytanium G-10 scales cost $12 to $15, and one owner who fitted micarta scales and a titanium backspacer says the lockup is more satisfying and the knife feels brand new
Bargains turn up: one owner won a VG-10 Delica 4 for $42 at a pawn shop auction, and another got a standard VG-10 Delica 4 for $50

What owners flag

Lock rock and blade play: one owner's Delica developed lock rock bad enough within a year that they nearly quit carrying it, another's has more lock rock than they like, and a third calls up-and-down blade play a Seki-made trait
One owner blames the plastic backspacer for lock rock and says a metal backspacer plus a deep-carry clip costs over $50 retail, which erases the value; an aftermarket Ultem backspacer lasted a week for another owner
The stock clip rides high, with the knife sticking out about an inch for one owner, and another whose clip had snagged on a jumper and a van door lost the knife in the woods and blames the clip
Price has crept up: one owner puts it at $90 and expects it to pass $100 soon
The FRN handle feels cheap to two owners: one compares it unfavourably with the Buck 112's, and another returned a Delica disliking the FRN and its gritty action out of the box
VG-10 disappoints two owners: one who examined a freshly sharpened Delica 4 edge under an electron microscope says the steel cannot hold a sharp edge, though another knife user says that edge was simply not dressed properly, and another returned an Emerson-opener Delica because its VG-10 was not very exciting and its grind uneven
One owner's VG-10 Delica 4 has developed minor rust spots

Several owners report carrying a Delica for around ten years or more. At 2.875 inches of VG-10 in a 2.5 oz FRN handle, it is carried as a work knife, a harness knife and a first Spyderco, and two owners who lost theirs bought more. The back lock is part of the appeal: trusted, easy one-handed, and familiar to people who have never thought about lock types.

Lock rock is the wear issue owners raise, and the fixes they report are a titanium backspacer, new scales and peening the pivot barrel, with mixed results. The stock clip leaves about an inch of knife showing for one owner, and owners fit LynchNW and MXG deep-carry clips. VG-10 splits opinion: two owners like how easily it sharpens, one adding that it seems fairly rust resistant, while one owner frustrated with the edge says it cannot hold a sharp one, and another returned a VG-10 Delica and paid more for K390.

The Endura is the bigger sibling, and one owner settled on the Endela as the size in between. Against cheaper back locks, one owner points budget buyers to the Buck 112 Slim, the Ka-Bar Dozier and the Ganzo F759 now that the Delica costs around $90. One owner who likes to fidget prefers the compression-lock Para 3.

How do I fix lock rock on a Delica?

One owner found that jamming metal between the pivot screw and pivot worked for only a few days, a titanium backspacer tightened the action without fully curing it, and peening the pivot barrel works so far but nearly ruined the threads. Another found that micarta scales and a titanium backspacer made lockup more satisfying and reduced the up-and-down blade play.

Should I get VG-10 or pay more for K390 or another sprint steel?

K390 Delica owners are enthusiastic: one says theirs stayed sharp through about four months of hard use, despite plans to sharpen out a very uneven factory grind. VG-10 owners counter that it is easy to sharpen and maintain, and one finds it fairly rust resistant.

Will VG-10 rust if I live near the sea?

One owner finds VG-10 pretty rust resistant, but another's VG-10 Delica 4 has developed minor rust spots, which that owner plans to leave alone as long as they do not affect performance.

Can I swap the scales and clip?

Yes. Flytanium G-10 scales cost $12 to $15, and owners also fit Flytanium micarta. Two owners found reassembling the back lock the tricky part, one naming the lock pin and its spring tension. One owner who tried swapping parts between three Delicas found the lock and rocker would not work in a different knife.

Is there a deep-carry clip that fits the FRN Delica?

Owners have fitted LynchNW and MXG clips. One owner found a generic three-hole titanium clip bears on the textured part of the FRN scale instead of the smooth logo area, making the knife harder to draw. Another went back to stock clips on most knives because deep carry makes them harder to grab, but kept a deep-carry clip on their Delica.

What are cheaper alternatives to the Delica?

One owner who expects the $90 Delica to pass $100 soon and stop counting as a budget knife suggests the Buck 112 Slim Select, the Ka-Bar Dozier Folding Hunter and the Ganzo F759, each around $17 to $35. That owner rates the Buck's handle as feeling more solid than the Delica's FRN.