A shot :
The fourth generation Delica has some a long way since the origional implementation. It now features a redesigned handle, different contours and checkering pattern, a more ergonomic clip, with a VG-10 stainless steel blade, and the grip has dual steel liners and torx screw construction. From the Spyderco webpage on the Delica :
Spyderco's number one all-time seller (and the CLIPIT most found in people's pockets) is without doubt the Delica. All agencies of Serve and Save Professionals and (in-the-know) knife knuts carry it for cutting around home, on the job or during recreational activities. Size, weight and ergonomics combine making it our most user-friendly folder. The Delica seems to fit everyone's hand. Its black FRN handle is pebbled with volcano grip texturing and contoured for ergonomic comfort. Socially acceptable, its 2-11/16" VG-10 blade is flat saber-ground for optimal cutting performance. For those with large strong hands who perform heavy- duty work, we've added a David Boye dent for enhanced lock security.
For specifications on the Delica, as well as general handling and performance characteristics see the review of the plain edge Spyderco Delica. This one has the SpyderEdge or serrated profile and this page will mainly be a focus on the difference this makes on the cutting ability and edge retention over a wide range of materials. The scallops on the Delica are cut at 22.2 (8) degrees included.
The SpyderEdge Delica was used alongside a plain edge Delica and Endura which had the primary edges cut on a x-coarse SiC hone, polished up to 4000 grit AO and then microbevels added with the Sharpmaker white and medium rods at 20 degrees.
With the white stone finish the thread performance was 110 (2) grams and with the medium finish it was 180 (5) grams. The fine finish could readily push cut newsprint, the medium finish needed a draw. The SpyderEdge Delica could make a slice through 3/8" hemp with a bare 9 (1) lbs, the polished Delica could make a push cut with 17 (1) and a slice with 13 (1) lbs.
The SpyderEdge or serrated Delica was not sharpened during the work, the two plain edged blades were several times as noted. Later the work was repeated with the finish on the plain edge Endura and Delica switched as a consistency check. There was no difference in initial sharpness noted or the performance aside from the binding of the thicker stock on the Endura.
Thus the following describes a comparison between a NIB SpyderEdge Delica, a plain edge Delica with a micro bevel of 20 degrees with the fine Sharpmaker rods and a plain edge Endura with a microvel of 20 degrees with the medium Sharpmaker rods.
The first round of materials consisted of newsprint, fine and very wrinkled tissue paper, single ply toilet paper, wide ribbon and styrofoam :
All blades easily cut the newsprint, the SpyderEdge Delica did it the easiest, each scallop would do a push cut with no effort. The plain edge Delica could as well do a push cut however it was not as smooth simply as it was not as highly polished, the thread score of the SpyderEdge Delica is the most extreme seen to date. The plain edge Endura had no problems making a straight and clean cut, however a draw was needed and thus the length of paper that was cut was limited to several times the blade length but was basically unrestricted for the other two blades as there was no travel along the edges during the cut.
The fine and wrinkled wrapping paper had to be cut under tension, with the paper held between the pinched index and middle finger and thumb and ring finger. The SpyderEdge Delica could push cut the paper well however as the paper was so wrinkled sections would snag across the tops of the points of the serrations towards the end of the cut. The plain edged blades had no problems making a cut. The plain edge Endura again needed a draw and the paper could be seen to have a rougher finish but it would need to be checked very close to note the difference.
The toilet paper was readily cut with the plain edge Delica however it took some care to make the initial cut. The blade needed to be held at a 45 degree angle to the paper and the cut made close to the point at which it was held and a draw used. The plain edge Endura could not make a cut but could continue one if started by pinching the paper tight similar to the tissue paper. The SpyderEdge Delica was easiest to start the cut but similar to the tissue paper, the points would catch and tend to tear the paper.
The slight ribbon was cut in a few ways, both on a straight push as well as a slice and then a very quick slash with the ribbon tied to a weight to keep it under tension. It was difficult to note any difference in the blades, all would cut it readily. The only significant contrast in behavior was that the plain edge Delica with the higher polish would give a cleaner finish than the plain edge Endura and there were some issues with fraying due to the points on the SpyderEdge Delica as they tended to poke through the ribbon on push cuts.
The styrofoam blocks were readily cut with all knives, the plain edge Delica was the only one which could make a push cut though it needed a 45 angle presentation and tended to do better (need less force) is some draw was used. The plain edge Endura also made smooth cuts but needed more of a draw. The SpyderEdge Delica cut the blocks with no fracture, but did leave a little few pieces tore off from the sides. It could not be used for sculpture finishing for example, but no issue with just cutting blocks to insulate a wall.
Summary : The very high initial sharpness of the SpyderEdge Delica was evident and allowed it to cut very light materials well, there were however some issues with an inability to make completely clean cuts. There was no advantage of using the rougher edge on the Endura and the plain edge Delica had the best performance overall.
To look at more rigid materials, some 1/16" ridged carboard was cut into strips, then slicing cuts were made into a large paperback under a 45 lbs press/draw and a seat belt was cut freehanging under tensions of 1000, 500 and 200 grams.
On the cardboard, the plain edge Delica out cut the plain edge Endura on a push and the reverse was seen on a slice, showing essentially the difference between the fine and medium finishes. The minimum force was 3-4 lbs with both blades using the optimal method and a few pounds higher when not, so a significant difference percentage wise, which would also be a lot higher on thicker cardboard. The SpyderEdge Delica could do actually do either cut, slice or push, and match both optimal performance levels.
On the paper back the larger difference in performance was seen. The blades were pressed into the edge on a 45 degree angle and then pulled back while maintaining 45 lbs pressed into the paper. The plain edged blades made essentially the same depth of cut, 0.47 (8) cm for the Endura and 0.43 (3) cm for the Delica. The more coarse finish on the Endura could be felt to give it a more aggressive slice but the slightly thicker profile held it back as well and both factors thus tended to cancel each other out. However the SpyderEdge Delica cut a massive 1.2 (1) cm, an increase in performance of about 200%. A few test cuts made into the book nailed to a board showed similar differences, the plain edges blades could only make shallow penetration while the SpyderEdge Delica cut large rents deep into the book.
On the seat belt, the knives were held less than an inch from the belt and then a cut was attempted with minimal vertical travel as it was easy to make a cut on a very acute angle. When the belt was held under 1000 grams (about two lbs) all knives could cut it easily and almost straight across. Under 500 grams the plain edge Delica with the higher polish tended to make a smoother cut and the Endura left the edges a little more ragged, care needed to be taken with the SpyderEdge Delica as otherwise the points could hook in the surface and just score it, but after a few cuts it wasn't an issue to cut with it either. However under the minimal 200 grams of tension (about half a pound), it was very difficult to make the cuts with the SpyderEdge Delica, after six failed attempts there was no more belts, there wasn't enough tension to keep the belt rigid. The two plain edged blades had no problems making the cuts.
Summary : the blades all did well on the cardboard, the SpyderEdge Delica showed the most versatility, and its performance slicing through thick stacks of paper was extremely high, however it was also the most limited in terms of being able to cut the seat belt under low tension.
More work was done with some fabrics to check ease of cutting as well as well as ability to make a clean cut, light cotton was used in a thick roll and then a used leather glove was sectioned, some more rigid materials were also cut, a plastic pop bottle and a rubber slipper :
With about two feet of the cotton formed into a tight roll about two inches thick and under 1000 grams of tension, the performance of the two plain edges knives were similar, the plain edge Delica required 32 (1) centimeters to make a cut and the plain edge Endura 31 (1) centimeters. The SpyderEdge Delica was much more aggressive and only needed 16 (1) centimeters. However similar as seen on the seat belt, if the tension was reduced the SpyderEdge would have problems with snagging while the other blades could still make smooth cuts.
The plain edge Delica had problems on the leather glove, it slipped a little on the cuts and the plain edge Endura with the more coarse finish was more aggressive and cut with less force required applied pressing into the glove. The SpyderEdge Delica was easily the most efficient and shredded the leather with little effort.
On the plastic, both blade edged knives could not make a cut across the bottle, the force was increased to ten lbs at which point the bottle just buckled, however the SpyderEdge Delica readily made a cut with 6.0 (5) lbs as the points easily poked through the surface on a draw due to the much higher contact pressure. Making cuts down through the bottle, all the blades required a minimal 2.0 (5) lbs with the plain edge Endura needing more of a draw due to the rougher finish. Cutting through the thick plastic on the bottom, the plain edge Delica was the most efficient up until the very thick layer through the very core at which point it took far less force to saw with the SpyderEdge Delica rather than make a push cut with the plain edged knives.
The rubber cutting revealed a performance difference similar to seen on the paperback cutting. The two plain edge knives made similar shallow cuts on a light draw (not enough force to show on the scale so less than a pound), however the SpyderEdge Delica easily cut right through the thick sole of the sandall.
Summary : the SpyderEdge Delica again showed its high aggression on thick media resistant to plain edges and as well its limitation in being able to cut light materials under low tensions. At this point both plain edges blades were no longer able to cut newsprint without catching on a few spots and were resharpened. The SpyderEdge Delica's ability to do so was not significantly effected.
The knives were used to carve and split a variety of woods including pine, birch and MDF (a man made wood based composite) :
In whittling they all readily tore huge chunks off the pine, on Birch hardwood flooring the shavings were much smaller however again there was no significant difference seen. While the points of the SpyderEdge did induce greater resistance, the more acute edge seemed to compensate. On the MDF the SpyderEdge Delica had an advantage because the serrations could act like a saw and readily make draw cuts through the composite which isn't possible on most natural woods.
There were more significant differences on other applications, for example the SpyderEdge Delica had little ability to make scrapings or very fine shavings which can be very useful for either starting a fire or for finish carvings of woods. The contrast in behavior was seen most on the MDF where the plain edged blades could slice off an almost paper thin section but the points on the SpyderEdge Delica tended to rip through.
However the SpyderEdge Delica had a huge advantage due to its ability to act as a saw. It could make notches many times faster than the plain edges blades. The difference wasn't that critical on pine because the wood is so easy to carve, however on the birch it saves a lot of time and allows for much faster cutting of square notches which makes for easier to assembles traps.
Summary : for rough carving there was no significant difference seen in the blades, similar when splitting clear woods, however the plain edged knives did much better a scrapings and very thin shavings however the serrated edge blade did much better cutting notches.
As an application of the above, both Delica's were used to gather materials for a fire, starting with light grasses, then dried and stalky plants, then various boughs. In all cases the SpyderEdge Delica was much more efficient, on some materials the difference was slight, like the grasses, but on others like the stalky plants and boughs it was huge. The stalks could be bend and then a quick pull with the SpyderEdge Delica would cut through a full hand full, the plain edge Delica would just skate over the surface.
The fire was made at night, hence the lack of detail. In some cases the plain edge would be prefered, for splitting and scraping, as noted in the above.
On meats there was no lack of ability of any of the knives, all readily sliced through thick sections of pork with no slipping on the very thick rind :
Peeling potatos, the SpyderEdge Delica left a grooved pattern on the potato however there was no problem peeling close to the skin, the more coarse finish on the Endura induced more resistance than the high polish on the Delica. Slicing the potatoes into pieces the SpyderEdge Delica did take significant more force than the plain edge Delica. On a few potatos the blades were 1/3, 3/5 and 5/10 lbs respectively in favor of the highly polished plain edge version. The Endura is thicker than the Delica and that was more of an influence than the fine vs medium finish.
On dicing, the plain edges blades tended to work better, the plain edge Delica was easily the best because it could use a smooth press motion and thus rapidly pseudo-chop up celery where as the plain edge Endura needed a draw and the SpyderEdge Delica even more of a slicing action to complete a cut because the points keep the scallops off of the cutting board.
On softer vegetables like onions the force is much reduced and the SpyderEdge Delica slices very well, it has no problem making precise cuts through onions, including horizontal cuts. Push cuts were not possible of course, a draw had to be used. With the plain edged blades, a push was most effective with the plihsed Delica and the Endura with the more aggressive finished needed more of a draw.
On really soft vegetables and fruits the performance tends to swap a little and more of a draw has to be used and thus the SpyderEdge Delica stands out very well on rope tomatoes, plums and things like red peppers. The plain edge Delica was also slipping a little on the cuts mainly from blunting on the potatoes which still had dirt on the skin.
The SpyderEdge also stood out strongly on crusty breads, even a traditional french bread with a thin crust is problematic for a polished edge, but the serrated Delica cuts it readily. The Endura with the more coarse edge is better than the polished Delica, but it doesn't take very much crust before even this finish isn't enough :
Summary : the main difference with cutting foods is chopping or dicing vs slicing. The SpyderEdge Delica can't dice foods because the points hit the cutting board and keep the scallops from making contact and thus a draw has to be used to complete a cut. Most foods to be diced can also be cut on a slice though it takes more time and effort. The SpyderEdge Delica does well on the foods which are normally sliced such as tomatos. There are also a couple of other issues such as the serrations will cut deeper into the cutting boards used however they points will keep the main part of the blade off of the cutting board which allows cutting on very hard materials such as ceramic plates.
In general the edge retention of serrated blades is much higher than plain edged blades, this isn't a small percentage but it is a huge many to one time difference. In the above the amount of work which caused the plain edged blades to be sharpened a few times did not significantly effect the serrated Delica.
The edge retention of serrated vs plain edged blades was also compared in the review of the Cara Cara in which the plain and serrated edges were used to slice up used carpet. The Alantic Salt was also used to do some very abusive cutting, metal reinforced thick rubber and showed much better edge retention than several plain edged folders : ref.
The SpyderEdge comes with a very high polish and an extreme level of sharpness, this allows it to function fairly well from push cuting on fine papers to being very aggressive on a slice through thick rubber. It also has enough of a bite to work as a pseudo-saw on various woods for notching.
The difference between a plain and medium finish is one of trading push cut performance for slicing as noted initially by Mike Swaim on rec.knives, a blade can be given a dual edge as described by Joe Talmadge to combine both properties in the one blade similar to the partially serrated profile.
The main drawback of the SpyderEdge is the tendancy to require more tension in the materials being cut and to tend to rip or fray light fabrics. They also require more specialized hones to sharpen, however they compensate by having much greater edge retention and durability in extreme circumstances.
The SpyderEdge also has much greater edge retention in general than a plain edge, especially in very abusive cutting. However in extreme cutting such as cutting sods, it is much easier to restore a plain edge back to optimal sharpness.
The review of the D'Allara also contains work comparing the plain and serrated section : ref. Joe Talmadge's two FAQ's on serrations and sharpening are also very informative on the aspects discussed in the above.
Comments can be emailed to cliffstamp[REMOVE]@cutleryscience.com or by posting in the following thread on Bladeforums :
| Last updated : | 01 : 07 : 2006 |
| Originally written: | 01 : 05 : 2006 |