Is it time for an E5/D5?

[steelcity16]

I can't think of anything I'd want different in the Endura, Delica, Endela, or Dragonfly. All are pretty perfect to me. I'd rather see focus on expanding these into more variations. Cru-carta, blacked out, Dodo-fly, Cricket-fly, etc.

[kennethsime]

In all friendliness, but I hope this won´t ever happen.

Spyderco has already a ton of offerings WITH a choil, so it would be great if at least some endura-style-ricasso models would remain in the lineup!

For one this is always better for people who rarely use the choil, since the hand i closer to the edge with the endura-style ricasso
And then the ricasso is perfectly suited for choking up anyway, and obviously many do this - for me choking up there even gives me more control than many dedicated choils do.

So in a way the ricasso is the best of both worlds...

Agree to disagree, friend, as we've talked about many times now.

I'm willing to acknowledge, like I did in the first post, that the Delica and Endura just aren't for me.

[Fred Sanford]

No no no.

They are almost perfect.

I don’t mind linerless, but I hate the fatty version that has become the Salt 2. I don’t need the handle to be fatter. ::thumbs-down::

If it HAS to be messed with….then bring back the splitter picker point of the D3/E3 and leave it just as skinny and remove the liners. If people have problems breaking the tip, they are misusing the knife.

[ZrowsN1s]

I never say never, but I cant think of anything I would change about the current design.

Better off with rolling CQI changes rather than a radical redesign.

[aicolainen]

I agree with most of the points Wartstein is making.

Now, to be honest I’ve only handled the Salt versions, but they should be pretty similar.
The Salt 2/Delica works very well with my smaller hand size.
The PS2 / Endura not so much, but I’ll assume it works well with larger hands, so probably not something inherently wrong with the design. I would not mind a more neutral handle personally, but not at the expense of someone else's experience.

It’s nice to have a few knives with 4-way clip options, especially on Salt’s, so I wouldn’t change that. Same with the clip itself, I prefer deep carry most of the time, but not for Salt’s. And 3-party deep carry options exists, so thats’s fine.

The only thing I can think of, that would sway me to upgrade my Salt 2 to a Salt 3 / D5 is better blade to handle ratio. It’s only a few millimeters of potential, but OCD can be irrational and expensive sometimes. Obviously not something I expect or hope to happen, but if it does for some odd reason, I’ll be stupid enough to want it.

Maybe a PS3 / E5 with a more neutral handle would convince me to upgrade, but this isn’t something I feel needs to happen either.

In summary, no. I don’t think it’s time. Spyderco is probably better off focusing their efforts elsewhere.

[Stoney87]

If I where looking at a new delica I’d love to see a different list than most. I’m not a big fan of finger choils, as such I’d like to keep some models without. It would be cool to see it get more blade and lose some of the ricaso much like on the rock jumper, bring the blade back to the handle. Then give us a steel spacer instead of frn like the chaparral. I like the idea of a more neutral grip too, like the endura has.I haven’t owned a delica yet, but it’s on my list of buys, I love a choil on my dragonfly but on my native 5 I’m less of a fan. I’m relegated to a 3” blade in my state so losing that edge to a choil is a bummer.

[Bill1170]

The problem with updating the E4/D4 to a fifth generation is twofold. First, they’re already so good that many here don’t want them changed. Second, for every proposed design change, the forum is evenly split in liking and disliking that change. Other than CQI, there’s not really a consensus about a future direction. Changing these knives risks alienating current customers with no guarantee of growing the customer base.

[Wartstein]

If I where looking at a new delica I’d love to see a different list than most. I’m not a big fan of finger choils, as such I’d like to keep some models without. It would be cool to see it get more blade and lose some of the ricaso much like on the rock jumper, bring the blade back to the handle. Then give us a steel spacer instead of frn like the chaparral. I like the idea of a more neutral grip too, like the endura has.I haven’t owned a delica yet, but it’s on my list of buys, I love a choil on my dragonfly but on my native 5 I’m less of a fan. I’m relegated to a 3” blade in my state so losing that edge to a choil is a bummer.

How does the Endura have a "more neutral grip" than the Delica for you? To me they seem to be pretty similar concerning the finger grooves, just differently sized of course (and btw.: I love both the Endura and Delica ergos as they are!)

/ The Delica could get more blade also by just making it longer, there is room for that left in the handle.
In order to stay beyond the 3" limit not by much though, the bladelength now is 2.875" already (the Salt 2, basically a linerless Delica, has exactly 3" of blade though, and by that also a very welcomed longer cutting edge)

[Henry_P]

I feel that with the Delica/Endura creeping up in price every year they at the very minimum need a base steel upgrade. VG10 just doesn’t cut it in the $80 and up range in my opinion. I think S45VN or even better SPY27. I think your average user (not steel junkies) care more about sharpen-ability than insane edge retention so I think SPY27 would be a good fit.

[Wartstein]

I feel that with the Delica/Endura creeping up in price every year they at the very minimum need a base steel upgrade. VG10 just doesn’t cut it in the $80 and up range in my opinion. I think S45VN or even better SPY27. I think your average user (not steel junkies) care more about sharpen-ability than insane edge retention so I think SPY27 would be a good fit.

I´d have to try SPY27 first... I actually like that both Delica and Endura can be had in VG10, cause as you said: So great to sharpen to a very keen edge while still having decent edge retention. Perfect "real world" EDC steel in my view.

But Spy27 might be an upgrade! I just did not try it yet.
Also, isn´t it more of a "Golden" (not Seki) steel?

[elena86]

Just bring back the hollow grind E3 with pointy tip and old style handle. The E4 ruined this iconic model for me.

[Oloung1]

There's a big difference in the blade shape of the Delica/Endura vs. Calypso. For me, blade shape is at least as important as handle shape.

I actually like the Delica handle profile, so I wouldn't want to see that get radically changed. And I don't care about deep carry and/or wire clips. If some future 5th gen model switched to the wire clip and as a result lost the tip-down carry option, that would be a complete deal breaker for me.

But I have grown to like having a choil on a knife. So although I have three Delicas, they don't get carried much any more and a Byrd Harrier 2 has replaced the Delica for me. The Byrd is pretty much the "Delica with a choil" I've wanted. And I can easily get it with G10 handles.

The main thing that I think needs to get changed on the Delica/Endura platform is a wider choice of steels. And that's already being done, both in production models and dealer exclusives. (DLT's recent OD green + DLC Cruwear combo was *very* tempting, but in the end I passed on it since I knew I would rarely carry it.)

As far as changing to linerless construction, people could just get a Salt model right now. The tip is not as acute as the Delica/Endura, but apparently it's not too hard to change that. I've seen pics here on the forum of Salt models that have been ground to have a finer tip.

Sal has mentioned that there is a high performance delica in testing.

Side note, none of the Delica factory releases are DLC, all are TICN, even the newest S30v coated. Personally, I find the difference is that DLC is more resilient from scratches than TICN.

[Stoney87]

If I where looking at a new delica I’d love to see a different list than most. I’m not a big fan of finger choils, as such I’d like to keep some models without. It would be cool to see it get more blade and lose some of the ricaso much like on the rock jumper, bring the blade back to the handle. Then give us a steel spacer instead of frn like the chaparral. I like the idea of a more neutral grip too, like the endura has.I haven’t owned a delica yet, but it’s on my list of buys, I love a choil on my dragonfly but on my native 5 I’m less of a fan. I’m relegated to a 3” blade in my state so losing that edge to a choil is a bummer.

How does the Endura have a "more neutral grip" than the Delica for you? To me they seem to be pretty similar concerning the finger grooves, just differently sized of course (and btw.: I love both the Endura and Delica ergos as they are!)

/ The Delica could get more blade also by just making it longer, there is room for that left in the handle.
In order to stay beyond the 3" limit not by much though, the bladelength now is 2.875" already (the Salt 2, basically a linerless Delica, has exactly 3" of blade though, and by that also a very welcomed longer cutting edge)

Maybe neutral wasn’t the correct terminology, I guess I just prefer(Ed) the feel of the endura the time I held one, which granted was not long and on a single occasion some time ago. Again I don’t have a delica, it didn’t have bad egos or anything, not at all just seemed like that one time holding them I liked something about the endura better. Memory could be skewed to, or just wrong. I think at the point I handled them I owned one spyderco at the time and few knives in general. I maybe it’s me being bitter that I can’t edc an endura and some lucky people on this forum aren’t as limited to what they can legally carry. Lol. It just felt a little different in hand to me. I still think small adjustments could improve a great knife, and make it better in my eyes, however maybe I need to own and use a delica before I try and decide what I think needs changed.

[Blue72]

Yes!

I like to see the elimination of the ricaso. Have the knife edge reach the handle like the Centofante 3

I also like to see the delica handle reduced to 4 inches

Make the handle more neutral for different grip styles

[Wartstein]

Yes!

I like to see the elimination of the ricaso......

:p :p viewtopic.php?f=2&t=89605&p=1522095#p1522026

[knifemovieguy]

Must have improvements - wire clip, linerless, new texturing (or maybe forgotten fish skin like on calypso jr)

[PaloArt]

I think it might be slowly time to think about new version of this knife but just with minor changes like improving backlock (love backlocks) as we can see it on Chaparral for example which is without dreaded rock lock... Handle blade ratio as in earlier models - comparing my old Delica Gen2 SS with my 4th Gen FFG Delica. Offering both models in Serrated edge FFG would be great improvement as well.

Other than that I love both models, just those few small things drive me nuts sometimes :D but nothing that would stop me from another purchase.

[Farmer]

For me, I'd love to see the Delica get back to the design ethos that first got me into Spyderco knives 25 years ago - basically the creation of tough, affordable no-compromise cutting machines that appeal to the general public. If that ethos could be melded with some of the best improvements over the years then I think the D5 would be peerless. In particular I'd love to see a D5 with the following:

- Maximise the cutting edge to handle ratio. More edge = easier cutting, plus I think the misproportioned blade size puts off potential purchasers
- Don't revert to the fragile tips found on the D3. Many people are hard on their knives and broken tips aren't a good advertisement for Spyderco
- Stick with an affordable, all-round performing steel that the average consumer can keep in good shape. IMHO VG-10 fits the bill nicely but maybe SPY-27 is even better?
- Also stick with the thicker handle of the D4 or, better yet, ditch the liners as unnecessary and adopt the Salt 2 handle design
- Make the handle as neutral as possible to facilitate multiple grips and suit different hands. [This applies doubly to the Endura models, none of which I've ever found comfortable]
- Retain the D4 FRN grip pattern
- Stick with the reliable and no-nonsense backlock
- Make the lanyard hole a little bigger to accommodate paracord more easily

[Dan In MI]

Make the lanyard hole a little bigger to accommodate paracord more easily

This doesn't get mentioned often enough. With 550 being the most common type of paracord, I'd like to see knife makers standardize their lanyard holes so that 550 can easily pass through them.