Chap or caly: small gift to self for first born

[Germinalphrase]

Hey all,

My Delica took a permenant vacation while out for a hike in the fall. I’ve been making do with my dragonfly which is a capable little design, but with the recent birth of our first child I want to treat myself to a nice delica replacement.

I’m thinking I would like to go Chap or Caly 3. Both my delica and DF2 have been frn, but I’m partial to g10 due to grip. G10 looks like an option on Calys, but carbon fiber would be a solid alternative.

My question: Is the carbon fiber on the chap/caly 3 fairly “slick” or does it have some texture/grippy-ness to it?

Also, I’m hoping to find a second hand knife (because, you know - new baby). I know we don’t do knife sales/trades here, but can anyone recommend a good place to look for used knives other than eBay?

Thanks!

[Supacede]

Caly 3 all the way, just saw a lightly used original black g10 vg-10 PE on ebay last night for $165 if memory serves.

You'll love it.

[sal]

Hi Germinalphrase,

Congrats on the new arrival. Please email to me the child's name, date of birth and your mailing address?

sal

[abbazaba]

My vote goes to the Chaparral. I think it is a more reined design, and carries slightly better than the Caly (slimmer, lighter). The CF is my favorite version, and I find it to be plenty grippy.

[p_atrick]

Congrats on the new addition to your family. I've had good luck buying, selling, and trading on /r/Knife_Swap.

[SF Native]

Really like the caly’s. Recommend them.
The hap40 caly 3 is fantastic and is grippy green g10. The carbon caly 3.5 is slick but has jimping on the choil and thumb ramp. It stays in the hand just fine.

[bearfacedkiller]

Congrats!!!

[Germinalphrase]

That Hap40 Caly seems great. Is going rate about $170? I’m hoping to be closer to the $100 rather than $200 mark.

Thanks for the well wishes! Mom and baby are healthy and well which is all I could hope for.

[attila]

Congrats on the kiddo! My first kiddo came in late 2017, and it's been a tiring but fulfilling experience so far. Enjoy (or at least appreciate ) every moment you get with your little one.

Is the wife getting a prize for the first kiddo? She might like the Chaparral and you could have the slightly bigger Caly.

[Woodpuppy]

Congratulations!

Kids! The most frustrating, exhausting, and wonderful things in life! I have 4.... 2 sets of twins, 3.5 years apart. I am one tired dude. Good news is, you remember the good stuff and forget the pain of 2-hr feeding intervals. And driving around the neighborhood to get your screaming daughter to go to sleep.. there’s more, but you’ll figure it out! :D

P.s. ear plugs do help

[toocool006]

Congrats on the new one!

My wife and I are also expecting a tiny person (our first) to join our family in April. I went through the same thought process you did, and ultimately decided to gift myself a baby Jess horn (a baby for the baby).

Between the Chap and the Caly you can't go wrong. My personal preference runs to the Chap, (I've got one in FRN, Ti, and Raffir Noble, and will be adding a CF when the time is right). It's just the perfect size for me, disappears in pocket, and is effortlessly ergo'd for my hand. I had the Hap40 Caly but moved it along - it's a beefier blade and more robust feeling all around, but as a city dweller my Chap can handle my hard use :-) The Caly does give you the option of a further back position, as in my experience you really will be choking up on the forward choil with the Chap.

It's a good choice to have, and congrats again!

[toocool006]

Hi Germinalphrase,

Congrats on the new arrival. Please email to me the child's name, date of birth and your mailing address?

sal

And Germinalphase, this might be better than anything you end up deciding for yourself. Definitely share with us whatever surprise Sal is cooking up when the time comes :D :spyder: :D :spyder:

[xceptnl]

Congrats Germinalphase on your first born. This seems like a landmark occasion and thus I would suggest splurging a little and picking up the green sprint HAP-40 Caly or the super smooth and sleek CF Caly 3.5.

As others have said, you can hunt and be patient while searching for a deal on eBay. I am carrying my VG-10/G-10 Caly 3.5 today... I think I picked it up NIB but second hand for less than $120

[The Meat man]

Congratulations Germinalphrase! :)

[legOFwhat?]

Congratulations!

[Holland]

Congratulations!

[Sumdumguy]

Caly 3(.5 if you can get away with it) gets my vote. Great, simple design.

[Halfneck]

Congratulations! I'm not a choil fan, but I do love my Caly 3. Feels great in my hand, plus it was a Father's Day gift from my 2 sons.

Hi Germinalphrase,

Congrats on the new arrival. Please email to me the child's name, date of birth and your mailing address?

sal

OP - Make sure you don't forget to email Sal.

[DrawBackwards]

Congratulations! Your life is changing in one of the most worthwhile ways. Best wishes to you, your wife, and the little one. This is just fantastic.

I don’t have a Chap yet - yeah, I need to change that - but I can say I personally prefer the Caly3 to the DF2. I am amazed by the DF2 design, and I still have no idea how Sal came up with it, and it works. It’s amazing. I still prefer just that little bit more handle and blade with the Caly3. But that really is just my preference - whatever you choose will be great. :)

-Ward

[anycal]

Tough decision if only one. Can't beat the slimness of the Chaparral. It cuts and carries superbly. The Caly fits me better in most of my uses for a knife of this size.

The CF is textured, but definitely not as grippy as G10.