It’s no secret that I’m kind of a Spyderco fanboy…
They just get so much right when it comes to their knives, and I love the quality levels that they put into their designs…
Right now, two of their most popular folding knives are:
| Image | Products |
 | Spyderco Delica (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
 | Spyderco Dragonfly (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
And in this Spyderco Delica Vs Dragonfly comparison, we’re going to examine the similarities and differences between these two knife designs in the following categories…
- Blade Steel And Materials
- Blade Shape And Handle Design
- Locking Mechanism
- Size And Dimensions
- Pocket Clip And Carry Position
- Price Comparison
In the end, I’ll tell you which knife I prefer, and you should have all the information you need to determine which of these two awesome knives is the right one for you…
Let’s get started!
Blade Steel And Materials…
Spyderco Delica 4
The Delica 4 is a more compact version of the Spyderco Endura. So there are a lot of similarities between the 2 knife designs…
Now the blade steel on the Delica is VG-10, which is a great steel for a folding knife. It originated in Japan, and was first marketed for Japanese chef’s knives…
But it wasn’t long before knife-manufacturers saw its potential as a high quality pocket knife steel. It’s a great steel because it’s corrosion resistant, easy to sharpen, and it holds an edge well…
And I think it was a great choice by Spyderco to use VG-10 for this knife design. In addition to that, the handle on the Delica is made from fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN), and Spyderco puts skeletonized steel liners in the grip of this knife as well…
I think FRN is a great handle material because it’s strong and lightweight, and because of the texturing on the Delica’s grips, you’re able to get a really good purchase on the knife when you’re using it…
All in all, I’m very impressed with the blade steel and handle materials that Spyderco uses on the Delica 4.
Spyderco Dragonfly
Just as the Delica is a more compact version of the Endura, the Dragonfly is a more compact version of the Delica. So these 3 designs kind of fall into the same family…
Because of that, it’s no surprise that the Dragonfly also uses VG-10 as it’s blade steel, which again is a great choice because it’s rust resistant, strong, and holds an edge well…
In addition to that, the Dragonfly is offered in a variety of different handle choices including stainless steel and G-10…
But the most common handle material you’ll find on the Dragonfly is (just like with the Delica) fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN)…
As I mentioned before, FRN is a great handle material because it’s impact resistant, strong, lightweight, and stable in extreme temperatures…
Again, the handle on this design is textured which secures the knife in your hand when you’re cutting with it, and it’s comfortable at the same time…
All in all, the blade steel and handle materials on the Dragonfly are also high quality and very impressive.
Blade Shape And Handle Design…
Spyderco Delica 4
The Delica 4 has a kind of leaf-like blade shape, which is almost like a drop point blade that follows Spyderco’s signature styling…
It’s a full flat ground blade, which is razor sharp when you get it and great for slicing, dicing, and cutting. It comes with a Plain Edge, a Spyder Edge which is Spyderco’s version of a serrated edge, and a Combination Edge which is half plain edge and half serrated…
I always prefer going with Plain Edge blades on my knives because they’re just easier to sharpen, but if you’re looking for serrations, I’m glad that Spyderco offers this design with the Sypder Edge and the Combination Edge too…
In addition to that, the Delica has the traditional Spyderco hole, which allows you to deploy the blade quickly and easily, and there is jimping on the spine of the knife to give you a little bit of extra control when using it…
Now as I mentioned before, the handle is made from fiberglass reinforced nylon, and it is ergonomic and comfortable in the hand…
The bi-directional texturing on the grip really locks in your hand when you’re using the knife, and I think it’s a comfortable knife to hold and use…
There is a lanyard hole at the bottom of the grip, in case you want to loop some paracord through it, and it comes in a variety of colors including: blue, green, brown, gray, orange, zombie green, black and purple…
I love that Spyderco offers this design in so many colors because it means you can pick out the exact color to fit your needs and personality.
Spyderco Dragonfly
Once again, the Dragonfly is a more compact version of the Delica, so naturally the blade shape is very similar. It is a little bit shorter, and also a little bit more broad, but it also has a full flat grind and is very sharp right out of the box…
You can get the Dragonfly with a Plain Edge or a Spyder Edge (serrated edge), but you can also get it with different blade shapes such as the Emerson blade, the Hawkbill blade, and the Wharncliffe blade…
My favorite of these options is the standard Dragonfly blade shape with a Plain Edge, but I do like that Spyderco offers so much variety when it comes to the blade for this design…
It also has the traditional Spyderco deployment hole which allows you to open the knife quickly and easily, and there is jimping on the spine and the finger choil to help give you more control when using the knife…
Now like I mentioned before the most common handle material on the Dragonfly is FRN (just like the Delica) and it also has bi-directional texturing which is comfortable and gives you a good purchase on the knife…
The Dragonfly also comes in a variety of colors such as: yellow, black, orange, green, gray, and others, which, again, I really like because it allows you to pick out a knife that fits your style and personality.
Locking Mechanism…
Both the Delica and the Dragonfly use the Black Lock locking system. This is a locking mechanism that uses a pivoting arm with a lug that engages a notch in the tang of the blade…
It’s a pretty simple and common locking system for a folding knife, and it does a good job of locking out the blade securely when it’s deployed and being used.
Size And Dimensions…
Spyderco Delica 4
Like I mentioned earlier the Delica and the Dragonfly are more compact versions of the Spyderco Endura, and you’ll see how that plays out as we go through the dimensions…
Some versions of the Delica have a blade length of 2.75 inches, but most of the versions you’ll find out there have a 2.9 inch long blade. The handle is 4.25 inches long…
So that brings the overall length on most versions of the Delica to 7.15 inches long when the blade is fully deployed…
Just for comparison, that means the Delica is around 1.63 inches shorter than the full-sized Endura when the blade is locked out.
Spyderco Dragonfly
Once again, the Dragonfly is pretty much a more compact version of the Delica, and that will be reflected in its size and dimensions…
Some versions of the Dragonfly have a blade length of 2.32 inches, but most versions of the Dragonfly have a blade that measures 2.28 inches long. The handle is 3.33 inches long…
So that brings the overall length on most versions of the Dragonfly to 5.61 inches when the blade is locked out…
And it means that the Dragonfly is around 1.54 inches shorter than the Delica, and its around 3.17 inches shorter than the full-sized Endura.
Pocket Clip And Carry Position…
Spyderco Delica 4
The Delica gives you the ability to put the clip in four different locations. You can set the clip up for tip up carry or for tip down carry, and it can be swapped to either side…
Personally, I prefer to carry my folding knives in the tip down position, but I know that there are a lot of people who really like tip up carry…
I think it’s great that Spyderco gives you 4 position choices for your clip because it gives you a lot of flexibility, and it means you can set your knife up to carry it exactly how you want to…
Now the clip on the Delica is a black color which I think looks pretty sleek, and the knife sits fairly deep in your pocket…
It doesn’t completely disappear, the way some knife designs do (with just the clip showing), but it’s very comfortable to carry and pretty discreet.
Spyderco Dragonfly
The clip on the Dragonfly can only be set up for tip up carry, but it can be swapped out to either side of the knife…
Like I said earlier, I prefer tip down carry, but if a knife is set up for tip up carry and I like the design, it’s not really a big deal to me…
I do like that you can swap the clip to either side on the Dragonfly because that gives you a little bit of control over how you carry it, even if you don’t have all the flexibility you get with the Delica…
Now the clip on the Dragonfly is kind of a wire-style clip. It works well and just like with the Delica(1), the knife sits relatively deep in your pocket without completely disappearing…
And once again, it is very comfortable in your pocket and at the same time it’s fairly discreet.
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately I won’t be able to give you exact numbers in this category because the prices of the knives are constantly changing…
That being said, in general, you can usually find the Dragonfly for around 15 to 20 bucks less expensive than the Delica…
To me, that’s not that big of a difference in price between these two designs, but the Dragonfly (even if it’s just by a few dollars) is clearly the less expensive option.
Spyderco Delica Vs Dragonfly – Conclusions…
So to sum it all up, in the Blade Steel And Materials category, both the Delica and the Dragonfly use VG-10 which is a great knife steel because it’s rust resistant, strong, and holds an edge well…
And both designs have fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN) grips which are strong, lightweight and comfortable…
In the Blade Shape And Handle Design category, both knives have a leaf-like blade shape that looks great and is very functional as well…
And both handles are strong, lightweight, and comfortable, and they come in a variety of colors…
In the Locking Mechanism category, both designs use the Black lock system which is a common locking mechanism that locks out the blade pretty securely…
In the Size And Dimensions category, the Dragonfly is around 1.54 inches shorter than the Delica when both of their blades are deployed…
In the Pocket Clip And Carry Position category, the Delica’s clip can be moved in 4 different positions, which allows you to carry tip up or tip down and on either side…
…but the Dragonfly’s clip only allows you to carry it tip up but it can also be swapped to either side of the knife…
And last, in the Price Comparison, the Dragonfly is around 15 to 20 bucks less expensive than the Delica…
So which of these knives do I prefer? I prefer the Delica 4…
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I prefer the Delica because I really like the size of the blade and the overall size of the knife for everyday carry (EDC)…
It’s a great cutter, and it’s very comfortable when you carry it around in your pocket…
In addition to that, you can change the position of the clip in four different areas and set the knife up to carry exactly how you want to…
Both knives have great blade steel and handle materials, and both are fairly compact, but because the blade is a little larger on the Delica, I think it gives you a little more functionality.
Now if you prefer a super compact blade for whatever reason, then feel free to go with the Dragonfly because it’s still an awesome folder…
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Either way I hope I was able to show you the major similarities and differences between these two amazing knife designs from Spyderco!