Spyderco is one of my favorite knife companies…
I love the way their blades perform, and I love the quality and attention to detail that they put into their knives…
Right now, two of their most popular designs are:
| Image | Products |
 | Spyderco Delica (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
 | Spyderco Endura (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
And in this Spyderco Delica Vs Endura comparison, we’re going to see how these two great knives stack up against each other 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 of these two knives I prefer, and you should have all the information you need to decide which blade will work best for you…
Let’s get to the comparison!
Blade Steel and Materials…
Spyderco Delica 4
The Spyderco Delica 4 has a blade designed from VG-10 steel, which is rust resistance, takes a fine edge, and easily sharpens…
VG-10 blade steel originated from Japan and was initially marketed for Japanese chefs, but knife-manufacturers instantly saw the steel’s utility as a pocket knife blade material.
I don’t want to bore you too much with the specifics, but VG-10 steel entails various components such as carbon, iron, molybdenum, manganese, vanadium, chromium, and cobalt, and my point is that all this adds up to a great knife steel.
The full flat-grind blade on the Delica is ideal for dicing and slicing anything from thick plastic to vegetables, and some models have edges with a titanium carbon nitride coating to give your blade a black combat appearance.
When you get your knife, it’s razor-sharp, and it’s easy to maintain the sharpness using something like the Spyderco Sharpmaker or any other blade sharpening system you like to use.
In addition to that, the Delica’s handle is constructed from fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN), and it incorporates skeletonized steel liners (which helps keep the knife lightweight).
The blade and liners sit perfectly within the handle, leaving no unnecessary space, and the handle has scales with bidirectional surfaces that help give you a firm (and comfortable) grip in your hand…
The jimping along the blade’s bottom and back give you more control and make this knife more suitable for medium-to-heavy use.
I also really like that the Delica comes with a good-looking pocket clip that’s mounted for tip-up carry…
…and that its handle is already pre-drilled, which allows you to move the clip to your prefered carry position, such as tip down, tip-up, right hand or left hand carry.
Last, I should also mention that the Delica utilizes the signature Spyderco thumb hole measuring at 13mm in diameter, and it allows you to deploy the blade very fast.
Even if you have gloved hands, you can deploy the blade very quickly, with a simple flick of your wrist, there is a Back Lock at the center of the handle making it simple to close the blade as well.
I’ll talk more about the Back Lock system later, but it has a strong spring to help prevent inadvertent knife openings, and it locks the blade out pretty securely.
Spyderco Endura 4
The Endura 4 blade stretches 3.78 inches, and it’s basically a slightly larger version of the Delica (You could also say the Delica is a more compact version of the Endura).
That being said, the Endura also has a full-flat grind blade (which makes it a great cutter), and just like the Delica, it’s made from VG-10 steel that’s manufactured by the Takefu special steel organization.
Again, VG-10 steel is known for its high resistance to corrosion, excellent edge retention, and quick sharpening, and it’s a great choice of knife steel by Spyderco.
Now, the handle on the Endura is also coated with fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN). FRN is known for being high impact resistant, strong, and stable in extreme temperatures, so it’s a great choice for the handle material.
And Spyderco also includes bi-directional texturing on the Endura handle which really helps you get a solid grip while still being comfortable in your hand.
Last, the Endura 4 also has a versatile pocket clip (like the Delica) that you can relocate on the handle to suit your carry position preference.
Blade Shape and Handle Design…
Spyderco Delica 4
The Delica 4 has a leaf-like blade shape that is unique but still carries the signature spyderco styling. I think the blade shape looks awesome, and it’s convenient because it’s an easy blade to sharpen.
The blade on the Delica has a full flat grind and (typical of Spyderco’s designs) the blade extends out to a very fine tip.
I really like the blade shape, and it will work well for a number of different uses, especially everyday carry (EDC)…
Like I mentioned earlier, the handle is made from fiberglass reinforced nylon (FRN), which is a strong and lightweight material…
…and the texturing on the handle is comfortable and gives you a good amount of purchase when you’re using the knife.
There’s also a lanyard hole on the handle where you can attach a bit of paracord if you’d like to, and the knife is available in a number of different handle colors…
Some of the colors you can get are gray, orange, black, blue, brown, purple, and green, and I love that Spyderco offers you such a wide variety…
You can really pick out the exact color that matches your tastes and goes along your individual style and personality.
Spyderco Endura 4
Like I mentioned earlier, the Endura 4 is a larger version of the Delica 4, so they’re blade shapes are very similar…
The Endura’s blade is a little bit longer than the Delica, and even though it’s a little bit more slender, it generally has a similar leaf-like blade, which I think looks very attractive…
The blade has kind of a drop point design, and it incorporates a full flat grind (which makes it great for slicing).
In addition to that, you can get the Endura with a Plain Edge, the Spyder Edge, or the Combination Edge…
The Spyder Edge is basically Spyderco’s version of a serrated blade, and the Combination Edge is half Plain Edge and half serrated…
I’ve always preferred a Plain Edge on my folders because it makes them easier to sharpen, but I like that Spyderco offers this design with the Spyder Edge and Combination Edge for those that want a serrated or partially serrated blade.
Also, just like the Delica, the Endura has a fiberglass reinforced nylon handle, so it’s lightweight, strong, and comfortable, and it gives you a great amount of purchase on the knife when you’re using it.
Now the Edura comes in a couple of different blade shapes (the standard blade shape and the Emerson Opener), and some versions have a metallic colored blade while others have a black blade…
In addition to that, the handle comes in a number of different colors including black, gray, green, purple, brown, and orange…
I really love that Spyderco offers this knife in so many different variations because it allows you to get the extract features you’re looking for on your knife.
Locking Mechanism…
Both the Delica and the Endura use the Back Lock system. This is a locking mechanism that incorporates a locking arm and a notch in the tang of the blade…
It’s a fairly simple locking system for a folding knife, and it does a good job of keeping the blade locked out securely when it’s deployed.
Size And Dimensions…
Spyderco Delica 4
Like I mentioned earlier, the Spyderco Delica is actually a more compact version of the Endura, and you’ll see that play out as we go through the dimensions…
The blade length on the Delica could be as low as 2.75, but on most models the blade sits at 2.9 inches long…
The handle length on the Delica is 4.25 inches long. So that will bring the overall length of most versions of the Delica to 7.15 inches when the blade is fully deployed…
I think that’s a very useful size for a variety of purposes, and it makes the Delica a great choice for an EDC (everyday carry) knife.
Spyderco Endura 4
Once again, the Endura is the full-sized version of this particular Spyderco design family (again the Delica is a more compact version of the Endura and the Dragonfly is even smaller)…
That being said, the blade length on the Endura could be as short as 3.55 inches long, but on most models the blade will measure in at 3.78 inches long. The handle length on the Endura is 4.98 inches long.
So all that brings the overall length of most versions of the Endura to 8.78 inches long when the blade is deployed…
And it means that most versions of the Endura will be 1.63 inches longer than most versions of the Delica when the blade is fully locked out.
Even though the Endura is a little bit larger than the Delica, it’s not overly large, and I think it also functions pretty well as an EDC knife.
Pocket Clip And Carry Options…
Both the Delica and the Endura give you four positions to choose from for the location of your clip…
That means that both knife designs can be carried tip-up or tip-down, and you can swap the clip to either side on both knives too…
Personally, I prefer tip-down carry because that’s just what I’m used to, but there are a lot of people who really like tip-up carry…
And I’m glad that Spyderco has built in a lot of flexibility, and that they give you the option to choose exactly how you would like to carry on both of these knife designs.
In addition to that, both the Delica and the Endura use a black clip which sits fairly deep in your pocket. Both knives won’t totally disappear in your pocket (with just the clip showing)…
…the way some knife designs will, but I think they both look pretty sleek and they’re both pretty discreet and comfortable to carry.
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately I won’t be able to give exact numbers in this category because the prices of the knives are changing week to week…
That being said, you’ll usually find the Delica to be anywhere from a couple bucks to around 10 bucks less expensive than the Endura…
That’s not a huge difference, but the Delica is (only slightly) the less expensive option of the two.
Spyderco Delica Vs Endura – Final Thoughts…
So to sum it all up, in the Blade Steel And Materials category both knives have VG-10 blade steel which is a good choice because it resists corrosion and holds an edge well…
And the both have fiberglass reinforced nylon handles that are lightweight and strong…
In the Blade Shape And Handle Design category, both designs have a similar blade shape, but the Endura’s blade is a little bit longer, and both have comfortable handles that come in a variety of colors…
In the Size And Dimensions category, the Delica is the more compact option because it is 1.63 inches shorter than the Endura when the blade is fully deployed…
In the Pocket Clip And Carry Position category, both knife designs have a clip that can be attached in four different positions, and they both sit fairly deep and comfortably in your pocket…
And last, in the Price Comparison, the Delica can usually be found for a few dollars less than the Endura, but the price difference is usually pretty small.
So which of these knives do I prefer? I prefer the Delica 4…
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I prefer the Delica 4 because it’s got all the same features as the Endura is a slightly more compact package…
Because it’s a little more compact, it takes up less real estate in your pocket and it’s a little bit more comfortable to carry around with you…
In addition to that, it’s usually a few dollars less expensive than the Endura, so it will save you a little bit of money…
Now if you prefer a slightly larger blade, then feel free to go with the Endura 4 because it’s still an awesome knife (great blade steel, handle material, and color options)…
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Either way, I hope I was able to show you the major differences between these two amazing knife designs from Spyderco!