I've got a Delica combo blade with ATS-55. It held a really nice edge. Although a great knife, I didn't care for the clip point - too fragile and people thought it looked too aggresive. Even though I have a Syderco Tri-Angle sharpener, I've always found it a pain to sharpen the serations. I carried a sharpener (similar to one reviewed elsewhere on this site) that had a medum ceramic rods set in a vee. I found this $2 sharpener easier to use with the serrations.

I've since purchased a plain edge Syderco Salt 1. It has the same form factor as the Delica 4, with the blunted tip. It is made from H-1 steel and can be sharpened razor sharp. It however needs to be sharpened more oftern as it doesn't hold the edge quite as long. The improvements were the blunted tip (almost a Sheepsfoot), the larger hole for gloved hands, and the "ribbed" feel on the thumbrest. It does not have the 4-way pocket clip like the Delica 4 has and it is rivited instead of screwed nor does it have the updated grip pattern. It gained slightly in weight now 2.0 oz instead of 1.8 oz. - all of the weight went into the slightly beefier blade.

I've met many a Spyderco owner - in fact at my local camping store, ALL the staff seem to sport one clipped to their pocket! You could do worse - much worse than one of these blades. I chose a sub-3" blade so that people are less intimidated in public but the one handed operation and click as it locks still throw people off. I do love that I one-handedly can open, cut, close and return the knife so quickly to the pocket though that most people don't even know I got it out!

BTW, my OTHER knife is a Benchmade Ares. This is a larger blade of 154CM the sharpens and holds the edge very well. I love it's thumb stud and axis lock. The only thing I don't like about it is it's heft - coming it at 4.2 oz and it's considerably thicker handle takes up a lot of space in my pocket. It's also about 3 5/8" long. Not a bad Survival knife - just heavier than I think it needed to be especially for an EDC. I prefer a smallish knife, with the clip out so I can still access my keys or coins in my pocket. The slimness of the knife is a real bonus as I don't usually where cargo pants to work.

My EDC knife is the Spyderco. I also have a Leatherman Squirt S4 on my keychain and a Leatherman Wave 2 in my briefcase (replaced a Gerber multi-tool). The multi-tool is useful at work where I occasionally need to work on Systems Furniture.