BM940 or Endura??

M

Mat-A

Joined
Sep 14, 2014
Messages
10
So! I finally sold something taking up space in my garage for $200...I figured it's time I buy myself a knife i am proud of. I absolutely love the style and colour of the 940. All the positive reviews I have read make me lean towards it even more so. But! For $100 less, (depending on website) I could pick up an Endura. I have also read many positive reviews about the Endura, but for me, it's not as appealing to the eye. I have read sharpening the S30V can be tough. Have not read to much about the VG10. I would love to hear from some one who has handled both knives if such a person exists on this forum (I bet there's a few!). Maybe some one bought one knife and later wished they had gone another route? Since I don't often find myself with a couple hundred bucks to spend on a knife very often, I would like to do it right the first time. Something tells me I will receive a few "it's your choice, buy what you like" but I don't want to buy a $200 knife based on the fact that I like the colour green, and I like the shape...

Thanks for reading my novel. Mat-A.
 
Uh, maybe one Endura and $100 worth of...booze? Coffee? Lap dances? I can't speak to the BM, but I do have one of the cheaper Enduras and have never regretted it. A VG -10 Endura would be a superb knife. But, in the end, its your money, your choice. Just let us know what you get, and maybe a few pics!
 
Either knife is a good choice in terms of quality. You need to decide which fits your hand, pocket, and wallet better. 940 has a very slim profile and is unobtrusive in the pocket, while the Endura does have a bit more beef. Both are reasonable to sharpen, though the steels are different. Most of my purchases are from the exchange, which makes me friends and saves me decent money - both 940 and the Endura turn up frequently. Good luck and let us know what you finally get with pictures. :)
 
If you go with the 940 first you'll never wonder anymore about it.

Get the Endura first, and you'll continue to wonder about it. So $100 for peace of mind.

I have both, they both are good knives. If I had to choose between the two, I'd probably go 940 but that is just me. They are both "classics" for a reason.

So I stand behind my first two sentences. Best of luck!
 
I would add a few dollars to what you have and watch the exchange for a good deal on a 940-1. You said you wanted a knife to be proud of, there it is. I've seen a couple pop up right at or just over the $200 mark. IMO it's the best looking standard production BM out there and it's close to perfection in the pocket and hand. If you don't want to spend that kind of money, the regular 940 is also a great knife.
 
I have both and while the the endura is a good knife, I prefer the 940.
The endura has a larger blade profile which isn't always the best thing.
The 940 can do anything the endura can.
The 940 should hold an edge longer and isnt hard at all to get shaving sharp, though the endura will be easier to get to the same level of sharpness.
I prefer the color scheme of the 940 to the standard endura, and the 940 scales over the frn of the endura.
And the axis lock in the 940 is a hands down winner vs lock back both in ease of use and security.

Edit: wanted to add the Boker plus Urban Trapper, that thing looks slick. You can get that and a lnib 940 for 200.
Good luck.
 
Last edited:
Bigfatts said:
I would add a few dollars to what you have and watch the exchange for a good deal on a 940-1.
Click to expand...

I have a 940-1 and as Bigfatts says, it's an awesome knife. I also have a couple of Enduras, and they are truly excellent knives, probably better slicers than a stock 940. The Endura is so very popular because it really is a great knife. That said, I like my 940-1; it's a little sexier, I think, but not a better knife.

If you are just looking at knives with long, relatively thin blades (i.e., NOT a Zero Tolerance), you might want to take a look at the Boker Plus Kwaiken. You can now get one in VG-10 for a little over a hundo. VG-10 sharpens easily to a hair-popping razor edge, keeps it well, and is all but impervious to corrosion. I'm a fan of VG-10. Not that the AUS-8 of the standard Kwaiken sucks in any way. Mine sharpens so sharp I can't believe I sharpened it. The Kwaiken is a good looking knife.

Seriously, what's the point of posting if you can't make someone's purchasing decision more adventurous? :)
 
Last edited:
940 all the way.

To be fair, the knives are in different leagues. The Endura is a utilitarian slicing knife but it has plastic handles and a back lock; it is about as basic as it gets. The 940 feels like a more special pocket companion.

The 940 has a much smaller footprint in pocket with a nearly identical cutting edge to the Endura (superior blade:handle ratio), uses the superior Axis lock, has great feeling (imo) aluminum handles, and is more discreet to use in public in general. The Endura will excel at slicing things and is available in more colors. -But if you want a classic back lock, check out a Buck 110 for 1/2 price of the Endura and made in USA.

Size-wise, the Benchmade 710 is a more close comparison to the Endura. If you want the added handle size and blade length, scoop up that limited Knifeworks M390 710 and be stoked. It is right at your budget. :thumbup:
 
If you're an obsessive knife fondler, go with the 940. Statistically speaking, if your posting on this site, there's a 72.45% chance that you are an obsessive knife fondler. Thus, getting the 940 is the better choice from a scientific point of view.

Elisabeth
 
They are both great knives. I like the 940 a lot, but a $180+ knife it is not. At that price, there are better options out there. Like the ZT0770CF, Spyderco Gayle Bradley (actually under $150 if you look hard). Check out the exchange you may be able to find one for a more reasonable price.

I owned a waved endura for a short time (gave it to a cousin, 20 years old on his own at college 4 hours away from anyone, figured he could use it, and it wasn't my style) but it was very sharp and well made, like every spydie I've owned.
 
One to be proud of, as you say, I would choose the 940. I have both and the 940 is pretty sweet. Profile, lock, how it rides in the pocket,aesthetics, feel, finish is more of a cool factor than the endura. I EDC the 940 more but when I go to work knowing I'm going to be doing a lot of cutting I bring the endura. Just a no frills tool. Slices cardboard like butter and the blade is easy to touch up. I can lend it to people for a cut and not worry to much.

If I had to pick one knife out of my small collection to keep it would be a hard choice between my PM2 and my 940 but the 940 just might win for my use.
 
I'm going to go against the grain and recommend the endura. The 940 is cool, but for me it was very small. Almost felt "dinky" to me (even though it definetly isn't). If I had the money to keep it, it would have made an excellent dress knife. I also have some qualms with BM but none with Spyderco. The enduras/delicas are real workhorses, the reverse tanto of the 940 never struck me as being akin to cutting, maybe stabbing though. FWIW my Japanese Spydercos have all been more solid than any BM I have owned except for a minigrip I had many moons ago. I know in all the BMs, the lock was safe, but the OCD knife nut in me had issues.
 
IMO the BM is a nicer knife than the Endura, but only you can say whether its worth the price difference. I prefer the Axis lock over the lock on the Spydie, but both are quality knives.
 
If you check the exchange long and hard enough you can get both for $200. I have a 940 and love it. I have had enduras and love them, but its a different kind of love. More like how i loved my Grand Cherokee vs how I loved my STi.
 
the 940 has been my favorite knife for two years now. Its slim, light, easy to open and close, and feels like a 200 dollar knife. I haven't abused the knife, but I've done some tough cutting with it, and it's held up fine. The 940 feels more sturdy than the Endura to me, but the Endura's wide ffg blade slices better than the 940's narrow flat/saber ground blade. If you are looking for a light, slim knife that still has some beef, go 940. If you're looking for a lighter knife with a more slice oriented blade, go endura.
 
I have both and have carried and used both. I like the 940 more than the Endura, which says a lot, because the Endura is an excellent knife as well. For me, the biggest difference is size. The 940 is very slim and carries very comfortably. The Endura is substantially larger. I actually like the Delica (smaller relative to the Endura) significantly more than the Endura for general EDC, if you're open to another option.

Performance-wise, the Endura is a better slicer, while the 940 will have a tougher blade (on account of the blade being thicker along the primary bevel). The blade stock is about the same thickness on both, but the primary bevel on the 940 is only about 0.5" tall, versus the Endura, which is FFG and about 1.25" tall. This difference can be noticeable, depending on your cutting task.

As for S30V vs. VG-10, both are excellent steels. S30V will have excellent edge retention and toughness. VG-10 will take a very keen edge pretty easily with good edge retention. I've not had corrosion issues with either.

I don't have a side-by-side shot of the two handy, but I'll post one later tonight.
 
I will do exactly what you told me not to do and say choose what you want.

If you are a big guy with large hands, the Endura has lots of handle real estate and is probably better. If not 940 is probably good. Personally I would chose the 940 because I have medium hands.

Furthermore, I like Benchmade's aluminum handles more, and the 940 looks better to me. You will be happy with either so why not get a 940 and then if you run into spare cash get an endura.
Alternatively, if you don't mind plastic handles (which I enjoy) I understand that the Endura zdp-189 has a better steel than vg10 or s30v...
 
I would go with the 940... I love the knife, but the Endura is a great knife too. I would be honest with yourself and ask how you will really use the knife. For EDC the endura will perform better, but does not have the quality feel of the 940 because of the materials. So if you value quality and a solid feeling knife go with the 940. The 940 is a much sexier knife and is visually appealing from many angles.

Here is how I would look at it. I compare my 940 to a small sebenza. I prefer the 940. So from that point of view you would be saving $100 buying the 940 instead of a sebenza.

Or.... compare the 940 to a Spyderco PM2, now that is a hard choice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top