Endura 4 ffg question regarding Blade Play?

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Mar 16, 2014
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I know almost every Endura has some up/down bladeplay, and occassionally some side/side bladeplay, can this be felt when cutting things like cardboard with a full flat ground blade. I know from experience that the saber ground enduras that have play just dont cut well. I feel the lockbar move and wiggle, and is the reason I have turned away from the endura 4 with the emerson wave. How much bladeplay is acceptable with a new Endura 4 ffg?

Thank You and Have a Great Year
 
I have six Endura 4 FFG's, and all but one of them have a TINY (and I mean tiny) amount of up and down play. I've never had an endura with noticeable side-to-side play. If you decide to pick one up, have no worries about blade play in the FFG's. And they're easily adjustable!
 
I don't think blade play would have any effect on cutting performance so I can't really speak to that. I would hope a new Endura would come free of blade play.
 
I have had the oppurtunity to check out 6 enduras and none of the lock ups are as stiff as the triad or compression lock. it is odd, I want to love the Endura but I am a stickler when it comes to blade blade. There jsut cant be any, I open the knife and grab the front half of the blade and wiggle side/side, and up down.
 
I have read some posts and supposedly thats just how the locking mechanism of a lock back works they all have a slight amount of play.
 
The lock up on both of my Endura 4 FFG blades is like a bank vault. No play at all. If you can't get the side-to-side play out by adjusting the pivot the knife might need to be sent back to Spyderco.
 
Bottom line, if you feel there is too much blade play on one of the most popular knives ever made...don't buy one. That's your right. They do make other knives, you know. Even whole other brands! :thumbup:
 
Marcinek he's asking how much play is normal.

Obviously one person can't test every example. In lieu of that, I'd say that the many members of multiple forums who have said that theirs have some minor play, and even Sal himself saying that its common and normal, is enough to assume that it's true.

Maybe the phrase "almost all" isn't appropriate, but there's no need to pick apart the kid's words.
 
Generally speaking, not just on the Endura - a little blade play seems to be usual on backlock knives. I realised that on some of my Delicas and on my Buck 110 as well.

I don´t bother too much about that. But it´s up to you sending it back for "repair" or not.

Just my .02 Cent.
 
You do not have to worry about blade play. If you like the knife get it. The ergonomics of the handle and the blade geometry matters more than the locking mechanism ever will.

If you need a pry bar get a pry bar. A box cutter will be better at cutting boxes day to day than any knife.
 
spketch said:
Maybe the phrase "almost all" isn't appropriate, but there's no need to pick apart the kid's words.
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Is there a need to assume he's a kid? I'm not familiar with his posts.

All I'm saying is that if someone chooses to make a bold statement like "I know almost every Endura has some up/down bladeplay, and occassionally some side/side bladeplay, ..." I like to see what the justification for that is.

And like I said, if it his belief that there is blade play, and that turns the kid, as you say, off, then he should buy something else. Pick up a Griptilian. Life's too short for "too much bladeplay for me."
 
I have read people here make blanket statements about lock backs having play by design, it's just not true. Some lock backs seem to have it, Buck and Spyderco for example. Others are solid as a rock. The lock backs I've owned from Cold Steel are tight and stay that way. I have older Japanese made Parker lock backs that have no movement at all and they're 30+ years old. My dad's 70's era Browning lock back is solid in every direction but looks like it's been to hell and back. There's a photo somewhere that shows the Endura's lock, it's pretty shallow but it doesn't look ill-fitted.
 
marcinek said:
Is there a need to assume he's a kid? I'm not familiar with his posts.

All I'm saying is that if someone chooses to make a bold statement like "I know almost every Endura has some up/down bladeplay, and occassionally some side/side bladeplay, ..." I like to see what the justification for that is.

And like I said, if it his belief that there is blade play, and that turns the kid, as you say, off, then he should buy something else. Pick up a Griptilian. Life's too short for "too much bladeplay for me."
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Ha too funny that you pick apart MY wording in that sentence! 17 or 18 years old as I recall from previous posts.

The main point of the OP was summed up in the last line, " how much blade play is acceptable with a new endura 4 ffg".

I must have misunderstood your posts, sorry about that.
Believe it or not there are some members who make abrasive and antagonistic posts just to bully others. I see now that wasn't your intent.

Sorry OP for the derail. As far as I can remember all my frn spyderco lockbacks (a dozen or so) had some slight play but it's hard to quantify. None would flop around, just some play felt when grabbed and wiggled.
 
marcinek said:
Agreed. People who make sweeping, blanket statements are always wrong.
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How do you know? Have you looked up everyone's statements, cross referenced, and disproved them? lol jk... a little tongue in cheek I suppose :p I do agree that people need to be very careful about making sweeping statements (such as you pointed out above) and that they are generally very misinformed. That is similar to "shallower angles always have worse edge retention" which simply isn't true... there are way too many variables to be making those types of statements.

Back on topic, I will try to keep an eye out on future enduras that I get in my possession to see if I notice any play... so far they have seemed pretty rock solid, but I haven't closely examined them.
 
I guess I will try more and more enduras, I guess handling 6 is just not enough. In my defense I am used to triad, axis, and compression locks that have no play as well. And by bladeplay I mean the slightest detectable movement in the blade, also sometime I can see the scales move when I wiggle the blade of an Endura.
 
My Endura 4 saber ground with the wave feature has an incredible amout of play. It can slice phone book paper. I kid you not, I can put the blade on my palm and press down ward. and without cutting my hand I can feel the lockbar moving. I am sure that this is not normal
 
I can by no means speak to all of them, but the examples of lockbacks I've had and handled from Spyderco have had no discernible blade play, and I am very particular about there being none. I've handled an Endura4, a couple of Delica4's, Police G10, Police SS, Native5 CF, and probably a couple of which I am not thinking. Of these, my only dislike has been FRN handles, and that's a purely personal preference. The Endura for ergonomics and build quality met my every standard. I would posit that the example you have of one with significant play is more of the exception than the rule, as it could be said.
 
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