Endura 4

ColdSpyder said:
Endura was my first Spyderco and that got me hooked with the company. At first I hated the looks of Spydies because of the hole and the hump it created in the blade, but it kinda grew on me and now I have a bunch of different Spydies. Thought about getting the wave Endura, but did the ghetto zip tie wave mod and that works great. The Endura is pretty strong and smooth. Definitely wouldn't baton or pry with it, but overall it's a good EDC, a little long for me tho.
Click to expand...

This almost word for word. I'm carrying mine today. It's an excellent EDC knowing it's capabilities and limitations. It is THE knife that got me into knives. I love it for more than just it's a great knife.
 
The Endura is a good, very useful knife.
There are good reasons it has endured as a knife choice for so long in a highly varied market.:thumbup:
 
I've carried an Endura in one version or another since 92. Every one is still available and still carryable and does get carried now and again. I do like the E4 FFG VG10 PE version the best, and that includes liking it better than the ZDP model (I really like VG10 and find it extremely easy to sharpen and like it's blend of wear resistance and corrosion resistance for an every day type knife).

The ZDP 189 is a very high performing steel that I like as well, but I find the VG10 easier for every day use. Overall, the E4 has really set the bar for me in what I want and like in knives. I can get tougher, thicker, more corrosion resistant ( H1 steel) , etc., but the best all around for me is the E4.

If extreme hard use is your thing, or prying or drilling with the tip then think about another knife. Spyderco's excel at cutting. The Full flat ground blade should tell you that with one look. It does what it is designed for extremely well, IMO.

Joe
 
I think it's a nice casual use knife. Definately not meant for hard use. No liners, so it won't hold up well to torque. It's a lock-back design which is among the weakest type. Very prone to unlocking to torque or very hard, quick forces similar to stabbing it into a piece of wood. Good way to loose your fingers with a locking spine type folder.

But it's very nice and useable for a casual carry pocket knife.
 
Brasso3 said:
I think it's a nice casual use knife. Definately not meant for hard use. No liners, so it won't hold up well to torque. It's a lock-back design which is among the weakest type. Very prone to unlocking to torque or very hard, quick forces similar to stabbing it into a piece of wood. Good way to loose your fingers with a locking spine type folder.

But it's very nice and useable for a casual carry pocket knife.
Click to expand...

The Endura 4 has liners.
The lock-back is also not the weakest locking system, and I still have all my fingers after stabbing Enduras into wood.
 
I'm going to have agree with Stabman on this. I've used the sh*t out of my Endura and the lock has never failed or even given me any type of worry about it failing. And it has steel liners. For its size, it's very strong.
 
The Endura is a good knife, but it is pretty big. For my EDC uses, I prefer the Delica.

The Endura is well designed and well built. The VG-10 steel is easy to sharpen, takes a fine edge, and retains it very well. The texturing on the FRN provides excellent grip, wet or dry, gloved or bare-handed. The back lock is reasonably strong, but due to the flexibility of the FRN (to which the pivot and liners are mounted to), if you apply enough force, you can see a little bit of blade play (which is really more attributable to the handles flexing rather than a misalignment or gap). Although it is a big knife, it is thin for its size, making it more comfortable to carry than other knives with similar blade lengths. Personally, I prefer the FFG models for their slicing prowess, but the saber ground ones will offer a stouter blade.
 
I'm going to have agree with Stabman on this. I've used the sh*t out of my Endura and the lock has never failed or even given me any type of worry about it failing. And it has steel liners. For its size, it's very strong.
Click to expand...

Then you've been lucky. And the spine lock is weak and has been proven over and over again to fail at precisely that type of impact. As for the liners, I'll take your word for it. They aren't visible.
 
The Endura 4 was also my first Spyderco and opened up a whole can of worms.
I also use mine pretty hard and have never had the lock fail or had any reason to worry about it failing. No blade play either.
The VG-10 also sharpens up like a dream!
 
Brasso3 said:
Then you've been lucky. And the spine lock is weak and has been proven over and over again to fail at precisely that type of impact. As for the liners, I'll take your word for it. They aren't visible.
Click to expand...

Anecdotal evidence at best, I should think. Buck has built 10's of thousands of 110 knives, which are back-locks. If the design was so bad, I would expect to hear a litany of failures, yet very few have exhibited any problems. These forums have been virtually silent with regards to lock-back failures. Curious, no?
 
01042013e4skeletonizeds.jpg


01042013e4skeletonizeds.jpg


E4 dual skeletonized steel liners revealed/prooven for your amusement.

Proof of lock failure?

Ball's in your court Brasso3.
 
There was quite a lengthy discussion and testing of this about 12 years ago when 1SKS still had a large forum. They are a weak design compared to what's available. If you want to stab a spine lock folder into wood, be my guest. You won't see me doing it with Sebenza's or Axix Lock Benchmades, much less a spine lock. I have a couple of them that I can force to fail by hand. They're a safety, nothing more.

Just my opinion. Take or leave it. There's a reason Benchmade uses the Axis Lock and Spyderco has a compression lock, and it's not because they are easier to make or less safe than a spine lock.
 
Last edited:
Brasso3; are you sure you're talking about an Endura 4?

Brasso3 said:
There was quite a lengthy discussion and testing of this about 12 years ago when 1SKS still had a large forum. They are a weak design compared to what's available. If you want to stab a spine lock folder into wood, be my guest. You won't see me doing it with Sebenza's or Axix Lock Benchmades, much less a spine lock. I have a couple of them that I can force to fail by hand. They're a safety, nothing more.

Just my opinion. Take or leave it. There's a reason Benchmade uses the Axis Lock and Spyderco has a compression lock, and it's not because they are easier to make or less safe than a spine lock.
Click to expand...

I've stabbed my Buck 110 through a half-inch sheet of plywood, never mind how many times it's gone into logs, branches and planks. I've never experienced lock failure. Granted, the lock may be weaker on the Endura, but that doesn't really suggest that either would fail under proper use. The reason that most variations of locks are designed around preference and reliability rather than attempting to resist impact is because they're folding knives, not fixed blades.

I wouldn't refer to the Endura 4's lock as being 'weak' if it takes repeated full force stabs against a solid surface to cause failure. You are right, they are simply a safety, but that's because most folding knives are designed to excel at cutting more so than stabbing. You said earlier that it was not a hard use knife, and in particular because it wouldn't hold up well to torque; folding knives shouldn't experience much stress from simply twisting the knife. If it does, you're probably using your knife improperly.

EDIT-- TLDR: The Endura 4 has an excellent lock that should serve you well, OP. It will not fail under proper use.
 
It's a hell of an apple or spud peeler. :D Great slicer and easy to get blisteringly sharp again.
 
I think it's a nice casual use knife. Definately not meant for hard use. No liners, so it won't hold up well to torque. It's a lock-back design which is among the weakest type. Very prone to unlocking to torque or very hard, quick forces similar to stabbing it into a piece of wood. Good way to loose your fingers with a locking spine type folder
Click to expand...

The geometry and design of the knife are what is going to decide how hard use a knife is, and how much lbs of force a lock can take before failure. Depending on who designs and makes the lock it could be very weak, or very strong. Example is the original Manix, and Chinook. Both were hard use knives. Spyderco has tested each design to destruction and simply would not put a knife "very prone to unlocking" on the market, or anywhere near it's customers or anybody else s. :) Definitely not their way. In addition, the "no liners" comment shows how little you seem to know about Spydercos products.

There was quite a lengthy discussion and testing of this about 12 years ago when 1SKS still had a large forum. They are a weak design compared to what's available. If you want to stab a spine lock folder into wood, be my guest. You won't see me doing it with Sebenza's or Axix Lock Benchmades, much less a spine lock. I have a couple of them that I can force to fail by hand. They're a safety, nothing more.
Click to expand...

Pretty much all the knife companies still in business have learned and advanced and put out more advanced products compared to 12 years ago. It seems as if you got stuck in some kind of time warp and lost out on some technological advancements. I have heard the "just a safety" statement about all non fixed blades in fact. Your not wanting to stab a benchmade or Sebenza into wood proves what actually? That you are more normal than you seem? BTW, Spine lock? Not quite correct terminology but I suppose we know what you mean.

There's a reason Benchmade uses the Axis Lock and Spyderco has a compression lock, and it's not because they are easier to make or less safe than a spine lock.
Click to expand...

And you know what is going through the minds of the decision makers of both companies how? Is the Benchmade 530 Axis lock stronger or safer than the "spine lock" of the Chinook? Should be a no brainer according to your theory, right? I could give lots more examples, but why? :rolleyes:

Just my opinion. Take or leave it.
Click to expand...

I think I'll leave it there on the ground next to the brown steaming pile from my mastiff, Finn. Don't have any cows here so this will have to do. :D
 
I have four enduras. I love them. For me they're perfect. I have large hands, so they make great edc's.
Some people say they don't like the ergo's, but I find the handle to be very comfortable.

I also used to not like the look of the design, but after a while it grew on me. I think I eventually adopted a "form follows function" aesthetic. Which is almost every spyderco knife really. And now all of my knives are bought with that in mind.
 
Locks in general can fail if enough pressure is put on it. Never have I seen a Spyderco lock back fail. Only time a lockback fails is when someone disengages the lock while grabbing the handles, which the David Boyd dent on Spyderco's locks fixed that.

There was quite a lengthy discussion and testing of this about 12 years ago when 1SKS still had a large forum.
Click to expand...


12 years ago! Really? Check out current issues, you'll find none.
 
I'm not a hater. I have a Spyderco Police. At one time I also owned a Chinook and a Native. It's a fine knife. I'm even thinking of getting a Paramilitary 2. But compared to my Benchmades and Sebenza......

I suppose maybe I'm just biased against lock-back knives.
 
Brasso3 said:
Then you've been lucky. And the spine lock is weak and has been proven over and over again to fail at precisely that type of impact. As for the liners, I'll take your word for it. They aren't visible.
Click to expand...

Silly to post when you don't know what you're talking about.

IMAG0311.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top