Endura ZDP 189

My Spyderco Gayle Bradley is my EDC with M4 steel. I do have a Stretch ZDP-189 and a laminated Caly ZDP-189 that I really like. These are little more expensive than the Endura ZDP but are excellent knives and underrated in my opinion. Here are some videos about each. I am a fan of a knife that holds an edge and don't mind sharpening them.


Stretch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Lkomr8GsM

Caly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORDa-elHFCQ

Endura

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfLbz8vGG9Q

Here is my GB which is my favorite EDC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk0IxU-fuW4

All these knives are great cutters, IMHO.
 
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ermmm.. are people sure about their sharpening experiences with zdp 189? to be honest, re-profiling did take some time ONLY because i wasn't sure what to do. i was using 280 grit sandpaper and nothing was happening. so i took my carborundum stone and tried the coarse side (around 150) and voila! it ate up the shoulder on the factory edge. going to the finer side of the stone, it removed the rough scratches in just a few strokes. so the key is get a stone that can "bite" into the steel the first time.

after going through finer grits (sandpaper this time) i find zdp very easy to polish. once you do that, it stays sharp for a very long time and if you do dull it, just a glass slab and an old leather belt with metal polish will bring it back to hair popping sharpness.

definitely easier to sharpen than s30v using ordinary stones.
 
Cravin01 said:
Sounds like there is a shortage on love for this steel due to hardness. I bought the knife for $75 new so I feel I'll get my experience with it at a bargain.
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It a great steel and great knife, enjoy it. Like any steel, it has its challenges.
 
I don't own a Endura , but I do have a Delica , Dragonfly and a Caly 3.5 all in ZDP189 .
It is a very good blade steel and I would happily buy another Spyderco with ZDP189 .
But I will say that it is delicate , and if you are after a hard user that is called on to do all and everything type tasks it does take a bit of upkeep to maintain that super sharp edge .
My GB has shown me that M4 is better suited to a hard user work knife .
My ZDP knives have now taken on the role of weekend and after work knives where that aren't used in abusive situations like what my daily work knife is asked to do .
The ZDP 189 can and will handle that work , my Delica is an example of that , but I have had to re-profile the edge of it a couple of times because I've put little chips in it . My diamond stone made quick and simple work of that though and since re-tasking it to milder duties a touch-up on my Sharpmaker has been all that is required to keep its edge in top shape .
As long as you don't abuse ZDP it stays sharp for a very long time .
This new HAP 40 has got me intrigued and my next Spyderco will be one of those , hopefully a Endura .

Ken
 
Another plus for Spyderco ZDP-189 knives is that they come in that cool British Racing Green. :D :D
 
harronek said:
I don't own a Endura , but I do have a Delica , Dragonfly and a Caly 3.5 all in ZDP189 .
It is a very good blade steel and I would happily buy another Spyderco with ZDP189 .
But I will say that it is delicate , and if you are after a hard user that is called on to do all and everything type tasks it does take a bit of upkeep to maintain that super sharp edge .
My GB has shown me that M4 is better suited to a hard user work knife .
My ZDP knives have now taken on the role of weekend and after work knives where that aren't used in abusive situations like what my daily work knife is asked to do .
The ZDP 189 can and will handle that work , my Delica is an example of that , but I have had to re-profile the edge of it a couple of times because I've put little chips in it . My diamond stone made quick and simple work of that though and since re-tasking it to milder duties a touch-up on my Sharpmaker has been all that is required to keep its edge in top shape .
As long as you don't abuse ZDP it stays sharp for a very long time .
This new HAP 40 has got me intrigued and my next Spyderco will be one of those , hopefully a Endura .

Ken
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What is this HAP 40? I'm not familiar with it.
 
I have a Caly 3 and Dragonfly II in ZDP. Just got a used Delica, and I'm going to re-profile it, as it's the sabre grind version. I use an EdgePro, so I'm not that concerned. On the plus side ZDP takes a beautiful polished edge in my experience, and it gets so sharp I'm careful not to look at it the wrong way. I think you'll be fine.
 
hank_rearden said:
definitely easier to sharpen than s30v using ordinary stones.
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I don't see how that could possibly be true when ZDP is 4-6 points higher on the Rockwell scale. It's also definitely not the case in my experience, but maybe I'm just doing something wrong.
 
because s30v is more wear-resistant. it also burrs a lot whereas zdp 189 doesn't. no, honest. to re-profile zdp 189 real quick, just free-hand it on carborundum with moderate pressure. don't grit your teeth too much because you'll be surprised how fast coarse SiC can eat the Rc64 steel once it gains a "bite" on the surface. after doing coarse-medium, move on to whatever medium you use (i use sandpaper) with light pressure. you'll discover just how easily zdp 189 will polish.
 
Cravin01 said:
Sounds like there is a shortage on love for this steel due to hardness. I bought the knife for $75 new so I feel I'll get my experience with it at a bargain.
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When I gift Spydercos to relatives, I give ZDP...

wire edge said:
I had Krein Regrind a ZDP Endura to a very thin FFG edge and gave it to my dad. He kept it on the coffee table by his La-Z-Boy for years and used it as his letter and package opener :D I have it now, and the edge is still very keen after zero touch ups. I'd say that's a pretty good testimony to ZDP's edge retention.
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...and to Tom Krein's ability with a blade and a grinder... I wish he were still accepting regrind work...
 
Well after all the opinions set forth I guess this is a knife that will get a new profile just to see which side of the fence I end up on. I've never seen a blade steel have this close of a love\hate devide so closely equal. It comes in Friday so I'll trash the blade and put it to the stones for fun, I have plenty of knives at this point so no loss, I hope it doesn't chip though. I'm just not as hyped as when I first bought it so now it has something to prove before I can get excited about it again. Fingers crossed and mind open!
 
My zdp from william henry is a year old. It gets used regularly, in the kitchen too, but has yet to need a sharpening. I have stropped it a few times on 1000 grit paper to get a feel for the steel,nbut it did not need it.
 
ejames13 said:
I don't see how that could possibly be true when ZDP is 4-6 points higher on the Rockwell scale. It's also definitely not the case in my experience, but maybe I'm just doing something wrong.
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My experience has been that the ZDP-189 is noticeably harder to sharpen than S30V, which seems to sharpen up pretty easily for me, relatively speaking of course.
 
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