Endura4/Delica4: SE or PE?

J

James Y

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Feb 18, 1999
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I'm on the verge of getting my first 4 version of either an E4 or D4 and would like to know which edge style of this new version is generally favored by owners and why. Unlike in years past, I probably won't be buying multiple versions of the knives due to other financial commitments nowadays.

The reason I ask is upon closer inspection at a B&M store, I notice the primary grind is lower than it was on the D/E3 models. Does this make the steel near the edge bevels steeper/thicker? And if so, would there be an advantage to one edge style over the other? (i.e., ease of resharpening over time).

BTW, I love the handles and the overall feel of the knives. The feel is so much more solid, and yes, I do like the new tip style.
Jim
 
I havent tried The D4 yet But the E4 does seem a bit thicker at the tip than previous models, By the way I love this Knife.
 
As the old saying goes "It depends.....":) I have 5 D4's (2 PE's, 1 CE, 1 SE/VG-10, and a BRG ZDP in PE) and an E4/VG-10/CE. Here's what I've found for what I do. I used to work in a high tech office (just got "re-structured") and found that a Delica 4 (and BM Mini-Grip) in PE worked the best for just general cutting - food, boxes, cable ties, etc. The 3 inch blade didn't alarm anyone, per se. What I found with the Combo Edge in the D4, was that there wasn't quite enough of each for most things - not that it couldn't be used, you just had to be a bit more "focused" when you cut something, so it didn't hang up or slip. The SE was nice if you are cutting cord or cardboard, but not necessarily for other things. Again, not that it couldn't be done, just have to be more careful. If you have harder cutting, the Endura is a probably a better choice, but remember - it's a BIG knife:) The Combo Edge here, because of the larger blade actually works not that bad, all things considered. I also own a D3 and E4 in PE. I, at first, wasn't fussy about the thicker tip - I really liked the D3 for that point, but it works well enough.

The slighly lower saber grind - for general use, I haven't found it to be an issue. BUT, I do use my PE and CE D4's a LOT, and so I took the primary bevel back just a bit on my belt sander so I wouldn't have to re-profile as much. I do prefer a good working edge on my hard use blades, so I tend to stay at 40 deg inclusive on my Sharpmaker. On my other blades, it's 40 deg primary with a 30 deg secondary to get that razor edge - I've just found that 30 deg goes away pretty quick when you are doing reno work:)

Right now, I'm in the middle of doing some reno work at home until I find work, and the knife I'm actually using a lot is the CE Delica 4. At the end of most days, the plain edge portion is dull enough from scraping, prying, digging out sealant, etc that I literally need to use the diamond rods to re-profile it:eek: Best case over the last couple of weeks has been a touch up at the end of the day. The one place it doesn't do well is in cutting vapor barrier or drop sheets - this is where that CE edge hangs up a lot - here's where one of my PE blades excels:D

Hope this helps - gord
 
Thanx for both of your comments!
Gord,
Great description. Yeah, I am leaning more towards the PE. I've even found that PE usually cuts most cardboard, esp. thick cardboard, more efficiently than SE in most cases (no hanging up). As for actual use, the main advantage I have had using SE has been when I had to cut strong marine rope; it cut like magic with a SE SS Delica (AUS-6 blade). I would probably only consider the CE with the Endura, as you say, due to its length there is more useful areas of both edge styles. I have a CE Delica 3 and although it works well, it isn't as efficient as it could have been in either full PE or SE.
Jim
 
In the long run, I just prefer a good sharp PE.

If you ever plan to whittle on wood, having serrations at the rear of the blade is not a good thing because that is where you get your leverage. Trying to do it out on the end of the blade just doesn't work very well. Also, if you were going to peel an apple, etc. -- no good.

Obviously if your life involves cutting lots of cord to length, then serrations would be helpful. A PE needs to be really sharp to cut cord well. But the answer to that for me is just to keep my PE really sharp! :D
 
Fully serrated all the way:thumbup:

If you keep your serrations as sharp as possible you can cut everything better with it than a plain edge:D

I gave/traded away all my PE Spydies.

I only have fully serrated ones right now except for a Persian and CE 440V Gunting which are save queens.
 
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