Endura4 - not the knife it used to be

Oh sure it's personal preferences mostly and I could live with it if...
it's shorter grinds that start me. Again, it's just me...
Friend of mine ordered a waved endura - when it arrive I might lend it and make more balanced comparison.

2 wotanson: nice avatar - in Serbian, eh?
 
i can go out and just buy a stainless endura 2 if i want. i`m sure i could find an endura 3 in a store here in australia if i wanted to. but i personally love my stainless endura 4.
 
I'd just like to say that Sal and Co. test everything they design. I think that the performance of the new Enduras more than likely lives up to, or exceeds, the older models. I'm thinking about getting one. Remember, Sal wants products to get better with each variation.
 
Endura 4 could use some work, IMHO. The final finishing on mine was so bad when I got it that the damn thing cut me when I opened it. Badly. Not the blade but the thumb hole! No beveling or smoothing at all, the thumb hole is as sharp as a razor.The old FRN Enduras used to be beautifully finished for the price, now it's like they're just trying to move as much steel and zytel as possible. They may need to get into the run a bit more before they smooth out all of the kinks. (edited because I've revised my opinion)
 
And, the increased weight IMO is not so easily dismissed.
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According to my 2005 and 2006 Spyderco catalogs the Endura 3 weighs 3.0 ounces and the Endura 4 weighs 3.6 ounces.
It's hard to believe that 0.6 ounces would make that much difference.
 
For the holes i like them as sharp as long they dont cut you. Smoothing them out like Benchmade did just worked not for me.

Sure, there are some improvements over the old models.The handles are better.

Screws...never missed them on my old models (Delica 2/3, Endura 3). The older ones are so easy to clean without taking them apart.

Liners...many complained about the flex in the linerless models. This reminds me on a Buddhism parabel " In a storm the strong unyielding tree will break but the yielding tree will just bend". I like it this way.

The grind ? After the first sight of the new models i thought that must be a optical illusion or something. They never will put this scandi like grinds on this good knifes. I cant see any improvement here.

For the price they are good beaters but, i will stick with my 3rd generation models :D

Regards
 
I love my E4. I think it's the best Endura so far for sure. Cant please everyone, but I have used much much much worse knives lol.
 
Visited local knifeshop…they took apart several secondhand Spydies (which was beyond repair)… and they sell spare blades! The pivot hole in Endura3 blade is slightly smaller than in new version, so some drill work needed. Phew, now I might buy a newer one (and swap blades).
 
2 wotanson: nice avatar - in Serbian, eh?[/QUOTE]
Yes! First one to notice by the way, for those unfamiliar with Serbian it reads

"For King and Fatherland"
"Freedom or Death"

Cheers,
Rob
 

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Endura 4 is garbage IMHO. The final finishing was so bad that the damn thing cut me when I opened it. Badly. Not the blade but the thumb hole! No beveling or smoothing at all, the thumb hole is as sharp as a razor
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You should send that back to the factory to let them see it and make it good. In 17 years of Spyderco carrying and buying I've never seen anything like that.

The old spydercos used to be beautifully finished for the price, now it's like they're just trying to move as much steel and zytel as possible. I wish they'd spend a little less money on design and marketing and a little more on quality control.
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And the new ones? Mine have been utterly perfect.I currently have about 40 something. I can understand liking the 3rd generation better than the 4th as it's really just opinion whether you prefer the upgraded knife or not but the rest of the statement makes me think you must be talking about a different Spyderco company.

I own Spydies, benchmades, bokers,Kershaw, CRKT, KaBar, Ontario, Case, Queen, Cold Steel, Chris Reeve, etc., etc.Do you want me to go on? I like collecting customs too BTW. None of these have better quality control and some don't come close to being as thourough as Spyderco.

Perhaps you should check to see if you have a counterfit. Joe
 
In hindsight I should have returned the knife that cut me with the thumb hole. I can't now because I hit it up with a dremel soon after the incident and the problem's fixed. Not a big deal, though I certainly could have done without the cut. I couldn't believe how deep it was, and it took a good long while to heal.

I didn't mean to badmouth Spyderco with a blanket statement. I just have noticed a bit of a drop in the overall fit and finish. I have a recent stainless handle Endura that cut me as well with the thumb hole so it wasn't an isolated incident. I dremeled that one out as well.

I have been buying and carrying Spydercos for years and years, I've bought every model I've been able to find in a store with a reasonable price and I will continue to do so. An Endura 1 actually saved my life about 10 years ago but I won't go into details on that. So no venom against Spyderco. Just love and concern. I do like it that they are continually upgrading old and popular products as well as introducing new ones. I think this "incremental engineering" is an excellent strategy, just so long as fit and finish is not lost in the equation.
 
In short, some random dude attacked and slashed me so I stabbed him back. I would have been in big trouble if I didn't have a knife at the time. I think the guy was trying to mug me and a couple of my friends and was obviously crazy or on something. Everyone survived the encounter and I learned the value of always having a weapon on me. It's not something I'm particularly proud of or want to brag about online.
 
Halfneck said:
Where some will no longer prefer the new Delica and Endura, others will discover them.
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Okay, okay, I admit, I'm starting to warm up to the E4. I'm still EDCing the E2, but I have been playing with the new one more.:foot:
 
Just my $0.02, not that it makes a difference.

The '4 chassis was the first Delica/Endura I would buy, on the basis of the liners, the screws, the clip, and the tip. The ergos, steel, and new scales are just icing on the cake.

IMHO, the #1 knife in its price bracket.

But that's just me...

-j
 
Biogon - I agree completely. I held off buying an FRN Spydie for many years. I now have my Endura4, and nobody is taking it away from me. I showed the new Endura to my father-in-law last weekend. He had me ordering up one for him within 5 minutes. It's a fantastic knife, and is giving my Military some stiff competition.
 
biogon said:
IMHO, the #1 knife in its price bracket.

But that's just me...

-j
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I agree with you on this. With all that's been said by me and others about the Endura 3, today IMO the 4 is the #1 knife in its price bracket (meaning "street price").
 
ROM831 said:
The E2, SS version works better for me also. I tried carrying the SS E4, that lasted about a day and a half.
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ROM831 said:
Okay, okay, I admit, I'm starting to warm up to the E4. I'm still EDCing the E2, but I have been playing with the new one more.
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:foot: :foot: :foot: :foot: :foot:

Okay, I have given the SS E4 another try, not just a halfhearted glance.

I like it, real well. VG-10 kicks the AUS-6 across town, the E4 has better ergos, and it opens up as smoothly as my Millie does. I sharpened the E4 up on the 204 before the weekend and it has held a hair popping edge through several plastic packages and trimming too much plastic flashing off a "some-assembly-required" kids play kitchen. I can tell it had dropped off a bit, but not enough to matter. Much better even than what I could do with my S30V Millie, even after 2 1/2 years. I guess S30V and I just don't get along.

Bottom line - No, the new Endura is not the knife it used to be, it is much better.:thumbup:
 
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