"full flat ground blade"?

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sockeye

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May 31, 2008
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Looking at buying a spyderco endura for every day carry, How does a full flat ground blade differ from the other endura i had fifteen (or longer) years ago?



How do people like the vg 10 blade steel?

Thanks!
Wally
 
I very much prefer the new ffg endura over the older endura 1's. VG-10 is a good steel for edc. Pretty easy to sharpen and holds and edge long enough for a days worth of work easily. YMMV of course
 
ac1d0v3r1d3 said:
I very much prefer the new ffg endura over the older endura 1's. VG-10 is a good steel for edc. Pretty easy to sharpen and holds and edge long enough for a days worth of work easily. YMMV of course
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Thanks for the swift reply, glad to see the new endura is a improvement.

I see you are hailing from Ballard, I remember buying my first endura at seattle marine and fishing supply ( near Fisherman's terminal ). Ballard has changed a lot since then.
 
the older enduras were saber ground. the secondary grind went partially up the blade toward the spine.

a full flat grind has a secondary bevel that goes all the way to the spine.


and vg10 is good stuff!
 
I've only live in Ballard for a few years, but I'm lucky enough to do most of my work in/around fisherman's terminal
 
To address the question of VG-10 and how people like it. Some will accurately point out that it often fails via edge rolling compared to something like S30V (which "micro chips" as a comon edge failure).

Depending on the tasks you perform and the level of care you exercise when using your knife (not to contact hard materials like steel or stone), VG-10 is fantastic. I use it quite hard and really appreciate its wear resistance and ease of sharpening. It takes a very good edge that can easily surpass any "feat of sharpness" I have seen, and will hold that edge reasonably well.

If you want a knife that cuts REALLY well, a FFG of VG-10 will suit you well. If you want a prying implement, or frequently hack through things and contact hard stuff on the other side, a knife like this may not be a good fit for you.
 
Mori, Thanks for the explanation of the different grinds, Unit thanks for filling Me in on the pros and cons of vg10. sounds like vg10 will be fine for the way i use My blade. I have a native s30v which has been excellent.

Just wondering If it would be worth the extra $$ to get the military over the endura, I'm trying to stay within the 3.50 to 4.00 inch blade length.

ac1d.. There was a smoke shop between the highliner and the barber shop that sold knives ( al mar, etc ) next to chinooks. fyi.
 
I don't know the Military and the Endura are similar in some regards but very different in others.

I think the biggest difference is the handle to blade ratio. The Endura carries like a much smaller knife. If you lay the blades next to each other, they are pretty similar in length. The handles are noticeably different from any angle or distance...the Military handle is HUGE with several grip/hand placement options. The military also has a choil to fit your index finger for those that like to "choke up", the Endura completely lacks this feature...personally I never miss it.

Obviously, there are other huge differences like the lock, blade steel, and carry options (limited with the military to RH tip down only).

I LOOOOVE the Military, but as silly as it may sound, I prefer the Endura 9 out of 10 days because of how versatile it is. I own several examples of each...that is a wonderful option if you have it, but honestly if funds are limited the Endura is a fantastic knife.
 
I would choose the Endura over the Mili for EDC. The Endura carries better because of the shorter handle. Both are great knives though. I bring my Mili when I go backpacking. The Mili is surprisingly light for its size and it has one of the best (nested) liner locks I've seen.
 
If you considering the military, I'd say go for it. You can easily sell or trade it in the exchange here on bladeforums. I had a Military for about 12 hours one time. I got it in a trade and then traded it away the next morning. The blade just seemed too small for the giant handle. Of all the 100's of knives that have passed through my hands in the last few years the FFG Endura 4 has been one that I have kept. So that says something about it I think.
Thanks for the heads up on the smoke shop, I'll have to check it out next time I'm down there. BTW, have you ever eaten at the sub shop down in fishermans terminal? Great Italian subs!
 
ac1d0v3r1d3 said:
If you considering the military, I'd say go for it. You can easily sell or trade it in the exchange here on bladeforums. I had a Military for about 12 hours one time. I got it in a trade and then traded it away the next morning. The blade just seemed too small for the giant handle. Of all the 100's of knives that have passed through my hands in the last few years the FFG Endura 4 has been one that I have kept. So that says something about it I think.
Thanks for the heads up on the smoke shop, I'll have to check it out next time I'm down there. BTW, have you ever eaten at the sub shop down in fishermans terminal? Great Italian subs!
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I have never eaten at the sub shop unless you are referring to the port of subs on the west wall side, (Commodore way) My Dad use to keep his Purse seiner at the terminal. We would have breakfast a lot at the diner in the breeze way.

I think I'll pull the trigger on the endura, even though I'm kinda torn on the mili, Unit, you gave the endura such a great endorsement I'm sure i'll get one now! Thank you af, mori and ac too, very good insights!!

now what color and blade!?!;)
 
I went with the brown handle. If you want something a little fancier, they make a G-10 handled endura. Might be a little harder to come by though.
 
I am not sure what it is but I have a much easier time sharpening ffg blades on the sharpmaker.
 
The Endura/Delica series have truly come full circle. The first ones, with their hollow saber grind and "splinter pickin" tips were awesome cutters. Heck, they ROCKED the pocketknife world. Then came what amounted to the Carter years. A dry spell. The Great Endura depression. Flat saber grind with that goofy blunt tip. Yes, we all remember that. Early D4 and E4. We all loved the take-apart-ability and the availability of rebuild kits. But the clunky blades? WTF?? 'Twas sort of like taking a Ferrari chassis and dropping an old Hercules army surplus engine down in it. Then something happened. Spyderco went full circle. Sal's voice echoed in a Spyderco engineer's head "yeah but how does it CUT?". Immediately (and in a cold sweat) that engineer went to the drawing board and threw the E4 and D4 blade spec drawings into the business end of a Turbo2000 Super Shredder. He then penciled two words on a new drawing sheet. FLAT GROUND. Needless to say, that man is now considered a genius and a folk hero. He singlehandedly put Spyderco back on the straight and narrow.

The flat ground variation basically lifted the E4 and D4 to super steals, value wise. Nowhere else on the planet can you get such a bargain in the pocket cutlery industry. What you are getting for what you are giving is so lop-sided it boggles the mind. It's like you're buying the space shuttle and paying a Chevrolet sticker price. It's an almost comical bargain. Get some.
 
not sure if there are still many around, but i like the foliage green g10 model best. one of the few models with liners, iirc.
 
A FFG Endura will more than likely be my next knife purchase. In fact, I will probably be ordering one this weekend. I had an Endura before, but never cared for the grind. This new one may be just my style. For the price, it really seems hard to beat.

I would love to pick up a new Paramilitary 2, but this is less than 1/2 the cost, and in stock. I love instant gratification.

Adam
 
sockeye said:
Looking at buying a spyderco endura for every day carry, How does a full flat ground blade differ from the other endura i had fifteen (or longer) years ago?



How do people like the vg 10 blade steel?

Thanks!
Wally
Click to expand...

Eh I'm not to keen on knowing different grinds.. But with the reviews of the FFG's, I went out and bought the Delica (smaller endura) and I LOVE IT..

The color'd handles just put a zing on the knife and I'm extremely happy with my purchase..

And these puppys are sharpp.. OHH i got a few cutz in the the first week already. lol
 
My first Endura was a great blade full serrated edge, no trouble cutting through 1 inch braided samson line, ended up spilling some kind of acid on the blade and it left a big nasty etch stain, but never hurt the performance. I still have it somewhere.

Now I am thinking about getting a pacific salt too!!!:rolleyes:
 
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