Spyderco Endura or Military?

cziv said:
What's that mean? Where you pull it out by the top and stick your fingers through the hole and try to get the handle to pop open?

Okay - if that's what it means, I just got it out and did it and it works so - so.

Pulled the Police 3 out and it's built like a tank compared to the Military. I also noticed the extremely thin linerlock when I closed up the Mili.

I don't care if it's made in a different democratic country, who's known for better edged weapon craftsmanship than our own - I'll take it.
Click to expand...

Yes, the linerlock might be thin, but it is one of the best in the business. I've read somewhere that handle will explode and there will suddenly be a total solar eclipe before the lock fails.
Different strokes for different folks. :D
 
I've read somewhere that handle will explode and there will suddenly be a total solar eclipe before the lock fails.
Click to expand...

That's a good one! I've heard the same thing in so many words RevDevil.

When I first got my Military I posted about the skinny linerlock. I have to believe the guys but it still gives me pause to wonder about it. :)
 
I was faced with the same decision, Military or Endura? I was leaning towards the Military until about 2 months ago when I found the Endura with FFG and G-10 scales on sale at almost $50 less than the Mili. I snapped it up quick! Saving that U.S. Grant in my pocket was the kicker. The Endura is one heck of a knife! I have no complaints.
 
Great info guys. I am also a person who uses a traditional knife most of the time and I am currently looking for a modern strong folder for camping purposes mainly.
 
The G10 E4 is a great knife. However the first Military is like a revelation, first you’ll be surprised at how big it is, then you’ll be surprised at how dam good it is and lastly you’ll be surprised at how small it seems after 2 weeks of carry.


Edit: if you buy used (like on the exchange here) with a little patience you can get both for what you would pay for a new military from a dealer.
 
Harayasu said:
Great info guys. I am also a person who uses a traditional knife most of the time and I am currently looking for a modern strong folder for camping purposes mainly.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what my intended purpose is with the E4 ( FFG & G10). I stuck one in my camping bag. The Mil is a great knife, but for this specific purpose, I chose the E4. I can bear down on the tip more, and I can manipulate the lock a little better with gloved hands when it's cold.

Again, you can always try both and resell / trade the one you don't like right here! These knives always have a nice audience in the secondary market.
 
Last edited:
I'd say go with an E4 in ZDP-189. The E4 has a thicker tip which seems like it would be less likely to break. I don't know how true that is, but I have one and it's everything I want in a blade.
 
The Military has the best grip, feel, and balance (S30V as well,) however the Military is expensive, a considerably larger package to carry despite it's lightweight, the size is just big enough to look a bit intimidating as well. While the flat grind makes a better slicer it also makes for weaker tip and you don't have the same clip placement options.

The G10 Endura is what I wound up carrying for a while. This one has a full flat grind blade of VG-10 which I find quite good. I find the feel and balance of the G10 endura to be very good. The G10 version is heavier with a boxier handle (less rounded on the edges) compared to the zytel version, but still very lightweight. Fit and finish is better than the zytel handled version (zero blade lock play.) Like all enduras they provide plenty of ergo grip, carry quite well in the pocket maintaining a low profile (flatter than the military.) To top it off enduras are tapped to allow placement of the pocket clip in 4 positions left, right, tip up, or tip down. They also use a lockback mechanism which I like. The G10 one was also on sale when purchased so I made out quite well. I love this one and carried it for a bit however.....

I noticed a Zytel handled fully serrated saber ground (the current standard zytel endura grind) in ZDP 189 for the same price as a standard zytel endura in VG10. Since I am a fan of serrated edges and happen to like the thicker spine and point of the saber ground models (better for all around beating) I snatched it up. The zytel ones are lighter although the balance is not better than the military it was better than the G10 version. Those indents in the zytel are sick they provide quite a good feel and grip. The handles have more rounded edges overall and slightly different ergos toward the front they feel better than the G10 endura but not as good as the Military since endura handles are more narrow and flat. However unlike the Military and a little more so than the G10 version which is slightly heavier I can put this thing in my back pocket and forget it's there. All my endura 4's zytel version have tiny (negligible) blade lock play if you force the blade to rock they do not rattle you have to put some effort to cause it. This is normal Spyderco factory tolerance and does not effect lock integrity. Needless to say this replaced my G10 for EDC on the job.

Both the Zytel (FRN) and the G10 versions are fully lined underneath with stainless steel.

My vote goes to the Zytel version saber ground endura for price, value, strength, and practicality. This is my version of practical depending on what use one has for their blades it can differ.

For flat grind fans I heard Spyderco is coming out with flat ground standard Zytel (the proper term is FRN still the same as Zytel to me) enduras soon.
 
Last edited:
I'm not a big fan of the sabre grind on the Endura 4. It's a good knife, but the grind is too thick for my taste. I like the older Endura 3 blade and handle shape more than the newer Endura 4.

That's why I prefer a Military (the handle also works better for me). It's a great slicer and quite light for its size.

However, the full flat ground version of the Endura 4 is really cool, if you can try to find one with G-10 handles. If you can wait a bit, theres a FFG version with FRN handles that should be coming out soon.
 
I had a Millie for a while and liked it quite a lot but ended up selling it. I have 3 Enduras and they are one of my favourite knives ever. My vote goes to the standard, saber ground Endura with FRN scales.

Call me crazy, but I actually prefer FRN over G10. It doesn't chew up your pockets (my waved Endura takes care of that just fine!), resists stains and gunk well and somehow feels more sold to me. I have found that it tend to bend or dent unlike G10 which has chipped on me.

Also, for general camping chores, I think you'll get along fine with the Endura's blade and the tip will likely last much longer than the Millie's thin, fine tip. The Endura is my ideal robust, go-to knife. They can be had for very fair prices and I'll bet they'll last forever with appropriate care. Good luck with whatever you choose!
 
I have both and the military gets the nod

With your esee-4 you have all the thick tipped prying and light chopping handled

The millie is so handy for multiple use. Big handle but sure helps when clearing blackberries etc off trail

I love the grind and thin tip, slicer with backbone. Best fish filleting folder I have ever had. Wood work is great, no hotspots and bites deep.

I like tip down best as it is fully in your hand before opening ,been reading about lots of cut hands/dropped knives with tip up . I do wish the millie clip had holes for left side carry.
 
Hey, Just get the lefty millie... I do have a concern on mine however, I noticed the liner moves about 1\16th of an inch towards disengagement when I apply pressure on the blade. Anybody else experience this?
 
I've owned both, neither in years. My first "nice knife" was an endura probably ten years ago, I had a bunch of spydies after that including the military. I've long since sold them all. I liked the Military better than the endura, if that means anything. Better slicer all around. Next week i'm getting a new Military, and I have to say i'm pretty excited about it.
 
Well first of all, thanks for all the responses! It seems I've picked two great knives. On the other hand, that makes it harder to pick between them.

Here's what I'm thinking about them:
I have no problem with lockbacks, it seems like a stronger lock and in most situations, opening the knife with one hand is the important part and closing it can be done after you've finished your work, when you have both hands free. Then again, sometimes it might be useful to be able to close it one handed, and you guys say it has a strong liner lock.

The blade tip on the Endura may be a little stronger, but like Brad "the butcher" said, I do have an ESEE-4 for the really tough stuff. Although, this knife is going to be my main knife for daily use and as a backup to the ESEE-4 in the woods (though I doubt I'll break the ESEE-4 I could lose it somehow), so the extra strength (if there is any) could prove useful.

The extra length of the Military might be good in some way. Or maybe the Endura, being smaller could be more easily carried, but really I think the two are similarly sized and the difference would probably be unnoticeable in actual use, at least for me. Again with the weight, it's such a small difference that unless I held them both at the same time, I don't think I'd notice the difference.

The VG-10 and S30V steels, although I don't know much about them, don't worry me either way. I'm not really a steel snob and if they both hold an edge for a decent amount of time and both have decent rust resistance (they do right?) then either one would be fine.

The pocket clip positions don't bother me either way. As my first knife with a pocket clip, I'd imagine I'd get used to it whichever way it was positioned to begin with.

As for the people who say the Military is a better slicer, why is that? Both the Endura 4 G-10 and the Military have flat ground blades but the Military has a thicker blade. I would think the Endura would be a better slicer, but I could be wrong. Or are you comparing the Military to the sabre ground Endura? That would make sense.

So I think I'm leaning towards the Endura. The dealer that I'm buying from has it for $30 less than the Military as well. I didn't want to buy a lesser knife just because of a $30 difference but it sounds like they're both solid knives and the Endura would probably suit my needs a little better.

I just have a couple more questions.

Is the VG-10 a stainless steel? Or is it just fairly rust resistant? Or neither?

How hard are these steels to sharpen and do you need a diamond stone to sharpen them?

Oh and of course, what the heck is a spydie drop?

Thanks for your help so far and sorry about the really long post.
 
They are all stainless steels

VG10 (Japanese) is very good, sharpens with reasonable ease, and holds an edge with the best upper middle quality steels it is not a highly stainless steel that I would take to the beach, go scuba diving with, or leave in a bowl of lemon juice overnight, but it is reasonably stainless.

ZDP 189 (Japanese secrete formula super steel) is the least stainless of them and can have problems (pitting) with acidic substances (lemon juice etc..) if not cleaned after use. ZDP 189 can also be pure hell on earth to sharpen (now you know why the serrated version is on sale) if you allow it to get too dull by neglecting edge management but does hold an edge for a very long time and is good for heavy duty frequent cutting. Diamond hones are recommended. It is also more brittle than other steels.

S30V an american super steel can also be hard to sharpen if edge management is neglected but not as much as ZDP189. If it gets really dull you will probably need diamond sharpeners but if you maintain it I think you can get by with regular hones. Generally S30V is well regarded as a good balance it can hold an edge longer and cut more abrasive material than VG10 but not as much as ZDP189.

If you are not experienced in sharpening the longer periods it takes to sharpen the super steels can shatter ones confidence quickly causing them to second guess themselves and do things like applying excessive sharpening force, changing sharpening angles, or even giving up before an edge can be established to name a few possible scenarios. It may be advisable to get a low priced knife with softer steel (Japanese AUS8 or the 8 or 9crmov series of chinese steels) in addition for practice experience and confidence building.

I use my thumb to open the blade very quickly whether the pivot is super stiff or not rather than pinching the spyderhole with my thumb and pointer finger and hurling the handle away from the blade (spyderdrop.)

Some of these gravity knife laws are really idiotic what makes a butterfly knife or a spyderhole knife more of a deadly weapon? I surely would not ever want to try twirling open a butterfly knife or performing the spyder drop during a high stress high adrenaline scuffle as the only thing I may wind up cutting is myself.
 
Last edited:
Thanks greater, that's all I wanted to know. I don't think I'll have a problem sharpening VG-10, sharpening's kind of relaxing really, and I do use a fallkniven DC4 (diamond stone) to sharpen my knives, I was just wondering if you had to in case I was ever in a situation where all I had was an Arkansas stone or something.
Gravity knives are illegal around here so it's definately better if it doesn't look like I have one, opening it with my thumb definately sounds like the way to go. Thanks.
 
I have some VG-10 blades including the sabre grind Endura 4 - I like the VG-10, it is easy enough to sharpen and holds a good edge. I also have seen no signs of corrosion at all - cutting a lemon or tomato has done nothing, though I always rinse & dry the blade after use as you would expect.

Generally the lesser edge holding compared to S30V isn't going to be a big deal if you can resharpen the blade often enough. If it is in good condition but not quite sharp enough then a minute on a strop should have it back to 'shaving sharp' very easily.

My Endura has a good lockback which feels plenty strong enough to me and I can easily close it one handed - I don't know what is making it hard for others to do the same. I never test the strength of a blade lock with a spine whack though - that isn't where the force comes from when a knife is in use anyway.
 
greater said:
Thanks to this cool looking method of opening idiotic whimps and sheeple thats right Sheeple SHEEPLE (stupid sheeple) apply ridiculous interpretations to gravity knife laws to include blades with spyderholes.
Click to expand...

Have you considered they are doing it to punish your pretentiousness?

If a cop wants to take your knife under gravity knife laws, all they have to do is hold the handle and throw their arm down. Very few knives have a strong enough detent to not open if they are setup to be opened with any sort of ease.

P.S. I've never had a problem holding on to a knife with the spydie drop, perhaps I have some sort of unusual skill?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top