Spyderco Police 4 K390

Z

zito

Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Messages
726
I picked one up and got it in hand today. I got a user and polished the patina off - still need to buff it out to a shiny finish if anyone has any pointers.


In hand it feels great like most spydercos - it sharpened up very very easy for me. I cut some things outside and did light works and this design performs. We have a well made back lock knife and if you hold the jumping and not the handle so much I've never had a blade play issue.

This is a thin knife and utilitarian all around and like our police it does serve and protect.

I have the cara cara 2 and this is a bigger version visually but not ergonomically.

I like it but I'm also thinking about selling it for a chinook 2 or 4 - the newest one
 
got one. really great knife. spyderco evolved it pretty much perfectly.

new chinook is also great. tough call. i like the power lock a bit more but prefer the k390 steel on the p4.........

use it for awhile and if it keeps impressing ya keep it....if it doesnt switch the c4. or just cut to the chase and keep your p4 and add a c4.
 
frn is pretty tough stuff, and very light weight. It is more flexy than G10, CF, etc, but can be stiffened by steel skeleton. I would not hesitate to buy a knife that I liked the design and steel, just because it is an frn handle!

edited to add - Sal beat me to it and he is THE expert, but as a knife user and spyderco user for decades, I have never had a problem with FRN (other than a clip breaking off once on a molded handle many years and model versions ago). FRN has the additional ADVANTAGE of designed-into the mold texture for improved grip.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Reswob,

We don't use chap plastic. We use expensive hi tech fiberglass reinforced plastic. Perhaps you can't tell the difference?

sal
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I understand FRN is a perfectly adequate handle material, but it LOOKS and FEELS cheap, and greatly diminishes the overall quality impression of a knife. On a more 'budget' knife that's kind of expected, but to put FRN handles on a more premium model like the Police is a sin! I hope the G10 Spydie's aren't going away.
 
Reswob said:
I understand FRN is a perfectly adequate handle material, but it LOOKS and FEELS cheap, and greatly diminishes the overall quality impression of a knife. On a more 'budget' knife that's kind of expected, but to put FRN handles on a more premium model like the Police is a sin! I hope the G10 Spydie's aren't going away.
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I would not worry too much about that :) Spyderco has been making or planning LW models (lightweight) of some of their knives, such as the Manix, and apparently of PM2 or 3? And some of the primary LWs (delica) have been done in G10 too. I think if you look at the 2018 catalog and mid-year supplement, there are still far more G10 models than anything else.
 
Putting modern high end steels into affordable and lightweight packages is a gift to us in my opinion. No other company offers the variety of steels that Spyderco does and when other companies offer exotic steels they often only offer them in their highest end knives. As a steel geek I appreciate being able to get my hands on cool steels at reasonable prices in quality knives made by a company with integrity. Spyderco makes knives for steel geeks because they are steel geeks. :)

Tx03GWj.jpg


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Reswob said:
I understand FRN is a perfectly adequate handle material, but it LOOKS and FEELS cheap, and greatly diminishes the overall quality impression of a knife. On a more 'budget' knife that's kind of expected, but to put FRN handles on a more premium model like the Police is a sin! I hope the G10 Spydie's aren't going away.
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Hi Reswob,

I do respect and appreciate your opinion, but I must admit, they do not feel cheap to me. But then again, I know what they cost. You might also keep in mind that G-10, Carbon Fiber, etc, are also plastic.

Great pics Killer.

sal
 
C'mon, Sal, trying to put injection molded plastic on the same level as G10 and CF? If your FRN is so expensive, please feel free to keep using G10 and other materials on more and more Spydie's.;). I need to pick up a Police 4 soon, I think it will nicely compliment my old school full serrated, stainless model:cool::thumbsup:
 
I'll care to take a gander, that the FRN models are Spyderco's best-selling models...

I'd love to try a new Police 4. G10 or FRN matters not to me!
 
I prefer the FRN models. They are usually lighter, more grippy, are available in multiple colors, and being less expensive is a great bonus.

Like I said, can’t wait to see the Police in FRN.
 
I have an Endura and it does not feel cheap at all A majority of my folders are in G-10. I find myself carrying the Endura alot in a shirt pocket and hardly notice its there. That leaves room in the pants pocket for a Titanium Sebenza or even a Paramilitary. I suppose if Spyderco were to make a knife with Micarta or an exotic wood handle scale I would be for that as well.
 
G10 is not environmentally friendly and is hazardous to machine, which is probably why it costs more. Workers have to wear a hazmat suit with a respirator to work on the stuff. FRN is molded, and I would think it is less toxic to the environment and to people. It is also lighter in weight than G10, which is important to many people when every ounce may matter. I do not think we have explored all the possible recipes for FRN, as of yet, and it may be that an even better version will be discovered. In the mean time, Spyderco, please keep churning out the FRN.

(However, I do really, really like linen Micarta, as it has a nice warm feel to it.)
 
jstrange said:
I prefer the FRN models. They are usually lighter, more grippy, are available in multiple colors, and being less expensive is a great bonus.

Like I said, can’t wait to see the Police in FRN.
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^This. I will admit that I think the FRN feels slightly cheaper, same thing with other brands', but I like the value a lot more and I think it's actually tougher. I have to wonder if some of the cheapness feel is because of the lack of liners and somehow lightweight feels cheaper. I know this was the case with the LW and G10 models of the native 5. FRN seems to gouge instead of crack if you're abusing a knife (only with fixed blades). I feel like this is similar to my liking of wood vs bone on traditional knives in case I drop a knife.

As Sal pointed out, carbon fiber and G10 are also plastic, just different types. So is micarta. Technically, micarta is fabric set into a plastic resin, similar to carbon fiber. I've pretty sure fiber glass is similar but I've had far less experience with fiber glass since bikes and college polymer chem are where my materials research has come from, and it's not super expensive.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Reswob,

We don't use chap plastic. We use expensive hi tech fiberglass reinforced plastic. Perhaps you can't tell the difference?

sal
Click to expand...

That may be, but it still feels like cheap plastic. I know it's strong, but the feel and look reminds me of a dime store knife.
 
sharkattacksw said:
That may be, but it still feels like cheap plastic. I know it's strong, but the feel and look reminds me of a dime store knife.
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Sometimes we can use our emotional/intuition to tell us what something is, sometimes we can use the analytical. FRN has the analytical side in spades but I'll agree that the intuitive side is that it's sub-standard compared to G10. I think this is where word-of-mouth marketing plays well with FRN, those that use it often like it from a performance standpoint and I think the more you use it the more you tend to like.

Of course, personal preference always comes into play, like my excessive love for micarta as a handle material over G10 and FRN because it takes on character with use. I don't shy away from a well designed knife because of handle material though, just preference, and spyderco has well designed knives, even to the point I think a lot are ugly but so darn functional. I think that is their nitch/specialty, though they certainly have some lookers too (wish I could afford a nirvana).

From left to right: pants pocket carry, work vest pocket, home PJ's/pants pocket (removed clip)
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I don't think the urban handle feels any cheaper than the millie if the texturing is similar. I actually think the colors of G10 and FRN is what makes them look cheap but they feel similar.
 
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