Tell me about the endura

Shotgun

Shotgun

Joined
Feb 3, 2006
Messages
8,250
I own a military and a delica currently but I'm thinking an endura might be a better fit. I want something I can do food prep with on trips and hikes. The delica fits better and the weight is nice in the pocket but the millie is better at the actual job of cutting food with it's larger blade. The problem being the millie is just a hair too long for me to carry with the pocket space I have currently. How does the endura compare to both?
 
Untitled by danny.nystrom, on Flickr

The Endura is a great knife. For what you describe I think it would be great. It is slightly smaller than the military so should be good for your pocket. My Endura is quite heavy due to it being the SS model but the FRN model should be pretty light for a knife that size. Fits well in the hand also. It's a great knife to beat up on.
 
The Endura 4 with FRN scales has been my go to EDC for years. Even after buying higher quality, generally more expensive knives, including the Millie. Don't get me wrong, if I had to choose the Millie would win every time, but the Endura 4 is one of the best EDC knives ever made imho. The Endura almost disappears in my pocket and the thin profile also makes for easy handling. One deciding factor for me was the price. I would hate to lose one but it sure beats losing a $150+ knife. Especially when the Endura will do almost everything the more expensive knives will do and in some cases do it better.
 
My first Spyderco was an Endura then I got a PM2. But they're just a bit too big for me to EDC. Then I got a Delica and it fit me perfectly!

But, for doing a lot of food prep, my Endura wins hands down! It's long FFG VG10 blade is a slicing beast!
 
I second checking out the Stretch. It rides in my pocket just as good as my Salt 1, which is the size of a Delica. It's also very comfortable in hand.
 
The Endura is an enduring knife that won't let you down. I've had my Endura 2 stainless plain edge for almost twenty years and it's still one of my favorite knives. I started collecting Enduras after a while, and I keep spares of all my favorites, just in case anything happens to one of my EDCs.

Can't go wrong with an Endura.
 
The Endura is my favorite Spyderco, as it was the first one I bought back in the late 80's.

I have both Endura's and Militaries, the E4 is a good deal smaller than the milli. The handle length is shorter. It is also great deal smaller in handle height so it fits in the pocket very well.
 
The Endura's are great but with the size difference in mind you are talking about it sounds to me like you should check into a Stretch also. As far as size goes it is in between the Delica and Endura. It is a slicing machine also with great ergos.
 
Love the Endura. Fits both my front pocket and my hand. Does everything I need for EDC and if you lose it, break it, or give it away, it's easy to replace.
 
An orange FRN Endura is my most commonly carried knife when I'm out fishing or hunting. We have a little cabin (a shack, really) on our land, and usually stay for a day or two, so the Endura ends up getting used fairly frequently for food prep. It really does quite well with that job, but I wouldn't want it to be any shorter.

I also have a blue nishjin Stretch. The stretch is more comfortable in hand and pocket (both are good in this regard though), but I prefer the blade on the Endura for food prep purposes. For pretty much any other uses I'd prefer the Stretch.
 
The Endura was my introductory Spyderco, sans 1994. It was a fine knife, and I used it a lot for a myriad of cutting tasks until I broke the tips (relax, relax...I abused the blades). My Enduras were Spyder edge (full serrations) which, at the time, was such an aggressive edge that I found it lacking in cut-ability. It would slice bread and cargo strapping like a maniac, but wouldn't cut paracord or duct tape very well (always snagging).

Get an Endura, you'll love it. But I get the FFG, and I will suggest you stay way from the full SpyderEdge to maximize your use.
 
Last edited:
The Endura 4 was my last purchase, I'm up to 10 Spydies now. I bought it just because I figured it had to be popular for a reason. I'm glad I did. It kicked my PM2 and Manix 2's out of my pocket for the last week or so. It's so thin spine to front and side to side that its like it's not even there. I carry it in the right front pocket positioned closest to my hip. My wallet is in the same pocket and while not hard it did take a little finesse to get it past the PM2 sometimes. It slides right by the Endura without a hitch.

The deep carry clip I got from theoriginalspaceman made it perfect. I was worried about the length but it surprised me. Plus I got mine in blue, it's a little light for my taste but it's one of those colors that scare literally no one. It seems a little darker than the blue in the 2015 Product Guide but that to me is a good thing. Mine came razor sharp too. It also fixed the one problem I had with my Delica, the Endura is a little wider spine to front on the handle making the grip more comfortable for me. It would suck to lose it but it would suck a lot more to loose my PM2 or any of my Manix 2s. I say get it, for $63 to $66 it can't be beat.
 
if your want it for food get the flat grind. its not much smaller then the millie. stick with millie or the delica
 
Just to keep your options open, the Byrd Cara Cara 2 can be had for $20. It's the exact same size as the Endura, I love carrying knives like that because you won't have to worry about losing/beating up on it while you're out hiking.
 
I like my Endura for work, it's light and thin with a good blade side. I don't prep food with my folding knives but awhile back I gave it a shot after seeing it come up frequently here and I liked the Stretch better for the task.
 
Millie.. I like the blade. But TIP DOWN ONLY.. Fail

Endura.. 4 way clip. Plenty of scale colors.
Vg10, SB,ZDP steels
Serrated, Combo, Plain,, FFG or sabre grind


Endura wins
 
As far as Spyderco's FFG models go, I own two Military's, one PM2, a FFG Delica 4, and recently got a FFG Endura 4 with black FRN. I like them all, but of the lot, I like the Endura most, and foresee carrying this one a lot more than the others. For me, it carries more comfortably than the Millie or PM2, and is more substantial than the FFG Delica. I tend to carry down in pocket, clip and all. The Endura is a big knife, but still carries lightly this way. And like the other FFG blades, it cuts like a laser. Plus I love the VG-10.

Jim
 
Sold my pm2. But never the Endura

8327144294_82cf4f7527_c.jpg
[/url]mumbo Endura by mumbojumboo, on Flickr
 
Last edited:
Yeah, full flat ground Endura sounds exactly like what you want. I switched my Delica for the Endura because I wanted a longer edge for cutting picnic food, it's perfect. Slightly shorter and I believe thinner than the Millie. Carry it all the time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top