Tom Krein irrevocably alters my Spyderco Endura!

T

Tractorshaft

Joined
May 7, 2006
Messages
58
Hello,

Almost three months ago I sent Tom Krein my Spyderco Endura to re-grind the blade, I gave him artistic license with instructions to "Improve" it. I always try to take time to comment on work I have had done by gunsmiths, knife makers, etc. Having seen the work he has done on other I was confident I would be happy.

A little background, I am that person whom others say "Ask Jerry, he ALWAYS has a knife" at the office. You can tell by holding the knife that is has potential but is missing just a few things that would make it a great knife. The Endura's blade is wrong, too big and too thick.

I can without hesitation or reservation say that sending my blade to Mr. Krein was the probably best $35.00 I have ever spent for ANYTHING. His work literally transformed that little plastic handled knife into a cutting MACHINE. When I got it back it almost three months ago it was and REMAINS hair popping, scary sharp. You have to hold it in your hand to experience how lightweight, balanced, big & sharp it actually is. It was literally perfect :eek: when I inspected it under magnification and light.

Let me repeat :thumbup:, I have NEVER been happier with any service. Out of simple courtesy, Tom called me twice during the process and I had my knife back within two weeks. Folks, now that I "Know" what a professional knife maker can do to improve a factory grind/edge, I would wait a year to have him work on my blades.

I have a couple of little Kershaw Chives that I cant wait to have him do up. I dont know what kind of juju or magic he put on the edge, I use it every day, several times a day and it still has a shaving edge on it, it is simply amazing. Previously a sharpening would last me a month or so.

If you have toyed with the idea of sending Tom one of your knives to re-grind don't hesitate, if enough people experience this, I assure you, his backlog will become unmanageable. He is THAT GOOD. At last count I had over 40 pocket knives to choose from, some expensive, some not. My re-ground Endura is now my #1 choice, that is until my Chives come back...Decisions. decisions...decisions... http://www.kreinknives.net/

This recommendation comes to you unsolicited or prompted. I felt compelled to let other know how happy and satisfied I am with my "New" knife. Here are a couple of pictures, sorry about the crackberry quality but its what I had on hand. In case you could not read between the lines, ha ha! Tom Krein gets a 10 out of 10 for this job!

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Best Regards,

Jerry
 
I guess you dont know what you have been missing until you have it once! Man, I am beyond happy with this. You are right sir, he is obviously the MASTER! I found out about his services on this forum and thought I would give it a try on a knife that I really was not that fond of. Amazing how something seemingly so simple can transform what was once an OK knife into one that has become my #1 carry. Its so big, sharp and light after Toms work on it, literally perfect for what I do. Thanks for the note!

Jer
 
Lycosa said:
Arkansas Grind MASTER!! ;)
Good for you!
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Grind Monkey! :p

I have also experienced the edge he puts on a knife........
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3/32 A2 with a full flat grind and Purpleheart scales. Like your Endura, this knife will not dull! :thumbup:
 
I will agree he is a master. I sent him a serrated Delica that I got on the exchange for 10.00 and he turned it into the sweetest and sharpest folder you can imagine. Congrats and be carefull with that Cutter.
 
There are a few forums where modifications might fit, but Custom & Handmade isn't one of them. :)
Moved to Maintenance, Tinkering and Embellishment.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
There are a few forums where modifications might fit, but Custom & Handmade isn't one of them. :)
Moved to Maintenance, Tinkering and Embellishment.
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My bad, my logic was that since the blade was ground by a custom maker that it would more naturally fall under that category. I dont know how it escaped me that a complete re-contour and grind of a blade should be posted under "Maintenance, tinkering or embellishment".

I would think that maintenance would be oiling, tightening, etc. Tinkering would be like swapping the pocket clip orientation and embellishment would be , well... stuff like this...regardless of application.

diamond_tooth_grill.jpg

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Glad you are here to keep it sorted

Best Rgds;)
 
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After reading about Tom' regrinds and knives I had him reground my Small Classic Sebenza. It is hard to describe how much better a cutter it is. It will cut circles around most of my other knives. And my other knives are good knives...Spyderco, Benchmade, Kershaw and others. I have since purchased a Wharnie and an Ultimate Caper from Tom. These knives have incredible sharp edges and terrific fit and finish and cry out to be carried and used. If you have him regrind your knife or buy one of his there is no going back to thick edges. Tom is a real craftsman and a fine man to deal with.

RKH
 
Tractorshaft said:
My bad, my logic was that since the blade was ground by a custom maker that it would more naturally fall under that category. I dont know how it escaped me that a complete re-contour and grind of a blade should be posted under "Maintenance, tinkering or embellishment".

I would think that maintenance would be oiling, tightening, etc. Tinkering would be like swapping the pocket clip orientation and embellishment would be , well... stuff like this...regardless of application.

diamond_tooth_grill.jpg

Glad you are here to keep it sorted :jerkit:

Best Rgds
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I'm not interested in your logic when you follow it up with the "jerkit" smily.

Don't push your luck. I did not mean to demean your choice of forum, only to correct it. Smart-mouthing me for doing this is outside forum rules.
 
Great work. This just goes to show that the grind, and heat treat of course can make all the difference in the world. I see a lot of threads here about this or that super steel. All else being equal, the grind is where the real difference is. Most knives of decent quality will have decent heat treat. Good grinds are as rare as hens teeth though!

As to this knife being in the Custom form, it is now a custom knife. Ground by a Custom maker. As far as I'm concerned, that is where the true talent comes in. There are far too many knives featured here, and in the custom market place that were never ground by a human being. The title of this section is Custom and Handmade. Not Fully Hand made only. There are some big name knives out there making, or selling knives that are less hand made than yours now is. You have every right to be proud or you New Custom!

But this is only my opinion. I probably don't know a thing about Custom Knives. As I'm sure will be pointed out soon. Lol

TS, Knock off the Jerk it! He is only doing his job!

M.Lovett -Maker- The Loveless Connection Knives
 
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Agree that the Krein regrinded Endura is very good. But you have to trade off the do-it-all version of the original saber ground. Another grind to try is the beefier convex. I would rate your Endura better with the thicker blade than the latest Police Flat Grind with the much thinner blade.
 
kevtan said:
Agree that the Krein regrinded Endura is very good. But you have to trade off the do-it-all version of the original saber ground. Another grind to try is the beefier convex. I would rate your Endura better with the thicker blade than the latest Police Flat Grind with the much thinner blade.
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Hi Kevtan,

I too was skeptical and a little worried about the apparent "Thinness" of the blade after it was re-ground. It was baseless, I don't abuse nor do I "Baby" my tools, it either stands up to my usage or I find something else. After over three months I feel qualified to say that it has met or exceeded ALL of my expectations.

I love those Crocodile Dundee moments when someone asks for a knife, I can whip that Endura out of my chino's faster than you can say flapjack. I don't try to pry open paint cans with it but I will not hesitate to carve a hardened blob of cured epoxy off of a chisel handle or cut the edges off of a 48" hard rubber stall mat with it.

Dont think that after Tom grinds it that it is some flimsy little fillet knife in thickness, it is STILL a substantial blade. If I wanted to test it to destruction I would not hesitate to say it would penetrate the door skin of a pick-up truck, multiple times, without missing a beat. Can you tell I am happy with the work? Ha Ha! Thanks for the note and input, much appreciated. By the way, I own 2 of the Spyderco Military models as well, one of them will be shipped to Mr. Krein next month. I have yet to examine one of the Police models but will be sure check it out at our local dealer . Best regards,

Jerry
 
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Excellent looking Endura. I have a ZDP189 one myself that I'm reprofiling flat to the stone to make it like a scandi ground knife. The Endura is a really good knife with a really thick edge, I wish they would make the standard models flat ground for better cutting performance. It's weird that most Spydercos ship with very good edge geometry for a factory blade but two of their largest selling models come so thick.

kevtan said:
Agree that the Krein regrinded Endura is very good. But you have to trade off the do-it-all version of the original saber ground. Another grind to try is the beefier convex. I would rate your Endura better with the thicker blade than the latest Police Flat Grind with the much thinner blade.
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What would you cut with a stock Endura that you would hesitate to cut with the reground one?
 
Vivi, you're a masochist! :D You might find the scandi grind more work that it's worth, both in beveling, and sharpening, with ZDP 189. I have a couple that Tom did a full flat or high hollow grind, and they work great and sharpen very quickly. Due to the extreme relief (or lack thereof), I can't see any other grind outcutting them. I'd be very interested in your impressions on yours once your done, thanks!
 
Vivi, I have a convexed endura of the older version and i just love how it cuts so much better than the stock grind.





Surprise!! I just mic my police and its the same thickness as the endura. They even have nearly the same shaped tip. So I must revise my opinion that probably because the police is 102mm vs the 87mm grinded length. The police also has a beveled spine compared to the flat of the endura. I guess the bevels and the lenght caused the illusion that the blade thickness is less than the ednura.
 
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sodak said:
Vivi, you're a masochist! :D You might find the scandi grind more work that it's worth, both in beveling, and sharpening, with ZDP 189. I have a couple that Tom did a full flat or high hollow grind, and they work great and sharpen very quickly. Due to the extreme relief (or lack thereof), I can't see any other grind outcutting them. I'd be very interested in your impressions on yours once your done, thanks!
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It's been making me want to buy a belt sander, that's for sure. :D

I did get my UKPK back today after letting a friend try it out. I forgot how well my kind of edges cut after using an Endura at close to stock thickness for a while. I don't see the Endura getting much pocket time until I finish the grind.
 
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