Spyderco Endura 4 FFG ZDP189: New Life for Old Reliable

[@matthewshannon6946]

Fascinating video, Rob- thank you! I just received this exact model from DLT. it!s a replacement for one I lost. (Ouch!😜) The Endura has a special place in my heart. It was the first ("real") knife I ever bought. G2 steel, spyderedge, black frn, for the princley sum of $35 a loooong time ago. I'd seen it in "Cliffhanger" and it looked cool. A grrreat number of $35 amounts have gone down that rabbit hole since then but the Endura will always be a sentimental favorite for introducing me to this hobby. Thanks, Rob!

[@CedricAda]

As of 2017 would love to hear your Top 5 hardest steels to sharpen?

[@REBELSCL]

I’ve ordered one and hope to find some nice replacement scales….

[@xabalba555]

8:05 as someone who has achieved his first zdp mirror polished edge today I can’t stress how great it feels to get it

[@arrivervalley6231]

Spyderco Endura is one of my favorite knives of all time.

[@moparchallenger749]

Have used mine plenty for the last two years still razor sharp Incredible steel GET ONE

[@dennisstrickland5216]

great presantation ; such a pleasant voice i like your reviews dennis

[@yuehtungpan5555]

I have one, too.Great steel, keeps a fine edge for such a long time.The locking mechanism might have some problem it bent backward whenever I cut something hard. A great knife though

[@AndreVautour]

I have only had one delica but I found that the back lock did have quite a bit of up and down blade play at least on the one I had - have you found this to be the case on delica/enduras? Personally I do like the aesthetics of the delica a lot and I really want one but the play bothers me. I sent mine back because of a defective clip but I think considering buying another one, hopefully one with a better lock.

[@guillermocastilla6305]

Have you tried any of the spyderco mules I'm wonder how that new one number 19 is coming up

[@TheApostleP]

Guillermo castilla I have not. I have a bit of an aesthetic issue with their fixed blade designs, but I'm sure they're great users.

[@mrk3554]

Spyderco endura is an absolute beauty! I really love this knife excellent steel VG 10 is very very good knife steel in my opinion..I love my endura excellent EDC...reliable and very tough

[@shubbagin49]

the endura 4 with the super blue laminate is one of my sharpest blades. It also looks pretty cool as the super blue has taken on a patina a bit like a hamon. I had been swithering over zdp189 but had heard horror stories about the difficulty in getting an edge worthy of the steel, not everybody is as skilled as your good self Rob. Anyway although its not used a lot for edc( due to UK laws) it is light and cuts bailing twine and cleans up the occasional bunny and pheasant with ease, can even fillet fish. I think it was a sprint run, so dont know if they are still available. peace and grace to you and yours brothers.

[@TheApostleP]

Laurie Campbell I just sharpened a knife like yours. It's virtually identical to the one in this video, with the exception of the core steel. I think Super Blue might be a bit more durable than ZDP, however.

[@shubbagin49]

That would be the one. It has the core running down the blade, as can be seen looking down the top. Blue gray frn scales .just bought a slightly soiled large espada, stripped and given it a spa, looks wicked, loosened the spring a touch, flys out with wrist flick. A steal at £70. Be a show knife though, would not want to carry that mother out and about in merry old england. Peace and grac

[@fightingusik4265]

I enjoy your vid's but I'm so fed up with internet experts outwardly declaring VG10 an inferior steel that should be avoided at all costs. That is misleading at best. If that is your opinion, fine, but you have to know that people watch your vids and make purchases based off of them. VG10 is an excellent steel for every day use and the home sharpener. It does not "roll over just from looking at it" and it performs extremely well. It also sharpens wonderfully. VG10 is used in some of the most coveted kitchen cutlery being made. It is highly corrosion resistant and short of splitting logs, which one ought not do with a knife anyways, it is a perfectly fine EDC steel. Far too many people fall into the trap of thinking they have to buy some insane super steel because folks like you say they should. All things must be put into context for relevancy. You mention Nutnfancy in this vid, but you fail to mention his vid on how impressed he is with his VG10 Delica 4. I find VG10 does better at ~18-20 degrees and re-profile accordingly. I also find that all too often makers hammer their edges during grinding and if you get up off the factory bevel the edge retention improves significantly. Watch a video of say Bark River Knives where they are grinding the edge and sparks are flying. Think that is good for the temper? Further, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with Sypderco's, or any other reputable knife maker's lock back. The average knife user will never make that mechanism fail. The only lock I've ever had fail was a liner lock. This nonsense of pushing the lock with your hand is just that, nonsense. You say in this video that you make the case that the Cold Steel offering is significantly better than the Endura yet you don't make that case. I am a fan of Cold Steel, but that knife is not significantly better and any pluses or minuses are subjective. Who cares if it has G10 scales? Not one time in all my uses of a knife have I said, dangit, I wish I had G10 instead of this FRN. In fact, I've had G10 that was so rough it chewed up my pocket, but I've never had that issue with FRN. And speaking of chewing up pockets, those thumb studs are great for doing that whereas the Spyderco doesn't suffer that issue and glides in and out of the pocket with ease. It is also much larger. It's a fine knife, but it is different. I concede that saber grinds are best left to heavy use knives but a FFG in VG10, while perhaps not perfection, is an excellent choice for the majority of knife users. The overwhelming majority of knife owners use their EDC to cut tape, apples, or left over pot roast. And with the right tools and a little education, they can bring back that edge with no problem and don't have to pay someone to do it. Now, if you want to push your sharpening business, I get that, but beyond that, I find your assertions rather hollow. I've beat the hell out of VG10 and it does just fine. For a discerning consumer, yeah I get it, but for the everyday guy who doesn't have much money to spend and wants a good performing EDC blade, the Spyderco Delica or Endura in FFG VG10 is an awesome choice. I'll go one step further and say that my Delica 4 in saber grind is a great knife. Yeah, it's a bit clunky for slicing fruit but it's tough and has served me well for years. I don't have much free money to spend and I need things that work and that I can take care of myself. The Spyderco Delica 4 or Endura 4 in VG10 is a great choice for people like me.

[@TheApostleP]

I don't disagree with much of what you said. I give VG-10 a rough way to go mostly because I think it's been oversold by the online knife community over the years. It does roll quite easily, by design actually, which is why it's so prevalent in kitchen cutlery which gets "steeled" often and sharpened rarely. It's also kind of "gummy" to sharpen, especially at the finer grits. Other than slightly better corrosion resistance, I find it to be a slightly inferior performer to well heat treated AUS-8.

[@fightingusik4265]

First, thank you for the response. Second, if I had it to do over again, I'd calm down before I posted. I didn't mean for that to come off like an attack. I wish I could say it was the first time my passion had gotten the better of my mouth (or fingertips). I'd been watching a lot of vid's that day and it culminated in that somewhat volcanic rant. I stand behind the premise of my post, but do wish I'd gone about it better. Third, I really do enjoy your channel and have learned and been forced to think about a lot here. You quite often leave me sitting and thinking about things you said and that is a rare and valued commodity for me here on KZbin.

[@MK116Alex]

Fighting Usik I have an endura in vg10 and use it to cut cardboard everyday in a warehouse. it cuts like a razor day after day. I love that steel.

[@haakonfisher2260]

I have enjoyed AP's vids for years. Not unlike you I think he has a bias for Benchmade while I find them to be overprices and often junky build quality for the money. He bashes Spyderco often and never seems to call out Benchmade that much. So I think he has a bias. But we all do on some level for the items we like and collect. He has every right to have his opinions even if they don't always flow with his over all views. I have 3 VG10 Delica's they are all FFG 4's. I love the knife for EDC use. I don't find it any worse than 13mov and it is for sure better and not rusting. It will roll. I don't think it is a major issue for normal EDC use. The fact that I can get it really sharp really quick for me is a plus. I like to sharpen my knife often as it is fun to do for me... unless we are talking about s110v. That is not as fun to do by hand. On the one hand I think AP could look at his bias and try to think if he is being fair across the board, but he has the right to think what he does. He got the Faith part of life right so I'll forgive some odd views on knives he might have. ;-) I have never had one of my Delica FFG chip or fail on the lock. For the money I paid (60) they are great. If I lost one I wouldn't cry over it. If I lost a 200plus knife I would not be too happy about it. So for daily use and if I need to hand a person I don't trust to know how to use and not use a knife I like to hand them a Delica as I know it's a safe tool and not so costly that I would cry over it if they mess it up. I will never buy a liner lock again. I have been cut bad by 2 of them now. There will never be a chance for that to happen with a liner lock for me on a 3rd go. I will never buy or use a liner lock again. Lock backs are one of the best locks there are. Can it fail if pushed to hard? Yup. but a liner lock will fail more often and much easier. IMO and in my uses of knives in the last 30+ years.

[@moparchallenger749]

Fighting Usik Is that all you have to say?

[@usernamemykel]

I've been every-day-carrying an Endura for what seems like decades. Outstanding quality from the Japanese, like my Kawasaki Ninja 400 and Honda Grom motorcycles, as well as my Honda generator.

[@dontcallmetravis]

This is the knife I'm currently saving up for. Funds are low and I am not a patient man!

[@shcmoly]

Just picked one up. Lighter than specs on my scale. Thanks for the history Rob. How would you compare it to M390?

[@TheApostleP]

shcmoly ZDP is generally run a 2-3 points harder than M390. It's easier to sharpen than M390 and takes a much finer edge, but it's not very corrosion resistant, and has very low toughness which makes it susceptible to chipping. I sort of see ZDP as a "fine cutting" steel, not a workhorse steel like M390.

[@mattmaiden4920]

Good vid i have a endura 4 vg10 but its nt a full flat grind are they more rare or is it just older ?

[@mattmaiden4920]

Ty for info

[@Din4747]

How do I send my knife in for you to sharpen

[@TheApostleP]

Deano n Send me an email at [e-mail] and I’ll quote your work and give you the other info. Thanks.

[@moose05focus]

How could I get you to sharpen my zdp endura 4? That edge you showed looked amazing

[@TheApostleP]

+moose05focus Check the description of this vid... kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXyZZ4Kknaebp80

[@moose05focus]

+TheApostleP thank you!!!

[@fishlanding]

Wow, just looking at that edge made me go find my band aids !

[@4schnur914]

The answer is simple. Ship your knife to Spyderco in Golden, Colorado and they will sharpen it for free! Just give them five bucks for the return shipping. To have your Spydercos coming back to you perfect and razor sharp. It's kind of stupid doing it yourself.

[@fedreserv6133]

I don't like it. I was hoping Endura ZDP would keep razor sharp edge longer, yet turns out it doesn't. ZDP under 15 degree edge angle is greatly prone to chipping, hard to sharpen and doesn't hold edge that well as claimed. Not to mention its brittleness and rather limited versatility of use thereof. S35VN, CPM M4 and VG 10 are all much better choices overall and are all holding the edge much better. Not to mention m390. Even S30V holds better "secondairy razor edge" than ZDP. And it is not a cheap thing. Huge disappointing indeed.

[@jhowe759]

The rat 1 is a over rated knife, it’s a 25 dollar knife and it will not hold up long term if people on KZbin use there knives they would know what I’m talking about .

[@TheApostleP]

Bladez Excuse me... I didn’t quite get that... were you wearing a diaper when you said that? Muffled... 😜😜😜 I’ve owned and worked on 50 or 60 RAT 1’s. Haven’t seen one with catastrophic failure or worn out yet. One was actually used to baton kindling while locked open. It was recently sold after 6 years of service to a very grateful new owner. Some stupid KZbinr owned it. Obviously doesn’t know anything. His name was Rob or something. BTW, if you thought I was saying you were talking out of your arse in P1, you were correct.

[@abc456f]

I enjoy your information but do you have some sort of sinus issue? The sniffing and continual clearing of your throat is distracting to the point where it's become difficult to get through your videos. I'm not berating you for it, as you may have a genuine health problem. But I find myself paying more attention to when the next clearing of the throat is coming rather than what you are saying.

[@VicariousReality7]

I broke two "old reliable" locks