Police 4 Observations

[anycal]

Nice!

Same here - wasn't very sharp, but I re-profiled it and haven't had a problem since. Little bit of a rock lock, or vertical blade play. I am batting over 50% on the blade play with my Seki knives, but this one has the least. No such thing with any of my Natives or Caly 3.

You motivated me to bring my P4 out and use it for rest of the week.

[Vivi]

Nice!

Same here - wasn't very sharp, but I re-profiled it and haven't had a problem since. Little bit of a rock lock, or vertical blade play. I am batting over 50% on the blade play with my Seki knives, but this one has the least. No such thing with any of my Natives or Caly 3.

You motivated me to bring my P4 out and use it for rest of the week.

I touched mine up on my fine ceramic stone and it took a very aggressive edge easily. Really excited to see how sharp it gets once I fully reprofile the edge.

Corrosion resistance seems a little higher than I expected too. I've cut up a couple of apples and had it clipped IWB during a mild hike yesterday, no change to the blade finish. That's been a nice surprise. I thought I'd be getting a patina on day 1.

[knivesandbooks]

K390 hasn't been patina heavy for me. Mine developed a light milky golden patina after a month of use. That's it though.

[tps3443]

I’m purchasing my second Spyderco within a week. As somebody new to the knife industry, I really want a Military Blurple S110V steel, or the Police 4 with K390 steel.

After reading this thread, I really like the slim construction, and 3mm blade thickness of the Police 4.

From what I’ve gathered the Police 4 will slice the best. And hold an edge a little longer, but a little tougher to sharpen, and requires light coat of oil to maintain rust prevention if not daily, or after use.

The Military is thicker, will not slice as great, but it is easier to sharpen, and is a little more rust resistant.

Pricing is pretty close between them. Am I missing anything else?

I have ordered a sharpmaker, and I have dulled my Tenacious twice now, and re honed it to a hair shaving sharp. Something I’ve never been able to do before in my life with any knife. I feel confident moving up to a more exotic steel to try out.

[Rutger]

Pricing is pretty close between them. Am I missing anything else?

You can middle finger flick open the Military, but you can't with the Police 4 due to the back lock. A non issue for some and a deal breaker for others.

Police has a 4 way clip while Military only has tip down.

[The Meat man]

I’m purchasing my second Spyderco within a week. As somebody new to the knife industry, I really want a Military Blurple S110V steel, or the Police 4 with K390 steel...

...From what I’ve gathered the Police 4 will slice the best. And hold an edge a little longer, but a little tougher to sharpen, and requires light coat of oil to maintain rust prevention if not daily, or after use.

The Military is thicker, will not slice as great, but it is easier to sharpen, and is a little more rust resistant.

Pricing is pretty close between them. Am I missing anything else?

The Military is a great slicer. I'm often surprised by how well it does - often seems better than some of my blades in thinner stock. Of course the Police 4 will be even better yet but both are very good.

Actually, S110V will probably hold an edge longer than K390, and it'll also probably take longer to touch up/sharpen. It is extremely rust resistant though - about as good as you will get outside of rust-proof alloys like LC200N and H-1.

FYI, here's one S110V Military hard-use test:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=71555

Here's the same review with pictures:

http://knifeinformer.com/spyderco-milit ... 0v-review/

[tps3443]

I’m purchasing my second Spyderco within a week. As somebody new to the knife industry, I really want a Military Blurple S110V steel, or the Police 4 with K390 steel...

...From what I’ve gathered the Police 4 will slice the best. And hold an edge a little longer, but a little tougher to sharpen, and requires light coat of oil to maintain rust prevention if not daily, or after use.

The Military is thicker, will not slice as great, but it is easier to sharpen, and is a little more rust resistant.

Pricing is pretty close between them. Am I missing anything else?

The Military is a great slicer. I'm often surprised by how well it does - often seems better than some of my blades in thinner stock. Of course the Police 4 will be even better yet but both are very good.

Actually, S110V will probably hold an edge longer than K390, and it'll also probably take longer to touch up/sharpen. It is extremely rust resistant though - about as good as you will get outside of rust-proof alloys like LC200N and H-1.

FYI, here's one S110V Military hard-use test:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=71555

Wow now I am seriously wanting a Spyderco Military. That S110V is no joke! I had no idea, knifes stayed that sharp so long.

[Vivi]

You can't go wrong with either model, they're both fantstic knives that will easily serve for decades. My Police 3 is still going strong, and I've had Millies that saw years of service.

[Rutger]

S110V is a beast for sure and stainless. K390 is not far behind in edge holding though. K390 is not stainless but will have better toughness. Both will have plenty of edge retention. So it's more a pick between toughness and stainless.

[DBCOOPER]

Incorrect about not being able to spydie flick (middle finger flick) the police 4, I flick it open zero problem, tho it has a lock back, it is a very smooth knife, and k390 vs s110v, k390 isn't stainless while s110v is, but k390 stay sharper longer and holds a razor sharp edge alot longer, and id have to say k390 is tougher also, as I've had s110v chip on me twice doing the same things I've done with k390

[tps3443]

It’s gonna be a tough decision for me. I did read a lot about people who used a Spyderco Military for years in S30V without trouble, then they ordered a Spyderco military in S110V and chipped the edge within the first use. The hardness is a little greater, so it’s understandable. But, there’s multiple knives and steels for a reason; different jobs I suppose.

[DBCOOPER]

K390 I'd assume to be harder then s110v, and less prone to edge chipping, one thing about s30v and s110v is they loose their razor sharpness quickly, but hold that working edge for along time, s110v ofc much longer then s30v, but k390 holds a razor edge for a long time and seems to keep the working edge forever

[wrdwrght]

Nice to have this comparison, Vivi. I only have the Police4. How does the vertical blade-play compare?

https://streamable.com/ds8y8 (Turn your audio up)

There is more vertical play in all my P3's compared to my P4. If I put a lot of weight on the P4 I can feel a tiny bit of wiggle, but it feels free of play during use. The P3 always had a noticeable click for me. Lock up has been flawless though.

Hmmm, I get that click in my Police4.

Perhaps it will develop in yours over time as things break in.

I’d rather the play not be there, of course, but I think the blade length and resulting greater arc makes the play seem worse than in other Seki midlocks.

Whatever, I regard this play as an aesthetic flaw that niggles my OCD, not a functional one that interferes with purpose.

[Sjucaveman]

Also the longer the blade greater the forces at play in the lock mechanism.

[Cycletroll]

Nice review Vivi!

[Vivi]

Nice review Vivi!

Thanks!

BTW I updated the second post in this thread with an image showing how well the blade has resisted corrosion so far.

[Vivi]

Put a fresh edge on the P4. Updated the second post.

[embry386]

These photos are making me want a Police 4 in FRN even though it'll probably be heavier than I prefer. Thanks Vivi for your useful and informative reviews and photos.

[The Meat man]

Great review so far Vivi. Looking forward to future updates.

[J D Wijbenga]

Nice job on that edge Vivi!