Police vs. Endura - Ergonomics

[shunsui]

Used the P4 last night on a lot of cardboard boxes.
Concerns about that large handle shrink in use like the Military.
Carries in pocket remarkably well. Heck of a knife.
I carry a Siren (my lock works) but the Military and the P4 are my choices for work.

[MFlovejp]

I own 2 Police 4 LWs and 3 Pacific Salts. I have large size hands. Police much more comfortable but that is offset by the fact Endura size is more comfortable to whip out in public. So, Police for outdoors and Endura for more all around.

[yablanowitz]

Thanks for all of the replies so far.

@yablanowitz - not too late at all, and very helpful - thanks!

The photos make it pretty clear that the first section of the Police handle is a better fit for one finger vs. being too big for one but too small for two like the Endura. I can practically tell just by looking that the Police has better ergonomics (for me).

Still debating if the Police is just too big in general. It seems like it should carry about like my Pacific Salt 2; probably just slightly longer in the pocket. One odd thing is how much handle is still coming out from the back of your hand.

I'd just hate to spend $160+ on a knife only to find out it's just too big to carry. That said, it certainly does have a strong fan base.

That extra handle sticking out is entirely intentional. It annoys me to have the butt of the knife rubbing on (or worse, digging in to) the heel of my hand. That is the only part of the Endura handle that I find at all uncomfortable. The "too big for one finger and too small for two" complaint doesn't apply to me. If I didn't know better, I'd say Sal designed the Endura specifically for my hand. That said, I prefer the longer handle of the P4, and now that Knife Rights has worked their magic in my state and the 4" limit is gone, my Enduras don't see much pocket time.

[-Woodsman-]

I recently picked up a Spyderco Native Chief and it is honestly the first Knife to really Impress me in a very long time. Spyderco really did there homework when designing this knife. IMO it checks off so many boxes, ergos being one of them. Prior to owning the Chief, I had been carrying a G10 Endura and Military. ( both have excellent ergonomics) I owned a G10 Police but gifted it to a coworker a few years back that needed a good knife. He carries it everyday now. Since picking up the Chief, it hasn’t left my pocket. I love my Endura and Military but the Chief is that good and it is smooooth for a backlock. IMO the ergonomics on the Chief are better than the ergonomics on the military and endura.

[Jason Paul]

Revisiting this thread...

My whole reason for asking was that my only large Spydercos are SE, and I was thinking I want something in PE. I have a Pacific Salt 2 SE in LC200N (basically an Endura), so I was using that as my reference for ergonomics.

I'm still a bit concerned that the Police may be too large overall, so I'm not sure. I'm also fairly interested in a Native Chief. The thing with both of these though that I've read several times is that they can be pocket-shreddy; with the Police clip not landing properly on the logo, and the Chief's grippy G-10. I think this would bug me, one of the main reasons I don't carry my G-10 Manix very often.

Still looking into a larger PE, I went back to my Pacific Salt 2; just to test the ergonomics again and pay close attention. The truth is, it's not terrible. Granted, it's not great like a Manix, but it's not awful. Plus, it does carry well due to how slim it is.

Today I was mulling this over, and decided I might go with a new Pacific Salt 2 in PE - either LC200N or H1. I read through the current "Pacific Salt Talk" thread, and since I already have LC200N, I'm going to give H1 a shot.

Thanks again!
Jason

[Manifestgtr]

…from this picture I took after my mule scales came in…

With micarta, the P4 is one of the nicest knives I’ve ever held, period. The Endura is probably a better EDC option because of its size…it’s just more practical. But from a purely ergonomic standpoint, the P4 is really next level. One opinion I have on the P4 is that it doesn’t benefit from a deep carry clip in any way. The deeper it rides, the bigger it feels and the stock spoon clip lands in the perfect spot if you have medium sized hands. Your palm sits right in there and the clip basically disappears.

The P4 really isn’t too big to carry. I comfortably carry mine all the time and I weigh 120lb soaking wet. The ergonomics are top notch, too. IMO, the Endura is a pretty standard spyderco backlock in terms of comfort. It works nicely and more than anything, it’s a good tool. But the P4 is another animal…if I didn’t have to worry about the optics of whipping it out in “polite company”, it’d easily be a top 3 carry for me.

[Jason Paul]

Both the Police and Native Chief are still on my short list for sure. Good ergonomics are one of my favorite aspects of the hobby, so even with these being as large as they are, there's a fair chance I'll end up with one or both of them.

That said, I ended up asking for an H1 Pacific Salt 1 in PE for Christmas.

As I mentioned earlier, the ergonomics of the Pac Salt/Endura aren't terrible for me, just not great compared to others. But, liking the size and blade shape of the Pac Salt, I figured the handle is good enough. Also, I've read a few posts here recently by some who didn't like that handle at first, but have grown to like it.

Thanks!
Jason

[Wartstein]

....

... The "too big for one finger and too small for two" complaint doesn't apply to me. If I didn't know better, I'd say Sal designed the Endura specifically for my hand. .....

Exactly the same here, and you said it better than I could!