Police 4 questions

[DougC-3]

Sir, thank you for taking the time to monitor this forum and respond to customer questions. I want you to know that I prefer the FRN to the G-10 because of the FRN texture, it is easy to keep a good grip on when cold or wet or oil is on the hands. I have had an endura 4 and delica 4 with a similar FRN texture for some time.

Love your product line. I’m one of those who will most certainly buy a C-60 Ayoob when available irrespective of the type of scales.

You've got some great taste in knives! The Police 4 in FRN is one of my favorites too, and in my eyes one of the best folders ever made.

If you haven't looked into it, make sure you check out the K390 version - https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/detail ... -K390/1907 K390, while it will rust more easily than VG10, it will hold an edge about 3 or 4 times as long!

Do you like it significantly more than the G-10 model? I'm guessing because of feel and lightness? (There's only around a half ounce difference in weight.)

[ManixFan]

Hello fellow Spyderco Fans,


Wow …it’s hard to believe that I haven’t posted in almost 6 years. I’ll try to keep this one brief.

I’m sure that will get either a chuckle from those of you who might remember my earlier posts …or maybe someone calling BS on me for writing that. We’ll have to see which one it is when I’m finished typing :)

The Manix was the first Spyderco I’ve ever owned and that’s where the Forum name came from. But then I went on to buy many more Spyderco’s and it’s hard to say which one my favourite is anymore.

I’ve also become very fond of some of Spyderco’s FRN models with the nested steel liners as well which was a surprise to me because I really didn’t like the plastic look at first. But that was only until I actually owned one and realized how solid they felt in hand, the grip they provided and the more ergonomic handle contours they had over a G-10 slabbed knife of the same model.

Right now I only have one Police model which is the Police 3 G-10 with SE and I absolutely love that knife as a dinner/steak knife. It is the knife that I will always use when eating at a restaurant (if it is a planned outing) especially since so many restaurants have such dull knives and their steak knives are usually even crappier whereas the Police 3 SE is absolutely amazing as a steak knife.

I had thought about getting a VG-10 Police 3 but never got around to it because there were so many other Spyderco's that I had to get first and then after being away from the Forum as well as buying new knives for a while I found out about the G-10 Police 4 after it had pretty much sold out and could only be found on the secondary market.

I also wasn’t sure about the K390 because I originally figured that another Police in PE would most likely make for another great food knife except with the PE it would also be great for food prep too …and it didn’t sound like the K390 would be the greatest fit for a food prep knife because of the lack of corrosion resistance.

Then after seeing that the Police 4 FRN was also available in the current retail market I did some more reading on the Forum and was excited to see that Sal had mentioned in BladeForums that the plan was to also release a Police 4 FRN in ZDP-189 and that was awesome news to read …but maybe a little outdated?

Because then I I did some further reading on the Forum and came across this thread about ZDP steel potentially being discontinued.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=89744&hilit=zdp

…and then I recently saw the 2021 discontinued list and it seems like there are more ZDP models also being discontinued on that list.

In my most optimistic worldview I could only hope that this means that Spyderco is saving all their remaining ZDP-189 stock to manufacture that beautiful British Racing Green Police 4 FRN model that I had gotten so excited about.

But of course reality is most often not what is hoped for …otherwise we would all be living in a much nicer world …and every Spyderco Sprint run would be available for all time at release pricing.

So I don’t know if I would get an answer here because only the folks at Spyderco would know for sure …and perhaps they would be keeping the answer under their hats a little longer until closer to a potential release date.

But it truly would be a shame if the previously planned ZDP-189 Police 4 never got released.

Although disappointed about potentially not seeing a ZDP-189 Police 4 in my future …the upside is that I have been able to find a G-10 Police 4 that should arrive in a couple of weeks and that will be my first K390 knife.

I’ve heard so many awesome things about K390 and even though it isn’t stainless it really does sound amazing from the reviews I read and all the YouTube videos I’ve watched. I will just have to be more careful in maintaining it against corrosion …and then there is also still the Pakkawood Hap40 version Police 4 that is now next on my list …maybe in another few months.

Also, while I do like some of the other Spyderco FRN colours such as the gray of my SuperBlue Stretch, the maroon 2015 Forum Native and the nice midnight blue of my S110V Manix lightweight …in my opinion, the British Racing Green FRN is the nicest looking of all the FRN model colours.

So if the ZDP-189 Police 4 doesn’t ever happen then I really do hope that Spyderco will bring out another stainless super steel version of the Police 4 in FRN ….and also that Spyderco keeps the British Racing Green FRN colour for future models. Maybe another super stainless steel run?

Oh yeah …I was also reading about the Caly 3.5 lightweight that is also on the horizon and couldn’t be happier. I’ve heard K390 mentioned but don’t know if that is confirmed but hopefully it will also be available in a stainless super steel as well.

I also love the fact that the Caly 3.5 is being talked about and not the Caly 3. I also have a CF Caly 3 too as well as my G10 Caly 3.5 and it’s a great knife too. But just not as impressive as the 3.5 in that I don’t know of any other knife that I have that packs that kind of blade length (3.5) in that small of a handle and still feels great to use in hand.

With a contoured FRN handle I am sure that the new Caly 3.5 will have an even better in hand feel than the G-10 slabbed versions of the Caly 3.5’s …and I also love the idea of screws over pinned construction too. The future looks bright :cool:

Ok …well maybe brief is a relative term :D

[p_atrick]

I too would like to see another stainless rendition of the P4LW. I know that there is an SRS-13 Mule in the works which, if it is received well, could lead to a sprint run for the Seki lineup. People on here have referred to SRS-13 to a "stainless Cru Wear".

[DougC-3]

Hello fellow Spyderco Fans,


Wow …it’s hard to believe that I haven’t posted in almost 6 years. I’ll try to keep this one brief.

I’m sure that will get either a chuckle from those of you who might remember my earlier posts …or maybe someone calling BS on me for writing that. We’ll have to see which one it is when I’m finished typing :)

The Manix was the first Spyderco I’ve ever owned and that’s where the Forum name came from. But then I went on to buy many more Spyderco’s and it’s hard to say which one my favourite is anymore.

I’ve also become very fond of some of Spyderco’s FRN models with the nested steel liners as well which was a surprise to me because I really didn’t like the plastic look at first. But that was only until I actually owned one and realized how solid they felt in hand, the grip they provided and the more ergonomic handle contours they had over a G-10 slabbed knife of the same model.

Right now I only have one Police model which is the Police 3 G-10 with SE and I absolutely love that knife as a dinner/steak knife. It is the knife that I will always use when eating at a restaurant (if it is a planned outing) especially since so many restaurants have such dull knives and their steak knives are usually even crappier whereas the Police 3 SE is absolutely amazing as a steak knife.

I had thought about getting a VG-10 Police 3 but never got around to it because there were so many other Spyderco's that I had to get first and then after being away from the Forum as well as buying new knives for a while I found out about the G-10 Police 4 after it had pretty much sold out and could only be found on the secondary market.

I also wasn’t sure about the K390 because I originally figured that another Police in PE would most likely make for another great food knife except with the PE it would also be great for food prep too …and it didn’t sound like the K390 would be the greatest fit for a food prep knife because of the lack of corrosion resistance.

Then after seeing that the Police 4 FRN was also available in the current retail market I did some more reading on the Forum and was excited to see that Sal had mentioned in BladeForums that the plan was to also release a Police 4 FRN in ZDP-189 and that was awesome news to read …but maybe a little outdated?

Because then I I did some further reading on the Forum and came across this thread about ZDP steel potentially being discontinued.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=89744&hilit=zdp

…and then I recently saw the 2021 discontinued list and it seems like there are more ZDP models also being discontinued on that list.

In my most optimistic worldview I could only hope that this means that Spyderco is saving all their remaining ZDP-189 stock to manufacture that beautiful British Racing Green Police 4 FRN model that I had gotten so excited about.

But of course reality is most often not what is hoped for …otherwise we would all be living in a much nicer world …and every Spyderco Sprint run would be available for all time at release pricing.

So I don’t know if I would get an answer here because only the folks at Spyderco would know for sure …and perhaps they would be keeping the answer under their hats a little longer until closer to a potential release date.

But it truly would be a shame if the previously planned ZDP-189 Police 4 never got released.

Although disappointed about potentially not seeing a ZDP-189 Police 4 in my future …the upside is that I have been able to find a G-10 Police 4 that should arrive in a couple of weeks and that will be my first K390 knife.

I’ve heard so many awesome things about K390 and even though it isn’t stainless it really does sound amazing from the reviews I read and all the YouTube videos I’ve watched. I will just have to be more careful in maintaining it against corrosion …and then there is also still the Pakkawood Hap40 version Police 4 that is now next on my list …maybe in another few months.

Also, while I do like some of the other Spyderco FRN colours such as the gray of my SuperBlue Stretch, the maroon 2015 Forum Native and the nice midnight blue of my S110V Manix lightweight …in my opinion, the British Racing Green FRN is the nicest looking of all the FRN model colours.

So if the ZDP-189 Police 4 doesn’t ever happen then I really do hope that Spyderco will bring out another stainless super steel version of the Police 4 in FRN ….and also that Spyderco keeps the British Racing Green FRN colour for future models. Maybe another super stainless steel run?

Oh yeah …I was also reading about the Caly 3.5 lightweight that is also on the horizon and couldn’t be happier. I’ve heard K390 mentioned but don’t know if that is confirmed but hopefully it will also be available in a stainless super steel as well.

I also love the fact that the Caly 3.5 is being talked about and not the Caly 3. I also have a CF Caly 3 too as well as my G10 Caly 3.5 and it’s a great knife too. But just not as impressive as the 3.5 in that I don’t know of any other knife that I have that packs that kind of blade length (3.5) in that small of a handle and still feels great to use in hand.

With a contoured FRN handle I am sure that the new Caly 3.5 will have an even better in hand feel than the G-10 slabbed versions of the Caly 3.5’s …and I also love the idea of screws over pinned construction too. The future looks bright :cool:

Ok …well maybe brief is a relative term :D

Welcome back, MF ..er.. ManixFan (oops, that could have been misinterpreted ) You needn't have held back, there's plenty of space :rolleyes: Strangely, I was just thinking of you a day or two ago. You may remember that I'm also a ManiXac and also have gotten interested in lots of other Spydies. I too really like the British Racing Green FRN color (ZDP-189 Endura), though it looks sort of black under incandescent light, and my 2015 Forum Native, which looks brown indoors instead of maroon (need to get out more).

I think you'll like your K390 G-10 Police 4 -- it carries light for such a huge blade & amazingly thin in pocket. You'll probably also want to come back for the FRN model. I love the even gray patina of this steel. I would recommend just letting it patinate from normal use, because the even gray looks so nice.

Speaking of BRG & ZDP 189, while anticipating the K390 Straight Spine Stretch 2 I've pre-ordered, I've really taken a liking to my long neglected ZDP G-10 Stretch 2, to the extent that, if I find out we're not getting a K390 drop point version, I'm going to try to get a BRG ZDP drop point model--may do it anyway.

[ManixFan]

Thanks for the welcome back Doug.

I will probably be stopping in a lot more frequently in the future than over the past 5 years …although I don’t think that I would be posting anywhere near the same frequency that I used to post.

Although I previously only had the G-10 SE Police 3 in VG-10 steel it is one of my favourite knives and so after belatedly finding out that another G-10 version had been released in the last few years I had to do some more research on it which was what prompted my last post.

After that I found out that there was also a Pakkawood version and FRN version available too …and a ZDP-189 version also on its way …at least that was what I thought until I did some more reading and learned about the great potential for ZDP-189 to be disappearing from Spyderco’s lineup.

But then I also found out about the plans for a FRN Caly 3.5 too which was also a nice surprise as that has always been a favourite of mine. I would have loved it if a blue weave carbon fiber laminate version of the Caly 3.5 had come out. I really love the blue weave CF scales on the Blue Ridge Knives exclusive Domino …and don’t know why it isn’t being used more on other Spyderco’s. I will have to get one or two of the new FRN Caly 3.5’s for sure when the different steel variants come out.

As you know from past discussion I also love the Stretch as well. This was the first FRN Spyderco that I purchased in BRG ZDP-189 with the classic drop point that changed my mind on FRN scaled knives.

I have four Stretch models but nothing since the brown G-10 model dropped …I just wasn’t a fan of the brown G-10 at the time …although it has grown on me a bit now. The versions of the Stretch that I have are the CF ZDP-189 Stretch, the FRN SuperBlue Stretch, the BRG ZDP-189 Stretch and the Blue Nishijin Damascus Stretch.

It was also nice to hear about the upcoming Stretch XL but until I see it I’m not sure whether I would be interested until I see it because it sounds like it would be similar to a smaller Police 4 with the straight spine …but I will just wait and see when it arrives. An XL Stretch in the classic drop point blade shape in interesting steel would catch my attention for sure though.

I believe that the BRG Stretch that you are thinking of would be a nice addition to your collection that I am sure that you would be happy with.

My 2 FRN Stretches are the older version FRN molds with its narrower blade tip width whereas the BRG Stretch that is selling now has the newer Stretch 2 blade shape that seems to have greater width across the tip portion and where the curved horn on the end isn’t as acute in its angle.

After writing that last post I did some more reading on the Forum and ran across that new steel Magnacut that everyone is talking about.

It sounds like an amazing stainless super steel that I would really look forward to checking out in either a Police 4, Stretch 2 or Stretch 2 XL (if a classic XL Stretch blade shape becomes available), or perhaps in an FRN Caly 3.5 if that steel becomes available in any of these models.

Seeing Magnacut possible becoming available in a Police 4 would certainly relieve some of the sorrow of learning that a BRG ZDP-189 Police 4 might not make it to market. It seems like it would be plenty tough for a chopping board and highly stainless for food prep and still have great edge retention.

Also, if Spyderco is planning on stopping production of their ZDP-189 FRN lineup of folding knives then it looks like BRG could become an available FRN colour for yet another stainless super steel lineup?

Who knows? …but a Magnacut Police 4, XL Stretch or Caly 3.5 in BRG sure would get my blood flowing :)

[DougC-3]

Thanks for the welcome back Doug.

I will probably be stopping in a lot more frequently in the future than over the past 5 years …although I don’t think that I would be posting anywhere near the same frequency that I used to post.

Although I previously only had the G-10 SE Police 3 in VG-10 steel it is one of my favourite knives and so after belatedly finding out that another G-10 version had been released in the last few years I had to do some more research on it which was what prompted my last post.

After that I found out that there was also a Pakkawood version and FRN version available too …and a ZDP-189 version also on its way …at least that was what I thought until I did some more reading and learned about the great potential for ZDP-189 to be disappearing from Spyderco’s lineup.

But then I also found out about the plans for a FRN Caly 3.5 too which was also a nice surprise as that has always been a favourite of mine. I would have loved it if a blue weave carbon fiber laminate version of the Caly 3.5 had come out. I really love the blue weave CF scales on the Blue Ridge Knives exclusive Domino …and don’t know why it isn’t being used more on other Spyderco’s. I will have to get one or two of the new FRN Caly 3.5’s for sure when the different steel variants come out.

As you know from past discussion I also love the Stretch as well. This was the first FRN Spyderco that I purchased in BRG ZDP-189 with the classic drop point that changed my mind on FRN scaled knives.

I have four Stretch models but nothing since the brown G-10 model dropped …I just wasn’t a fan of the brown G-10 at the time …although it has grown on me a bit now. The versions of the Stretch that I have are the CF ZDP-189 Stretch, the FRN SuperBlue Stretch, the BRG ZDP-189 Stretch and the Blue Nishijin Damascus Stretch.

It was also nice to hear about the upcoming Stretch XL but until I see it I’m not sure whether I would be interested until I see it because it sounds like it would be similar to a smaller Police 4 with the straight spine …but I will just wait and see when it arrives. An XL Stretch in the classic drop point blade shape in interesting steel would catch my attention for sure though.

I believe that the BRG Stretch that you are thinking of would be a nice addition to your collection that I am sure that you would be happy with.

My 2 FRN Stretches are the older version FRN molds with its narrower blade tip width whereas the BRG Stretch that is selling now has the newer Stretch 2 blade shape that seems to have greater width across the tip portion and where the curved horn on the end isn’t as acute in its angle.

After writing that last post I did some more reading on the Forum and ran across that new steel Magnacut that everyone is talking about.

It sounds like an amazing stainless super steel that I would really look forward to checking out in either a Police 4, Stretch 2 or Stretch 2 XL (if a classic XL Stretch blade shape becomes available), or perhaps in an FRN Caly 3.5 if that steel becomes available in any of these models.

Seeing Magnacut possible becoming available in a Police 4 would certainly relieve some of the sorrow of learning that a BRG ZDP-189 Police 4 might not make it to market. It seems like it would be plenty tough for a chopping board and highly stainless for food prep and still have great edge retention.

Also, if Spyderco is planning on stopping production of their ZDP-189 FRN lineup of folding knives then it looks like BRG could become an available FRN colour for yet another stainless super steel lineup?

Who knows? …but a Magnacut Police 4, XL Stretch or Caly 3.5 in BRG sure would get my blood flowing :)

Everybody is so crazy about the LtWt Police 4 K390, I'll have to try one out even though my G-10 model is great.
Like everybody else, I'm looking forward to MagnaCut and, if it really performs and sharpens like tool steel, then tool steel lovers had better buy up all the K390, etc, they can get their hands on, before it goes away

In the meantime, I think a supersize drop point Stretch would be a real swashbuckler :eek: And a K390 Caly 3.5 FRN would be super. If they make one, I'm already preparing to whine for a 3.0 version.