Police 4 K390 SE Testing Log

[ZrowsN1s]

Bumping this thread for the people in the "Delivered and up and coming" thread who were asking about SE K390

[Bill1170]

One good bump deserves another. I’m prepared to reprofile my incoming K390 SE Endura to 15 degrees if it needs it.

[Wartstein]

Yes, it does deserve a bump!

Should have done this myself when I linked this very thread recently here viewtopic.php?f=2&t=95747#p1751776 (also quite some info about sharpening serrated K390).

I am close to getting a K390 Endura SE myself now... seems like especially with the sharpmaker CBN rods and some time reprofiling is not that much of a thing, and just touching it up not anyway...

[elena86]

After two Delicas serrated in K390 I am considering the Police4 serrated in K390 but I am not going to reprofile the edge. It seems it’s in between 15 and 20 degrees(probably closer to 20) which is good enough for me. I don’t want to risk ruining the apex using the diamond rods on the Sharpmaker. The best bet would be to reprofile scallop by scallop but this would imply a huge amount of work and it doesn’t pay. The Police is going to be more of a “tactical” folder so I am just going to be sure the edge is allways at peak sharpness. I don’t use my special dedicated blades for dismantling cardboard boxes or similar chores anyway. I am also considering the Endela SE in K390 but the jury is still out. The Police 4 or the Endela ….

[JoviAl]

After two Delicas serrated in K390 I am considering the Police4 serrated in K390 but I am not going to reprofile the edge. It seems it’s in between 15 and 20 degrees(probably closer to 20) which is good enough for me. I don’t want to risk ruining the apex using the diamond rods on the Sharpmaker. The best bet would be to reprofile scallop by scallop but this would imply a huge amount of work and it doesn’t pay. The Police is going to be more of a “tactical” folder so I am just going to be sure the edge is allways at peak sharpness. I don’t use my special dedicated blades for dismantling cardboard boxes or similar chores anyway. I am also considering the Endela SE in K390 but the jury is still out. The Police 4 or the Endela ….

I’ve recently received a K390 Police 4 SE and is a delight to use. I don’t own any Endelas as I generally opt for the largest blade I can get, but in isolation I really rate the P4 (especially at the price they have it for at Knifecentre!), to the point where I’m considering paying full price plus the ride for the PE model as well. I lent it to a friend (I know - lend a knife, lose a friend…) to do some chop and drop at work a couple of days ago, then swapped with her so she had my Caribbean leaf SE and she actually preferred the P4 even though her hands are significantly smaller than mine. I personally couldn’t say I prefer it to my Caribbean (I love it more than is strictly healthy) but it’s right up there. One thing to note - it is way less cumbersome loose in my pocket than my Caribbean, which is a nice surprise.

[R100]

Yes, it does deserve a bump!

Should have done this myself when I linked this very thread recently here viewtopic.php?f=2&t=95747#p1751776 (also quite some info about sharpening serrated K390).

I am close to getting a K390 Endura SE myself now... seems like especially with the sharpmaker CBN rods and some time reprofiling is not that much of a thing, and just touching it up not anyway...

Hello Gernot. Like you, I have been thinking about a k390 serrated Endura for quite a while. I have reprofiled plenty of serrated edges and it is a ridiculous amount of work even with H1 and LC200N so I knew I wouldn't go there with K390. This is what put me off for so long.

I was still curious though because despite H1's reputation for edge retention, I still find if I want high level sharpness I need to sharpen it frequently. In my experience, it and LC200N take minor edge damage quite easily. I love K390 in PE and find the edge very stable so when the K390 SE Endura dipped below $100USD at Knifecenter with $15 freight to Australia I pulled the trigger. I've only had it for a couple of weeks but I am really impressed. It is ground at only slightly more than 15° and was just under perfectly sharp when I received it. I sharpened it quickly to hair popping sharp with the white rods in the 20° slot on the Sharpmaker and it has stayed there.

I've always wanted a SE ffg Endura and it is just as good as I'd hoped. Strangely better than a Pac Salt. As a fellow Endura enthusiast I'm fairly sure you'll love it too.

Dan

[elena86]

Yes, it does deserve a bump!

Should have done this myself when I linked this very thread recently here viewtopic.php?f=2&t=95747#p1751776 (also quite some info about sharpening serrated K390).

I am close to getting a K390 Endura SE myself now... seems like especially with the sharpmaker CBN rods and some time reprofiling is not that much of a thing, and just touching it up not anyway...

Hello Gernot. Like you, I have been thinking about a k390 serrated Endura for quite a while. I have reprofiled plenty of serrated edges and it is a ridiculous amount of work even with H1 and LC200N so I knew I wouldn't go there with K390. This is what put me off for so long.

I was still curious though because despite H1's reputation for edge retention, I still find if I want high level sharpness I need to sharpen it frequently. In my experience, it and LC200N take minor edge damage quite easily. I love K390 in PE and find the edge very stable so when the K390 SE Endura dipped below $100USD at Knifecenter with $15 freight to Australia I pulled the trigger. I've only had it for a couple of weeks but I am really impressed. It is ground at only slightly more than 15° and was just under perfectly sharp when I received it. I sharpened it quickly to hair popping sharp with the white rods in the 20° slot on the Sharpmaker and it has stayed there.

I've always wanted a SE ffg Endura and it is just as good as I'd hoped. Strangely better than a Pac Salt. As a fellow Endura enthusiast I'm fairly sure you'll love it too.

Dan

I do not believe you purchased a SE K390 Endura....unless I see some pics. Joke aside, I would like to see how long the plain edge is near the tip. It seems quite small and that is kinda meh for me. My serrated VG10 Endela has quite a long plain edge portion near the tip and I like that, not to mention that the serrations are almost perfect. I really hope they kept that in the SE K390 Endela.

[JoviAl]

Has anyone noticed their P4 SE K390 (or any other P4 variant for that matter) develop a fair bit of lock rock after a few weeks of use? Mine moves noticeably up and down in the vertical plane now, which is a bit of a surprise as I’m not thought with my folders at all. It doesn’t feel unsafe or like the lock will disengage, just kind of wobbly when I press to cut. Any tips to mitigate this would be gratefully received as I really love the knife!

[R100]

I do not believe you purchased a SE K390 Endura....unless I see some pics. Joke aside, I would like to see how long the plain edge is near the tip. It seems quite small and that is kinda meh for me. My serrated VG10 Endela has quite a long plain edge portion near the tip and I like that, not to mention that the serrations are almost perfect. I really hope they kept that in the SE K390 Endela.

See? It's true!


You can also see that your fears are well founded - there is only a tiny bit of PE near the tip. It's less than any other SE I have and I was disappointed when I received it. In reality though it seems to work just fine and it does mean you have a really long SE.

Dan

[elena86]

I do not believe you purchased a SE K390 Endura....unless I see some pics. Joke aside, I would like to see how long the plain edge is near the tip. It seems quite small and that is kinda meh for me. My serrated VG10 Endela has quite a long plain edge portion near the tip and I like that, not to mention that the serrations are almost perfect. I really hope they kept that in the SE K390 Endela.

See? It's true!


You can also see that your fears are well founded - there is only a tiny bit of PE near the tip. It's less than any other SE I have and I was disappointed when I received it. In reality though it seems to work just fine and it does mean you have a really long SE.

Dan

Thanks for the pics. How did it respond to the white SM rods you used ? How many strokes ?

[R100]

I do not believe you purchased a SE K390 Endura....unless I see some pics. Joke aside, I would like to see how long the plain edge is near the tip. It seems quite small and that is kinda meh for me. My serrated VG10 Endela has quite a long plain edge portion near the tip and I like that, not to mention that the serrations are almost perfect. I really hope they kept that in the SE K390 Endela.

See? It's true!


You can also see that your fears are well founded - there is only a tiny bit of PE near the tip. It's less than any other SE I have and I was disappointed when I received it. In reality though it seems to work just fine and it does mean you have a really long SE.

Dan

Thanks for the pics. How did it respond to the white SM rods you used ? How many strokes ?

I just sharpened it again after finding it had dropped below shaving sharp. It took maybe 25 passes or so back to tree topping arm hairs. I'd say a bit slower response than VG10 for the same gain but not a massive difference. I don't intend to ever let it get really blunt though.

Dan

[elena86]

I do not believe you purchased a SE K390 Endura....unless I see some pics. Joke aside, I would like to see how long the plain edge is near the tip. It seems quite small and that is kinda meh for me. My serrated VG10 Endela has quite a long plain edge portion near the tip and I like that, not to mention that the serrations are almost perfect. I really hope they kept that in the SE K390 Endela.

See? It's true!


You can also see that your fears are well founded - there is only a tiny bit of PE near the tip. It's less than any other SE I have and I was disappointed when I received it. In reality though it seems to work just fine and it does mean you have a really long SE.

Dan

Thanks for the pics. How did it respond to the white SM rods you used ? How many strokes ?

I just sharpened it again after finding it had dropped below shaving sharp. It took maybe 25 passes or so back to tree topping arm hairs. I'd say a bit slower response than VG10 for the same gain but not a massive difference. I don't intend to ever let it get really blunt though.

Dan

Thanks for the info. Can’t wait to try mine. I am thorn between the Endura and the Police4 right now. The Police4 blade looks more appealing to me but it is quite long. I have medium hands and that handle is huge. We shall see…

[Dnwrghtsr]

Perfect knife for cleaning a deer worked great.

[Donut]

I thought that the Police 3 somehow had a longer blade or edge. I'll have to compare one of my 3 vs 4.

This thread makes it look like the 3 might have a tiny bit more edge.
viewtopic.php?t=81418

[vivi]

Has anyone noticed their P4 SE K390 (or any other P4 variant for that matter) develop a fair bit of lock rock after a few weeks of use? Mine moves noticeably up and down in the vertical plane now, which is a bit of a surprise as I’m not thought with my folders at all. It doesn’t feel unsafe or like the lock will disengage, just kind of wobbly when I press to cut. Any tips to mitigate this would be gratefully received as I really love the knife!

Every single lockback I've ever handled from Spyderco has had vertical play except one chap I checked out.

Police 4 included.

All my Police 3's and 4's had vertical movement when new.

[Donut]

Some people say that lock backs get some movement like that. I don't notice it on my most used lock backs, maybe they have it and maybe I don't pay attention or care.

There are some lock back variations from other brands that seem to take care of that problem, but I think they're more difficult to use. People have to choose what they are concerned with and what tradeoffs they are willing to make.

[vivi]

Some people say that lock backs get some movement like that. I don't notice it on my most used lock backs, maybe they have it and maybe I don't pay attention or care.

There are some lock back variations from other brands that seem to take care of that problem, but I think they're more difficult to use. People have to choose what they are concerned with and what tradeoffs they are willing to make.

For the record when I bring this up it isn't meant as a criticism of Spyderco in any way. I love their lockbacks and own more of them than any other lock type or brand. I have never had one fail me unexpectedly. I trust them 100% in use.

But, if I'm being completely honest, every single lockback I've handled from them bar a chap has had vertical play right out of the box. They didn't get that way over time. They weren't abused. They were simply made that way.

I like Cold Steels Triad lock too. Like you say it solves that problem, but can be difficult for some people to unlock. For me there's no issue operating the lock, but having no Spyder hole makes my preferred closing method a lot tougher (release lock with thumb, guide blade shut with index finger on the back side opening hole).

When I take a new spyderco out of the box I check for vertical play. I pinch the blade an inch behind the tip with my left hand. Grip the knife with my right. Put pressure on the handle like I'm cutting something. Sure enough, there's a little wiggle every time.

[RustyIron]

Put pressure on the handle like I'm cutting something. Sure enough, there's a little wiggle every time.

The question we need to ask ourselves is whether this is a flaw or a feature.

I'm no knifemaker, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. But on the contraptions that I do build, sometimes my ego runs amok and I try to see how precise I can make something. I'll put in a lot of extra time and effort to make a part to within 0.0005" or less. For me, that's about as good as I can hope for. But when it's done, my contraption might not work properly. There's insufficient clearances to allow proper operation, and reliability suffers. I have to go back and add some sloppiness.

I suspect the same effect would occur in a Spyderco back lock knife. Suppose Sal builds a knife that has a "wiggle factor" approaching zero. It might be great when you play with it at your desk. But when you stick it in your pocket with a rogue potato chip crumb, it binds up tighter than an Emerson liner lock.

Is it possible to build a reliable back lock with no play? I don't know.
Is it prohibitively expensive to build a back lock with no play? I don't know.
Does it degrade the functionality if a back lock has a little play? Not for me.

[vivi]

That's one reason why I say my words are not meant as a criticism. They build them how they do and I'm sure they have their reasons. It doesn't bother me at all during use, but I do note that it's there.

[Donut]

Okay on all of that.