Thinking of picking up an endura

Minibear453 · #1

I'm thinking of picking up the endura 4, in ffg, PE. However, I have a couple of questions about it. Also, I'll be using it for general purpose and camping, where I found my old knife's blade doesn't cut it.

First off, and the most important, does the endura, or any expensive knife justify the price? If not, I'm thinking of going with the tenacious. Right now, the cheapest I can find is 60 dollars on amazon.

Also, is there a way to dye the knife without voiding the warranty? And can the frn handle repel plumber's goop??

Thanks for helping, it's my first time on a knife forum, and the endura is my first expensive knife.

WILLZIAAK · #2

In my opinion the Endura (or any other :spyder :) is well worth the investment. And to dye the handles you can use RIT dye as long as you are dying the handle to a darker shade than it is originally. I am not sure if RIT dying will void the warranty or not :o . I hope this was helpful!
~Will

Minibear453 · #3

According to spyderco, "Submerging the entire knife to "dye" it would void the warranty since that will effect pivot system and lock system."

And any idea if frn can shrug off plumbers goop?

.357 mag · #4

I have one and love it for camping. Nice size, VG-10 blade. Can't go wrong.

Minibear453 · #5

Hey, thanks for all the replies, but how much better is the VG 10 steel compared to 440A (Yea I know)? I mean, I know there's got to be a huge difference, my Gerber gets dull cuttng paper, but is the steel enough to warrent the price? And where can I buy a cheaper one? As in less than 60. I live in Sunnyvale, near San Jose, near SF, in California, if it helps.

jackknifeh · #6

The Endura comes in different colors already. You can dye the FRN handle material but the darker colors won't accept the dye. You can't dye black FRN red or anything from what I understand. I've never dyed one myself but many have.

The Endura is a great knife with the VG-10 steel. I think the Tenacious would be a nice choice also. It has 8Cr13MoV steel which won't hold an edge as long but is good. Along with either I'd suggest a small sharpener to take with you camping. The Spyderco Double-Stuff is an outstanding choice as small sharpeners go. I have one and it is great for touch ups. It has a coarse and fine grit. You can get either grit by itself also but the double-stuff is less expensive than the two seperately and I don't know which grit you would use more in the field. If you get the Tenacious a sharpener will probably be needed more often. My son has the Persistance and is very happy with it.

Jack

Simple Man · #7

$53-$55 BIN starting on the 'bay, with some auctions ending in the $45 range if you want to take the time. Yes VG-10 is well worth the upgrade from 440A.

Also, you are not just getting better steel, the ergos, build quality, and attention to detail on the Endura will put the Gerber to shame.

You also may be able to do better watching some of the other forums sale sections, knife-BST, BF, glocktalk, etc.

JCP1969 · #8

Howes has a Black handle PE endura in their clearance bin and they have free shipping. best price from a dealer. I think pipe dope will clog up the handle unless you scrub it out. Frequently!

jackknifeh · #9

I just looked on the Spyderco on-line catalog and the Tenacious has 8Cr13MoV steel, not 440A. I had a Gerber with 440A and was very unhappy after using it. It didn't stay sharp long at all. In my limited experience the 3Cr13Mov is very close to AUS-8 which is still a good steel despite the better steels available now. The improvevments in stainless steels seems to have been phenominal in the past few years. I wouldn't buy a knife with 440A but I would if it had 440C if it had other factors I liked. Please remember I am not a steel expert and am speaking only from limited experience.

Jack

Minibear453 · #10

Ah thanks. So it seems going under $50 is going to be difficult. And also there is no way to dye without voiding warranty.

As for the plumbers goop, it's a type of silicone, and the reason I'm asking is because I want to do a splash pattern on the handle. I used to dye yoyos, and wish to transfer that to knives. Here's wha I've done in the past:http://m770.photobucket.com/albumview/a ... 7WPf2GJ8J1

Sorry image won't show

Blerv · #11

What do you mean by "doesn't cut it"? That could be toughness, edge retention, corrosion resistance, etc.

What do you intend to use the knife for? Camping folks do all sorts of different chores and define abuse differently.

^--- Those are just questions to help clarify and assist, not judgements.

Lastly to justify price one has to take into account the cost of materials, manufacturing, importing, and in this case the dollar-to-yen conversion.

For $60 give/take I would be hard pressed to find a much better "slicing" knife than the Endura. It's ergonomic, grippy and durable while still staying light and precise with it's blade shape/grind. Something like the Manix2 would likely stand up to camp duties better (depending on your definitions).

Note: It's likely you won't find a "better value" than the Tenacious. It's assembled with great parts by a very competent builder in China. Currently it's probably the best value anywhere with any brand. If you favor steel over handle materials the Native C41 with CPM-S30v made in Golden is pretty amazing; the Manix2 in 154cm is outstanding too for a little more cash.

jackknifeh · #12

Blerv wrote:What do you mean by "doesn't cut it"? That could be toughness, edge retention, corrosion resistance, etc.

What do you intend to use the knife for? Camping folks do all sorts of different chores and define abuse differently.

^--- Those are just questions to help clarify and assist, not judgements.

Lastly to justify price one has to take into account the cost of materials, manufacturing, importing, and in this case the dollar-to-yen conversion.

For $60 give/take I would be hard pressed to find a much better "slicing" knife than the Endura. It's ergonomic, grippy and durable while still staying light and precise with it's blade shape/grind. Something like the Manix2 would likely stand up to camp duties better (depending on your definitions).

Good point on asking what the knife will mainly be used for. Good question to answer so the user of a knife can make a better decision.

About justifying the price that will be different for just about everyone. I remember when I decided to get a "better" quality knife about 6 years ago. I was shocked :eek: at the prices I saw. I had never paid more than $20 for a knife and I thought that was a "nice" one. Now I don't get nervous until the price is over $150 for a "user" knife. That's not because I have more money now, rather I'm just not surprised anymore. Also, I was never unable to "get the job done" with my $10 knives. They weren't as comfortable, edge retention was terrible (which was my main complaint), etc. so now I wish I had looked into better knives about 30 years ago. What I'm getting at is $60 for a "pocket knife" does need to be justified and I think Spyderco's knives justify themselves every time they are used. But you won't know that until you own and use at least one. So, I agree also that the price for an Endura is very justifiable, just surprising at first. I'd also suggest a Delica when time and money permits for the jobs that the Endura is just a little to big for. Those two knives set the standard.

Jack

.357 mag · #13

I agree with Jack. Delica/Endura combo is a must have. Then after you get those two, then two more spydies are a must have. Then two more... See where I'm going with this?

Minibear453 · #14

Hey, thanks for all these replies. I plan on using the knife for everything. From opening letters to opening fish. Shaving sticks, quite a bit of food cutting, cutting rope, chasing bears, all that. I go backpacking quite a bit, so maybe that helps? Just everything almost. I'm probably going with the endura, since 4 inches is usually my favorite length.

My complaint with the last knife was that it was made of 440a steel, and it gets dull the mOment you swing it in the air (slight exaggeration) The price is kind of biting me right now, although I can see why- quality right? Is there a way to go any cheaper for the knife?

.357 mag · #15

In my experience, no. I've owned alot of different folders. Some in the 150.00 range. I can tell you that I like spyderco and the FRN models are the ones I own the most.

Just get it, you won't be disappointed.

Blerv · #16

Not sure what you think of serrated blades but the Atlantic Salt is made from rust-proof H1 steel. Plain edge it holds an edge like 440c and serrated at least twice as long.

Unlined, hollow ground, etc. A good "beat it up" knife that won't give you corrosion issues ever. It's very similar to the Endura3.

Otherwise the Endura should treat you well. That or the Stretch in vg10. Sadly for a quality non-China Spyderco you will pay $45+. A bargain for a lifetime companion, IMHO.

Minibear453 · #17

Okay, for serrations, I find I use the plain edge far more, and things where I need serrations can be done with plain edge, but not the other way around.

dman62 · #18

Well worth the money as others have said. I'd recommend ugrading to the ZDP-189 model. Quantum leap in performance.

razorsharp · #19

a spyderco is a life time investment and ends up living snug in your pocket, VG-10 has WAAAAAY better edge retention than 440a.

Just say im cutting cardboard, i haven't tested all these but im guessing roughly the the chart would go like this:

440a steel - 5 cuts.......ew
8cr13mov steel-50 cuts
H1 steel- 30 cuts- after those cuts and sharpening-40 cuts- another sharpen 50 cuts - etc (this stuff work hardens, the serrated h1 knives are equal to that of some super-steels )
vg-10 steel- 80 cuts
cpm-s30v- 130?

(only guesses , i don't own these steels but its a guess)

these steels Spyderco offer OWN 440a in every way :D

jackknifeh · #20

Minibear453 wrote:Hey, thanks for all these replies. I plan on using the knife for everything. From opening letters to opening fish. Shaving sticks, quite a bit of food cutting, cutting rope, chasing bears, all that. I go backpacking quite a bit, so maybe that helps? Just everything almost. I'm probably going with the endura, since 4 inches is usually my favorite length.

My complaint with the last knife was that it was made of 440a steel, and it gets dull the mOment you swing it in the air (slight exaggeration) The price is kind of biting me right now, although I can see why- quality right? Is there a way to go any cheaper for the knife?

Buy a used one somewhere. There are several out there that have been taken care of and for sale because they just aren't used.

Jack