Spyderco Endura 4 ZDP-189
Folding Knife Review

Usage

One more test that I constantly do last few years is wire cutting. I have chipped knives before doing that, but since then I've learned a lot more, about the knives, steels and cutting. It's a good test in my opinion, to measure edge strength and steel properties, purely from the user view point, without going into complicated metallurgy and physics. As usual I use push cutting method, first on the copper wire, or CAT6 cable, both are relatively soft, and if that works well, without chipping or bending the edge, then I move to RG6 coaxial cable, which has rather complicated composition, and it's thicker that the previous two. Endura did fine, or I did fine with Endura 4, since in this test a lot depends on the user too. Anyway, cables were cut, 3 cuts on each type, then I've examined the edge under the microscope. No chipping or visible edge deformation was detected. All in all, very good result, exactly in line with my expectations given the steel/hardness/edge angle combination. Again, if you do this, be careful not to twist the knife, or use saw motion, that will surely kill the edge, although that in itself can be a test objective, may be. Anyway, I'm always against unnecessary knife abuse, including prying. One last test is also designed to measure edge strength, which I've learned from renowned knifemaker Phil Wilson, I have quite a few custom knives from Phil Wilson, and one distinct feature of those knives is that they are all high hardness, highly optimized knives for light cutting. Although, they also do exceptionally well in medium harsh cutting jobs as well. While Endura 4 isn't as efficient of a cuter as Phil Wilson knives are, it's not really built that way, it's a production folder, which has to withstand a lot more than what a knife aficionado would to his toys. The test is pretty much wood whittling, stick the blade about 1-2mm into the wood and twist it. If all is well, the edge survives undamaged. At 64+ HRC there's two possibilities, the edge will remain intact, which is desired and expected result, or it'll chip. Expected means, expected for the right alloy by the way. If you have overhardened or improperly hardened steel, the result will be chipping. Endura 4 went through about 20 minutes of whittling and twisting just fine. At the end, it was still shaving stubbornly :)

Like I said above, the test lasted about 2 hours total. Various materials were cut, and the only short break I've had was to examine the edge after wire cutting, which was about 5 minutes total, I had the microscope on the ready in the office room. The aggressive texture of the handle slabs did make difference, in that my right thumb started feeling a little sore. Grip security was very high, that goes without saying. If it was up to me, I'd have those ridges toned down a little, but may be average knife users don't cut for hours straight, and for outdoorsman, having the knife super secure in the pocket or rucksack or on the vest is more important. FRN as a handle material seems to be ok. I know nylon is highly resilient to abrasion, what I am not so sure is the exposure to elements and chemicals, but at any rate, the steel will be more susceptible to damage should those conditions persist for prolonged time. Although, I've seen reports about Zytel deteriorating under sunlight, and that trait is fairly common for many types of synthetic materials. Although, Nylon does have good resistance to UV radiation as well. Still, as far as the feel goes, I'd prefer Aluminum or micarta. We'll see, may be I will get the replacement handle slabs down the road. In the end, it's a good handle, even for 2 hour, non stop hard cutting.

Conclusion