I was lucky enough to win a Spyderco Endura 4 FFG pocketknife through a contest on TheBackyardPioneer.com. This knife has been in my EDC rotation since I received it in late April 2013 and it’s time for a review.

Spyderco Endura 4 FFG General Description

The Spyderco Endura 4 FFG – which stands for FRN Flat Ground – is a relatively inexpensive pocketknife.  It retails for between $55 and $65 with the cost driver being color.  In it’s collapsed state, the Spyderco Endura 4 FFG measures about 4.0-inches.  The 3.75-inch blade, which is made out of medium grade stainless steel (VG-10), gives you a total length of 8.75-inches – pretty big for a folder.  As expected, the signature Spyderco finger loop is present for easy one-handed opening.  The handle is made out of Fiber Reinforced Nylon (FRN) with steel liners and is held together by torx screws – a deviation from Spyderco’s typical pinned design.  A strong back locking mechanism is included in this knife.  All of these components add together to form a knife that weighs about 3.4 ounces.

The Pros

The first thing I noticed about this knife was its weight – or the lack thereof.  This baby is light!  I’ve carried a lot of knives in the past which are heavy enough to constantly remind you that you have a knife in your pocket.  The Endura 4 FFG is the exact opposite of those knives – in fact, I sometimes reach for my pocket to make sure I haven’t dropped this knife.

In addition to its low-weight, this knife handles well.  The gimping on the back of the blade and the end of the handle provide a comfortable spot for your thumb while working with the knife.  The FR4 is machined in such a manner that the handle won’t slip in your hand.  I’ve used this knife with wet, slippery hands and never had the knife slip out of my hands.

The blade, as is common on all Spyderco knives, was razor sharp out of the box.  My use of this knife has consisted mostly of mundane, daily tasks – cutting cardboard, opening letters, light garden work and the like.  The blade has held up and hasn’t needed a sharpening.  That being said, I have no experience with how hard or easy it is to sharpen the VG-10 blade.

In addition, I really like the gray color that this knife came in.  It’s a pretty non-intimidating color and doesn’t draw as much attention that “Cool Guy Black” typically does.  That being said, a 3.75-inch blade in an office setting does draw a few odd looks now and again.

The Cons

My biggest complaint about this knife has to do with the locking mechanism.  The mechanism itself is quite strong.  When the blade is locked, there is no jiggling or movement which provides for safe use.  My problem is when you try to retract the knife.  The release is located about halfway down the handle and tends to cause the user to put his fingers in the area where the blade with retract into.  This could cause a situation where the top of your fingers gets sliced as the blade tries to retract.  You definitely need to be careful when retracting the blade.

My other complaint – and this one is minor – has to do with the clip.  On my knife, the clip is painted black and is beginning to chip and show wear.  I would have preferred a stainless steel or anodized (clear or colored) aluminum clip that wouldn’t show wear and tear as much.

The last issue is that, being one of Spyderco’s lesser expensive pocketknives, this one is made in Japan.  I prefer to buy American  made products when possible.  But, given its cost (and cost to me), I have no problem owning a foreign-made product, especially when it’s produced by an American-owned company.

Overall Impression

Short and simple, the Spyderco Endura 4 FFG is the best EDC pocketknife I have ever carried.  It’s light, sharp, locks well and isn’t “scary” to folks when you pull it out.  Granted, I work an office job so I’m not using this knife for tough work day-to-day.  I have, however, taken this knife with me hiking and fishing.  It has held up well there as well – providing good shavings for fire starting, cutting both fishing line and rope, and letting me work with moleskin to handle some blisters.

I highly recommend the Spyderco Endura 4 FFG if you’re looking for a good quality, inexpensive pocketknife.  As mentioned earlier, you can find them for between $55 and $65; you can find it on Amazon.com.

Do you have any experience with the Spyderco Endura 4 FFG? Want more information? Drop me a line in the comments and let me know!