Knife Review: ​The Spyderco Zome Desert Camo Endura 4 Folding Knife

The Spyderco Zome Desert Camo Endura 4 Folding Knife

This company was founded by Sal Glesser. The first product that Spyderco produced was called the Portable Hand in 1976. This product was a spider-shaped device, with a series of angles, ball joints, and alligator clips that was able to help certain hobbyists such as jewelers work with their small parts. Spyderco’s Founder, Sal Glesser, and his wife Gail, converted an old bread delivery truck into a motorhome and traveled to shows. As they became more successful, they graduated from the bread truck to a truck and trailer. They settled in Golden in November 1978.

Spyderco began producing knife sharpeners in 1978 and produced their first folding knife, the C01 Worker, in 1981. This knife was the first to feature a round hole in the blade designed for fast, one-handed and ambidextrous opening, which you all know is now the company’s trademark. Additionally, the company also claims that this was the first knife to feature a pocket clip on the right side of the handle.

Most knives produced by Spyderco are folding knives of various designs, blade steels, handle materials, and locking mechanism. However, they also have produced fixed blade knives occasionally.

A large part of Spyderco knife production is outsourced to foreign contractors in countries such as Japan, Taiwan, Italy, and China. However, many of their flagship knives are made in the US. Knives made with CPM S30V steel were previously all made in Golden, Colorado, but Spyderco began shipping this steel to Taiwan to have their highest end knives produced there using this steel.

Today we will be discussing one of Spyderco’s newest releases: the Endura 4. This knife will be hitting BladeOps shelves soon, so keep your eyes on our website to see when we release it.

The Blade:

The blade on this is made out of VG-10 steel. This is a high-end steel that is very similar to 154CM and ATS-34, except that it has slightly more chromium. This added chromium makes for enhanced corrosion resistance. However, this steel also contains vanadium which is going to make it tougher than the other two similar steels. In all reality, the amount of toughness is not going to make a huge difference in your day to day life, because it is just a fraction tougher.

This steel came from Japan and has been introduced into the American cutlery industry slowly but surely. Spyderco was one of the first few brands that really made this steel stand out and put it on the map here in the states. Some of the overall benefits to this steel is that it is relatively hard and can get needle sharp when sharpened correctly. Also, this steel does have the toughness to get the job done.

The blade has been finished with a satin finish. This finish is created by sanding the blade in one direction with an increasing level of a fine abrasive, which is usually a sandpaper. The satin finish is used to show off the bevels of the blade while also showcasing the lines of the knife while reducing its reflective glare. As a key, the finer the abrasive and the more even the lines, the cleaner the satin finish is going to look. A satin finish is going to be one of the most traditional blade finishes that you are going to find in the cutlery industry.

The blade has been carved into a drop point blade shape. This shape is created by the spine extending down in a straight angle until nearly the tip. While this already creates a lowered tip, it angels slightly sharper near the tip, which further lowers it. The benefit of having a lowered tip is that it is going to give you more control over your cuts than you would typically have. This does mean that you will be able to perform fine detail work with the Endura 4.

The other characteristic of the tip is that it is a fairly broad tip. This is where the majority of the strength comes from on this knife, because there is so much extra metal near the tip. This will allow the blade to withstand repeated piercing or contact in ways that finer blade shapes would not be able to do.

That being said, the drop point does have one major disadvantage and it is due to the broad tip. It just so happens to be so broad that you will not have as much capability of piercing as you would with a clip point or other fine tip. This version of the drop point is slightly finer than your typical drop point. This does mean that you will not have quite as much strength, but it also means that you will be able to pierce with this blade slightly.

The last benefit of the drop point blade shape that many people recognize is the larger belly. This large belly gives increased surface area, which allows you to have increased ability to slice.

The Handle:

The handle scales on this knife are made out of FRN. This material is known as begin strong, resistant to almost any wear, and practically indestructible.

This can be nearly indestructible because the nylon fibers are arranged haphazardly throughout. This means that it is going to be strong in every single direction. While the material is similar to G-10, Carbon Fiber, and Micarta, those other materials have their fibers arranged in only a single direction. This is why the other materials suffer from being brittle and FRN is not going to. This, along with its other properties, means that it really does not require maintenance. This is ideal when you know that you are going to be in the field for a while, and really don’t have to take time in between each rescue to properly take care of this CRKT.

There are really only two drawbacks to this knife handle material. The first is that it is going to offer less grip than G-10. With the extra-large flipper, it shouldn’t be too big of a deal. It is a slight drawback though. The second is more about aesthetics. Many people feel like this material gives their knife a cheap, plastic-y feel. While this may be true, it is strong, durable, and requires zero maintenance. It really is ideal for a rescue tool.

Spyderco introduced the Zome (zoh-may) finish of models which is the ancient Japanese art of creating patterns using dyes rom plants, flowers, fruits and other natural sources. This is created on the handle. After the FRN has been molded, Spyderco has expert Japanese artisans perform hiki-zome, which is brush dyeing, to hand brush unique, almost one-of-a-kind patterns. The colors that they use on this version of the Endura 4 are varying shades of browns and tans, which does create the Desert Camo Appearance.

One of the best benefits of this coloring technique is that the dyes are going to seep deep into the FRN. This means that the color is not going to flake off lie a coating would.

The rest of the handle is fairly basic. The spien curves up and down toward the butt. Near the blade, there is a row of fine jimping, which will give the FRN a little bit more texture. The butt does have a lanyard hole carved into it. The belly has an elongated finger groove. Following this is a much smaller and shallower groove, and then the belly curves in toward the butt of the handle.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip is a four-way pocket clip, meaning that you can carry it tip up or tip down as well as for either left or right-handed carry. This is an advantage, because it means that you can carry this knife in the way that is most comfortable to you. This, in turn, makes it an incredibly safe option, because you are so comfortable with the carrying position. Unfortunately, this is not a deep carry pocket clip. However, it will stay securely in your pocket throughout the day.

All of the hardware on this knife is silver, which is fairly standard. The hardware pops against the deeper browns in the Desert Camo pattern.

The Mechanism:

The Zome Desert Camo Endura 4 has been equipped with a lock back as well as the classic round hole.

The lock back is what you are going to find on many classic American folding knives. This locking mechanism is basically made of a “spine” on a spring. The lock works when the knife is opened, the spine is going to lock into a notch on the back of the blade. If you are hoping to close the knife, you will need to push down on the exposed part of the spine to remove contact with the blade. This disengages the lock, which allows you to swing the blade to a closed position.

The lock back mechanism stands out because it is thicker and stronger than most. This means that you are going to have extra strength and reliability. Also, the unlocking portion of the blade is out of the way of your grip. This means that you are very unlikely to unlock the knife and have it close on you. Also, this locking mechanism keeps your fingers out of the path of the blade, which will help you avoid cutting yourself.

That being said, you do have to use both hands to close a lock back knife. This can be inconvenient.

Spyderco is constantly being asked about their round hole. So, what are the benefits other than being a distinctly Spyderco feature? Well, it is going to function like a nail nick would, as well as a thumb window, except that it is larger. This means that it is going to be easier to access, especially if you are trying to get the knife open in a hurry.

The next advantage of the hole is that it is ambidextrous friendly, because the hole can be accessed from either side. Also, the hole is not going to get in the way, because it does not stick up off the knife, like a thumb stud would.

The Specs:

The blade on this Endura 4 measures in at 3.8 inches long with a handle that measures in t 4.98 inches long. This means that the overall length of the knife when the blade is deployed is going to come in at 8.78 inches long. This is close to a standard size, but it is a little larger than you would typically see. However, because of the lightweight handle, it weighs in at a mere 3.7 ounces. This is the perfect weight for a great EDC, because you are never going to doubt that it has some serious heft behind it. That being said, you are also never going to feel too weighed down by all of it.

Conclusion:

The Spyderco Endura series first debuted over 25 years and blazed the trail as one of the first lightweight clip-carry folder knives. Now in its 4th generation, the Spyderco Endura 4 folder knife has continually improved upon itself--offering a broad range of variations and finishes to meet virtually every users taste, style and needs. In 2016, Spyderco introduced the Zome (zoh-may) finish of models which is the ancient Japanese art of creating patterns using dyes from plants, flowers, fruits and other natural sources. Once the traditional injection molded FRN (fiberglass reinforced nylon) handle scales have been molded, expert Japanese artisans perform hiki-zome (brush dyeing) to hand brush unique, almost one-of-a-kind patterns. Like anodization, the special dyes used completely permeate the FRN handle to permanently color it. This model features a Zome desert camo patterned handle, stainless steel liners, a drop point style blade in a satin finish and the 4-way positional pocket clip is designed for tip up or tip down carry on either side of the handle.

This Spyderco Endura 4 is currently in stock at BladeOps. To secure this fantastic knife, click here.