Talk about the Endela SE

[Ramonade]

I've bought it some months ago now.
Before everything, I suggest to check Evil D's thread on SE, wich is pinned in the front page of General Discussion. Just a warning : if you do not own any SE knife, you'll certainly want to after this read !



During this time, I've used it for many tasks and I can say one thing : It's duper cool !
VG-10 in SE holds a good edge for very long. Heck, you could certainly cut for ever, the force needed with that geometry just growing little by little over time.

In itself, the design of the Endela is close to perfect for me. I have medium size hands and the handle, while it doesn't fit like a glove, allows for enough different hand placements to be really comfortable.



I've noticed that this kind of edge is really something I put to use a lot around wood, rope, fabric and materials like plastic or rubber. I've always used plain edge knives for these materials, but the blade grind was either too thick and it wasn't easy to cut, or too thin and the knife's blade took a lot of stress during cuts.
This Endela SE places itself right in the middle, with a neither thin or fat grind and it's serrated edge that stays pretty acute thanks to the chisel grind.

Maintenance of the SE is really easy with a sharpmaker. I've recently started to experiment sharpening my first SE knife (the Byrd Hawkbill, excellent too) on Venev stones corners or ceramic stones that I have with sharp corners. It's pretty intuitive !
You just need to have the abrasive media to go all the way to and around the corners of your stones.
I tested with DMT Dia-Sharp stones too, it works but since the corners aren't evenly covered, it might lead to complication depending on the way the diamonds are attached to the stone. I'd suggest to also take care about "cheap" diamond stones like the Sharpal double sided stones, they are pretty nice on the flat, but the extremities are full of irregularities.

All-in-all, I believe this knife and the Byrd Hawkbill both have been a really great introduction to the SpyderEdge and really have piqued my curiosity when it comes to the potential of SE. I'm really intrigued by what kind of performance would bring a Wharncliffe SE and at wich tasks it'll excel the most !



Feel free to share your experiences with this particular knife ! And thanks to Spyderco for giving use tools that are just asking to be put to work

[Doc Dan]

The Endela should be a spectacular knife. I really like the Endura after I mod the handle to get rid of that first finger bump. The Endela would require the same treatment. I was all set to buy one and then the Straight Spine Stretch in K390 came out and it was game over. Still, I'll likely get one sooner or later. It is a perfect sized knife.

[Wartstein]

Ramonade, I know you know (and I think not only you ) anyway how I keep on praising the Endela SE!!

It has the best serration pattern I personally have ever tried, definitely the "better PE" for me. Better in pretty much any task.

It has a sturdy build with liners, but is actually just a few grams "heavier" than a Manix 2 LW, while offering a bit more edge (though actually the space inside the handle would allow for even more cutting edge, my only little "gripe" with this model).

I can just say once more: Even people who are not particularly into the Endela platform should get one in SE, and be it "only" as a cutting monster to go into their tool box.

[benben]

Mine’s not a SE, it’s a K390 PE. I personally think it’s Spyderco’s best size knife, in VG-10 it’s the model I recommend to new first time buyers over the Delica!

[Bill1170]

My Endela SE is one of my most-carried folders. It is much lighter than my Caribbean, yet has almost as long of an edge. VG-10 works very well for a thin SE, and just like Wartstein I found it to have the best out-of-the-box SE geometry of all my folding knives to date.

[Matus]

My Endela SE is one of my most-carried folders. It is much lighter than my Caribbean, yet has almost as long of an edge. VG-10 works very well for a thin SE, and just like Wartstein I found it to have the best out-of-the-box SE geometry of all my folding knives to date.

Endela has a cutting edge of 76 mm, the Caribbean of 93 mm. That is not that close. Just saying.

[Bill1170]

My Endela SE is one of my most-carried folders. It is much lighter than my Caribbean, yet has almost as long of an edge. VG-10 works very well for a thin SE, and just like Wartstein I found it to have the best out-of-the-box SE geometry of all my folding knives to date.

Endela has a cutting edge of 76 mm, the Caribbean of 93 mm. That is not that close. Just saying.

That’s valid.

[Superflex]

That's where the SE wharnie Endura comes in.

[knivesandbooks]

Ooo I want this but with dlc blade.

[Wartstein]

That's where the SE wharnie Endura comes in.

Do you happen to know if the wharnie Endura SE has the same great ("mellow", "non aggressive") serration pattern as the Endela SE?

Cause this particular way the serrations are ground makes the Endela SE so amazing for me.
My Salt 2 ffg SE for example has more aggressive serrations. And while the Salt still cuts better than any PE folder imo, the Endela SE is even better.

[Ramonade]

I don't think it is in the same category at the Carribean, best is to have both just in case !

As for the SE Wharnie Endura, I'm curious about this one. I was gonna take a Cara Cara 2 Wharncliffe SE, maybe it'll turn into an Endura, who knows.

[Superflex]

Here's the SE wharnie Endura with some aftermarket (Russian) micarta scales. *EDITED - TazKristi*





Before

[Ramonade]

Love the parallel with the Swayback. It was my plan to buy my first titanium Spyderco this year, and this is apparently a Spydie Chef, the Swayback sold like "petits pains".
I'd actually like a Wharnie K390 Delica or Dragonfly 2 in plain edge with a SE Wharnie Endura !

[Superflex]

I couldn't resist the swayback when it went on sale for $190 for Black Friday.
The shiny stainless clip on the Swayback is a bummer through. I swapped clips with my Caribbean since it was titanium and the polished stainless looks fine on the Caribbean.

[Ramonade]

The clip totally blend in more than the stock one. This knife is between 305 and 315€ here, that's pretty hard to swallow. But I bet it's very nice and can earn its price.

[James Y]

The Endela SE is a fantastic knife. Right out of the box, the serrations are ground perfectly, in a
way that doesn't hang up on materials. It was my first FFG SE Spyderco (my second is my UKPK Salt). But IMO, the way they're ground on the Endela is darned near perfect.

Oddly enough, my Endela is not my most-carried folder. Although I do carry and use it, just not as much as one might think, considering how much respect I have for the Endela SE, and how much of a pleasure it is to cut with. Of course, its spot in my rotation could potentially be upgraded at any time.

Jim

[Wartstein]

The Endela SE is a fantastic knife. Right out of the box, the serrations are ground perfectly, in a
way that doesn't hang up on materials. ....... But IMO, the way they're ground on the Endela is darned near perfect.

Oddly enough, my Endela is not my most-carried folder. Although I do carry and use it, just not as much as one might think, considering how much respect I have for the Endela SE, and how much of a pleasure it is to cut with. .........

Agreed 100%.

And, despite it is the best cutter among all my folders (most of them still PE, but just cause they don´t come in good SE), it is not my most carried folder too.
But an VG10, regular blade shape, ffg EndURa with the exact same serration pattern as the Endela would be. And perhaps the Stretch XL SE WILL be(come my most carried folder.. )

[Ramonade]

Even if the Military came in strong and looks like it is here to stay as the boss of the work knives, a serrated Endela to complete it is really nice.
(Until I try the Wharnie SE Endura, seems like the pattern of serrations is strong in this one )

[Wartstein]

Even if the Military came in strong and looks like it is here to stay as the boss of the work knives, a serrated Endela to complete it is really nice.
...

As said: For me an Endela SE should live by default in every tool box... I think even people who are not into the platform itself, would appreciate just the pure performance they get out of it. "The" workhorse for me.

[aicolainen]

A SE Endela is positioning itself to become my first Seki FRN Spyderco with a liner.

I have Salts and a Pac Salt, and don’t particularly miss to have something in between, but those serrations get so much praise around here and the liner’ed Seki models do have a loyal following, so it’s hard to hold back and don’t dive in to see what I’m missing out on.

I really wanted to see how the Leaf jumper turned out before I “jumped” on an Endela, but it’s been a while, so if a SE Endela shows up locally at a reasonable price - I might ditch that plan