The regular Spyderco Endura 4 is an excellent blade but in my earlier review I termed it "Slightly Imperfect." While the Sabre grind is strong I do not think it ideal and it gives the blade some unneeded extra heft and a slower deployment. Also some Enduras I've had and examined had some vertical play in their lockup. Enter the impressive Spyderco Endura 4 Full Flat Ground (FFG) version, first seen in TNP at the 2010 SHOT Spyderco booth review. Available in 2010 in the colors blue, brown, gray, green, or purple, this is a slam dunk improvement on the popular Endura. It wears the same excellent, razor sharp FFG blade I first saw in the more expensive Endura G10 version. It has outstanding fine edge characteristics, good edge holding, and good rust resistance. Slicing and food preparation capabilities are vastly improved. This FFG blade, a long time favorite of mine in many blades, also lightens the Endura 4 to a feathery 3.4 oz as well. It seems to deploy even quicker that the regular Sabre ground Endura due to this reduced mass. The tip, while a bit more delicate, is sharper and has outstanding penetration capabilities (and great belly). In about 8 models examined, all showed solid lockups as well and the vertical play is gone. Jimping is perfectly executed on the thumb ramp. The bi-directional texturing on the FRN handles is effective and the nested stainless steel liners are about as milled out as possible and set standards of excellence in this vein. They, along with the lockback design, add strength to the lightweight tactical knife POU which I think the Endura 4 FFG is best suited for. This strength is achieved without any weight gain. The blackened pocket clip is positionable to any of the four corners to achieve the "just right" carry position for the user. It's strong, appropriately sized, and well rounded in usual Spyderco fashion. Value is high considering the cutting performance, steel choice, and (as of 2010) the limited nature of the colorations. With these improvements the Endura 4 FFG enters a rarified realm in TNP: that of a perfected blade that needs no further improvement. /////////////////////// Nutnfancy Likeability Scale: 10 of 10 /////////////// Music from www.partnersinrhyme.com