Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Pocket Clip, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness
Cons: None
Just a great knife
I know big knives aren't for everyone. I am a big guy with big hands and I like a large blade. I assume that because you are looking at this knife, you also have a penchant for larger folders. If not, the Spyderco Delica and Endura are essentially the small and medium versions to this large boi. That being said, I am in love with this knife. For a 4.4 inch blade, it just disappears when clipped to the pocket. The lightweight construction and the flat handle profile make it completely incognito and unobtrusive. But when it comes time to work, the texturing on the FRN handles is perfect to get a good grip on without tearing up your jeans. The skeletonized liners avoid the pitfalls seen in some other premium lightweight folders where the polymer handles feel flexible and flimsy. You have none of that on the Police 4 LW. It feels like a rock solid tool from the word go. The handle size, geometry, and ergonomics are all fantastic. I love that I can choke up on the thumb jimping and finger choil for blade control and all the curves and humps in the handle fit my hand perfectly. On the other hand, I can grip near the center in a standard hammer grip for everyday cutting chores and still the handle fits my fingers comfortably. And there's still a finger and a half of handle out the back which I can slide to for extra reach and STILL, its a perfectly functional and comfortable grip. There's no position that feels sharp or insecure. No matter how amazing the blade, if the handle, the interface between blade and user sucks, it's not going to be a good time. Spyderco knocked it out of the park. The blade geometry and grind is also great. It's something like a 15-17 degree blade angle per side, full flat ground. You get razor-like cutting power with over 4 inches of blade belly to slice with. The VG10 steel that this version comes in sharpens up decently fast, takes an absolutely wicked edge, and performs better than tool steels like D2 in edge retention while being stainless. It's certainly not the latest and greatest blade steel out there but its still a super high quality Japanese cutlery steel with really good knife performance characteristics. The tip has a slight upcurve to it, hearkening to the law enforcement and first responder heritage of the blade. The upturned tip allows a first responder to maneuver the blade between the skin and clothing without cutting the patient in cases where garments need to be cut away for emergency injury assessment. In more common applications, this design allows you to cut into boxes, letters, and containers without risking damage to underlying surfaces. At the same time, you still retain a useful needle tip for occasions where puncturing is needed. Despite me waxing eloquent, at the end of the day this is a relatively simple, large format folder. It's got a flat ground VG10 blade, the usual Spyderco accoutrement, a solid lockback, and a lightweight handle. What it lacks in complexity, it makes up for in quality. Put this tool in your pocket and you are all the more prepared having done so.
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