8 Years of the Spyderco Military

dunno if you're gonna kill me or not :D, but I prefer the liner over the comp lock for the millie
however, I'd buy any other variants of the mili (be them comp lock, BB lock, stop lock or something completely different)

the only thing I would change on the mili right now is remove the plastic spacer that detracts from the looks of the knife and adds no improvements IMHO (I've removed the backspacer from my S90V & S30V models and compared them with my BG42 and D2 with the spacers on and I've found absolutely no differences in my use)

also please PLEASE Sal, do not change the fine tip !!!
if buyers are worried about the tip they can go with the Endura anyway
 
Buzz, that convex sharpening you did on your Millie is something else. Mine is a fierce cutter, but it doesn't look like it compares. Yours must be a laser.

I have some bad news for you. I hope you have a good supply or maybe an alternative source of that HandAmerican sandpaper set aside because HandAmerican is no longer selling that stuff. In fact they are no longer selling anything, at least not directly, to the public. They've changed their business model and are only selling to retail outfits now.
 
kamagong said:
I have some bad news for you. I hope you have a good supply or maybe an alternative source of that HandAmerican sandpaper set aside because HandAmerican is no longer selling that stuff. In fact they are no longer selling anything, at least not directly, to the public. They've changed their business model and are only selling to retail outfits now.
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brj said:
dunno if you're gonna kill me or not :D, but I prefer the liner over the comp lock for the millie
however, I'd buy any other variants of the mili (be them comp lock, BB lock, stop lock or something completely different)

the only thing I would change on the mili right now is remove the plastic spacer that detracts from the looks of the knife and adds no improvements IMHO (I've removed the backspacer from my S90V & S30V models and compared them with my BG42 and D2 with the spacers on and I've found absolutely no differences in my use)

also please PLEASE Sal, do not change the fine tip !!!
if buyers are worried about the tip they can go with the Endura anyway
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I also prefer the liner lock. It just works so well with the military. Maybe make the cutout a tad bit smaller though.
 
Well Sal, the only thing I can think of right now is maybe a lower riding clip. Furthermore the Millie is perfect:thumbup:

Maybe just a good thing that most "new steel/handle" Millies come in PE only, otherwise I would be dead bankrupt by now:eek::D
 
A.P.F. said:
Being from the 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' school, I would keep the existing Millie as is. More holes for left handed users? Nope, I can't see adding to the cost of drilling and taping extra holes for 7-10% of the population.

I think that the existing Millie would make an excellent platform for new steels. A compression lock may be entertaining as well, but only if it can be done within the current price structure. Otherwise, why mess with a good thing?
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Anything ok, but walk in my shoes, you would talk different. You would even regret saying that.

I am leftie i know, what it means to handle tools made for righties. Use a left hand scissor! From own experience i don´t buy knives with just "right side" carry option. I "passarounded" the Paramillie and have had some other folders with "only right hand carry". I know, why i only consider the two side option.

How much would it raise the price for three more holes? 1$?

Benchmade drilled their holes earlier than Spyderco. That was the main reason, i become a Benchmadeboy. I spend a few hundred euros on knives. Would that have been a reason?

The Millie is a great pure design. Tip down, just as simple as it is. It is right that way. Three more holes and a straight clip (the bend one is not changeable) is all i would wish for.
 
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I think that calls for the 4-way Millie! At least a clip for Lefties would be great. The Military has already been refined in the past years and I think it's a good thing to continue this process.
 
Great review. Very nice job on that convex grind Endura. Makes the original (of which I have 2) look like something from my son's metalwork class! (Not demeaning the original, just complimenting the artist!).

Slightly off topic: If the Military could be kept in inventory and improved over 8 years what the heck happened to the Manix? I have a Mini but have looked everywhere for the PE large model. My 'collection' is ruined!
 
Lazydog1 said:
Slightly off topic: If the Military could be kept in inventory and improved over 8 years what the heck happened to the Manix? I have a Mini but have looked everywhere for the PE large model. My 'collection' is ruined!
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The full-sized Manix was an awesome beast. I am also surprised that it left production. It was a bit too heavy and bulky for EDC though, and the tiny pivot screws did not exactly lend an air of confidence. The small pivot looked very out of place on such a hulking knife. Kind of toyish. The blade was freakin' amazing though, as was the lock. And the ergonomics might possibly have been even better than the Millie. I've never owned a regular production folder that opened and closed as smoothly as my Manix.

The Manix was sooooooo close to being perfect. And in today's market, where oversized folders like the ZT range are becoming very popular, people might not ever think twice about the weight on the Manix. If it had a larger pivot and more normal thumb ramp jimping, I could have easily overlooked the weight issue.

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Buzzbait said:
The full-sized Manix was an awesome beast. I am also surprised that it left production. It was a bit too heavy and bulky for EDC though, and the tiny pivot screws did not exactly lend an air of confidence. The small pivot looked very out of place on such a hulking knife. Kind of toyish. The blade was freakin' amazing though, as was the lock. And the ergonomics might possibly have been even better than the Millie. I've never owned a regular production folder that opened and closed as smoothly as my Manix.

The Manix was sooooooo close to being perfect. And in today's market, where oversized folders like the ZT range are becoming very popular, people might not ever think twice about the weight on the Manix. If it had a larger pivot and more normal thumb ramp jimping, I could have easily overlooked the weight issue.

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Considering how much R&D Spyderco puts into their models, if the pivot needed any extra strengthening from the factory I really think they would have strengthened it, but I could be wrong. I beat on mine pretty hard with chopping and batonning cuts through 1 by 3's and other, larger wood and it certainly showed no ill effects (that is hardly torturous work, though). Some of the supersize pivots look very showy, but as a system does the whole knife work? Where do those knives fail first and how do they fail? Did Spyderco design the pivot to be one of the first points of failure from a whole knife system standpoint, or was pivot strength never a real issue? Who knows, just thinking out loud here. I just remember reading about how Spyderco tests their knives very thoroughly and try to design in a point of failure so that if the knife does fail it will fail in a way least likely to severely injure it's user, though pivot failure seems pretty bad. Maybe pivot failure is prefferable to lock failure? I don't know, I could be remembering this stuff wrong.

My later run Manix has smaller thumb ramp jimping than the original pattern, which is quite comfortable and grippy, and the rest of what you said about the ergos being so good is spot on. I personally never found the weight an issue, but obviously others find it a major issue. The Manix really is a very good knife, I can't wait for the Manix 2.

Mike
 
I have no worries about an actual pivot failure. Just the pivot getting looser over time. I've had it happen on a few folders that I use outdoors. The small pivots caused premature wear on the liners, causing excess blade play. It seems that whittling motions have a nasty tendency to cause this problem. I doubt that straight up and down cuts would cause this type of wear. But on a big beefy folder like the Manix, that is expected to handle a fair number of tough cuts that would normally be done by a fixed blade, I think that pivot wear should definitely be factored in.

Then again, I didn't design or produce the Manix. For all I know, the liners are tougher and/or thicker that your average liner, and are designed to handle this type of abuse.
 
I have a handful of Manixes and if that pivot comes loose on it's own I'll be pissed because I can't even get them to budge when I heat them up with a soldering iron.

I had to send a NIB FG large back just to get the pivot adjusted because it was so tight and I asked them to center the blade better too.
 
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As usual I injoy your writings of the greatest to me of all Spydercos Buzzbait! My Military locks up like the day I got it 6 yrs. ago and if the lock travels more on the blade pivot I can't tell it. I understand about the detent, and even though mine is weak I haven't had any problems of the knife opening in my pocket. I open both my regular model and my PM half the time with the spyder-drop method. The full size is real easy for me but the CPM D2 Para takes a lot of effort but it's still taking some breaking in! The very first cut my Military made was on some venison steak strips. The meat was taken care of properly in the field but it was an old buck so the meat was on the tough side! The flat grind 30V went through easy as you please, and just before the cut I thought this could be a challenge! After 6 yrs. it is tied with my Para for 2nd favorite EDC in hard uses behind my BM 615, and just barely at that! I really like that new digital camo model, and any serious knife user should own at least one Military!
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Me too, but, umm... This thread is from 2009. It's 2013 BTW.
 
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