A competitor for my favorite edc, the PM2.

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whp

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Apr 26, 2009
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After carrying the Paramilitary 2 more than any other knife in my edc rotation the last few years, I ve found a knife that is strong competition for it. The Cold Steel American Lawman.
Similar size and build quality. Similar materials quality. Similar ergonomics ( excellent).
The Lawman actually seems to be stronger and able to take more hard use at work. But that could be my imagination, as I do harder jobs with my Lawman than I do with my PM2 because the AL seems sturdier .
Con: the Lawman comes only with a dlc coated blade. While a black blade was almost a deal breaker for me in the past, I ve found a couple of Cold Steel models that are so good, I ve changed my mind about blade coatings. Mostly.
Pro: The Al is 20% cheaper , isn t hindered by MAP, and when compared regardless of price, seems to be equilavent to the PM2 in overall quality.
And remember, I m a big PM2 fan.
An AL with a stonewashed blade would be major competition for the PM2.

I ve been thinking about this for a while and finally decided to throw this out there.
 
IMHO, the Lawman is a great knife with very good ergonomics, great blade steel, and the coating is very durable. I have one along with the PM2. The problem is that the Lawman has even worse handle to blade ratio than the PM2 and this really pisses me off every time I try to carry it. It sits in my knife box collecting dust for that reason.
 
if you wanted, someone could remove the DLC and stonewash it for you (or other cool things). you could even do it yourself. lots of folks on the forum can do all sorts of things.

I like the pm2 better in every way, but its a cf/m4 version (and I'm not batoning, digging or wacking stuff). the AL is no slouch its design lends its self to what you describe. the pm2 can handle tough tasks for sure but i feel the blade design lends it mostly to the reason you dont feel more confident in it.

both pretty comparable. which one do you think slices better?
 
Like the PM2, but doesn't see much pocket time. Too big in my opinion. I haven't tried the American Lawman. I just cant get past the cold steel marketing with all the slashing and such.
 
Completely different knives almost from every aspect: FFG vs hollow grind, tri-ad lock vs compression lock, spydiehole vs thumstud, ~$120 vs ~$80. To me, they are not competitors of each other.
 
sharp_edge said:
Completely different knives almost from every aspect: FFG vs hollow grind, tri-ad lock vs compression lock, spydiehole vs thumstud, ~$120 vs ~$80. To me, they are not competitors of each other.
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Mo2 said:
if you wanted, someone could remove the DLC and stonewash it for you (or other cool things). you could even do it yourself. lots of folks on the forum can do all sorts of things.

I like the pm2 better in every way, but its a cf/m4 version (and I'm not batoning, digging or wacking stuff). the AL is no slouch its design lends its self to what you describe. the pm2 can handle tough tasks for sure but i feel the blade design lends it mostly to the reason you dont feel more confident in it.

both pretty comparable. which one do you think slices better?
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They slice about the same.
 
Hated all of the PM2s I've owned. This last time around I got an S35v version and took the up off. It's really grown on me. It wasn't an instant love like with the military or ma is lw. But I can really see this as a compromise and one of the best all around knives out there.
 
sharp_edge said:
Completely different knives almost from every aspect: FFG vs hollow grind, tri-ad lock vs compression lock, spydiehole vs thumstud, ~$120 vs ~$80. To me, they are not competitors of each other.
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They are the same size knives. They are intended for the same purpose, all around edc/work knives. They have the same quality of materials and the same level of fit and finish. They open manually with no flipper. They are both fairly strong and have superior locking systems which are considered safe. You do make the point that one can be had for much less money than the other which was one of my earlier observations.
Just because the don t have identical blade grinds, identical locking systems, and the same blade thumb engagement doesn't keep them from being comparable. It just keeps them from being twins!
The most common price for the s30v PM2 is 125.00, the American Lawman 95.00. Tell me which is the better value.
 
The Lawman is a great knife. Let mine go, handle just a little too short. Replaced it with the GB1 and never looked back.

I always thought the GB2 was a decent comparison to the PM2. Obviously different locks.
 
onojoe said:
Like the PM2, but doesn't see much pocket time. Too big in my opinion. I haven't tried the American Lawman. I just cant get past the cold steel marketing with all the slashing and such.
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I understand your reluctance based on the images portrayed of some of the tactical knives.
I have to ignore most of the marketing when I find blades of such quality for such a good price.
Just as I overcame my aversion to coated blades.
 
I bought a PM2 (standard, S30) to be an EDC, but find that it's just too big for everything except jeans. I recently got a ZT 0770 on clearance, and find that it's enough smaller and lighter than the PM2 that I can carry it in dress pants (not using the clip) and it isn't too obvious, and the sheepfoot shape is about ideal for the tasks an EDC blade is expected to handle. Oh -- and I've had it for over a month and haven't had to sharpen it yet. I am really impressed by the edge-retention properties of the elmax steel.
 
Th
adamlau said:
Total value ought to take into account resale value. The PM2 edges out the AL in that respect.
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That s true. I never buy a knife with an intent to sell it so I don t factor that in my evaluations.
Resale of the PM2 is relatively high because everybody knows what good knives they are. Many fewer people know what a great knife the Lawman is. That s part of the reason for my thread.
 
The Lawman has the better tip if you ask me. I like to be able to do some light prying. If you ask me a knife should be able to atleast pry a little bit.
 
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