A competitor for my favorite edc, the PM2.

I've owned several PM2s throughout my years of collecting/carrying. Have sold them all. The Cold Steel AL is, IMO, a superior knife. Of course, many (most) will disagree with me; the PM2 has a rabid (albeit well-deserved) following. BUT for me, here's why I prefer my AL:

Stronger lock. The TriAd lock is arguably the strongest on the market (not that I'd ever push the limits of the TriAd OR compression lock with my use, but it's still nice to have such a strong, well regarded lock). It's not as fun to play with as the Compression Lock, though.

Thinner handle thickness. The AL is only .39 thick, which makes it very easy to carry with other slacks than just jeans. To some, this may be a disadvantage, but I find it plenty comfortable in use and, aesthetically, I prefer thinner handles.

Stronger tip. Way stronger, in fact. I don't abuse my knives, but the tip on the PM2 is just so thin...

While I'm not crazy about coated blades, the DLC CS have been using since they made the switch from AUS8 to CTS-XHP is very, very good.

This is just my $0.02, of course. Ymmv, and all that. +1 for the AL for me.
 
adamlau said:
Completely understand. I am partial to the Swift I myself...
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IMHO one of the most overlooked and sadly ignored CS folders, and a great attempt at the AO folder world

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love mine
 
Aldebaran said:
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.
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I just compared the knife / blade ratios of my AL and PM2 side by side and the ratios are about identical.
Personally , one of the best things about the outstanding ergonomics of the two knives is the generous handle size which allows a comfortable grip for many men with sizable hands.
 
The 940 seems to be a very fine knife. Slim and light and ideal for many edc tasks. But more expensive than the PM2 or AL and doesn't t seem to be as suited for heavier jobs. Fit and finish is no better than the Spydie or CS.
 
I easily will venture to say that BM's F&F/QC is subpar to Spyderco and CS. Their pricing is way high. You can get a PM2 in CPM-S110V for quite a bit less than the standard CPM-S30V 940.

I would take the Cold Steel personally. Better steel, stronger lock, better price.

And this is coming from a Spyderco fanboy.

The PM2 doesn't fit my hand, and S30V is on my list of banned steels.
 
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cchu518 said:
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.
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What do you mean, you took the tip off? Did you break it, or did you intentionally reprofile the blade?
 
Personally, I think a lot of it is personal preference. Although I often carry 3-4" knives, most of the everyday tasks I use my folders for I could accomplish with a 1.5" blade from my Gerber Curve or Vic classic... of course I tend to grab specialty blades for specific tasks (kitchen knife for the kitchen, box cutter for cutting carpet, saw for cutting branches, etc.).

I only own one CS knife (mini Recon) and I made a lot of changes to get it to my liking: wet sanded the locking surfaces, chamfered the spring, corrected a too long scale pin (or maybe the scale hole was drilled too short), took off the black coating, corrected the assymetrical blade grind, and stopped (wanted to do stylistic file work on the backspacer and grind out a sharpening choil but didn't want to work on it anymore). For the most part I am happy with it but don't EDC it.

The PM2 I beveled the edges and was happy with it. I did however break the tip from it falling onto ceramic tile tip first... But it only took off about 1mm of the tip and was easily reprofiled.

I think it's really personal preference. The pointy para 2 punctures things easier, while the LM might have a stronger tip for prying (even if it's accidental). The para 2 has a nice thumb ramp with functional jumping if you like that, while the LM is smooth if you prefer that. FFG vs HG... Thumbhole vs thumbstud... Back lock vs compression lock... Liners vs no liners... Steel differences... Etc. It's really just what details you prefer for your usage.
 
whp said:
I just compared the knife / blade ratios of my AL and PM2 side by side and the ratios are about identical.
Personally , one of the best things about the outstanding ergonomics of the two knives is the generous handle size which allows a comfortable grip for many men with sizable hands.
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It may look like it from just the amount of steel sticking out of the handle, but it is not the case. Look at the actual cutting edge available. There is a big difference. That is what a knife is about in the end, the cutting edge.
 
"A competitor for my favorite edc," is what he shed unless I misread. I don't feel as though factors like variances in reliable blade geometry and exact price ought determine whether or not one knife should 'compete' with another in a edc rotation. But I'm a neck knife guy, so beware what me crazy thinks.
 
I used the term competitor simply to confer that the PM2 was the knife I chose to carry most days for work and general edc tasks until about a year ago. Now I find I carry the AL more often than the PM2 to take care of my needs. Both knives are my preferred size, weight, and strength, with superior ergonomics and fine blade steel. The AL may even exceed the PM2 in some of these categories. And at a much lower price. When other blade steels available for the PM2 are factored in, such as s110v or M390, the PM2 becomes a different and more expensive knife for comparison.
 
Yeah, I hear ya whp. I was referencing/alluding to what sharp_edge said.

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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Been here a year and still need to remind myself to quote people. :rolleyes:
 
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