I'm interested in how these compare in feel. Of course I have looked at the stats and I know about the different blade steels and country of origin. But I have not actually handled either one so I'm wondering how they feel. The blades and weight are pretty close, the handle of the P2 is a bit longer. If someone handed both knives to you, you didn't know anything about them, and all you could do was look at them and handle them, how would you compare them? I've read comments that the handle length of the P2 appears too long for that blade length but I would like to check that out for myself. But I would also expect that for any individual person, either one of the knives feels too long or the other knife feels too short.
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comparison of Tenacious and Paramilitary2?
- Thread starter bdmicarta
- Start date
The tenacious fits well in my hand. Proportional blade to handle length good balance. My only gripes are blade steel and not made in America. Although the steel isn't horrible I prefer VG10, S30V or ZDP. The PM2 is a sweet knife I prefer the locking mech on it over the Tenacious. I prefer the steel in it as well. The handle is nice but not proportional to the blade and the balance is just a bit off for me. If the blade was a touch longer it would be about perfect. I'd take the PM2 over the Tenacious but just barely. If the tenacious was US or Seki and in say S30V or ZDP I would prefer it. both good knives and I still have both the Tenacious is in my bag most in the time or I carry it if I'm worried about loosing a knife or plan on doing something that would damage a knife.
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Okay, I Can Do This One.
Spyderco Para2 - Nice Piercing Tip In A More Compact Package.
Spyderco Tenacious - A Slightly Stouter Tip And Quite A Bit More "Bulky" Than The Para2.
Para2 - Nice Blade Thickness And Great Lock Mechanism.
Tenacious - I Think The Blade Is Nearly As Thick As That On The Para2.
Para2 - Nice, Large Slicer.
Tenacious - Looks And Feels Like It Was Supposed To Be Beefier.
The Blade Of The Tenacious Is Also Quite A Bit Wider Than The Para2 And Leaves More Room For Different Cutting Tasks.
The Locking Mechanisms Are Extremely Alike Although They're Supposed To Be Vastly Different.
The Compression Lock Is Like A Liner Lock Only On The Back Of The Knife.
But I Do Prefer The Compression Lock As I Feel It's A Little More Simple, And I Like That It's Not The "Normal". Whatever That May Be. Also The Smoothness Of The Lock Is Amazing.
All Of This Being Said, I REALLY Like Both Knives.
My Para2 Is My Main EDC.. Well For Now, Until The Sage 2 Starts Taking The Main Pocket Tomorrow, And After That, Hopefully A Spyderco Chokwe.
Both Knives In Question Are Extremely Well Built, Well Designed, And Excellently Executed.
You Can't Go Wrong With Either.
Spyderco Para2 - Nice Piercing Tip In A More Compact Package.
Spyderco Tenacious - A Slightly Stouter Tip And Quite A Bit More "Bulky" Than The Para2.
Para2 - Nice Blade Thickness And Great Lock Mechanism.
Tenacious - I Think The Blade Is Nearly As Thick As That On The Para2.
Para2 - Nice, Large Slicer.
Tenacious - Looks And Feels Like It Was Supposed To Be Beefier.
The Blade Of The Tenacious Is Also Quite A Bit Wider Than The Para2 And Leaves More Room For Different Cutting Tasks.
The Locking Mechanisms Are Extremely Alike Although They're Supposed To Be Vastly Different.
The Compression Lock Is Like A Liner Lock Only On The Back Of The Knife.
But I Do Prefer The Compression Lock As I Feel It's A Little More Simple, And I Like That It's Not The "Normal". Whatever That May Be. Also The Smoothness Of The Lock Is Amazing.
All Of This Being Said, I REALLY Like Both Knives.
My Para2 Is My Main EDC.. Well For Now, Until The Sage 2 Starts Taking The Main Pocket Tomorrow, And After That, Hopefully A Spyderco Chokwe.
Both Knives In Question Are Extremely Well Built, Well Designed, And Excellently Executed.
You Can't Go Wrong With Either.
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- Nov 6, 2011
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- 644
I own both and like both. The Tenacious is a good knife, not just for the price but overall. Mine is one of the easiest to deploy of my twenty Spydercos, probably a bit behind my Manix2, Para2, Yojimbo 2, but not by much. The blade steel is probably the most obvious compromise, but it's still good steel and more than capable for my uses. The screws on the clip are a bit soft and the heads strip somewhat easily. Other than that I have nothing bad to say about it.
My Para2 has better steel and better ergonomics for sure. It's up to the buyer if it's worth three times the Tenacious, but I think it's an awesome knife for the money. Obviously the Para2 is a Blade Forums favorite, perhaps even the most popular knife recommendation on this entire forum. In terms of apparent size, the Para2 does feel larger, yet it is lightweight. And the compression lock is a thing of genius. I do prefer it to a liner lock. Substantially.
My Para2 has better steel and better ergonomics for sure. It's up to the buyer if it's worth three times the Tenacious, but I think it's an awesome knife for the money. Obviously the Para2 is a Blade Forums favorite, perhaps even the most popular knife recommendation on this entire forum. In terms of apparent size, the Para2 does feel larger, yet it is lightweight. And the compression lock is a thing of genius. I do prefer it to a liner lock. Substantially.
Have a Resilience and the Para 2 in M390. Of course the Para 2 is much better, from another dimension even and the Resilience is larger than the Tenaciuous but hear me out.
The G-10 which is the same in the Resilience as in the Tenacious is nice but less grippy than that of the Para2/m390, I have had in my hands the normal Para2 and the difference is not that noticeable. Conclusion: better G-10 on the Para2
The fit'n finish is just great on both, slightly better on the Para2, I like the construction better as the screws are bigger, the pivot too, and the screws on the tenacious family SUCK. they are made from the softest metal available and are tiny. This shows even more in the resilience.
Both are 4 way adjustable and the clip seems to me to be the same almost. I don't love the clip in either model, I prefer the wireclip found on other spydies.
Tha blade shape is very similar too but the Para2 has a better slicing geometry(in my oppinion) although the Resilience-Tenacious are OUTSTANDING slicers. I've tested the Resilience with innumerable materials and it's plain greatness. Cuts Very well wood, paper, cardboard, food, rope, strings etc.
Blade Steel is just not comparable but the 8cr13Mov is a GOOD steel. I actually love it for a user. Edge retention is Ok, sharpness is no issue and is easy to get it sharp again. I do prefer 440c for that kind of usage, and my vote would go to D2(or s30V) if this knife was going to be used sparingly and you needed it sharp when the time came. The reason is that I can't sharpen D2-S30V-M390 on my own and have to leave it at my knife guy, that's ok but wouldn't like to do this often.
Finally, you'll use the Tenacious more due to cost and ease of sharpening and that's the whole point to me. If I were you I'd get the Tenacious and the Para 2 later, as an escallation on all fronts. Or do as I did and get the Resilience/Tenacious to use mostly and the Para2 in an exotic steel to collect-use sparingly.
BTW you can't go wrong and the price is just too good.
The G-10 which is the same in the Resilience as in the Tenacious is nice but less grippy than that of the Para2/m390, I have had in my hands the normal Para2 and the difference is not that noticeable. Conclusion: better G-10 on the Para2
The fit'n finish is just great on both, slightly better on the Para2, I like the construction better as the screws are bigger, the pivot too, and the screws on the tenacious family SUCK. they are made from the softest metal available and are tiny. This shows even more in the resilience.
Both are 4 way adjustable and the clip seems to me to be the same almost. I don't love the clip in either model, I prefer the wireclip found on other spydies.
Tha blade shape is very similar too but the Para2 has a better slicing geometry(in my oppinion) although the Resilience-Tenacious are OUTSTANDING slicers. I've tested the Resilience with innumerable materials and it's plain greatness. Cuts Very well wood, paper, cardboard, food, rope, strings etc.
Blade Steel is just not comparable but the 8cr13Mov is a GOOD steel. I actually love it for a user. Edge retention is Ok, sharpness is no issue and is easy to get it sharp again. I do prefer 440c for that kind of usage, and my vote would go to D2(or s30V) if this knife was going to be used sparingly and you needed it sharp when the time came. The reason is that I can't sharpen D2-S30V-M390 on my own and have to leave it at my knife guy, that's ok but wouldn't like to do this often.
Finally, you'll use the Tenacious more due to cost and ease of sharpening and that's the whole point to me. If I were you I'd get the Tenacious and the Para 2 later, as an escallation on all fronts. Or do as I did and get the Resilience/Tenacious to use mostly and the Para2 in an exotic steel to collect-use sparingly.
BTW you can't go wrong and the price is just too good.
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I have to say I'm stunned at the responses so far. I was expecting a PM2 love fest and a serious bashing of 8cr13mov.
I don't have the Tenacious, but I have the Persistence which is the little brother. It was my first Spyderco and would have been my last except for one little thing. A finger choil. Perfect knife otherwise. The G10 is the best of all the G10 Spyderco's I own. It is grippy, but not too grippy. The PM2 I put in the medium G10. Some people may prefer the extra grip, but my pockets hate it! The Dragonfly G10 is an example of super grippy G10 and I don't dig it at all.
The handle on the PM2 is too long. It is too big for my EDC and I think a smaller PM2 would be a great knife. The compression lock (like BladeChick777 said) is functional and cool, although very similar to a liner lock. "Golden Colorado" is awesome to see when using it although S30V is an ehh steel for me. It get's a lot of hype, but since I'm not a steel guy, it doesn't make or break the knife. Made in USA is a much bigger factor.
I didn't like the PM2 enough to keep it. It just wasn't for me.
I don't have the Tenacious, but I have the Persistence which is the little brother. It was my first Spyderco and would have been my last except for one little thing. A finger choil. Perfect knife otherwise. The G10 is the best of all the G10 Spyderco's I own. It is grippy, but not too grippy. The PM2 I put in the medium G10. Some people may prefer the extra grip, but my pockets hate it! The Dragonfly G10 is an example of super grippy G10 and I don't dig it at all.
The handle on the PM2 is too long. It is too big for my EDC and I think a smaller PM2 would be a great knife. The compression lock (like BladeChick777 said) is functional and cool, although very similar to a liner lock. "Golden Colorado" is awesome to see when using it although S30V is an ehh steel for me. It get's a lot of hype, but since I'm not a steel guy, it doesn't make or break the knife. Made in USA is a much bigger factor.
I didn't like the PM2 enough to keep it. It just wasn't for me.
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I really like choils, so the Para 2 get's the nod there. The ergonomics of the Para 2 also fit my hand better. The Tenacious makes a great work/beater knife though.
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Oh Man.. Why Didn't I Think To Post Pics Of My Para 2 And Tenacious?
It's Not A Side By Side.. But You Can Tell The Differences.
All In All.. They Are Both GREAT Knives.
The Tenacious... You Just Can NOT Beat It For The Price.
The Para2 ... It's An "A" Class Knife And Really Amazing, And Well Worth The Money.
The Tenacious In My Opinion Can Beat Out Knives In The $50 - $60 Range, And That's Saying A LOT With It Only Being $30, Made In China, And Cheaper Steel!
Either Way, I Own Both, And Am Very Pleased With Both.
It's Not A Side By Side.. But You Can Tell The Differences.
All In All.. They Are Both GREAT Knives.
The Tenacious... You Just Can NOT Beat It For The Price.
The Para2 ... It's An "A" Class Knife And Really Amazing, And Well Worth The Money.
The Tenacious In My Opinion Can Beat Out Knives In The $50 - $60 Range, And That's Saying A LOT With It Only Being $30, Made In China, And Cheaper Steel!
Either Way, I Own Both, And Am Very Pleased With Both.
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Fyi, the compression lock may look like a backwards liner lock, but in reality they couldn't be farther apart. A liner lock diffuses pressure on the spine of the blade into the lock bar, which is at a slight angle to the tang. While not likely, a liner lock could fail either by snapping the lock bar, or by the lock bar slipping off of the tang l. A compression lock on the other hand wedges a piece of steel between the stop pin and a flattened edge on the back side of the blade. In order for a compression lock to fail you would either need to break or shear the stop pin through 2 steel liners and 2 g10 scales, or completely crush the lock bar between the tang and stop pin, in which case lock up would be ruined but the knife still should not close since there is still a piece of steel blocking its path. Basically the compression lock is FAR stronger than the liner lock and in actual philosophy is more similar to an axis lock than a liner lock despite its simple "backwards liner lock" appearance.
I forgot to mention two things.
One, the Compression lock is something worth paying extra for, and the other feature that wins it is the little finger guard on the handle end of the edge f the blade. In the Tenacious family this is a finger chopper. Close the blade carelessly and you will cut yourself. I Initially liked it but now I realize it's dangerous, it acts as a guillotine, theres nothing to stop the blade in its way and beng a linerlock that's a bit of a fail. Either put a guard in it, clip the blade where it meets the finger or change the lock to a lockback, compression lock or any other that gets your finger out of the way!
All of the above can be avoided by paying attention, but we all can be a bit careless now and then.
One, the Compression lock is something worth paying extra for, and the other feature that wins it is the little finger guard on the handle end of the edge f the blade. In the Tenacious family this is a finger chopper. Close the blade carelessly and you will cut yourself. I Initially liked it but now I realize it's dangerous, it acts as a guillotine, theres nothing to stop the blade in its way and beng a linerlock that's a bit of a fail. Either put a guard in it, clip the blade where it meets the finger or change the lock to a lockback, compression lock or any other that gets your finger out of the way!
All of the above can be avoided by paying attention, but we all can be a bit careless now and then.
I have not inspected a compression lock other than looking at detailed photos on the net and I do not doubt its strength, but it seems to me that the end of the compression lock could twist in the frame and let the blade close partially. IOW as an engineer the typical mode of failure that we see in items in compression is some form of lateral instability. This may be theoretical only and I have trouble imagining how a typical liner lock could fail in typical use either. I have no problem with the compression lock at this time and I'm willing to buy one for myself to try out.
But I do have one question about the liner lock- how do most people actually operate it? I am slow and deliberate when I close a liner lock, no flipping of the blade. I don't want to cut off any fingertips and such and I had one unfortunate incident one time when flipping a blade. I hold the knife in my upturned palm, sharp edge facing up, push the liner lock over with my thumb, push up on the blade with my index finger, then move my thumb as I complete the movement. The only explanations of closing a compression lock seemed to involved gravity and/or flipping the blade. To close it slowly and deliberately seems to be more awkward than a liner lock.
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I never say never, but in this case, that's the right word. It'll never happen. Failure modes are crush the tab, shear the stop pin, or blow the stop pin out of the liners into which it is nested. I guess you could include non-engagement due to physical interference but I don't think that counts.
Well as it goes stuff happens and my plans got disrupted. My plan was to buy a cheap Tenacious to try out and then decide if I wanted a PM2 or not. Well the online seller where I found a cheap price on the T ended up being sold out, and I found a PM2 on the sales forum so instead of buying a T I went all in and bought the PM2. I hope the PM2 is OK- it isn't the standard model, somebody put gray scales on it. 
I have asked in several different threads how people operate the compression lock but still no answers so I guess I'll have to figure it out for myself. On youtube I found several videos but it seems that everyone there closes the blade by flipping it. Like I said this is an accident waiting to happen so hopefully I will find a safer way to close it.
I have asked in several different threads how people operate the compression lock but still no answers so I guess I'll have to figure it out for myself. On youtube I found several videos but it seems that everyone there closes the blade by flipping it. Like I said this is an accident waiting to happen so hopefully I will find a safer way to close it.
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Well as it goes stuff happens and my plans got disrupted. My plan was to buy a cheap Tenacious to try out and then decide if I wanted a PM2 or not. Well the online seller where I found a cheap price on the T ended up being sold out, and I found a PM2 on the sales forum so instead of buying a T I went all in and bought the PM2. I hope the PM2 is OK- it isn't the standard model, somebody put gray scales on it.
I have asked in several different threads how people operate the compression lock but still no answers so I guess I'll have to figure it out for myself. On youtube I found several videos but it seems that everyone there closes the blade by flipping it. Like I said this is an accident waiting to happen so hopefully I will find a safer way to close it.
A properly adjusted para2 will close basically with gravity as soon as the lock is disengaged. I simply press the tab with my pointer finger and the blade closes as long as you are holding it in a way that gravity would allow the knife to close. You can also press the tab with your pointer finger and close the blade with your thumb in the thumb hole, although this is a bit more awkward without a little practice. Once you get it in your hands you will see how it works.
Some knives have less friction than others. I did this once with a lockback and gravity closed the knife on my finger. At least with the compression lock you could have your fingertips positioned such that they are out of the way of the blade. With a lockback I normally use 2 hands. With a linerlock or axis lock I am usually doing it such that I am closing the blade initially against gravity.
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^^^ like I said, you'll just have to get in your hands to understand how slick it is. The blade tension is absolutely nothing like a lock back so the blade will not snap closed. It's just that the way the bushing system is set up on the pm2, if the stop pin tension is properly adjusted, the pivot pin can be tightened all the way down while maintaining an incredibly smooth action. It might take a little adjusting to get it to this point as no production knife can come off of an assembly line perfectly every time. Honestly though, the para2 is really one of those knives that you have to handle and play around with before you begin to truely understand its genius.
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I don't think you'll have a problem with the compression lock. The people on youtube flipping it are demonstrating a quick technique. It has a pivot bushing which will allow the blade to drop once the lock is released. With the compression lock all your fingers should be clear anyway. I think you'll be surprised how simple it is. With the liner you need to take care since you're disengaging the lock in front of the blade.
I think you'll enjoy it over the Tenacious.
I think you'll enjoy it over the Tenacious.