Disappointment in the Paramilitary

Haha as I said, I do not know near as much as you guys do. I'm not sure why the para has a 3.094 blade length, or why the exposed tang scratches ppls hands, but I just love that blade. I have 3 of em and they are my EDC of choice. Although I really would like to get my hands on a Sage II.
 
I love the Para and the Comp Lock. Actually the lock is my favorite, almost as easy as a liner lock to operate but much sturdier.
Trade your knive for another one, you will get a good deal on your Para if it is still in new condition (I think that we have a clause somewhere that stipulates that 5.56 has to buy all Paras on the market if their owners are not 100% satisfied...).:D
 
That's the problem with ergos, it's hard to design a knife that will fit everyone's hand.

I love my para, the coil, comp lock, the thin sharp tip and full flat grind, extra-large spyderhole, smooth as glass opening (it's the extra 2 invisible washers).

Downsides: handle gets a little crowded when not using the choil, and tip down carry only. I actually like tip down carry now, it feels safer even though I did stab myself in the leg through my pants and boxers when I thought the blade was closed!
 
To each his own guys. It's kind of like when someone says they don't like pizza or ice cream.

But the Para is a staple in my book.;)

To the OP, as far as the compression lock is concerned, you really have to play with it to get a feel of how to operate it. I can open and close this knife in under a second. With the proper technique, the compression lock can be actuated just like an axis lock. And it is arguably one of the strongest locks available.

My advice, keep the Para, it will grow on you. I sold my first Para because it was awkward at first. Now I can't get enough Para.

And FYI Sal has mentioned that there is a Para2 in the works that will address some of the obvious issues.
 
I didn't like it either.The lock was a big turn-off for me.Also,something about the handle I didn't like.It just felt too light/flimzy?Can't really describe it.

I'm not knocking Spyderco in any way.I love 80% of their products.The Stretch II(CF/ZDP) is part of my daily rotation & one of my favorite knives of all time.
 
I don't mean to be a smartass but I have to say that much of what the OP hates in the Para could have been figured out by simply looking at the picture on the Spyderco website and getting out a ruler. I could never get into it because of the 3" blade for such a long handle (for those who want a longer handle...I can't even comment). I also live in a smallish community and it's hard to find much besides a Delica/Endura/Police, etc to hold.

If you look at the philosophy of such a knife it never has been meant to be a comfy edc. The fact that some people find it perfectly shaped for such a task is great! However, it is a heavy duty folder (4mm blade stock) with a compression lock which is a mechanical beast in itself designed for larger tasks. It is indeed much stronger than a liner/frame lock, in fact, it's one of the strongest locks in the world.

I have a Manix 2 which is a great knife but doesn't get much pocket time compared to some of them. It isn't quite as easy to disengage as my back locks and weighs twice as much. It's great for felling a small tree but I don't do much of that on a daily basis.

My sincere condolences for this knife not meeting your criteria. You should be able to turn it around for merely a S&H cost. It's an inconvenience but based on your 30 knives/15 years I would say that the chance of it happening again are very very rare.

Goodluck!
 
I never have bought a Spyderco I couldn't at least like. I've bought other brands that I can't say the same about. I've bought some Spydercos such as the Starmate, Police 3, Manix in both sizes, Phoenix and loads more I loved. But, all I've ever picked out to buy I've thought were exceptional values.
 
Everyone has the likes/dislikes on a knife, and it sucks to plunk down a lot of cash and get a knife that you don't like. Ergos is a big thing, and all of the complaints brought up by the OP seem to be the common complaints about the Para. A couple things about the comp lock though, it is massively strong compared to liner locks (or most any lock for that matter). You would basically have to rip the stop pin out of the handle for catastrophic failure, so it is MUCH stronger than a liner lock (and rated as such by Spyderco as a Very Heavy Duty lock). On my Superhawk and ATR it is extremely smooth, and after a little bit of practice I got used to it and I find it easy to manipulate with either hand.

Mike
 
On another note, the OP might take a look at the new FRN Stretch for amazing ergonomics. It's so good it makes most the other Spydies hard to justify. Plus, for $60ish bucks it's a very solid value.
 
I never liked the Para,exposed tang when closed and the compression lock mostly.Sal said they did not want to just down size the Military because it did not work well with other knives they did that with but IMO the Military would have worked great just being sized down.
 
What kept me away from the Para was the large handle size. How much of the handle material can be removed safely? Anyone here have pictures of a modified Para?
 
redsst said:
What kept me away from the Para was the large handle size. How much of the handle material can be removed safely? Anyone here have pictures of a modified Para?
Click to expand...

You could remove about 1/2 inch off the tail end, and a fair amount width-wise so long as there's good amount of G-10 surrounding the nested liners.

Frankly, without the choil, the Para is too small for me - comes from shortening/compressing the Military handle, which is just about perfect ;). Those with medium or small hands usually love the Para though.

The tang corner is a bit iffy, but when rounded, I haven't really felt anything wrong with it - plus I tend to keep it in my rear right pocket or tucked to the inner corner of my hip pocket.

I'll post pics of two (the only two) modded Para's I have.
 
On mine we removed 2 mm at the front and 3mm at the back. Some more could be removed at the back by squaring off the handle and eliminating the lanyard hole.

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I didn't like the Paramillie at first. It just seemed wrong. It sure grew on me though. I love it, and the compression lock now. I do put it in Spyderco's top 10.

To each his own. Joe
 
I was skeptical about the Para and hesitated to buy it until the D2 was so darn cheap I had to. It was an instant hit, but I still wondered if it were a better EDC than my mini-grip. I was enamored with the axis lock (greatness) but when that wore off it was back to the Para and has been for a long rime. All the things that most complain about is no doubt concern, but the good things just flat outweigh them. It's light, a great slicer, durable and has plenty of handle to make it a very secure feeling knife. Having said that, if a person doesn't like it then they don't like it. The only thing I disagree about is the compression lock. I find it so darn easy to deploy and close that it has become my favorite. Here is a very short video of me pulling it out, flipping it 360, closing it and putting it back in my pocket using only the lock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mmzmDbdRfE
 
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I called New Graham today and they demonstrated why I have purchased a number of knives from them and will continue to do so. They said, "simply send it back for a refund or a trade, just include a note". WOW! The knife is still new and in the box. Never carried, sharpened, or used to cut anything. So, I will get it on a return to them tomorrow. This makes me feel a bit guilty, because the choice to purchase the knife was totally my own and I was prepared to accept my mistake. I use all my knives and this one would have sat in my box unused. Thanks to New Graham, I will return it and trade it for another Spyderco model that will be more to my liking.
 
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