Emerson CQC 13 or Spyderco Paramilitary 2

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Psyko19

Joined
May 2, 2012
Messages
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Im torn between picking up an Emerson cqc 13 or a Spyderco Para military 2. I will be using it as a knife to rotate in to the EDC lineup and its got to stand up to some sufficient punishment. Any recommendations?
 
Personally it'd be an easy decision for me, I don't like the wave feature, i dont like most liner locks, and I dont like Emerson's funky grind. On the flip side, I love the large spyderhole on the pm2, I like the compression lock, and I love the full flat grind. I carry a pm2 as my work knife every day and couldn't think of anything I'd change in the general utility knife role.
 
The Spyderco will give you more for your money, certainly, but it does have a thin tip you need to be careful of. The PM2 is a durable knife, but if you're thinking about doing something a knife shouldn't do (like prying), the tip could break off. Why does your knife have to stand up to "sufficient punishment?" A lot of people initially think that "hard use knives" are the best thing out there, but remember that any durability you gain by making the blade thicker, you lose in slicing ability. So you can get a super strong sharpened prybar type of knife if you want, but it won't cut anything well. The PM2 excels at doing anything reasonable, so if you want a knife, I'd recommend you get that and use it responsibly. Emersons are decent knives, but way overpriced and not as practical.
 
Thanks for the feedback,I'll definitely check out a PM2. and I said punishment because the knife will have to stand daily use in construction.
 
I have the PM2, but would like to try one of the Emersons that aren't chisel ground.
 
The only thing Im worried about with the emerson is the chisel grind I dont like but can fix. Whereas with the paramilitary 2 Im not sure how well the compression lock will stand as well as the tip of the blade.
 
Take a look at the spyderco gayle bradley. It's similar in cost to the para 2 and cheaper than the emerson and if you're worried about the blade of the para 2 being delicate i think the gayle bradley is a good choice. personally i don't quite get the popularity of the paramilitary but the gayle bradley is a whole lot of knife for the price and when i hold it in my hand it has that intangible quality that makes a knife feel like it was worth ever penny. I'm just about to order one myself.
 
What about a ZT or maybe Benchmade Adamas? Those should be pretty durable. For less money you could get a CRKT M16 or M21- those would be very tough to break.
 
crom said:
construction sites? stick with emerson.
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agreed.
emersons are designed for easy maintenance too. last night i completely took my emerson apart with my victorinox manager thats on my keys. and doing so doesnt void its warranty like other brands. i dont know if thats true for spyderco.
id admit emersons are over priced, but they are some of the best feeling production knives.
 
I'm also still wondering what makes an Emerson so special that it's that much better for construction work? I don't mean that as questioning anyone's opinion considering I don't even own an Emerson.

Admittedly, I use the shit out of my EDCs and the Para 2 is no exception. Outside of using it as a screwdriver or crowbar, I can't see how it'd be that much worse in a heavy use environment. My Para 2 is a workhorse and I haven't seen many "heavy use" tasks it can't accomplish.
 
Psyko19 said:
The only thing Im worried about with the emerson is the chisel grind I dont like but can fix. Whereas with the paramilitary 2 Im not sure how well the compression lock will stand as well as the tip of the blade.
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Read up on the compression lock. It's one of the strongest locks ever made. It's much stronger than most Walker Liner Locks.
 
I was a bricklayer for over 25 years my favorite work knife was the tiny Old Timer 120T.It was all the knife I ever needed and I used it a lot.For heaver cutting they do make saws ;)
 
GAN84 said:
I'm also still wondering what makes an Emerson so special that it's that much better for construction work? I don't mean that as questioning anyone's opinion considering I don't even own an Emerson.

Admittedly, I use the shit out of my EDCs and the Para 2 is no exception. Outside of using it as a screwdriver or crowbar, I can't see how it'd be that much worse in a heavy use environment. My Para 2 is a workhorse and I haven't seen many "heavy use" tasks it can't accomplish.
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+1 Loving my para 2. I'm even debating getting the orange sprint run as a back up...very durable also
 
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