Emerson Mini-Commander vs Mini-CQC 15 vs Spyderco Paramilitary 2

S

Snareman

Joined
Feb 8, 2011
Messages
92
These 3 knives seem to be debated between by a lot of people, myself included. I tried to pick just one, but it didn't go so well. I thought I'd do a comparison between all 3.

[video=youtube_share;9YbgqVILo9Q]http://youtu.be/9YbgqVILo9Q[/video]
 
Nice review, love my PM2s, sold my mini CQC 15 and really regret it. All great knives.
 
I have had all three.. only one remains.. CQC-15.. greatest all around EDC under 200.00 on the planet..
 
I love the Emerson knife but for EDC utility cutting, give me that full flat grind on the P Mil.
rolf
 
I have both the PM2 and Mini CQC 15. Both great EDC blades. If I had to get rid of one it would be the PM2. I agree the Emerson's are tougher. My PM2 has some side to side blade play. The Emerson is rock solid.
 
JediMike said:
I have both the PM2 and Mini CQC 15. Both great EDC blades. If I had to get rid of one it would be the PM2. I agree the Emerson's are tougher. My PM2 has some side to side blade play. The Emerson is rock solid.
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The Para2 lock is massively stronger. Whether the relatively thin tip and FFG are suitable for your uses is an individual question. The Emerson grinds are great - as long as fine cuts or straight cuts aren't needed. :D You should try touching up the Para2 pivot. You can probably eliminate the lateral play.
 
I agree the compression lock is strong. The play I can eliminate by tightening the pivot but then it looses the ability to swing freely when the lock is compressed. I like being able to flick the PM2 closed with one hand.
 
JediMike said:
I agree the compression lock is strong. The play I can eliminate by tightening the pivot but then it looses the ability to swing freely when the lock is compressed. I like being able to flick the PM2 closed with one hand.
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Hey, it's a screw, it's continuously adjustable, you ought to be able to get it just right??? :D
 
The CQC 15 was the first nice folder I ever had. I still love the way it feels in my hand. I surprised myself when I moved away from it for EDC. I only had my super Roadhouse tap and drilled for left hand carry so that took the folding knife EDC slot and the right pocket took the flashlight. I tried rolling with the super roadhouse in the left and the CQC15 in the right for a while. It got a little ridiculous. Every time I crouched down I had 7+ inches of steep poking up into my legs. This is only half on topic but I like seeing the 15 getting a little love. Great review!
 
You covered a lot but kind of glossed over a fairly critical area, which is price. The Para M is considerably cheaper than the Emersons and it also comes in a better steel... therefore I would say it is considerably better VALUE.

The standard scale colours are actually limited to black and digicam, the other colours are sprint runs and not regularly available. Also, the Para M black coated blade is DLC, a considerably tougher finish that whatever Emerson users. I guess you can tell from my comments which brand I choose. :D
 
The PM / PM 2 series are cheaper than Emersons, that's true. Whether S30V is a better steel than 154CM is subjective and depends on the user's requirements and preferences. Personally, I prefer several steels, including 154CM, to S30V. Even on folders, I like a steel that's biased toward toughness and ease of edge maintenance over edge holding. Emerson's 154CM is easy for me to sharpen even after fairly rough use, it gets extremely sharp, and I only have to worry about sharpening one bevel. I've also found that I don't have to sharpen it as often as I thought I would based on comments I had read about 154CM before I tried that steel.

Since the 15 series is V-ground instead of chisel ground, I've not had any trouble with the few long straight cuts that I've had to make. Granted,the material is softer (usually long pieces of art material for my wife) but the cuts are straight.

I can't compare blade coatings because I don't often cut materials that rub against the coating. Most of my cutting is fairly narrow stuff or something very flexible that parts at the knife edge. The only DLC Spyderco that I've used is a DLC Para 1 that my wife keeps in the garage for a garden knife. It lays on the concrete and gets pulled through dirt, clay, etc. The coating on that blade is somewhat damaged because of the type of use she gives it, but I suspect that's not a fair comparison with normal use for most folks.
 
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