I Don't Get the Para 3...

romeo-1

romeo-1

Joined
Jan 17, 2015
Messages
61
I know that I am new to Spyderco but I cannot for the life of me see the overwhelming appeal for the Para 3. To me it just looks like an unfinished PM2 with a blade that is too small for the knife. I'm not trying to flame (too new for that :D) so maybe I'm missing something. Is it the smaller size that appeals to the edc enthusiast or is it simply the novelty of a new model. I know that different things appeal to different people but this offering seems universally loved.

I do have a PM2 and absolutely love that to the extent that I am no longer interested in carrying anything else...except maybe a Tasman...which is on order!
 
Hi Romeo,

Welcome to our forum.

There is large market that prefer's knives with blade lengths of 3" (or less). As a knife gets smaller, the ergos of the handle for purchase, safety and control become more challenging to design. The Para 3 evolved to meet those preferences.

sal
 
Your not alone! The blade to handle ration is terrible imo. If they make a PM2/3 without the useless edge eating choil count me in for 2!
Having said that I'm clearly in the minority, it's spydercos best selling pattern for a reason!
 
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Sal Glesser said:
Handle to blade ratio is a looks thing, not a performance thing.

sal
Click to expand...

It sure is! If everyone liked the same exact knife that wouldn't be any fun now would it?
Let us know when you fix the advocate so I can buy 1!
 
I love the choil. It gives you extra to hold on to. If I wanted more blade length, I'd just grab a PM2.

If the para3 is how I expect it to be, it will still have a whole hand grip with solid enough construction, and non-metal slabs that don't feel bad in the cold.

It's exactly what I've been trying to find when I want something smaller than the Manix2 or PM2

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
I primarily carried the PM2 or Yo2 for years, but now I have the Para 3 and it will get a lot of pocket time. For my job, where I wear dress pants, a smaller knife is better. Also, the 3 inch blade is legal in more places. I actually find I prefer the ergos of the Para 3, as I have small/medium hands. It seems to perform just as well as its larger brethren. I'm ready for some sprint runs!
 
I have carried spydies so long that I dont buy knives anymore that DONT have choils. IMO it just makes for a better tool when you have to use it as such. Thanks for making the PM3 Mr.Glesser, it is a winner.
 
"Built for the hand, not the eye."
But my eight eyes like the look of the Spyderco folder.
rolf
 
I'm a person that thinks a lot of spydercos look pretty awful. However, they tend to have some of he best in hand feel of any knife available, IMO. If it's not your thing, great. Maybe look at the sage (sage 5 has compression lock for more direct comparison) instead that has a little more sex appeal but reduced ergonomic handle. It's comfortable but not as comfortable. Some people pay for different things. Sometimes you pay for looks, sometimes you pay for durability, sometimes you pay for function, sometimes you pay extra and try to get it all. Spyderco does the durability and function well and if you pay a little extra you get good looking knives too (broad generalization, of course).

The para3 is legal for me to carry and the para2 isn't, makes the choice easy if i want to carry a para.
 
I get that it's a great option if it is not legal to carry a blade over 3" but the fact that it is 3.4oz and my pm2 is 3.75 doesn't make me wan to carry it to save so little on weight. Had this been the same weight as a mini grip 2.75, shaving an ounce I'd be in for one...
 
The only thing I don't like about the Para 3 is where the lanyard hole is and the pocket clip. I like the deep carry wire clips and I wish the Para 3 would have come with one. Other than that I like it and will still be patiently waiting on one in carbon fiber.
 
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Big demand for 3 inch blade and 4 inch handle knives, and the great features of the para 2 translate well to that size.

At a more economical version of something similar, a lockback version of the UK pen knife at around 2 oz would be great. Light weight, wire clip, finger choil, simple and effective lock, made in USA. It would probably be a great seller at $45- $50 street price. Poor man's para 3.
 
I personally feel that the smaller knives tend to benefit from having an index finger choil. I may be wrong but it appears to me that they were designed to always be held with the index fnger in the choil. It gives you a small knife with a full 4 finger grip, that places the cutting edge within a few milimeters of your index finger. This gives you a strong purchase on the knife, very good control over a relatively small knife and allows a sizable amount of force to be applied to the cut. I almost want to say that if you are holding it and not using the choil then you are doing it wrong. There is a reason that the para 3, Native, sage, chaparral, Urban, UKPK, roadie, and a whole lot more are designed with that choil.

On big knives the choil allows you to turn it into a smaller knife for more control.

Maybe Sal will confirm or correct me here. It would be interesting to hear his intent with that design feature
 
I have really large hands so I appreciate that my Native has a handle that I can get 4 fingers on without having a blade length of 4 inches. I don't always want to carry a large knife and when I don't I like to have a full grip if possible. Para 3 is in bound for me; I think the Para 2 is fine the way it is. I'm not one of the people that wanted a smaller knife but I like it enough to buy the 3 for office use or something.

Spyderco = Pure Performance.
 
I think the Para 3 looks great! I like larger knives and I can carry them here in Indiana. So that being said, I'm not in a big hurry to get a Para 3.
 
OP, I know you are just seeking to understand and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. To me, I think it just boils down to some folks like cake, others prefer pie. It really is all good. :) There's an old saying that in part says, "You can't please all of the people all of the time." IMO, Spyderco sure tries to though.
 
romeo-1 said:
I know that I am new to Spyderco but I cannot for the life of me see the overwhelming appeal for the Para 3. To me it just looks like an unfinished PM2 with a blade that is too small for the knife. I'm not trying to flame (too new for that :D) so maybe I'm missing something. Is it the smaller size that appeals to the edc enthusiast or is it simply the novelty of a new model. I know that different things appeal to different people but this offering seems universally loved.

I do have a PM2 and absolutely love that to the extent that I am no longer interested in carrying anything else...except maybe a Tasman...which is on order!
Click to expand...

You don't have to "get" it. And, while it may appear to be "universally loved" on this forum, that's not quite true and I severely doubt it will be even "widely loved" by the general knife buying public. I know I have no love for it, but then I've never understood the appeal of the PM1 or PM2 either. For my money, all three have overly thick blades, overly bulky handles, and wrong handed locks.
 
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