I finally broke down: Para 2.

[OpKey]

So, I skipped my initial idea of getting a Tenacious to dip my feet into the Spyderco water and just went ahead and bought the Para 2. This is my first Spyderco, and I must say....I love it. I am -very- impressed. I had heard of people getting them that weren't centered, sticky locks, etc and all those little problems and I was hoping for $100 bucks I wasn't going to get any of that. Well, I didn't. Blade is perfectly centered and all that good stuff. The lock is a little...odd. I wouldn't call it sticky, but there's a small "click" whenever I press it in after having the blade out. It's really no big deal, because I figure it will smooth out after I keep using it. I've been flicking this thing since I got it like 15 hours ago or so, and it's awesome. I originally didn't understand how people could say it felt perfect in the hand and all that, but now I do...It actually does feel perfect in the hand. I can't complain any about the ergonomics. When I first got the knife, I couldn't thumb flick it or anything like that because it was actually pretty stiff but as I keep flicking it out over and over it has smoothed out alot. I still can't flick it with my index finger, but I think it's getting there. Overall, the knife is truly amazing. I couldn't believe how perfect a knife could really be, but this is really the perfect EDC knife. I'm amazed. I really love it.

I did have -one- little problem. I bought the knife from KnifeCenter(I do believe it's ok to put their name here), and they are a really great company, I received the knife in just a couple days and of course got my free stuff with it. I've been looking over the knife for hours now and I couldn't find anything wrong with it till a few hours ago. I was using a cloth to wipe the blade off from my nasty fingerprints and I had noticed where toward the back of the blade(near the scales) that a small amount of fuzz from the cloth was building up. Upon further inspection, it seemed as though the blade had a small roll in it for about...half an inch or more. I tested it out on paper to make sure, and I'm pretty sure it is actually rolled. This isn't really a big deal for me, because I don't exactly use that part of the blade to cut much. I've been picking at it, and it looks like it's not there anymore, but I'm not sure. Do you guys think this is a big deal and I should contact KC or should I just live with it? I say live with it, because I don't have a dedicated sharpening system right now, so I can't just knock the roll off. Yes, that's right, I have no way of sharpening my knives right now. I'm not good at sharpening, and I've been using a whetstone for...years now so I'm not really sure what to purchase so I can start learning and not screw up my knives in the process. Could you guys possibly recommend something for me? I don't want to spend alot of money on a sharpening system, but I want to learn.

Either way, I just wanted to talk about my new knife and how impressed I was. I was once very anti-Spyderco. Very anti, and I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm now converted. Thanks to the Paramilitary 2.

Thanks, guys. Sorry for the rambling.

 

[harkinstritonnc]

Congratulations on the new knife, not sure what to think of the edge being rolled from the factory never really heard of anything like that before. As far as sharpeners go I would get the spyderco sharpmaker, its easy to use, pretty much fool proof and not very expensive and it will last a long time. Good luck let us know how it works out for you

 

[timberweasel]

Congrats on your Para 2! I'd also recommend the Spyderco Sharpmaker. If all else fails, the good folks at Spyderco would be happy to sharpen up your Para... just send it in! :thumbup:

 

[jwolf90]

Para2s are definately my favorite, I have 3 a reg black, a digicam and satin, and yesterday got my para2 s90v carbon fiber sprint in. That thing is wicked!! I have to say that for my edc needs the para2 cant be beat.:thumbup:

 

[Buffalohump]

I would not be happy receiving a brand new knife with a rolled edge. I would return it and ask for another one.

 

[vwb563]

A few strokes on a Sharpmaker would fix the edge problem. Sending a knife in for sharpening is a silly notion to me. If you are gonna own and use knives you have to learn to sharpen them. If you don't feel comfortable learning on your new para then pick up a cheaper knife say a Tenacious for example to learn on. You could send your knife in and receive it back sharpened then dull it again on the next cutting task you encounter. Then you would have to send it in again. The knife would spend more time in the mail than in your pocket having it sharpened this way. Why not buy a Sharpmaker and learn to do it yourself? A few minutes on the Sharpmaker and presto your knife is sharp and ready to go back into your pocket instead of back into the mail. Thats my advice anyway.

 

[timberweasel]

A few strokes on a Sharpmaker would fix the edge problem. Sending a knife in for sharpening is a silly notion to me. If you are gonna own and use knives you have to learn to sharpen them. If you don't feel comfortable learning on your new para then pick up a cheaper knife say a Tenacious for example to learn on. You could send your knife in and receive it back sharpened then dull it again on the next cutting task you encounter. Then you would have to send it in again. The knife would spend more time in the mail than in your pocket having it sharpened this way. Why not buy a Sharpmaker and learn to do it yourself? A few minutes on the Sharpmaker and presto your knife is sharp and ready to go back into your pocket instead of back into the mail. Thats my advice anyway.

While I agree with most of the above, I think it's reassuring to know that if you somehow manage to botch your own sharpening job, you can always send it in. I see it as an incentive to learn how to sharpen your knife yourself--you don't lose much by trying. Just my opinion...

 

[vwb563]

While I agree with most of the above, I think it's reassuring to know that if you somehow manage to botch your own sharpening job, you can always send it in. I see it as an incentive to learn how to sharpen your knife yourself--you don't lose much by trying. Just my opinion...

I understand what you are saying. It is good to know you have that option if needed. But that's not what I meant. I think it's silly to depend on this method for sharpening. I have sharpened my knives to a razor edge only to dull them before the day is over cutting something tough and resilient. I just can't see shipping my knives back and forth like that for a sharpening. As often as I manage to dull them mine would spend way too much time in the mail.

 

[OpKey]

Thanks, guys. I had no intention of sending the knife to be sharpened. I'd rather do it myself, and I don't like sending my stuff different places once I have them in my hand anyways. I don't even like to send my knives off for custom kydex or anything like that. So, yeah that's why I asked for a suggestion on the sharpening deal. I think I'm going to go with the Sharpmaker because I've heard alot of good stuff about it. I figure if I can get a pretty good edge with a little cheap whetstone freehand, then I should be able to work the Sharpmaker just fine.

I also agree with you about being able to send it in, though. That's awesome that they do that, even though I never would, it's great to have that option. Also, for an update on my rolled edge, I'm starting to think it's not actually rolled and perhaps there was just something hanging on the edge. I've been looking over it, now that I've used it on some stuff, and I can't seem to find the rolled spot. I think it just needs to be touched up toward the back of the blade, because it doesn't really cut well near that end. Not that I use that end much, but I did try it out just to see if it was sharp.

 

[Orion's Belt]

Is it definitely a roll or just a residual burr that may have slipped past? You could try stropping it on an old belt to remove the bit of burr if it is.