Military and Paramilitary gravity knife question

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d2k5000

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Nov 3, 2012
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I live in Oregon, and I was wondering how easily the G10 Military and the Paramilitary II could be opened through flicking the wrist without touching the blade. I was concerned that these knives could be considered gravity knives. If the compression lock on the Para were held down, could the blade be flicked open without touching the blade? Also, could the problem be solved by tightening the pivot screws on the knives? I am guessing that a lock-back design like the Police 3 would not have this issue, but I love the look of the Military and Paramilitary II.

I would appreciate any insights on the matter.
 
I am in Canada so we also have to worry about gravity knives and I have both. My paramilitary 2 cannot be opened even once with a flick. The military can. So I have the pivot so tight that the knife just isn't fun anymore. I actually had a titanium Millie and sent it back because the detent was what to loose. Then the g10 one that i got it replaced with was the same issue of being able to flick it. I guess it's just hard to keep the extra blade of the Millie contained. Para 2 is definitely my fav pocket knife in my collection if anybody else has a different experience I would like to know. I don't think my knife is defective but if no one else is having this problem, I'll have to send it in
 
My Millie and PM2 both can be opened with wrist movement as they are. It's important to note, though, that the Military can be tightened down as needed so that it can't be wrist flicked open, but the PM2 with its pivot bushing removes that option unless you're willing to file down the bushing.
 
on my pm2 I can flick it out holding onto the handle w/o depressing the lock. It comes out pretty easy if ya put some ass into it.
 
d2k5000 said:
If the compression lock on the Para were held down, could the blade be flicked open without touching the blade? .
Click to expand...
Very easily yes.
Police 3 is much stiffer. One of the harder models to flick without wrist movement.
 
I have a brown PM2, and I cannot for the life of me, flick that thing open. If you get one and it's a problem, just tighten the pivot to where it is hard to open.
 
The pivot on the Para2 is similar to the pivot on the Sebenza. Tightening the pivot all the way will not (should not) create increase the difficulty in opening. It's more of a bushing system than a traditional pivot. I own around different Para2s and they are all the same, the pivots are tightened all the way and the blade is held by a detent ball and hole on the blade. Same gos for other Spyderco models, Manix2, Manix XL, Yojimbo.

The Military on the other hand, has a traditional pivot system. Tightening the screw will increase the tension, thus making it harder to open. On the Police models, the locking mechanism contributes to the "stiffness" in opening. Most lockback style knives have a more pronounced resistence when opening. It's the nature of the design. Liner locks/compression locks are easier to open than lockbacks.
 
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yep--just tried flicking my para2 open... no go; this is after I tightened (w/blue loctite) the pivot all the way down last week... [and if my damn computer auto-corrects loctite to lactate one more damn time I am throwing it out the window...]
 
if you hold down the lock on any knife you can pretty much swing it open, right? its just not physically possible to do on things like frame locks and most backlocks. For those who say you can't whip/fling open a Para2, try this. use a pinch grip holding the knife tip up and flick downward, the key is quickly stopping the motion of your hand. if you can't do it then try holding out your other palm and smacking your forearm into it as you try to open the knife.
all of these "gravity knife" "one hand opening" laws are crap. it depends on the skill and knowledge of the user. I can draw and one hand open a SAK pretty quickly.
 
:confused: How often do the police stop you and ask to check out your knife? My endura4 is a lock-back and if I press on the lock I can swing it out without touching the blade but I wouldn't consider it a "gravity knife". I remember seeing a vid on youtube of a para2 being opened in just that manner, but again not a "gravity knife". Don't deploy your knives like that in front of the police and maybe it shouldn't be a problem?
 
Keep in mind, the law can be interpreted to varying degrees from one LEO to the next. No all law enforcement officers are knife experts or knife nuts.
 
Thanks for the quick replies. This has got to be one of the most responsive forums I have ever visited.
 
I'm also from Oregon, and if you read the specific law in oregon, just about any knife is legal as long as its not concealed (like clipped in pocket instead of all the way down in pocket) including OTFs, remember Benchmade is based in Oregon City, and axis lock knives are super easy to flick open in general. I've carried a pocket knife from the time I was 8 or so until 22 when I moved down to Utah and never had any trouble, my uncle and grandfather are the same, (my uncle is friends with two cops, one is a motorcycle cop and has a reputation in our home town as a real stickler, and I'm sure he would have let him or I know if we were doing anything wrong, with a ticket probably)
 
I think that all of my compression lock Spydies are REALLY easy to flick open if you hold the lock open. Basically it releases ALL of the tension on the blade, and if you have a well oiled pivot, the blade just swings freely. Although, the same can be said for my bolt lock and ball lock Spydies as well.
 
OK Zarquon... it was awkward but I did it--I stand corrected. Doing the same (holding 'open the lock') with BM's axis, especially on my 15020, works a lot better however--but that is the nature of the thing.
 
One of the main concerns with gravity knives is when importing or shipping them, if customs decides to check the knives they can confiscate then if they deem them to be gravity knives or what not.
 
Could you all just google "gravity knife"? Does any of the knives shown in the google result look any similar like a spyderco military or paramilitary? -No!!! A gravity knife is a complete different type of knife than a one hand folder. I can't believe that people still think they can change the type of knife by loosening or tightening the pivot. Tight pivot=legal, loose pivot= bad gravity knife WTF??? Come on...
 
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