Been waiting a long time and finally got my Paramilitary 2. I wanted the tip up option mainly. I have the original and love it but I don't pocket carry often because of the tip down configuration. When I first opened the box my reaction was "AWESOME". The knife is very well made, pivots a little better than my Paramilitary 1, and the lock snaps into place with a much nicer, more positive click. No blade play whatsoever and the blade is absolutely dead center aligned. I am very happy.
Then I start looking more closely and I find that the edge itself is not very good. It was not nearly as sharp as I would like and it was very uneven...maybe the worst edge I have seen on a Spyderco! The initial buzz was kind of killed right there.
So I break out the Sharpmaker to see if I cannot mitigate this unhappy situation. I could not. I have heard a lot about S30V being hard to sharpen and, given the full-fledged reprofile job this thing needed, there was no way the Sharpmaker was going to get the job done. I gave it hell but the steel was too hard and the edge just too far off spec.
Well now I am resigned to pulling out the stops and making this thing right. I like the Sharpmaker for touch ups but for serious work I free hand. I have a set of high-end diamond plates and it was time to bring them to bear on CPM S30V...my first attempt at really going after this steel. Up until now, it's all been 1095, VG-10, and 12c27.
Well I could tell I was dealing with a different animal here all right but, quite honestly, the diamonds really did the trick. I was impressed with the minute burr that I raised. S30V is turning out to be easier to work with than I had feared. But it took awhile as I was determined to completely reprofile this edge and be patient doing it.
Well I am glad I did it all. I now have, by my calculations a 27.5 degree inclusive edge on there (give or take), I stropped it with green compound on my bench strop until the edge gleams and it now has probably the prettiest edge of any of my Spydercos. Couple that with the superb condition of the rest of the knife, I am very pleased. CPM S30V was a joy to sharpen if a bit more time consuming and it took a phenomenal edge.
As to tip up vs. down. I finally figured out the whole thing and I see the value of both. If you front pocket clip at 2:45...you know, right on the seam, then tip up is perfectly safe and way more comfortable as you hand goes in and out of the pocked along the smooth back of the knife. Any other carry scheme and you are asking for trouble carrying tip up. If that blade slips out a little bit, you can put your hand straight down into the teeth of the thing and easily injure yourself badly. So I carry my Paramilitary 1, my Military, and my Ontario Rat Model 1 in coat pockets or clipped on gear...tip down. And I've got my Paramilitary 2, my Enduras, and my Delicas for pocket carry tip up.
Then I start looking more closely and I find that the edge itself is not very good. It was not nearly as sharp as I would like and it was very uneven...maybe the worst edge I have seen on a Spyderco! The initial buzz was kind of killed right there.
So I break out the Sharpmaker to see if I cannot mitigate this unhappy situation. I could not. I have heard a lot about S30V being hard to sharpen and, given the full-fledged reprofile job this thing needed, there was no way the Sharpmaker was going to get the job done. I gave it hell but the steel was too hard and the edge just too far off spec.
Well now I am resigned to pulling out the stops and making this thing right. I like the Sharpmaker for touch ups but for serious work I free hand. I have a set of high-end diamond plates and it was time to bring them to bear on CPM S30V...my first attempt at really going after this steel. Up until now, it's all been 1095, VG-10, and 12c27.
Well I could tell I was dealing with a different animal here all right but, quite honestly, the diamonds really did the trick. I was impressed with the minute burr that I raised. S30V is turning out to be easier to work with than I had feared. But it took awhile as I was determined to completely reprofile this edge and be patient doing it.
Well I am glad I did it all. I now have, by my calculations a 27.5 degree inclusive edge on there (give or take), I stropped it with green compound on my bench strop until the edge gleams and it now has probably the prettiest edge of any of my Spydercos. Couple that with the superb condition of the rest of the knife, I am very pleased. CPM S30V was a joy to sharpen if a bit more time consuming and it took a phenomenal edge.
As to tip up vs. down. I finally figured out the whole thing and I see the value of both. If you front pocket clip at 2:45...you know, right on the seam, then tip up is perfectly safe and way more comfortable as you hand goes in and out of the pocked along the smooth back of the knife. Any other carry scheme and you are asking for trouble carrying tip up. If that blade slips out a little bit, you can put your hand straight down into the teeth of the thing and easily injure yourself badly. So I carry my Paramilitary 1, my Military, and my Ontario Rat Model 1 in coat pockets or clipped on gear...tip down. And I've got my Paramilitary 2, my Enduras, and my Delicas for pocket carry tip up.
