- Joined
- May 23, 2004
- Messages
- 1,175
Received my first Spyderco last week, a Paramilitary plain edge, and thought I would post some comments. Firstly, as I live in Perth, Western Australia, there are no knife shops that supply any quality new model knives, making it impossible to handle and view before buying, thus all my decisions come from the info I can gain from forums and manufacturers web sites. I purchase my cutlery, online from the USA and have received excellent service. After reading so many good reviews about Spyderco products, I decided to find out first hand.
The Para has exceeded my expectations in many ways, it is ergonomically the best knife I own, fits my hand perfectly, the G10 scales are very grippy, and it is build for cutting and slicing, not for sitting in a glass cabinet. My knives are for using, not for fashion, and the Para is a fair dinkum worker.
The flat ground blade was razor sharp from the box, the first knife I have owned that didnt require sharpening before use. The Al Mars and Benchmades I own, although great tools, required a bit of work to bring them up to a sharpness level that I like to carry. The blade shape, grooved thumb ramp and of course the trademark hole all flow together, making this a performance tool.
The blade action was a little stiff from the box, but a drop of oil and half an hour of opening and closing has amended this ( most new knives I have owned required this attention ), and will now smoothly open and close, one handed. There is no blade play in any direction and the lockup is solid, the compression lock system is simple, effective and innovative.
The overall fit and finish is spot on, once folded, the blade centres perfectly. My only minor complaint is the pocket clip, the edges are not finished well and are quite sharp. Its a little ironic, I have carried and used this extremely sharp precision build knife in my pocket for a week, but cut my thumb on the pocket clip. I am not sure that NG includes the bandaids with every purchase with this in mind.
I look forward to adding some other Spydies to my collection in the near future.
The Para has exceeded my expectations in many ways, it is ergonomically the best knife I own, fits my hand perfectly, the G10 scales are very grippy, and it is build for cutting and slicing, not for sitting in a glass cabinet. My knives are for using, not for fashion, and the Para is a fair dinkum worker.
The flat ground blade was razor sharp from the box, the first knife I have owned that didnt require sharpening before use. The Al Mars and Benchmades I own, although great tools, required a bit of work to bring them up to a sharpness level that I like to carry. The blade shape, grooved thumb ramp and of course the trademark hole all flow together, making this a performance tool.
The blade action was a little stiff from the box, but a drop of oil and half an hour of opening and closing has amended this ( most new knives I have owned required this attention ), and will now smoothly open and close, one handed. There is no blade play in any direction and the lockup is solid, the compression lock system is simple, effective and innovative.
The overall fit and finish is spot on, once folded, the blade centres perfectly. My only minor complaint is the pocket clip, the edges are not finished well and are quite sharp. Its a little ironic, I have carried and used this extremely sharp precision build knife in my pocket for a week, but cut my thumb on the pocket clip. I am not sure that NG includes the bandaids with every purchase with this in mind.
I look forward to adding some other Spydies to my collection in the near future.
So far my Para hasn't bit me yet. I took the black clip off and traded it with the shiny stainless clip from my Military. I like the looks of the shiny stainless better. The paramilitary has become my permanent EDC, and, as you said, "The Para has exceeded my expectations in many ways, it is ergonomically the best knife I own, fits my hand perfectly, the G10 scales are very grippy, and it is build for cutting and slicing, not for sitting in a glass cabinet."