My Military wishes!

Military is a great knife but why not make it better?
So, I agree to keep it light and srong, and visually close to the present model.
Don't lose the tip! Deeper or longer finger choil is ok but if it remains the same I have no problem with that. New lock would bee excellent. One that would make it stronger and ambidextrous, and easy to flick open.
Tip-up carry is also improvement, and maby removable wave (like p'kal).
More strenght in the handle and that's it!
Those are my wishes.
 
A little bit longer blade to utilize the length of the handle.

And something like this (not my pic or knife :():

military_backspacer1.jpg
 
A.P.F. said:
It seems to me that the Military is to Spyderco, as the 110 is to Buck. Both are well proven designs that continue to sell as is. Buck have learned not to mess with a good thing and their 'bread & butter' 110 has stayed the same for many years now. I can't help but question whether or not any substantive changes to the Military would be for the best. Play with steel types and scale colors, but be careful not to 'fix it if it ain't broke'.
Click to expand...

+1!!!

There are threads like this all the time and so many responses are something like:

I love the Endura, make it into an Endura.
I love the Manix, make it into a Manix.
etc etc

The Mili is a Mili. Many of us love it just the way it is. Yes, different steels. Yes, different colors. Keep everything else.

I'm sure the leftie thing is an issue, just not to me.
The handle is great
The lock is great
The blade (inc. tip) is great
The carry is great

Yeah, I know, it's redundant, I already said I love it.

One model per year in a different color and steel gives this knife an unlimited lifespan IMO.

Sal's innovations are amazing but I'd rather see them in new offerings.

My .02

Ken
 
A.P.F. said:
It seems to me that the Military is to Spyderco, as the 110 is to Buck. Both are well proven designs that continue to sell as is. Buck have learned not to mess with a good thing and their 'bread & butter' 110 has stayed the same for many years now. I can't help but question whether or not any substantive changes to the Military would be for the best. Play with steel types and scale colors, but be careful not to 'fix it if it ain't broke'.
Click to expand...

Excellent idea. I just saw the 'build your own' 110 on Buck's website a few days ago. That might be the best idea for the Millie and I would almost certainly use a feature like that, but I would guess that if that were possible, we would have a large outcry for the ability to do that for Delicas and Enduras as well. I'm sure a custom section for Spyderco would have a steady and loyal following, and I bet it's even been discussed at Spyderco. But then do you lose exclusivity with sprint runs, or do you do sprint runs at all, because what would be the point if you could order a knife any way you want it? Most important, is it cost effective and profitable?
Just thinking out loud. I'm sure there are several points to this I haven't even thought of.

Back to the original question though :D. I have the BG 42 and the S30V Millie, perhaps a ZDP version or other steels would be of interest. Most people have said it about the tip already, leave it the way it is. If you want it larger, there are enough posts in this forum on how people got it that way, follow their lead.

Happy New Year

Rik
 
to me, the best looking millie would be a black M4 blade + an orange G10 handle (like the one on the new UKPK)
 
Sal - please do not change the tip!! I would like to see a smoother carbon fiber handle similar to the Caly 3, however, I'll take anything you put out in the Millie.
 
I still want to see how S3V in a Millie blade would work out.
You could keep the same bladeshape and thickness but the point especially would benefit from the increased toughness this steel seems to offer.
Maybe Jerry Hossom can chime in to tell us about it's edgeholding.
He also uses a special etching formula which helps to keep rust at bay.

Furthermore;

- A pivot bushing (just like the Sebenza)
-Wider washers to handle lateral forces better
-An integrated caged ball-lock/backspacer.
This would strengthen the construction as a whole, while at the same time eliminating a part to make.
 
The Millie is a great knife as is (obviously). Things I'd like to see that would make it just that much nicer for me:

Smoother G10 (can be easily fixed at home anyway) different colors would be nice.
Compression lock
G10 or CF back spacer
Tip up carry

The tip is fine as is. If it were to change in a way similar to the Endura or Delica, that would be fine, too. That would make sense. That particular change would improve functionality, to the detriment of aesthetics. But Spyderco knives are not really about being pretty, are they? You'll hear no end of bellyaching from folks on the forums about it. That's a no win situation- if you don't change it, people will complain when they break it. If it does change, people will complain about how much better it was before.
 
Definitely need a southpaw option for the military and/or paramilitary - until then the Mini-Rukus remains in my pocket......
 
I am right handed but I open my millie left handed, not as smooth as with the right hand but I do it. I know the pocket clip is an issue, but if it was made to be able to change positions, would that be enough to solve the left handed problem?

RickJ
 
The only reason I haven't purchased a Military to this date is because it has a liner lock. It is an excellent design except for the lock to me. That's not to say it couldn't be improved.

A high carbon tool steel blade (M4, 52100 or S3V depending upon your manufacturing sources and processes) coupled with a more refined handle since the liner lock isn't there (yes, it does need to be tapered a bit more, but it could be the same depth since the lock wouldn't be in the way; that would mean the rear could be refined a bit more too since the taper would change the angles and depth a bit-- similar lines, but a tad more sophisticated), and that would provide a nicely updated and brutally effective cutter that would maintain sharpness for quite some time while having high strength. For those who shy away from blades that aren't stainless, a coating could be provided on the blade to inhibit rust and corrosion.

If this would be a limited run, I'd change the handle color, too.

I've looked at having a similar design manufactured myself to be sold (the blade profile was different than the Military), but realized I didn't have the means to fully capitalize the project. I think it could be huge with the proper marketing.
 
Ball lock sounds good.In vg-10 s30v or zdp.G-10 handle, maybe a new texture would be nice for a change.And shorten the handle 3/4''.The tip is just fine it's not a pry bar or a screw driver.:D:D:thumbup::)
 
Sal Glesser said:
While we're on the subject. We're planning an upgrade on the Military. We know that the customers would like an ambi slip, a slightly smaller lock release well, maybe a deeper or more defined finger choil.

We know to keep it light and strong.

We'll more than likely experiment with some new lock (ball-cage or stop-lock).

What about the tip? We finally had to change the tip of our Endura's and Delica's due to tip breakage. Some complain about the tip on the Military being too fine. Whatchathink?

sal
Click to expand...

The Military is my favorite folder from a performance and ergonomic standpoint. I think a knife of this caliber needs something better than a liner lock. An ambi clip would be great.

I think that the tip on the Military is fine as is. I prefer a needle like tip on my knives. I was actually a little disappointed with the tip change to the Delica and Endura.
 
I love my CPM D-2 Millie pretty much "as is."

But I would buy a new one in a heartbeat if I could get it in CPM M-4 or S90V. Or even in S3V.
 
I had to resharpen my D2 Millie last night, put a very good edge on it, still shaving my legs.

I guess what I have been trying to say on this thread is, as long as the changes are kinda hidden, in other words the knife look, feel and weight doesn't change than I am good with them. I have stated this before, I think you can get more strength with the same weight if you slim down the slabs and add full titanium liners. The size, shape and weight would be the same but the overall knife should be stronger.

RickJ
 
I just sent in a Military to Spyderco (with money for the repairs, if they can be done)that is a few years old that was thoroughly beaten on by Cliff Stamp in testing. It was batoned and chopped until the liner lock broke and basically turned the knife into a fixed blade, as it requires a screw driver to move the lockbar in order to close the blade. The G-10 handle slabs, which appear thinner than the slabs on my CPM D2 model, show no signs of damage, so I highly doubt strength is a problem with the linerless handles. I'm surprised that the lock held up so well under all of that abuse, as it took a lot of beating on it for the lock to finally go. The blade is scratched but otherwise unharmed and performs very well. Hopefully Spyderco can repair it, if not I will have STR make a new liner lock for it, and STR says it will be a pain if he has to make one. The customer service rep (who I told the knife had been abused) that I spoke with said that if the knife is new enough they may be able to fix it, so my fingers are crossed.

Mike
 
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