On a new Para Military 2: should the 'bevel edges' look the same on both sides?

C

chambelona59

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May 4, 2012
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I wanted to experience what all the accolades were about and last week I received my Para Military 2 after a 4 or 5 month pre-order (waiting to be re-stocked) period.
I paid $109.00 total for it and feel happy about that price.
However upon close inspection of the blade... I clearly see that the 'bevel edge' on the left side is larger than on the right side.
I'm sure it has no bearing on cutting/slicing ability and is to my eye simply aesthetic.
I'm just curious as to whether this is commonly found on them or has anyone else experienced the same thing?

Left side 2mm's at the widest:

Left-widebevel.jpg


Right side 1mm at the widest:

Right-narrowbevel.jpg
 
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They're sharpened by hand, so obviously there can be some variance in the bevel. Yours does look a bit more uneven then most, but like you said, it really won't have too much effect on performance. If I were you if its a user I'd just reprofile it and even up the bevel. I don't take too much stock in the factory edge since I reprofile new knives immediately after opening the box.
 
These are sharpened by hand, probably not uncommon. I've owned two PM2's, never bothered to measure but both were scary sharp. An astute observation but I think you're splitting hairs here.
 
Thanks, I'm just simply curious if anyone else had noticed the same on theirs.
No big deal... it's very sharp regardless.
Perhaps the Spyderco employee who did the bevels/profiles had just come back from an afternoon lunch time nap? LoL
 
I'd be a little irritated. I must be spoiled because none of my Spyderco knives have come like that and even though I have an edge pro I prefer to keep the factory edge as long as possible.

Just me though.
 
As long as it cuts ok, I wouldn't worry about it. Eventually you'll probably reprofile your edge and that will even the sides up. If you're more concerned about the investment value, you might ask your dealer for an exchange.
 
I have always been under the impression that the "factory edge" was simply there as a "courtesy".

Like when you buy a pair of sneakers. They supply the shoe strings, but they don't lace the shoe for you.

They assume that you know how to lace up the shoe.

In the case of a Knife company. They MUST supply an edge of reasonable sharpness so people will buy their knives. (Who would buy a sneaker that came with no laces?)

I am fairly certain that they all know we are going to put our OWN edges on them.

They are simply supplying the shoe laces. You must lace the shoe yourself. ;)
 
Strigamort said:
I'd be a little irritated. I must be spoiled because none of my Spyderco knives have come like that and even though I have an edge pro I prefer to keep the factory edge as long as possible.

Just me though.
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This is my feeling exactly. Part of the reason we pay for the $100+ knives is for quality and perfection. Mine doesn't look like this and I feel quality control should have caught it. This would be a factory 2nd at say Kershaws warehouse sale. I would find out if you can exchange it for another knife. If you bought it from a reputable dealer like Blade HQ or one of the many other great dealers on this forum then I'm sure they would be more than willing to help you out and exchange it.
 
jkulysses said:
This is my feeling exactly. Part of the reason we pay for the $100+ knives is for quality and perfection. Mine doesn't look like this and I feel quality control should have caught it.
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I don't think it's that bad; I've seen worse on $200+ knives.

To the OP, if you are going to nitpick on things like this, then you are probably going to need to shell out a few more Benjamins to find a price point at which things are going to be acceptable to you. I'd also recommend not looking at the inside liners on your Para2.
 
I've had 8 para2's. I would say it's common, but not really a big issue. When the factory edge gets dull I'd make a little effort to even them up.
 
It's common for Golden factory's edge grinds to be amateurish, but it's uncommon for it to be as bad as yours.

I'd send it back to the seller. It's a $110 pocket knife, not a $5 McDonalds combo. Clearly that edge was put on by someone with no fingers, then quality checked by someone with no sight. To have 'Made in Golden Colorado, USA, Earth' on that blade is practically an insult.
 
Cynic2701 said:
I don't think it's that bad; I've seen worse on $200+ knives.

To the OP, if you are going to nitpick on things like this, then you are probably going to need to shell out a few more Benjamins to find a price point at which things are going to be acceptable to you. I'd also recommend not looking at the inside liners on your Para2.
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Agree with it not being bad. It's a bit nit picky.

What's wrong with your liners? I've had mine apart and was pretty impressed with the level of finish on them. Although I think the Taichung production in general is miles ahead of Golden, there seems to be a better finish on the Para's liners than on Taichung knives with their rough brushed (satin) finish.
 
I had the same thing happen on my Resilience, but it was sharper even with this flaw than many of my other new knives with perfectly even bevels. Not a problem for me, since I buy my knives to cut with. And now that it's been used and the edge resharpened a few times it's hardly noticeable. They will balance out over time even if you don't do a full reprofile.

If you're a collector, then see what the dealer will do or see if Spyderco will exchange. They might. And if they don't you can sell on the exchange (paras are hot and scarce) and stay in the hunt or hold on to it until you find one with a better bevel and then unload or use your spare.
 
The production staff in Golden are probably being chained to their work benches trying to keep up with demand and you complain about about how even the primary bevel is?
I think that Spyderco should raise their prices to bring them into line with the demand for their product and then those folks could slow down and make things perfect for us.
 
kreole said:
Agree with it not being bad. It's a bit nit picky.

What's wrong with your liners? I've had mine apart and was pretty impressed with the level of finish on them. Although I think the Taichung production in general is miles ahead of Golden, there seems to be a better finish on the Para's liners than on Taichung knives with their rough brushed (satin) finish.
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I'm talking about the notches that are created during the machining process.
 
I just got my LE para and I'd say the grinds were very close to that bad especially near the tip. However I'm under the same impression as rudge that a factory edge is only there as a courtesy so the knife can be used immediately.
 
Even though the edge will cut just fine, I think it is a small deal, but I wouldn't return it. I rarely see factory edges that are perfect. Even on some $500 custom knives, I've gotten worse edges than that. If customers demand perfection in every aspect of a $100 knife, prices will rise quickly.

If you're going to use a Sharpmaker to sharpen that blade, you'll have trouble getting a sharp, lasting edge.

I always reprofile all my blades, just so I'm starting with a clean, symmetrical edge. I like to use the Sharpmaker for quick touch ups, and the Sharpmaker needs edges to match the stone angles.

The ability to reprofile an edge relatively easily is a critical part of serious knife use.
 
Considering the supply and demand for that knife I wouldn't consider returning it. Personally I probably wouldn't return it anyway because I know that it will work fine as it is and eventually my sharpening will take care of it. I don't like the look of the grind on the 2mm side because it is narrower near the choil. Based on what I've heard about people that have bought Spyderco Blems I am surprised that they let that one out as a standard production. But it will still work for you and when you sharpen it you can just do more strokes on the side with the narrower grind until they eventually even out.
 
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