About a month back I got my second ever high-end folder, the Spyderco Military. I was planning to post a review of it immediately, but it happened to arrive in the middle of exams (arrrgh!) and so I tried not to distract myself more than I already had. 
The road to the Millie was a long one. I had been turned on to Spyderco knives in a rather odd way (started with staring at cheap autos, then ogling at bali's, hearing about the SpyderFly then picking up a Delica4). If some of you remember I posted a thread waaay back about getting a large folder. Some of the other contestants were the Manix 2 (not really large but ohwell...) Benchmade 710, Kershaw SG2 Junkyard Dog. I got lots of votes for the Millie, so I put in an order on the bay, and it arrived at my doorstep two weeks later, with no mishaps at customs or anything.
First impressions?
I recall being all like "oh wow!" at the knife. I've never tried G-10 before, and the handles were both bright orange and very grippy. The knife felt very lightweight, and the blade shape is very nice.
After using?
The pivot screw is a torx bit, but I received it so stripped from the previous owner that the Torx bits couldn't fit and I needed a hex bit to adjust it. The knife starts out a little stiff to open, but it smooths out wonderfully after a week. It carries very light in the pocket when clipped. The detent on the blade is not very strong. The knife can't be flicked open, but when it's jerked around or dropped, the blade will come open. Carrying it tip down solves this problem for the most part.
The nested liner lock is extremely secure, and both looks and works nicer than most others I've tried. I can open it easily even left-handed after some practice. The handles are secure even when wet and cold (I was both during a hike yesterday) and the blade opens easily because of that large hole. There is a very generous amount of handle, which is comfortable in most grips. The choil also allows choking up for more delicate work, such as can be achieved with a 4-inch blade.
The knife isn't at all the best choice for carrying in public. There's a large chunk of orange G10 sticking out of the pocket when clipped; although this facilitates easy drawing, especially when cold, it's not the most discreet. The knife is big and scary-the blade hole looks like an eye according to my friends. Even bright orange isn't enough to make it NKP friendly. I do doubt that this was the intended purpose of the Military though
The blade itself is very nice. The stock is very thick, but the distal taper and relatively broad FFG blade allows for a thin edge with a nice chunk of steel at the spine. It came very sharp out of the box. The tip is needle-sharp and can be used to dig out splinters if you're careful. There is a decent curve to the blade for slicing too.
Other random things to say?
Orange G-10 ROCKS! What other colour can you drop in a field in the evening and still see from fifty feet? Certainly not digicamo...
The open construction and liner-lock makes for very easy cleaning. Just rinse out with water and leave open to dry. It can be full of grit and still clean out well. I saw a post that said "any debate between Benchmade and Spyderco begins and ends with the lock". I've never tried the AXIS lock (which I assume this post refers too) other than once or twice. For an EDC folder, I can certainly see why it would be superior (ambidexterity for one). However, if it's anything like the other "sliding" locks I've tried...it's very difficult to clean out when it's full of gunk. As an outdoor knife I tend to prefer simplicity.
Overall?
Very good cutting performance, great ergos, extremely NKP UNfriendly.
A very awesome knife, and I expect the Military 2 to be even more so.
Anyway, that's all for now I will try to add pics when I can.
The road to the Millie was a long one. I had been turned on to Spyderco knives in a rather odd way (started with staring at cheap autos, then ogling at bali's, hearing about the SpyderFly then picking up a Delica4). If some of you remember I posted a thread waaay back about getting a large folder. Some of the other contestants were the Manix 2 (not really large but ohwell...) Benchmade 710, Kershaw SG2 Junkyard Dog. I got lots of votes for the Millie, so I put in an order on the bay, and it arrived at my doorstep two weeks later, with no mishaps at customs or anything.
First impressions?
I recall being all like "oh wow!" at the knife. I've never tried G-10 before, and the handles were both bright orange and very grippy. The knife felt very lightweight, and the blade shape is very nice.
After using?
The pivot screw is a torx bit, but I received it so stripped from the previous owner that the Torx bits couldn't fit and I needed a hex bit to adjust it. The knife starts out a little stiff to open, but it smooths out wonderfully after a week. It carries very light in the pocket when clipped. The detent on the blade is not very strong. The knife can't be flicked open, but when it's jerked around or dropped, the blade will come open. Carrying it tip down solves this problem for the most part.
The nested liner lock is extremely secure, and both looks and works nicer than most others I've tried. I can open it easily even left-handed after some practice. The handles are secure even when wet and cold (I was both during a hike yesterday) and the blade opens easily because of that large hole. There is a very generous amount of handle, which is comfortable in most grips. The choil also allows choking up for more delicate work, such as can be achieved with a 4-inch blade.
The knife isn't at all the best choice for carrying in public. There's a large chunk of orange G10 sticking out of the pocket when clipped; although this facilitates easy drawing, especially when cold, it's not the most discreet. The knife is big and scary-the blade hole looks like an eye according to my friends. Even bright orange isn't enough to make it NKP friendly. I do doubt that this was the intended purpose of the Military though
The blade itself is very nice. The stock is very thick, but the distal taper and relatively broad FFG blade allows for a thin edge with a nice chunk of steel at the spine. It came very sharp out of the box. The tip is needle-sharp and can be used to dig out splinters if you're careful. There is a decent curve to the blade for slicing too.
Other random things to say?
Orange G-10 ROCKS! What other colour can you drop in a field in the evening and still see from fifty feet? Certainly not digicamo...
The open construction and liner-lock makes for very easy cleaning. Just rinse out with water and leave open to dry. It can be full of grit and still clean out well. I saw a post that said "any debate between Benchmade and Spyderco begins and ends with the lock". I've never tried the AXIS lock (which I assume this post refers too) other than once or twice. For an EDC folder, I can certainly see why it would be superior (ambidexterity for one). However, if it's anything like the other "sliding" locks I've tried...it's very difficult to clean out when it's full of gunk. As an outdoor knife I tend to prefer simplicity.
Overall?
Very good cutting performance, great ergos, extremely NKP UNfriendly.
A very awesome knife, and I expect the Military 2 to be even more so.
Anyway, that's all for now
I will try to add pics when I can.
Last edited:
