Para 2 first impression

bernard_s3

bernard_s3

Joined
Apr 15, 2011
Messages
576
So I finally got the Para 2... this was going to be titled "Para 2 disappoints" but after I got off work and had time to work on it it grew on me:D. First off I would think for $100 they're would be no blade play and the blade would be perfectly centered... nope. Had to fix both, then again not a huge deal after working it out. This knife feels really delicate, i'm by no means a heavy user so this isn't a problem. It is very light, and disappears in the pocket which is F-en awesome after carrying a Manix 2. The one hit I have to give Spyderco (and not specific to this knife), are they're edges and un-even grinds. Monday I picked up a blue ffg Delica, and it has kinda sloppy edge grinds, and isn't very sharp and the bottom of the cutting edge (a similar problem Sherman 614 had with his). Yesterday I got the Para 2. Guess what? The same deal, the grinds aren't even. I wish I had quality sharpening gear because then i'd touch it up. Other than that it's a pretty kick ass knife. I hate Spyderco for what they've done to me... and my bank account:rolleyes: The wife's not too happy either:barf:
 
Bad luck on those issues with your Para 2, but it's just that... bad luck, not common problems. All my Paras, including m Para 2, were perfect. No h/v bp, dead center blade, good even grinds, and "Spyderco sharp" (which means that they cut their own way out of the box when they arrived). I've had a total of 2 issues out of nearly a hundred new Spydercos over the years, so I'm pretty sure that you got bitten by an exception to the usual QC level.

Glad you were able to solve most of them yourself. Plenty of people on the forums can "adjust" the grinds to your likin' if you want to go that route.
 
That sucks. My Para 2 has no play in any direction, whatsoever. When I disengage the lock, the blade swings freely, yet there is 0 play thanks to the bushing-style pivot.

The blade does have a slight preference for the right side when closed, though, and the bevel grinds were slightly uneven with a microbevel that's larger than I like to see. It's still a great knife, though.
 
The one "problem" I've had with my Para 2 is the sticky lock. Besides that, it's been great. No play, PERFECT grinds and came exceptionally sharp. The factory edge is gone now, but it sharpened up really nicely.
 
Now I'm worried about getting my Para 2...This is the first time I've heard of any problems with blade play or blade centering on the Para 2, and now I'm a little worried about getting one or were I may be purchasing one from. The blade centering isn't a problem to me, but for a $100+ knife I would expect it to be centered. The blade play -is- something that's a problem. If it's got any blade play, then I'm going to be really upset with how much I paid for the knife. I know you're not allowed to post where you bought the knife from but I would really like to know so I don't buy from there. Thanks.
 
I recently bought 2 plain para 2s, both had side to side bladeplay, one had a lot but i stripped them both down and reassembled them, quite tricky to get the stop pin back in, looks like it was the bushings weren't sitting in the handle sides properly, both are fine now with just a little play, my favourite spyderco so far and i've had quite a few.
 
Both my Para 2's arrived with minor side to side blade play, but I tightened down the pivot screws tight and it seemed to fix it. The G10 model had to wear in a little as well before it was all gone.

And to anyone reading this concerned, the blade play that most of us see with this knife involves grasping the handle pretty tight and putting a decent amount of pressure on the tip of the blade. The play is NOT noticeable with use, and you really have to be trying to make the blade move to even notice it. If you didn't check for it, you wouldn't even know. I'd consider it a non-issue.
 
Well I pulled off one of the sides and oiled really well, and reassembled. I don't know what fixed it, but it operates much smoother, the play is gone and the centering is good. I have another in Digicam coming tomorrow just to see if I got a bad one. Ill post an update tomorrow of any issues with the new one
 
Glad you are starting to enjoy your Para 2. I have three of them. The digicam came out of the box with an uneven grind on the right side that I had to touch up. The black G10 had horizontal blade play, but adjusting the pivot fixed that. The CTS-20CP sprint run was the worst of them. Lots of horizontal blade play and a noticeably off-center blade. After tweaking them though, I will say that the Paramilitary 2 is easily in my top five favorite knives. I'm really glad that Spyderco used screw construction so we can make the necessary adjustments. It would be great if they came perfect from the factory, but at least most of us don't have to send them back.
 
00ChevyScott said:
Both my Para 2's arrived with minor side to side blade play, but I tightened down the pivot screws tight and it seemed to fix it. The G10 model had to wear in a little as well before it was all gone.

And to anyone reading this concerned, the blade play that most of us see with this knife involves grasping the handle pretty tight and putting a decent amount of pressure on the tip of the blade. The play is NOT noticeable with use, and you really have to be trying to make the blade move to even notice it. If you didn't check for it, you wouldn't even know. I'd consider it a non-issue.
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I have to add too that the blade play I was describing is only noticeable if you check for it. I didn't discover it through use. Only when I tried to move the blade did I notice it. I like my knives to lock up solid if at all possible and it really bothered me that there was any movement. No, it didn't affect the use of the knife, but it bothered me enough to mention it. :D
 
Ok finally UPS showed up with the Digicam and black blade Para2, and it's operation is nearly flawless. Minimal, very minimal side to side play (haven't adjusted it) and it swings freely when the compression lock is pressed. I guess the first one was just bad.
 
You should be able to adjust that so the side to side play completely goes away. Enjoy your new knife!
 
That is great to hear bernard. My para2 is about 3 months old now and still going strong (haven't had to touch the blade up yet). It is easily my favorite knife, hasn't left my pocket since I got it.

Mine came with a little side to side play, it wasn't really noticeable nor did it affect performance (only noticeable if you really grip the handle and then grab the tip and move it side to side); it never had nor has any horizontal play. It wasn't centered perfectly which didn't affect use either, just aesthetics. It's grind was perfect or at least perfect enough that my eyes can't tell if its off. Everything else about it was perfect: sharp, quick opening, great blade retention, blade swung freely if you press the lock, and the lock only took a few days to break in).

Now after a decent bit of use and adjusting it is a lot better, such an amazing knife and looks dead sexy. It is almost perfectly centered, everything that was great still is and although it still does have a bit of side to side blade play it isn't a big deal. All in all for $106 it was totally worth it and am thinking about getting another. :o
 
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