Paramilitary 2, BM Adamas, or ZT?

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DayWalkerSC400

Joined
Oct 20, 2012
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Hey everyone,

I am trying to curb my addiction by getting my latest fix and I was wondering on what everyone's thoughts were on these three knives: Benchmade Adamas, Spyderco Paramilitary 2, and any of the ZT knives. I understand that there are differences in steels and that the Benchmade is a really big folder; however, what are main differences or advantages/disadvantages are for each knife? To put it differently, which one would you get and why?

At first I was against the paramilitary 2 (the look of Spyderco blades kind of turns me off but I have never handled one and everyone here rants and raves about them so they can't be all bad) but after seeing stuff like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65rO8mETPdc and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zc7wesmuA4 it is hard not to think this knife is unstoppable and all around awesome.

I would be using the knife for outdoor activities and maybe some of the stuff you see in the videos (I know it is meant for cutting but I would like to know I am able to do it if I wanted/needed to). I have a feeling each of the above knives could do it all and it is probably a matter of preference. However, I like that the Paramilitary 2 is a little cheaper even though it is hard to find right now, but I can wait a little. On the flip side the BM and ZT look to have thicker blades and could perhaps due better when the world ends/in any random emergency survival situation. Thanks for the input people!
 
I'm new to this, but I'll give my two cents. I just got the new PM2 and a ZT0350. The PM2 takes up a little less space in the pocket but not much. The PM2 is much lighter in weight. The blade is a little thicker on the PM2 vs the ZT0350. I think just by looking and feeling (no actual testing) the ZT0350 would hold up better than the PM2 in outdoor activities. The ZT just seems to feel more solid. Maybe it's the weight and just the overall build quality. Looking around right now you can find them both at the same price of about $110. The ZT0350 is available now as opposed to waiting for the PM2.

Good luck with your decision.
Tim
 
The Adamas and the ZT line (aside from the 0350) are much larger, heavier, and beefier knives than the para2, but the para2 is a very stout knife in its own right. If you really think you'll be thumping on the knife hard, then I would go zt unless you really want an axis lock, but for general purpose utility knife work the para2 takes the cake. It has a very pointy tip for any impromptu field surgery you might have to do (think picking splinters...), a nice slice-y full flat grind that makes it an excellent cutter, and just thick enough blade stock to handle some minor abuse. The para2's compression lock is also top of the class and it's ergos make it extremely comfortable in extended use situations. In the end, you'll probably wind up with all 3,but starting with the para2 would be a wise decision in my opinion.
 
The Gayle Bradley is really a great knife, I prefer it to my Para 2 and zt 0551. I like the blade shape better than the Para 2 and it slices better than the zt 0551. M4 is really a great steel too and the fit and finish on the knife is really good.
 
I was going to say that the Gayle Bradley would be better than the PM2 for outdoor activities, and the Manix 2 XL would be better than both of them and would be a better comparison to the Adamas and many of the ZT's.
 
I have both the PM2 and a ZT0350, so I'll do a quick comparison.

Opening:
The combination of the comp lock and the new bushing pivot system on the PM2 is excellent. It takes almost no effort to flick and if you hold down the lock tab the blade swings super freely. That said if speed of opening is what you want the 0350 is hard to beat. With it clipped into the pocket I can reach my hand in to pull it out and my finger rests perfectly on the flipper, that way I can pull it out and open it without needing to change my grip even a little.

Blade:
Here is probably the main difference, while they are both S30V they have very different blade shape. The ZT's blade stock actually starts out slightly thinner than the PM2's but has virtually no distal taper until about 1 cm away from the tip. The PM2 on the other hand starts out pretty thick and tapers down to a very fine point, but not so fine that I'd worry about breaking it in normal EDC tasks. So if you want a super tough tip that you will never risk breaking off then the ZT is for you; but the slimmer point on the PM2 is more useful for everyday tasks like opening boxes, opening clamshell packages, and digging out splinters. The ZT is also a recurve, which slices very well, but can make sharpening tricky depending on your method.

Ergonomics:
They both fit the hand very well and have nicely textured G10 scales (slightly coarser texture on the Para). I'd give the PM2 a slight edge though due to the handle being just a bit longer and having the finger choil, which gives your hand a bit more space. The flipper on the ZT also acts as a nice finger guard.

Pocket clip:
Slightly stiffer on the ZT than the PM2, but both hold in your pocket just fine. They both have four-way pocket clips. The only thing I don't like is the amount of knife that sticks out of your pocket when carrying the ZT tip-up, if you're carrying tip-down its just fine. Para2 rides reasonably deep either way.

Overall:
They're both great knives made in the USA out of quality materials, you can't go wrong with either:thumbup:
 
I can only speak on the BM Adamas and ZT350...I own the 350 and have handled the Adamas quite a bit.
Both are beefy knives with the Adamas being wider in the handle. The 350 feels more dense probably due to the solid handle. Both have wide, sturdy blades great for all purpose uses and would be very useful for outdoor activities.
They are both heavy knives as compared to most folders but fit well in the hand. I'd not carry one in my suit pants but for your described activities and most casual carry needs both meet and exceed those needs.

I have no trouble sharpening my 350 using the Lansky system. I'd use a portable diamond sharpening device to more easily keep these steels in tip top shape.

For me the 350 fits my medium sized hands perfectly. The Adamas feels a bit too wide...is also the reason I do not own one but I will be buying the fixed blade Adamas next week...that is one sweet knife imo.

Good luck and tell us what you wind up doing.
 
It would help if you picked a specific ZT to compare to the others. If you are speaking about the cheaper ZT's which I assume you are, That leaves the 0350 that others have talked about and the 0200 and 0780. The 0200 is closer in size to the Adamas and has a pointier tip than the 0350 or the 030x's. It is a manual flipper with 154cm. The 0780 if you can find one is closer to the para 2 than the 0350 is. It too is a manual flipper with a nice pointy blade in s30v. It just depends if you want a big beast folder or a slimmer more all arounder.

You would be covered either way with ZT or you could go in between with the Para 2.
 
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