Paramilitary 2 disappointment...Suggestions?

NetshadeX said:
She's actually right although there is a more effective way to center a blade. What you do is this:

A: slightly loosen all screws, don't remove them completely, just loosen them.
B: center the blade
C: now gently from the bottom up (!) start tightening them while keeping the blade centered.
D: tighten the pivot screw last and just enough to eliminate bladeplay.

This works for pretty much all folders with a blade/washers/liners/scales build. Effectively what you are doing is you're ever so slightly shifting the layers keeping the blade centered.

When I got my Endura ZDP189 the blade was completely offset to the right. I found the above on some youtube vid and it worked like charm. The tip is dead center now.
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This has worked every time for me, but it is for when there are not burrs, etc. present that off-set both centering and fluidity of motion. Still, it's an important technique for folks to know, that off-center blades can be due to an entire shift of the handle slabs rather than simply a pivot issue.
 
cards94 said:
is this normal today with the moderns or pm2, where you have to play around with the pivot screws to get it right? those knives aren't cheap and they should come already set up.
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The only modern knife I have bought that came with play was a Benchmade 940. That was not a well made knife IMO. I got a Spyderco Endura that had a weird lopsidedness, but Spyderco gave me a replacement no questions. Even a $30 Rat 1 or $45 Large Voyager didn't come with any problems. I bought a Para that was tight and rough, maybe it's just that model (due to increased output?). Who knows.
 
Wheeler80 said:
Say what?!?!
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Yeah. It was smooth to open. But it came and developed play. It's primary bevel grinds were off. It's secondary bevel was uneven.

I loved the design. If the handle were a half inch longer it would be perfect for edc. But I don't think it's a very valuable purchase. Definitely not now with the price increase.

I want to like Benchmade, but they make it so difficult.
 
ALLHSS said:
Yeah. It was smooth to open. But it came and developed play. It's primary bevel grinds were off. It's secondary bevel was uneven.

I loved the design. If the handle were a half inch longer it would be perfect for edc. But I don't think it's a very valuable purchase. Definitely not now with the price increase.

I want to like Benchmade, but they make it so difficult.
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If mine had been that way I wouldn't think much of it either. Give them another shot. My mini Bone Collector,
Contego, & Grips have been flawless.
 
Wheeler80 said:
If mine had been that way I wouldn't think much of it either. Give them another shot. My mini Bone Collector,
Contego, & Grips have been flawless.
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I had one in my cart just befor the new price increase. I'm definitely going to wait for them to reconsider that. Also, see about new models.

I wanted to like the Para sooooo bad too. Bummed me out even more than the 940.
 
Didn't expect this thread to gain so much popularity and I understand it's not easy to stay on topic but I'll give those who care my final thoughts on the knife.

I'm not a knife junkie or anything so my experience with folders is limited but from all the hype and attention this knife was getting I was expecting a lot more. I'm not going to judge (too much) Spyderco or the para just on this knife but honestly all those 10/10 reviews are misleading. Not in a sense where this knife isn't a good knife but rather because they fail to mention all the little annoying things and while this may be a great Edc knife it is not the ultimate perfection 10/10 as they claim it to be.

I love taking things apart and getting to know what goes on inside and for that reason I don't agree with those who said I should have sent it in immediately. I mean the whole idea behind being a "man" and carrying a tool is that you are somewhat handy, otherwise you might as well put it up on a display and go brag to your friends about how your knife has s30v steel and cool g10 scales. The quality control should be up to the manufacturer, not the customer. Of course final inspection is up to the end user but for a defect like mine, and I suspect others', to go unnoticed on their end, is not fair.*

Why should I pay more money and wait longer for something that is not my fault. I don't understand why some of you are so accepting of this procedure. It's as if you're getting compensated for all your troubles.

Someone on here asked me to keep them updated with the W/R Dept. responses. I already posted the reply I got through email on here but basically what I understood was, if you disassemble the knife you "could" mess it up. I really didn't think that something with 6 screws would be so delicate and intricate. Now from what someone else on here said about tolerances and it not being a space ship part, well I sure am fooled. I mean the guys at Spyderco seem so be the only ones competent enough to properly unscrew 6 screws on this mass produced tool.

I also got a call back from them today. The lady told me if they have to take it apart it'll be an extra $20, which would add up to $45 after shipping for me. For fifty bucks I could just buy another knife. They were pretty prompt with their emails and calls though. Although for a company with such a high reputation for their great knives I really think that whole mindset around void warranties and paying more for return shipping is Bs.

I did read all the suggestions on here and you guys were right about breaking it in. I could tell that over time this knife would get smoother. Ultimately though I spent enough time with it to know that I was not going to get both smooth deployment and no blade play into one package, one had to give. I don't want to sound like a baby but it's no fun when your index finger feels bruised after a couple of hours of disengaging.

In conclusion, I'm not very happy with this particular knife but I would still like to get my hands on a "10/10" para 2 someday, for now though I'll probably try out the Delica 4. Thanks for the help guys.
 
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thanks for the review and its changed my mind about paying that kind of money for what i thought was going to be great knife to get my hands on some day.
for that kind of money spent, i want to recieve the knife without me taking it apart or playing around with the screws. there needs to be better quality control before sending out this knife or maybe because they are in such high demand they pay less attention before sending them out. no thanks.
 
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Every knife that I have ever owned and that is hundreds. I have adjusted from factory to my specs and what level of performance I like. I have never had to send a knife into warranty. I either fix it myself or sell it and make the buyer aware of any imperfection.

The issue is most people dont know what the heck they are doing. I have adjusted a half dozen para and Para 2 knives in the past. A little adjustment and some loctite and I would work out all the kinks. This goes for any production knife I have owned. Only my current EDC was magically perfect.
People in general are just dumb.
And yet sometimes knives are just flawed. So make the right decision at the beginning.
 
So your knife was not "fluid" enough per videos you saw, thus you take it apart and ask here for "suggestions". My suggestion is insufficient fluidity is not a warranty issue. Your knife was fine. Follow the rules next time and return it for a refund to the dealer if you are unsatisfied with a knife. The problem is yours, not the knife or spyderco.
 
Accept the fact that ain't a Rolex, that smoothness isn't going to effect function, and use the snot of of it.
 
I think this is a matter of perception of value. Many members here buy a whole lot of knives for a whole lot of money. The op doesn't. I don't. I agree, if a knife is supposed to be nearly perfect and I have to wait till they are available and pay over a hundred bucks for one, I want it to come without issues. People saying you have adjusted every knife you bought: you are flat out too picky. That's my opinion. I have only bought a few knives over $100, and I have only really encountered one Spyderco that needed work. And it didn't even need adjusted, it needed replaced (and was). My two natives, Squeak, Caly 3.5, and Endura needed no adjustment. My Para could barely be called a one hand closer out of box, and partially that (but also that it didn't fit my hand well) is why I returned it.

To the op: Don't give up on Spyderco, they make great knives. I think they may have just ramped up Para 2 production too high. Give them another chance with a different model. They are my favorite maker, and they almost for sure have something that will more than satisfy you.
 
You must remember that a lot of people around here word their praises & criticisms as fact when it's really just their opinion. Even a perfectly functioning PM2 isn't a 10/10 in my book. Bottom line is you gave it a shot and things didn't quite work out this time. Oh well, keep on keepin' on. There will always be plenty of us waiting around to anxiously scrutinize whatever it is you have to share. :p
 
evilgreg said:
I have a small pile of both and in my experience, the answer to that question is an unreserved yes.

The Golden knives are fine knives that are entirely lovable if you dig the Spyderco sense of style, but the Taichung knives appear to have superior fit and finish.
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I believe I agree with this.
 
I'm always very confused with people that expect ~$100 knives to be consistently perfect. It seems disconnected from reality.

Even the Taichung knives have flaws that can be easily seen. This is to be expected.

Spyderco does a better job than many, if not most, manufacturers. Is the knife functionally deficient? Does the knife cut poorly, or lock up badly? Or do you just want the blade to flop around without much resistance when opening and closing? Have you used the knife yet?

Perhaps manufacturers should start implementing a separate category for people looking for safe queens. They could charge a premium (maybe 25-40% more than the "regular" version) that has had more man-hours spent inspecting it. This would appease collectors--who should, it would seem, be happy to pay that for a more consistently fit as well as finished knife.
 
I think there's a lot of overlap between the people who expect a $100 knife to be perfect and the people who complain that CRKs are too expensive.

It's almost like going through all those little steps to go from very good to perfect costs a lot of money....
 
bushati said:
Didn't expect this thread to gain so much popularity and I understand it's not easy to stay on topic but I'll give those who care my final thoughts on the knife.

I'm not a knife junkie or anything so my experience with folders is limited but from all the hype and attention this knife was getting I was expecting a lot more. I'm not going to judge (too much) Spyderco or the para just on this knife but honestly all those 10/10 reviews are misleading. Not in a sense where this knife isn't a good knife but rather because they fail to mention all the little annoying things and while this may be a great Edc knife it is not the ultimate perfection 10/10 as they claim it to be.

I love taking things apart and getting to know what goes on inside and for that reason I don't agree with those who said I should have sent it in immediately. I mean the whole idea behind being a "man" and carrying a tool is that you are somewhat handy, otherwise you might as well put it up on a display and go brag to your friends about how your knife has s30v steel and cool g10 scales. The quality control should be up to the manufacturer, not the customer. Of course final inspection is up to the end user but for a defect like mine, and I suspect others', to go unnoticed on their end, is not fair.*

Why should I pay more money and wait longer for something that is not my fault. I don't understand why some of you are so accepting of this procedure. It's as if you're getting compensated for all your troubles.

Someone on here asked me to keep them updated with the W/R Dept. responses. I already posted the reply I got through email on here but basically what I understood was, if you disassemble the knife you "could" mess it up. I really didn't think that something with 6 screws would be so delicate and intricate. Now from what someone else on here said about tolerances and it not being a space ship part, well I sure am fooled. I mean the guys at Spyderco seem so be the only ones competent enough to properly unscrew 6 screws on this mass produced tool.

I also got a call back from them today. The lady told me if they have to take it apart it'll be an extra $20, which would add up to $45 after shipping for me. For fifty bucks I could just buy another knife. They were pretty prompt with their emails and calls though. Although for a company with such a high reputation for their great knives I really think that whole mindset around void warranties and paying more for return shipping is Bs.

I did read all the suggestions on here and you guys were right about breaking it in. I could tell that over time this knife would get smoother. Ultimately though I spent enough time with it to know that I was not going to get both smooth deployment and no blade play into one package, one had to give. I don't want to sound like a baby but it's no fun when your index finger feels bruised after a couple of hours of disengaging.

In conclusion, I'm not very happy with this particular knife but I would still like to get my hands on a "10/10" para 2 someday, for now though I'll probably try out the Delica 4. Thanks for the help guys.
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Bushati, I have a question for you. Can you please send me an email?
 
My Para 2 recent purchase came in blade un-centered and the action very rough. Something was wrong. First Spyderco ever that came less than stellar.

Spyderco in nearby Golden took care of the problem for me.

So yes, there have been problems with the Para 2. Don't know why. Perhaps QC rushing them out.

Very unlike Spyderco! But they stand by their product.
 
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