Paramilitary 2 or Caly 3.5

aqgonzo said:
I'm beggining to lean more towards the Pm2 but I've heard that the pivot cannot be adjusted due to the bushing system. Is this true and if so has anyone ever received a Pm2 with blade play?
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I just got mine an hour ago. There is absolutely no blade play at all, and the blade swings open freely when I disengage the lock. Very smooth.
 
Caly 3.5 is very EDC friendly because it has a slimmer, shorter handle and a deep carry clip. Para 2 has a thicker, longer handle and the clip causes much more of the knife to be exposed outside of your pocket. They both have about the same blade/edge length.
 
I have both knives and really like them both. I would say get the Paramilitary 2 first and the Caly 3.5 second. The fit and finish on both is excellent. Both are rock solid with no blade play and the action on both is very smooth. The Caly 3.5 uses pin construction while the Paramilitary 2 uses screw construction. I will say that the Paramilitary 2 is more fun to open and close and would be more user-serviceable, if that matters to you. Whatever you choose, you most likely will want to get the other.
 
Does the front of the Caly feel slender/skinny in the hand...kinda like the Endura?
 
There is only one answer...both. However, would highly recommend the 20CP para and the super blue caly. In these configurations the knives are a cut above their production brothers. Bottom line, if you like to have you knife fill your hand, perhaps show some exposed handle out of your pocket then the answer is the Para. If on the other hand you prefer a really slim feel in your hand and a deep concealment in your pocket go with the Caly Super Blue. Either way your way ahead of 90% of the masses. Both very high quality blades. Good luck!
 
The Caly 3.5 feels much smaller in every way, except that the blade doesn't settle between the scales as much as the Para-2's does. The Caly has a very shallow choil (I slipped my finger forward of the choil on my Caly 3 and ended up selling it immediately - razor sharp ZDP-189 doesn't forgive against flesh/bone). I don't know if the Caly 3.5 has bushings/washers in it, but the Caly 3 did not and it ended up scratching the tang on the blade up pretty badly from opening/closing against the liners (being as it is a gentlemen's pocket knife, ugly marred up finish on the tang is not very becoming).

The Para-2 steadily kicks out other knives from my pocket (even other Spydies). It is by far the perfect knife for me.
 
I second the shallow choil on Caly 3 - it's probably OK for most, but I just feel a little uncomfortable with my index finger SO close to the edge. You essentially hold the knife by its blade. Now, Para 2 is a different story altogether and is my knife of choice at the moment. I feel this moment will last though...
 
Hard choice. I have a PM2 and a Caly3. I use the PM2 more because of the open constuction is a lot easier to clean out. This year I skinned and cleaned 1 whitetail and 10 squirrels with the PM2. No blade play in either knife. Very solid lockup.
 
Of the 2, my vote is for the Para 2. It can be taken apart, I like the bushing pivot, & while it has a bigger handle, it's more comfortable to me (I also have very big hands). The screw construction vs pin construction is a plus for me, too.
 
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