Paramilitary 2 Pros and Cons?

Riz! said:
I have had a PM2 on 3 different occassions. Ended up selling every time. I wanted to love it but I wanted more blade and being a lefty/ambidextrous the Compression lock didnt work well for me. Upsized to the Military and have been in love ever since. For me everything was good on the PM 2 except that compression lock. I am left handed and shoot righty(left eye dominant). I carry my firearm right handed, so when I am armed I switch my knife to left pocket carry. When unarmed I carry my knife on the right side. I find that the liner lock or RIL on the millies is much easier to operate with either hand. I have to say that now that the lefty PM2 is released, I may be getting one.

As far as comfort and cutting performance the knife is an A+. There is a reason it is so popular. For me, knives are for cutting and the blade profile on the Military/Paramilitary is a SERIOUS cutter. Dont worry about that thin tip. Just dont pry with it. Its a cutting tool, not a prybar.
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weird. you're like the inverse of me. you being left eye dominant and shooting right handed. ya kinda lose the advantage of shooting right being left eye dominant. im ambi but shoot better southpaw due to being heavily left eye dominant. can shoot both ways comfortably though but carry southpaw and prefer to shoot southpaw. i like to carry my knife righty, but tend to hand it over and cut left sometimes. like you i find the military a better overall size for more tasks. all that uselessness said yeah the fine tip is great for slicing but poor for harder but normal and not abusive tip use. which doesnt matter if one never uses the tip for anything but slicing tasks.
 
Lapedog said:
I've been lucky. The only two Para2s I've owned both had locks that operated flawlessly. Both were S30v models, black and digicam, Satin blades.

Is the sticky locks occuring more in the sprints?
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have a dozen regualrs and sprints.....free falling vs. not.....or sticky locks.........pretty random not tied to one version or sprint runs in my experiences with them.
 
jbmonkey said:
have a dozen regualrs and sprints.....free falling vs. not.....or sticky locks.........pretty random not tied to one version or sprint runs in my experiences with them.
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Did you use them and did they break in or are you keeping them in good condition?
 
jbmonkey said:
weird. you're like the inverse of me. you being left eye dominant and shooting...
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Doh! After reading you post, I realized I had a typo. I corrected my original and clarify here...I am left handed, but shoot righty because I am RIGHT EYE dominant to take advantage of having my dominant eye behind the sights. Betwee the right eye dominant/left handed preference and having my grandfather as the only other lefty in my family, I became ambidextrous. Back on topic here... So for knives I prefer locks that are ambi.

I agree with the previous dude that says no matter what everyone thinks you should get the PM2 and see for yourself.
 
I have both a Delica and a PM2. I like the Delica much, much more for some reason. It just hits all the right buttons.
 
My only real serious gripe is that it's too big in the (front) pocket.
I find it is an ideal cargo pocket knife, however.
It is a great slicer.
As others stated, the mechanics can be a bit finicky. Mine was perfect out of the box, but it's developed some of the quirks described above.
It's the best "real use" folder I own, by a long shot.
It does not satisfy my pocket jewlery lust, however.
 
Riz! said:
Doh! After reading you post, I realized I had a typo. I corrected my original and clarify here...I am left handed, but shoot righty because I am RIGHT EYE dominant to take advantage of having my dominant eye behind the sights. Betwee the right eye dominant/left handed preference and having my grandfather as the only other lefty in my family, I became ambidextrous. Back on topic here... So for knives I prefer locks that are ambi.

I agree with the previous dude that says no matter what everyone thinks you should get the PM2 and see for yourself.
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Same here I gotnsome weird left hand and right hands both wanting tontake the lead in different activity type thing.

It's more common than I think most people realize. Particularly in certain sports. I notice that alot of people shoot left handed when playing hockey.
 
For me, the PM2 is a good knife, but not my favorite. I find the handle too small. I also do not like that it requires a detent to keep the very sharp blade closed. I had one, gave it away, and later bought an S110V version. It is a great knife, but it will probably be the only one I buy from now on. I much prefer the new Manix 2 back lock, and I also like the Military better, too (though I have the same issue with the detent on this knife, it has a much better handle, for me.).
 
I have a PM2 and a Military (and a Stretch, thinking of getting a Manix 2 lightweight). Funny thing is I started appreciating the PM2 more, after getting the Military. Of course, I think part of it is that I chamfered the edges of the scales to make it feel really comfortable in hand. I might get another Military to try that, since mine is an exclusive I don't want to mod.

I don't carry the PM2 often. I prefer some other knives that have better blade to handle ratios... not for a longer blade, but more for a shorter handle. However, I like the compression lock a lot. Here's the thing... I like thicker handles. However, the PM2's grip is slimmer for pocket carry compared to my preferred EDC knives (I use a sheath/pouch). I really like the blade shape and long belly, but I do worry about the tip... not so much now that I broke 1mm off when it fell onto a tile floor. I think most knives would lose a bit of tip from a similar fall.

The only other downside to me, is that I like to choke up on the knife when I use a hammer grip (which is often enough to care). If I don't choke up on the PM2, the compression lock digs into my palm a little for hard cuts with the hammer grip. If I choke up on the handle to get closer to the blade (not using the finger choil for harder cuts) the scale has a hot spot on my index finger... interestingly enough that area on the Military is curved so I can choke up with more comfort.

All that being said, I really love my PM2, and of the growing population of knives I own, it's one of the few that I do pop into my EDC rotation without hesitation, even if infrequently.
 
Pros and cons are highly subjective... and one person's pro could be another's con. For example, many here like a free falling blade - I do not.
The knife is lightweight (a pro, by most measures), and the handle shape is pretty good (ergonomics). I dislike the scales, though...too thin & flat for my taste. Once I accepted that, and started replacing the scales, I've decided that I sort of like it. Sort of, because the cost of aftermarket scales is often equal to (if not more than) the cost of the knife.
I prefer the Manix 2; but, honestly, I rarely carry either of them.
 
I like the Para2 a lot but if I could change one thing it would be the thickness of the blade stock. The Manix and the Stretch at 3mm are more to my liking than the Para2 at 3.7mm.

Other than that one complaint I find it to be one of the best knives out there.
 
The pm2 is a fantastic large knife and it's a pleasure to flick. But it is large. I carry, more often, a delica zdp or hap40. The pm2 is a fine insturment though and on a different level than most others.
 
the PM2 is about the best all around EDC one can carry i think!even with its pro's/cons witch not that big of a deal to me,i only have two PM2's a standard S30V/black and the S110 version of witch i am replacing its blurple scales with with carbon fiber ones at the moment,but both came swing free/lock-stick free probably just lucky,also you could give the native 5/G10/S35VN a try!its made hear in golden colorado as well,excellent little lockback.
 
I wound up getting rid of all of mine. Not because it's a poor knife, but because to me if felt too light and fragile' (Must be Italian)
Anyhow, it's a PURELY personal preference thing, but if you're used to knives with a bit more heft it might feel a bit light and hollow to you. Not sure if I'm phrasing that right, but I prefer the Manix 2's or Manix backlocks because to me they feel more solid...though not because they necessarily are so.
 
I have 5 of them. The only thing I don't like about them is the shiny, high riding pocket clip. MXG low ride Ti clips fix that for me. Delica's are great knives as well, you'll need at least one of those also.
 
I carried mine again today, and I liked it. I can't help but wonder how much better it would be with FRN and a back-lock, however. :p
 
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