Paramilitary and blade play

F

fofofo

Joined
Jul 21, 2007
Messages
3
I'm currently looking for an new EDC and the Paramilitary just about sold me with its relatively small size and low weight. The lock looks pretty nifty, too. While reading this forum to see other's opinions on the Para however I saw a lot of posts talking about play in the blade. Is this a common issue with this model? I currently carry an old Tim Wegner model and part of what made me love this knife is how solid it feels: When it's open nothing moves, nothing wiggles. Will the Paramilitary match this solid feeling?

I was also looking at the new Zero Tolerance knives but they're pretty heavy and lack the fairly non-threatening appearance of the Paramilitary.
 
I have a second hand one which has been through its fair share of unpleasant treatment and hard use from me and I'm sure from the original owner. Nothing moves. At all. No play whatsoever.

And welcome to bladeforums, we're glad to have you :)

Phil
 
I have 3 Para's and I've used all of them. None of them move. or have any play at all. It's a great knife.
 
I've had mine for about a year and it has no blade play either. I think the compression lock is great.
 
I have had 3-4 Paras and they all had play or developed blade play. I ended up getting rid of them all and I won't buy another until the issue is fixed. it is a real problem with this model that is why they are comming out with a Para II.

The Military as a rule has no blade play. It is a much better design but it is large. Not heavy, just large.
 
I also have one with slight play in the blade. An excellent knife though. It's 2-3 years old and Spyderco may have fixed the problem by now.
 
kgriggs8 said:
I have had 3-4 Paras and they all had play or developed blade play. I ended up getting rid of them all and I won't buy another until the issue is fixed. it is a real problem with this model that is why they are comming out with a Para II.

The Military as a rule has no blade play. It is a much better design but it is large. Not heavy, just large.
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Thanks all for your responses! kgriggs8 has me reconsidering the Para. The Military is light but how durable is the liner lock? Does it feel as large as it looks when carried?

Has the waved Endura/Delica been around long to have many opinions on it? They're light and the lockback should be at least as strong as the lock on the Paramilitary.
 
you will be surprised at how light the military is despite its large size. when i bout the military i also was considering the para and looked at both of them real good. the paras lock is pretty much a liner lock that is accessed from the top instead of the bottom handle. the military had a thicker/stronger liner as its locking mechanism.

the delica/endura are time tested models.
 
fofofo said:
Has the waved Endura/Delica been around long to have many opinions on it? They're light and the lockback should be at least as strong as the lock on the Paramilitary.
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Yes, please look into the Endura or Delica with wave. You can get either for about half the price of a Para Military, and IMPO, the Endura/Delica is definitely not half as much knife as the Para Military. They have slim profiles, VG10 steel (one of my favorites), and the wave is a great feature :thumbup:

I wouldn't be too worried about the locks on the Endura/Delica. They open with a very reassuring click, and I've heard enough testimonies for both knives from members here who have been using the knives every day for years and years and had no problems.
 
I have had a Para for about 4 months now, so I don't come close to those who have been using them for years, but I'm 100% satisfied with mine. I had some occasional vertical blade play when new, but once I adjusted the pivot and the pillar screw just below the lock, it all went away and it's been solid ever since.

Whenever we go out into the woods, the Para is the one thing we don't leave behind.
 
3mptin3ss said:
the paras lock is pretty much a liner lock that is accessed from the top instead of the bottom handle.
Click to expand...

No it's not. It's a compression lock which is entirely different from a liner lock.

The thing is that even if the Para is a little tiny bit of blade play (which I've not ever seen in any of them that I have) there is no way for it to unlock due to that play. However, liner locks that have play are a bad thing.

For people that have had a Para apart (like me) it is easy to see that it is the best lock out there as far as not being able to fail and also being strong. So what if it has 1mm of vertical play. I have 3 and none of mine have any play. Not even the one I have used almost daily for a year.

I highly doubt you will be dissatisfied with a Para if you buy one. The Military is a huge knife but it is very slim and light and is not much different feeling in the pocket when compared to the Para. For me it's hard to tell if I have the Para or the Mili in my pocket. The liner lock on the Military is the best I have ever seen. It's a good knife too.
 
kgriggs8 said:
I have had 3-4 Paras and they all had play or developed blade play. I ended up getting rid of them all and I won't buy another until the issue is fixed. it is a real problem with this model that is why they are comming out with a Para II.

The Military as a rule has no blade play. It is a much better design but it is large. Not heavy, just large.
Click to expand...

The same with me - compresion lock should have no vertical blade play at all. But, it seems that some paras are very good (no blade play), the others are lemons. Well, send 'lemons' back to Spyderco.
I do not think it makes sense trying to convince oneself that 'a certain blade play is necessary'. If you really feel it - it is a lemon.

Franco
 
My Para is coming up on two years old. Still no blade play. :thumbup:
 
For people that have had a Para apart (like me) it is easy to see that it is the best lock out there as far as not being able to fail and also being strong. So what if it has 1mm of vertical play. I have 3 and none of mine have any play. Not even the one I have used almost daily for a year.
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First of all bungwrench claiming the compression lock as the best lock available is simply your opinion. The mainstream set of locks on folders; lockback, liner, frame, and axis have all been stress tested and time proven. Each is just as strong and reliable as the compression...if not more so.

Secondly, 1mm of vertical play is annoying. So what? "So what" is your prerogative. Most members, myself included cannot stand any bit of blade play...even as little as .5mm. Its about have confidence in your folder and not having that aggravating and dreaded movement of the blade when cutting. I dont care if the blade won't fail with play...its just ugly to have it in the first place.
 
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