I'm a huge PM2 fan and currently beating on a Maxamet version to determine how long the steel can hold up before it needs a real sharpening on my WE. In the meantime I did add short MXG Gear Ti deep pocket carry clip which is perfect for the PM2 as it not only carries better in the pocket but fits in the hand well.
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PM2: A Little Ugly
- Thread starter Lenny
- Start date
JR42
Gold Member
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2004
- Messages
- 862
I've been carrying a Spydie PM2 for nearly a decade now, PM before that, with lots of distractions along the way.
I figure if I'm doing stuff that could crack the blade, I probably shouldn't be using any folder of any kind. Spydercos are usually designed and ground to cut well, not to be be bombproof overbuilt folding prybars, so it's no surprise that they can crack when abused.
I like Spyderco's "function first" design philosophy, and really like the way the PM2 looks myself, but I understand it's not particularly sleek or sexy. It's very useful with gloves on, with cold hands and limited dexterity, etc, entirely because of the large hole and large handle. I think those are features, not bugs.
I figure if I'm doing stuff that could crack the blade, I probably shouldn't be using any folder of any kind. Spydercos are usually designed and ground to cut well, not to be be bombproof overbuilt folding prybars, so it's no surprise that they can crack when abused.
I like Spyderco's "function first" design philosophy, and really like the way the PM2 looks myself, but I understand it's not particularly sleek or sexy. It's very useful with gloves on, with cold hands and limited dexterity, etc, entirely because of the large hole and large handle. I think those are features, not bugs.
I feel a lot of people "go full circle" back to Glocks and Spydercos.
What would you be using your pm2 for that would break it due to the hole creating a weak point?!
It’s not a thick knife with a huge pivot and reinforced tip. It’s not a fixed blade. It’s not a pry bar.
You’d have to do some dumb ass shit with your knife to break it at the Spydie hole.
It’s not a thick knife with a huge pivot and reinforced tip. It’s not a fixed blade. It’s not a pry bar.
You’d have to do some dumb ass shit with your knife to break it at the Spydie hole.
The first time I remember seeing a Spyderco (in a movie), I thought it looked weird. That was back in the early 1990s. I bought my first Spyderco, a Delica, in 1997.
At this point, Spyderco’s are so familiar to me that I haven’t thought of them as “weird-looking” in nearly a quarter century. I just don’t think they’re all that unusual-looking. Unique to Spyderco, yes, but nothing that looks as weird as some people seem to think (surprisingly still). I actually think that the PM2, and many other Spyderco knives, have their own type of beauty. Some people see them as something “only a mother could love,” but I just don’t see them that way, at least not all of them.
Also, there is beauty in pure function. Not the flashy, bells-and-whistles type of beauty, but the beauty of something that actually works/excels at what it was designed to do: comfortably cutting.
Jim
At this point, Spyderco’s are so familiar to me that I haven’t thought of them as “weird-looking” in nearly a quarter century. I just don’t think they’re all that unusual-looking. Unique to Spyderco, yes, but nothing that looks as weird as some people seem to think (surprisingly still). I actually think that the PM2, and many other Spyderco knives, have their own type of beauty. Some people see them as something “only a mother could love,” but I just don’t see them that way, at least not all of them.
Also, there is beauty in pure function. Not the flashy, bells-and-whistles type of beauty, but the beauty of something that actually works/excels at what it was designed to do: comfortably cutting.
Jim
JR42
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- Feb 1, 2004
- Messages
- 862
Which movie? Cliffhanger? There were a few options in that timeframe, but that's the first that comes to mind... ETA my first Spyderco and first expensive folding knife was a stainless serrated Police, in part due to that ridiculous film, around 1999.
I also like the way Spydercos look (and the philosophy behind the design), but can understand why some folks don't.
I also like the way Spydercos look (and the philosophy behind the design), but can understand why some folks don't.
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Actually, there were a few movies I first noticed Spydercos in, though I didn’t know the name ‘Spyderco’ at the time (interestingly, all were SS Police models): Hard Target (1993), Needful Things (1994), and The Client (1994). Later, I saw a Delica in the awful movie Anaconda (1997).
I suppose that by now, Spyderco knives are so familiar to me that I just see them as knives, some with a beauty all their own, like any good tool. IMO, to tweak a proven effective design, not for the sake of CQI but purely for aesthetic reasons, is a bit like (for example) taking a proven effective street fighting move or strategy (say a certain punch or strike setup) and altering it so that it “looks cooler,” without considering all the thought and experience that has gone into it being the way it is.
Jim
Mistman68
Gold Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2019
- Messages
- 391
I used to think they we're pretty ugly but ugly doesn't turn me off if other attributes make up for it. I've had couple Para 2's, at 1st didn't care for them, then carried them a bit and warmed up somewhat. I gave my last one away a couple months ago, never even used that one. I still have an unused Digicam Para 3 in the box I'll give to someone one of these days. I can take or leave the compression lock and do prefer a little more stout blade.
I much prefer carrying other knives, the big hump on the Para's take up needless pocket space and always rubs my hand along the blade jimping, not a huge deal but I have many others that I barely notice. I'm not anti-Spyderco, I like my Endura, Delica, GB's and Vallottons, just never warmed up to the Para's. I like Spydie holes.
I much prefer carrying other knives, the big hump on the Para's take up needless pocket space and always rubs my hand along the blade jimping, not a huge deal but I have many others that I barely notice. I'm not anti-Spyderco, I like my Endura, Delica, GB's and Vallottons, just never warmed up to the Para's. I like Spydie holes.
The way I use it, Maxamet will stay sharp three to four weeks.
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PM2 can look great if dressed up. The Crucarta PM2 will be plenty nice for example.
I also quite like the looks of the DLC/DigiCam variation - it is the only reason I am not selling it.
Grey G10 OTOH... can't go more plain than that. But at least I am not afraid to use it.
I think there is a saying that goes something like this: "There are no ugly women, just men with weak imagination.".
When it comes to pocketability, I am all for the Chap and the Native tho.
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PM2 can look great if dressed up. The Crucarta PM2 will be plenty nice for example.
I also quite like the looks of the DLC/DigiCam variation - it is the only reason I am not selling it.
Grey G10 OTOH... can't go more plain than that. But at least I am not afraid to use it.
I think there is a saying that goes something like this: "There are no ugly women, just men with weak imagination.".
When it comes to pocketability, I am all for the Chap and the Native tho.
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2019
- Messages
- 3
I just got into Spydercos a few months ago. Price and looks being the prohibitive attributes before then.
I handled some PM2s at a gun show and wasn't impressed. But I did handle a Manix 2 and the rest is history. I now own two Manix 2s and two Sages. I love the functionality and looks of the leaf shaped blade.
But hell, who knows, one of these days I just might purchase a PM2.
Might.
I handled some PM2s at a gun show and wasn't impressed. But I did handle a Manix 2 and the rest is history. I now own two Manix 2s and two Sages. I love the functionality and looks of the leaf shaped blade.
But hell, who knows, one of these days I just might purchase a PM2.
Might.
Fmont
Gold Member
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- Apr 20, 2017
- Messages
- 992
to me closing a folder is about as important as opening in terms of speed and ease. the para 2 is an exquisitely designed knife, and my introduction to the compression lock. the compression lock has ruined me for all others. i held off forevvvver, too, which was a mistake. no other knife has been as quickly intuitive to me. it's extremely fast to both deploy and close (and in multiple manners). when you need 3 arms for the task at hand, getting it quickly and safely back in your pocket is important! this is the fastest lock I've found, short of an otf.
I also bought a PM2 a few years ago and never warmed up to it as I was obsessed with CRK at the time so I gifted it to my son-in-law. Over that last 6 months I've picked up two and have really appreciated the slicing ability. I was originally concerned about the thin tip but that has faded since my Maxamet version has done a lot of hard work in the back yard trimming lately with no issues. It's also starting to feel so natural opening and closing that is becoming an extension of my hand.
