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pm2 coated or not?

T

The Hopper Show

Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
115
i want to order up my first spyderco and decided on the pm2 but cannot decide if i want to get a coated blade or not. what are your experiences with the coating? does it hold up? just for show? satin better?
 
I got a coated blade because I bought it in a store, that is what they had, and I wanted it then. generally, I always buy non coated, plain edge blades, but in my year or two of use it has held up very well. It has brushed up against most things short of metal and still looks great, but I would have preferred a non coated blade to match my collection. That said, the coating is the toughest (small collection, but certainly tougher than the Kershaw dlc coating) on any of my knives, so I would say it would come down to personal preference. Then, if I could get it again, I would have been patient and gotten a sprint run.. anyway you go, it's a really good knife, enjoy your first spyderco.

edit, I should say it is one of the only coated blades I own and the only one I use. That said, after a few years, I just prefer non coated.
 
I have a DLC Para 2, have had it and used it for over a year, and the coating is seriously resilient, not a scratch on it. If your worried about it scratching during normal use, rest assured.
The DLC Para 2's have the black clip and screws which I prefer, more stealthy in my pocket.
 
I prefer satin because it's not as abrasive or sticky when cutting. I don't care for stealth since I'm not a ninja.
 
I prefer non-coated blades. I have a PM 1 with a coated blade. It's pretty beat up now, but it is a beater knife that gets used by family members for everything. I just don't have a need for coated blades in my uses.
 
I have a PM2 digicam with DLC blade. Got it because I got a good deal, and thought it looked cool. I own three PM2s but this one has turned out to be my user and has been in my EDC rotation for over 2 years - I am amazed at how well the coating is holding up … I have not babied this knife at all and while you can tell it has seen use, the coating is 100% intact. Can't attest to 'stickiness' in use, I have not perceived any, but I haven't done side by side tests either.

~ Edge
 
Satin.
But I do have a strong disdain for any coated blade, and especially so on a folder.
 
I have a couple coated blades, though none with the Spyderco diamond-like coating. I now stick with non-coated blades, because the coating doesn't serve any purpose for me especially on a stainless steel. I have heard that Spyderco's DLC coating is pretty much the best one out there, and it looks and feels different (in a good way) from the coatings on benchmades or other manufacturers I've played with. At some point I want to pick up a coated spyderco for my collection simply because it is so unique, but I probably wouldn't want it for a user if I had the choice, just because at some point all coatings will start to wear down and it detracts from the aesthetics when it does.
 
Ed G said:
I have a PM2 digicam with DLC blade. Got it because I got a good deal, and thought it looked cool. I own three PM2s but this one has turned out to be my user and has been in my EDC rotation for over 2 years - I am amazed at how well the coating is holding up … I have not babied this knife at all and while you can tell it has seen use, the coating is 100% intact. Can't attest to 'stickiness' in use, I have not perceived any, but I haven't done side by side tests either.

~ Edge
Click to expand...

This is pretty much exactly what I was going to say as well. I intended to get the satin blade with digi handles but a came across a deal for a black handle and black blade I couldn't pass up so I jumped on it. It is my most carried modern folder and has seen a lot of use since I got it roughly 3 years ago or so. Coating looks used but great. A lot of what looks like scratches will actually come off by using a product like Nevrdull or something similar that is just the product I used. I had the same experience with my ZT0350 with the dlc coated blade. It would looked scratched but the marks would buff right out and look new again. Bottom line if you are going to be paying full price then get whichever one you like the most but Satin is the way I'd go unless I got a deal on the coated blade. :) Can't go wrong either way I've slowly sold off most my other modern folders because after get the PM2 they were just sitting in the safe. ;)
 
The DLC coating offered my Spyderco is excellent and the best coating I've seen on a knife. If you like black blades the Spyderco DLC would be my first choice.

Cameron
 
JulianHayes said:
I got a coated blade because I bought it in a store, that is what they had, and I wanted it then. generally, I always buy non coated, plain edge blades, but in my year or two of use it has held up very well. It has brushed up against most things short of metal and still looks great, but I would have preferred a non coated blade to match my collection. That said, the coating is the toughest (small collection, but certainly tougher than the Kershaw dlc coating) on any of my knives, so I would say it would come down to personal preference. Then, if I could get it again, I would have been patient and gotten a sprint run.. anyway you go, it's a really good knife, enjoy your first spyderco.

edit, I should say it is one of the only coated blades I own and the only one I use. That said, after a few years, I just prefer non coated.
Click to expand...

I had the exact same experience as Julian. Went to a gun show looking for a Para2, finally found one but it was coated. Up until then I had never liked coated blades because the coating came off so easily. But, being the blade fiend I am, I bought it anyways. MAN that DLC coating changed my mind completely about coated blades (DLC, atleast). It held up GREAT but it still wore a bit, like on the edges of the spine and near the choil from sharpening, etc., but I LOVE that look on a blade. Its a 'matte' coating too, so its not glossy like other cheaper coatings. It has a very professional/MilSpec/BadAss look to it. In sum, the DLC coating on my Para 2 is AWESOME and made me like coatings. I would not hesitate to pull the trigger in the least.

ETA: When I say it wore, I don't want that to turn you off from it. The DLC wears in a good way, like a good leather wallet wears, slowly and in the right places. Not like how cheap coatings get scratched and leave huge swathes of bear steel glinting through.
 
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I've owned both the DLC and Satin PM2 (and other DLC and other coated knives.) The one that I kept to use was the Satin one. DLC is a very thin and, as others have noted, is a very tough coating that wears well. My preference in blade finish on all knives is a tumbled stonewash that'll hide wear without abrasion (like on an XM-18 or Dua.) I am not the biggest fan of Satin because of glare and wear, but I'll take it over most coatings if a stonewash finish isn't an options mostly because I live in a large city where the less "tactical" looking the knife, the better.

Because my PM2 is a user that I carry in my rotation, I don't care if it gets scratched up. Also, I plan to tumble stonewash all of my satin folders (except a few high-end mid-techs and customs) fairly soon.

The point of me saying this is to recommend that you consider what you like already and any other factors, such as my example of living in a city that frowns on knives, and go with your gut. Either way, you'll be happy with it, I'm sure. Although I don't carry it too often, it is a must have for anyone that recognizes how far ahead of the production knife game Spyderco is.

Best wishes and enjoy your PM2!
 
For my first pm2 I went with the dlc all black version it's a very good knife I purposely chose the dlc mostly for looks the all black looks ridiculous. The silver color logo and makers mark go well. Either one you get you'll never regret it.
 
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