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PM2: Need Confidence

Kels73

Kels73

Joined
Feb 20, 2012
Messages
1,347
I finally located a new Spyderco Paramilitary 2 online and purchased it without hesitation. I've been wanting to get my hands on one for quite sometime now, so it probably goes without saying that I was extremely excited when the package arrived at my home.

I love the knife. The design is well thought out, the materials and fit-and-finish are excellent and it feels great in the hand. My only concern is the tip. This knife has an extremely fine tip. I have no intention of using the knife to pry or drill, but I'm still a bit fearful of breaking the tip.

I'd be interested in hearing some thoughts on this from those who've been using the PM2 for awhile. Has anyone broken the tip? Has anyone accidently dropped the knife on the tip or banged the tip into something hard and not broken it?

Again, I really appreciate the knife overall. I'd just like to hear what others have to say about this.
 
I've got an M390 PM2 that I thinned out to about 15 degrees per side. Somehow managed to drop it, open, onto my Macbook Air. The tip dug out a little gouge in the aluminum casing but wasn't damaged at all.

Obviously, the usual stuff applies, don't pry, don't use as a screwdriver, don't drop 3+ feet onto a concrete floor, but I don't think the PM2's tip is necessarily all that much more delicate than quite a few other models.

Heck, I seem to remember there was a guy in general a few weeks ago with a brand new 0560 that was flipping it open and closed the day he got it, and was freaking out because he dropped it and knocked a couple of mm off the tip. It can happen to almost any knife, just don't be stupid.
 
Do use it as a cutting tool.
Do NOT use it as a pry-bar.
Do NOT use it as a screwdriver.

You should be very happy together. Great folder.
 
Yeah, if you are using it for an actual knife, it should not be a problem. I carry a PM2 almost daily and have had no issues.
 
Use it, don't abuse it and unless you have a freak accident with it, it will be just fine.
 
I broke the tip off my s35vn sprint when I flicked it open and it hit my manix 2. Sharpened it out, just a little shorter now.
 
chrisk91 said:
I broke the tip off my s35vn sprint when I flicked it open and it hit my manix 2. Sharpened it out, just a little shorter now.
Click to expand...

I had a similiar experience. I flicked opened my S30V para 2, and it hit a metal speaker and the tip broke off.
 
It's a tough knife. If you use it to cut things and not pry or try to jimmy things, most knives will last you a very long time. There's no other folder I want over my PM2.
 
If you want a thicker blade tip I recommend the Tuff or one of the saber ground knives. Most Spyderco knives are built for slicing, so they get quite a bit of taper, and especially combined with a flat grind that results in a thinner tip.
They do exactly what they are designed to do but removing paint can lids is not a good choice for many of them.
 
Pulled it out of my pocket fell out of my hand on to the floor opened up tip hit the floor and broke off. That was a while ago I since bought an elmax version and it seems to have a stronger detent and hardness
 
I wouldn't give it a thought. The PM2 is an awesome knife. I find the tip very useful.
 
Most Spyderco knives are built for slicing, so they get quite a bit of taper, and especially combined with a flat grind that results in a thinner tip.
They do exactly what they are designed to do but removing paint can lids is not a good choice for many of them.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is my observation as well. The blade geometry makes the PM2 an outstanding slicer, but it also results in a delicate tip. I don't necessarily have a problem with this because I believe in using the right tool for the job; however, it does surprise me, since the knife was apparently designed with military use in mind. If you showed me the knife, and I didn't know anything about it, and you asked me to guess its intended usage, I would say EDC, not military.

I'm in the military, and I think the PM2 will perform wonderfully when used to accomplish day-to-day EDC tasks on the installation, but it won't be the folding knife that I carry when I'm outside-the-wire. Tactical environments are hard on equipment. In the case of a folding knife, I don't expect it to be hardy enough to pry open boxes, but it does need to be able to withstand some rough handling. It's a personal judgment call, so the next military guy might not agree with me; but that's how I see it based on my own experience.

Again, I'm really impressed by the PM2 overall; however, the name caused me to envision a different philosophy of use.
 
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