Smaller alternative to Para-Military 2?

M

Mr. Hands

Joined
Feb 20, 2009
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I just got my Para2 in the mail this week.
This is the first Para-Military I've owned.
I've been EDC'ing a Caly3 G10 for about a year now and bought the Para2 as an upgrade to it because of the Para2's features like an open back, removable scales, better lock, better steel etc. (in my opinion of course)
I've been carrying it everyday and it rides well in my pocket, no complaints there about its folded size or bulk.
However something about it isn't "clicking" with me and I'm not sure the $140 I spent on it was worth it.
I haven't cut anything with it yet or fielded it (partly because if I do end up selling it I want to sell it in good condition) so I'm sure if I actually used the dang thing to cut some boxes open or cut some rope or a steak while I'm camping it might grow on me a lot more.
However it seems to be just a bit too large for me. Like I said I never owned a Para-Military before so when the Para2 arrived I was a little surprised by its size.
Coming from the small and refined Caly3 the Para2 seems like a Rambo knife to me and not something I'd like to whip out at the Post Office to cut some tape or open an envelope. It definitely feels like a field knife while the Caly3 strikes me as more of a gentleman's knife.
Are there any SMALLER alternatives to the Para2 with similar features such as an open back, compression or liner lock, G10 scales, VG-10 or S30V steel and tip-up/reversible clip?
Maybe something small by Emerson might fit the bill? I've never owned one of their knives before but they have the black G10 I like and they're quite rugged however I think Spyderco's probably have them beat in the ergo department by a mile.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
Delica 4 lacks a couple features you are looking for but its a great smaller alternative. I'd also recommend the Sage series. The Sage 2 is one of my all time favorites.
 
I'm familiar with the Sage 2 and after much consideration at the time I opted for the Caly3 instead.
However do you think a Delica would be a good replacement for a Caly3?
 
It's hard to say. I think its a mater of personal preference. The Caly has a larger blade than the delica but i often say the delica has just about the perfect size blade for EDC tasks. Like you i made the choice between the sage and the caly but i went with the sage so i don't have any personal experience with the caly 3. The Delica's price point is low enough that they are worth checking out.

If you don't mind 8cr13mov you might want to look at the tenacious or the persistence. I think they have all the features you want except for the premium steel.
 
The Delica doesn't have an open back, has FRN scales and it's a lockback. The Paramilitary 1 is a little bit smaller than the Para 2, but not by much. I really don't know about Emerson, their regular models are probably too big for you. It could be that one of their mini models could fit the bill for what you're looking for. The mini A-100 is a bit shorter than the Para 2 for an example. Emerson knives don't exactly strike you as gentlemans knives though and you don't get the smooth full flat grind which you get with Spyderco. If you can stand the lockback, FRN and full back spacer, the FFG Delica is a great alternative of course.
 
Mr. Hands said:
I'm familiar with the Sage 2 and after much consideration at the time I opted for the Caly3 instead.
However do you think a Delica would be a good replacement for a Caly3?
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I'd go for the Sage 1 instead of the G10 Delica (I own both)

It looks a lot more office friendly than the Para ;)
 
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If you want a compression lock, you may have to wait until the Sage that uses it arrives, or Spyderco decides to make a Mini-PM. I doubt anyone has the faintest idea how many years down the road the CL Sage may be, or whether a "PM lite" will happen. As of now, Sage I or Sage II would probably be the closest in terms of general blade shape and open back construction.

Paul
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I would wait until the Sage 3 comes out, hopefully by the end of the year. It should have the G10 you like and a fairly robust lock that will be new to Spyderco.
 
Mr. Hands said:
I'm familiar with the Sage 2 and after much consideration at the time I opted for the Caly3 instead.
However do you think a Delica would be a good replacement for a Caly3?
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I haven't handled a Paramilitary. However, I own a Caly 3 and a Sage 2. To me, the Sage 2 feels larger knife in the in hand than you would expect from looking at photos and spec sheets. I haven't handled a Caly 3.5 either, but it might fit between the Para 2 and Caly 3.
 
Mr. Hands said:
I'm familiar with the Sage 2 and after much consideration at the time I opted for the Caly3 instead.
However do you think a Delica would be a good replacement for a Caly3?
Click to expand...

It depends on your preference, I have both but my I carry my delica more often. I just feel that the handle length of the Caly 3 was too short.
 
I've been mulling over this the past few days and am trying to decide exactly what kind of knife I need.
I know I want to keep my Caly3 because I like the size and it is very "office friendly" for when I'm at work or running errands.
But I also need a kinfe for camping and hunting and for possibly skinning/butchering deer. I've taken my Caly3 camping with me over the past year and I've definitely felt I needed "more" knife. And between whittling wood and cutting steak I've had to blast out quite a bit of grime out of the inside of the knife and the basically choil-only grip doesn't seem to fit my needs all the time either. A larger, open-back folder like the Para2 would be more useful to me and easier to carry. However I dont' think I'd want to process a whole deer with it and cut ligaments and all that stuff. So now I'm thinking of ditching the Para2 and going with a sheath knife like a BRKT Bravo-1. The models I like are about $100 more than my Para2 and carrying a sheath knife will add a lot more to my load out after my HK45 pistol (which I may need to now ditch) my rifle, backpack etc. However when I'm not hunting I still go outdoors a lot and often don't carry my pistol because I'm just going metal detecting or scouting and a sheath knife would be perfect for those occasions. Lots to think about here. I've got a long drive coming up on Sunday so that will be a great time to noodle over all my options.
 
Get a regular Military, carry that for a few weeks, then switch back to the Para-Military...
BAM! The Para becomes smaller!
 
Mr. Hands said:
I've been mulling over this the past few days and am trying to decide exactly what kind of knife I need.
I know I want to keep my Caly3 because I like the size and it is very "office friendly" for when I'm at work or running errands.
But I also need a kinfe for camping and hunting and for possibly skinning/butchering deer. I've taken my Caly3 camping with me over the past year and I've definitely felt I needed "more" knife. And between whittling wood and cutting steak I've had to blast out quite a bit of grime out of the inside of the knife and the basically choil-only grip doesn't seem to fit my needs all the time either. A larger, open-back folder like the Para2 would be more useful to me and easier to carry. However I dont' think I'd want to process a whole deer with it and cut ligaments and all that stuff. So now I'm thinking of ditching the Para2 and going with a sheath knife like a BRKT Bravo-1.
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The Bravo-1, although a great knife, isn't perfect for skinning/quartering (used it for reindeer;)). You could get a Para2 and a Spyderco Moran for about the same amount. The Moran (either the FB01 or FB02) is a very good knife for processing game.

Sverre
 
NoFair said:
The Bravo-1, although a great knife, isn't perfect for skinning/quartering (used it for reindeer;)). You could get a Para2 and a Spyderco Moran for about the same amount. The Moran (either the FB01 or FB02) is a very good knife for processing game.

Sverre
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That's interesting. What didn't you like about skinning with the Bravo-1?
Did the blade not have enough "upsweep" or was it too large? The handle looks like a dream and seems like it'd be wonderful to use over an hour or two processing a deer however the blade doesn't look that perfect for quartering game. Seems more like a general purpose/utility knife. Around camp and on the trail I have to admit I don't always have the greatest need for a knife- I'm not a pioneer or rancher cutting rope, splitting leather, stripping saplings etc. so the actual neccessity for a big survival knife might not exist for me. I'm thinking of creating a spread sheet in Excel and analyzing each type of activity I do (EDC, hiking, hunting etc.) and listing the type or knife I require for each and totalling up my columns to see what I should buy :D
 
Mr. Hands said:
That's interesting. What didn't you like about skinning with the Bravo-1?
Did the blade not have enough "upsweep" or was it too large? The handle looks like a dream and seems like it'd be wonderful to use over an hour or two processing a deer however the blade doesn't look that perfect for quartering game. Seems more like a general purpose/utility knife. Around camp and on the trail I have to admit I don't always have the greatest need for a knife- I'm not a pioneer or rancher cutting rope, splitting leather, stripping saplings etc. so the actual neccessity for a big survival knife might not exist for me. I'm thinking of creating a spread sheet in Excel and analyzing each type of activity I do (EDC, hiking, hunting etc.) and listing the type or knife I require for each and totalling up my columns to see what I should buy :D
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The handle on the B-1 is wonderful. The bladeshape is not ideal for skinning; needs a bit more belly. It is also thicker than needed.

It is a very good general purpose knife and is pretty good at almost everything. For processing large game I prefer the bladeshape of the FB01 with more belly and an upswept point.

For the excel sheet: I normally use a folder for daily use, a general purpose fixed blade while hiking and a folder/utility fixed + skinning knife when hunting larger game. More than those is just because I love knives:o :D

Sverre
 
NoFair said:
The handle on the B-1 is wonderful. The bladeshape is not ideal for skinning; needs a bit more belly. It is also thicker than needed.

It is a very good general purpose knife and is pretty good at almost everything. For processing large game I prefer the bladeshape of the FB01 with more belly and an upswept point.

For the excel sheet: I normally use a folder for daily use, a general purpose fixed blade while hiking and a folder/utility fixed + skinning knife when hunting larger game. More than those is just because I love knives:o :D

Sverre
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Thanks for the info, that makes a lot of sense. That FB01 does look pretty good. Looks like a very nice design.
I'm tempted to almost get an commercial skinner like one of these- http://www.amazon.com/Forschner-Victorinox-Skinning-Fibrox-Handle/dp/B000IXBI3C/ref=sr_1_12?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285518491&sr=8-12

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Seems very inexpensive and I can just keep it around camp in my truck to process the deer after I've hung it from a tree. However I don't know how good the steel is and if I'll need to be sharpening it every 10 minutes.
I may just do what you suggested- continue to use my Caly3 for EDC, keep my Para2 for camping/hiking then get some kind of specific skinning knife for processing game.

noway said:
For a cheap fixed blade you could get a (made in USA version) Sharpfinger cheaper than a Bravo.
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Yes I've seen the Sharpfinger/Fingerling too and got to handle one at a knife shop once. The BRKT version is very nice but I was a little concerned the handle might have been a little too small and might have caused some issues after using it for an hour or two.
 
got one of the Forschners in the boat at the moment. I've tried it for meat processing and it is ok, but for reindeer it is bigger than it needs to be and not very good for skinning. Edge holding is good when used on meat and tendons, no problems at all.

Most of the moose hunters here use something like that after doing the initial field dressing. They usually have 2-3 knives for the meat processing.

With reindeer I field dress it, skin it, dismember it and carry everything out in my pack. It is often a few hours of hiking to get off the mountain so I try to do as much as I can in the field. With reindeer I've had no problems using a 3-4" knife for everything. I'll try my Spyderco Hossom Dayhiker next time, it seems good at meat processing (tried it on a moose). I haven't tried skinning with it yet though. The handle is a bit long, but I think it will be ok.

Sverre
 
NoFair said:
With reindeer I field dress it, skin it, dismember it and carry everything out in my pack. It is often a few hours of hiking to get off the mountain so I try to do as much as I can in the field. With reindeer I've had no problems using a 3-4" knife for everything. I'll try my Spyderco Hossom Dayhiker next time, it seems good at meat processing (tried it on a moose). I haven't tried skinning with it yet though. The handle is a bit long, but I think it will be ok.

Sverre
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Do you do most of that work in the field with your FB01?
That Dayhiker looks really cool too.
I had no idea that Spyderco carried such a wide array of knife styles.
 
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