Spyderco Military - Best Bang for Buck knife?

the military is now my main edc, but that's because i lost my zdp endura. that's the truth. the endura is slimmer, less bulk, and i find zdp 189 a lot easier to maintain than s30v (assuming we're talking about screaming sharp mirror-polished edges.) but after a while, it didn't take me long to decide that the military is the best large edc folder for me (goodbye endura.) the tip down mode doesn't bother me. gripping it is better than any other large folder (except maybe that tank zt0200.)

what will make me give up the military? onset of arthritis. i can't grip knives the way i used to so i might have to shift to something a lot smaller.

cheers.
 
singularity35 said:
Probably will depend on your personal checkboxes. ;)
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Fair enough, my reasons for picking the tenacious are formidable cuttingpower in a very affordable blade. The flat ground leafshape blade excells at slicing, foodprep and general medium to hard use. 8cr13mov obviously isn't top of the line but holds up reasonably well and almost helps you sharpen it.
 
hank_rearden said:
what will make me give up the military? onset of arthritis. i can't grip knives the way i used to so i might have to shift to something a lot smaller.

cheers.
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@hank-rearden,
I think, if you spend any time around old folks, that you will find that many conditions occurring with elderly is that gripping small things becomes more difficult, and it is easier to hold and manipulate larger diameter tools. Example: eating utensils (fork, knife, spoon) with large diameter handles are often used as manual dexterity diminishes with the elderly.

So, I would say the Military may suit you better than you may think in your coming years ;-)

Also, based on your descriptive prefererance's, I would urge you to take a look at the Calypso (not the Caly, but the original Calypso and/or the Sprint from 2013). It is a bit of what I think you would like of both the Millie & the Endura. Gentlemanly version of both models combined imho

Regards,
 
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@LeathermanGX said:
VWho knows, you could be hanging upside down from your seat belt in the dark. Can you be sure you can slide your tip up knife through your palm, to open it, without dropping it?
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That's a good point. When I carry a tip up knife, and the one that I carry and use the most is my Manix 2, when I pull it out my thumb is far from the opening hole. I have to toss it up in the air and catch it with it positioned properly before I can open it. If I am hanging upside down and try that I'm probably throwing the knife at the floor!

Put a Military in your pocket in the tip up position then pull it out, your thumb will be 6" from the opening hole. I can pull out a tip down knife, open it, use it, close it and put it back in my pocket while you are still inching your way down the handle trying to open that Military. Today I'm carrying a Manix 2 XL and it is almost that bad, but I still like it and still carry it.
 
I used to have a all blacked out Military that was my favorite knife for years. I converted it over to tip-up as that is how I prefer to carry. I unfortunately lost that knife and got a satin/camo version to replace it, but haven't converted it over to tip-up yet, so it just sits in the box. I've found many other knives I like just as much. But the Military will always have a place. Big, light, thin, tough.. what more can you ask for? Oh yeah, 4 position carry :-)
 
bdmicarta said:
That's a good point. When I carry a tip up knife, and the one that I carry and use the most is my Manix 2, when I pull it out my thumb is far from the opening hole. I have to toss it up in the air and catch it with it positioned properly before I can open it. If I am hanging upside down and try that I'm probably throwing the knife at the floor!

Put a Military in your pocket in the tip up position then pull it out, your thumb will be 6" from the opening hole. I can pull out a tip down knife, open it, use it, close it and put it back in my pocket while you are still inching your way down the handle trying to open that Military. Today I'm carrying a Manix 2 XL and it is almost that bad, but I still like it and still carry it.
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I'm totally opposite (unless I'm reading wrong). When I carry tip up, I put my thumb down in the pocket and pull out, my thumb is right on the hole and in one motion can open the knife right up. If I carry tip down, I have to flip it over and slide it down to open. Guess it matters how you grab your knife.. if you go deep thumb, tip up. If you just pull on the end sticking out of the pocket.. tip down.
 
Jeru said:
Sal Glasser himself started as a tip-down carry guy himself by the way. But he told me once (at Spyderco's Forum) that he did got used to tip-up carry over time.
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I got used to tip up carry with a small knife but it doesn't work very well with a large knife. If you go back in history I think there was a time when there were a lot more knives made in tip down configuration. My first Spyderco, the micarta Goddard folder, I believe was tip down, and I owned tip down knives from other companies. The thing that promoted tip up were the FRN knives like the Delica and Endura because they had the clips molded into the handle. And then lock types like the Axis lock got popular and those were mostly made tip up to keep the clip away from the lock. So people moved away from tip down.
 
The only good thing about the Military 2 coming out will be all the barely carried Militarys up for sale. :D
 
@LeathermanGX said:
The only good thing about the Military 2 coming out will be all the barely carried Militarys up for sale. :D
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I was thinking exactly the same thing! I can't wait for the Military 2, only because of all the sweet originals that will get freed up!
 
I couldn't love my Millie until I took out the awful aluminum block back spacer and replaced it with stainless steel stand offs. Much tougher under torque now. No steel screws stripping out the aluminum tap holes makes me happier.
 
bdmicarta said:
I got used to tip up carry with a small knife but it doesn't work very well with a large knife.
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Exactly. Manageable with small knives. With my XS hands that is. But still couldn't get used to it. So I sold all my small clipped knives as well lol, cause I rather carry a SAK or Juice as my small knife instead :D
 
@LeathermanGX said:
The only good thing about the Military 2 coming out will be all the barely carried Militarys up for sale. :D
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I haven't really been keeping up like I used to, and I knew they were eventually making one, but is this actually coming up soon?
 
Boats said:
I couldn't love my Millie until I took out the awful aluminum block back spacer and replaced it with stainless steel stand offs. Much tougher under torque now. No steel screws stripping out the aluminum tap holes makes me happier.
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I'd really like to do this as well. Where did you get them if you don't mind my asking?
 
Spey said:
@hank-rearden,
I think, if you spend any time around old folks, that you will find that many conditions occurring with elderly is that gripping small things becomes more difficult, and it is easier to hold and manipulate larger diameter tools. Example: eating utensils (fork, knife, spoon) with large diameter handles are often used as manual dexterity diminishes with the elderly.

So, I would say the Military may suit you better than you may think in your coming years ;-)

Also, based on your descriptive prefererance's, I would urge you to take a look at the Calypso (not the Caly, but the original Calypso and/or the Sprint from 2013). It is a bit of what I think you would like of both the Millie & the Endura. Gentlemanly version of both models combined imho

Regards,
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hey thanks! thing is it's my pinky that hurts and, to an extent, the forefinger on the right. that's why i can't do a hammer grip anymore (whether edge up or down.) what's comfy right now is the rapier/scalpel hold with the thumb against the ramp, and the pinky sticking out like it's tea time. :)
 
Hawk45 said:
I'm totally opposite (unless I'm reading wrong). When I carry tip up, I put my thumb down in the pocket and pull out, my thumb is right on the hole and in one motion can open the knife right up.
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I have longer than average fingers but my thumb won't go nearly far enough in my pocket to reach the hole. With a Delica or maybe a Sage, my thumb will end up in the right place. With a Military my thumb ends up 1.5" or 2" away. I saw a guy on youtube that could do this but he was doing it with his knife clipped in pajamas. I don't wear pajamas in my house much less out in public, with my jeans I can't reach the thumb hole. In any discussion of tip/up/down I have to point out that different people carry different ways. With my jeans and right front pocket I can't reach the thumb hole. Other people with different clothing and different carry positions might be different.
 
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