Spyderco Military : Good for Hard outdoor use?

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woodentsick

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Apr 27, 2009
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Hi guys,

I was wondering if the G-10 Spyderco Military was fit for hard use in the outdoors such as in batoning or hunting, especially with the absence of full stainless steel liners, a weak tip and rumours about a weak liner lock.

Anyone who has a Spyderco Millie and who uses it a lot, please share your thoughts about its rigidity here.

Thanks!!
 
What you've described is what it was designed to do, and what pretty much everyone on the site who has one uses it for! :thumbup:

Good choice for an outdoor folder.
 
No folding knife is designed for batoning, they're too short to do it properly anyway. That being said, if you want really robust folders look at Zero Tolerance knives.
 
woodentsick said:
Hi guys,

I was wondering if the G-10 Spyderco Military was fit for hard use in the outdoors such as in batoning or hunting, especially with the absence of full stainless steel liners, a weak tip and rumours about a weak liner lock.

Anyone who has a Spyderco Millie and who uses it a lot, please share your thoughts about its rigidity here.

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

The liners are nested, I dare you to break those handles under normal use. The tip is only weak if you're prying, something you shouldn't do. The Military's liner lock is the best in the business and isn't weak by any standards.

I'd love to know if you're hearing these "rumors" from a forum, a person, or if you're making them up in your head.

Sep said:
No folding knife is designed for batoning, they're too short to do it properly anyway. That being said, if you want really robust folders look at Zero Tolerance knives.
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ZT line and the Military have very different designs and purpose of use. I can't say I'd want to baton with either.
 
It is a great knife to carry in the outdoors. I carry mine often, but I use my folders only for cutting. The lock is amazing, and I wish people would stop worrying about full vs. partial liners. G-10 is incredibly strong stuff, and the Military is an amazingly strong folder. I would not baton with any knife because it is sensless and uneeded in 99.99% of all firewood situations.
 
I carry mine all the time in the outdoors - G10 with S30V blade. Great knife - I have used it very hard and it doesn't show signs of wear at all.

I have to agree with all others who posted in this thread - you must understand the limitations of the tool you have at hand. The tip will NOT stand up to prying at all - it was designed for piercing.

Out of all the many folders I have I would never baton with them as they are not designed for that.

The liner lock hasn't given me a bit of trouble. The lock up is very solid.

One of the other great things is the size of the blade and handle - you do not have to force this knife to do the tasks you will ask of it. There's plenty of blade for cutting and plenty of handle for various grip needs.

Get one - you'll love it.:thumbup::thumbup:
 
I sold mine precisely because I appraised it's features and decided it wasn't a hard use knife. That doesn't make it a bad knife for outdoors; most do just fine when used as knives, not hatchets. An outdoors knife doesn't necessarily have to be a robust batoning prying tool, and history has shown most experienced travelers overland didn't do that with theirs.

If you include those two tasks - which are serious abuse to any folder - then the Military is out. Some others have been suggested as putting up with it, but in the long run, they would also suffer serious damage. They would at least resist a short two or three days of it, though, precisely where they fit in, as capable of extreme use when needed. It's your call whether the additional bulk and expense is really justifiable.

Comparing the Military to the Tenacious, I'd take the latter as a superior outdoor design.
 
tirod3 said:
I sold mine precisely because I appraised it's features and decided it wasn't a hard use knife. That doesn't make it a bad knife for outdoors; most do just fine when used as knives, not hatchets. An outdoors knife doesn't necessarily have to be a robust batoning prying tool, and history has shown most experienced travelers overland didn't do that with theirs.

If you include those two tasks - which are serious abuse to any folder - then the Military is out. Some others have been suggested as putting up with it, but in the long run, they would also suffer serious damage. They would at least resist a short two or three days of it, though, precisely where they fit in, as capable of extreme use when needed. It's your call whether the additional bulk and expense is really justifiable.

Comparing the Military to the Tenacious, I'd take the latter as a superior outdoor design.
Click to expand...

I like the Tenacious, but its steel isn't the best. Everything else I've heard about it is really good.
 
woodentsick said:
... rumours about a weak liner lock.
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Where did you hear rumours about a weak liner lock. :rolleyes:

I am not really into these type knives any more, but I have had a millie in the past and wouldn't hesitate to take it into the pits of hell, it's that solid.
 
tirod3 said:
I sold mine precisely because I appraised it's features and decided it wasn't a hard use knife. That doesn't make it a bad knife for outdoors; most do just fine when used as knives, not hatchets. An outdoors knife doesn't necessarily have to be a robust batoning prying tool, and history has shown most experienced travelers overland didn't do that with theirs.

If you include those two tasks - which are serious abuse to any folder - then the Military is out. Some others have been suggested as putting up with it, but in the long run, they would also suffer serious damage. They would at least resist a short two or three days of it, though, precisely where they fit in, as capable of extreme use when needed. It's your call whether the additional bulk and expense is really justifiable.

Comparing the Military to the Tenacious, I'd take the latter as a superior outdoor design.
Click to expand...


You're saying that if you include abuse as a possible use then the Military isn't a better design? I think it would handle batoning much better then the Tenacious. Prying I just don't get.
 
10 people just told you it's a great outdoor folder, I'll be the 11th
 
And I'll be number 11 1/2!

The Millie is a great knife, and I would happily carry it as a back-up knife outdoors.

But -

Any folder is inherently weaker than a fixed blade.

And a flat-handled, rough handled knife like the Millie is inherently harder on the hand than a rounder handled, smoother handled knife. For intermittent work, the Millie is fine, but if you're going to be doing a bunch of whittling, carving, woodwork type of thing, your hands will suffer.
 
For an EDC, a folding knife almost always beats a fixed blade, and the Military is one of the best.

For heavy camping, a fixed blade beats a folder, any folder. In the bush, folders become a backup/emergency or fine-use knife.

Fixed blades don't get as much attention because our folding EDCs get a lot more carry time. But fixed blades are much better for the kind of uses that you mention. Their handles are more comfortable. They are much stronger. They are easier to clean. Your questions come up because you want to substitute a folder for work designed for a fixed blade.
 
Eazy_tom said:
Get a fixed blade.



The tip is fine unless you are prying with it.
Don't do any prying with knives, especially folders.



That's bullshit the military has one of the strongest liner locks out of all production folders.
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Agreed, and I would add that the KaBar heavy bowie would handle the batoning just fine and at a great price.
I carry my Military outdoors with the intention of food prep. Works great of fish. :thumbup:
 
It's a great folder. Don't use it for batoning. Do you really want to chance it failing? Use a large fixed blade, or a hatchet/axe to split wood.
 
Great knife for the outdoors, But I would not baton with it. I carried mine for about a year. Not a very good skinner though.
 
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