Spyderco "Military" vs "Para Military"

J

jemelby

Joined
Feb 20, 2005
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280
Searching this forum can be a real trial. There is no shortage of posts on "Military", "Spyderco". or "Para". But try and find a post with all three! The boolean functions leave me a bit flustered. :confused:

Anyway, I've been looking for four things in a new pocket knife: S30V, G-10, ~3" blade, and open-assist of some type.

I've not seen much critisism for the Syderco Military. Is its little brother every bit as good? The Military is just to dang big so suit, and the specs on the para-military are pretty much the same. To bad there isn't a Spyderco AO option. Kershaw pretty much does this the best. Perhaps Mr. Onion can collaberate a bit more with them.

I welcome comments, fact, and opinions alike on the subject.
 
Actually, disregarding size the para is probably the superior knife, since it uses a Spyderco's compression lock.
 
the problem i have with compression locks is that the blade will sometimes open in your pocket.

check out the spydie manix, it's about paramil size and a solid folder.


also, if this isn't urgent and you're willing to wait about a week or two:

http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=635

you'll be able to pick one up for $100-130 range i believe, and not only is it a very well made knife, but damn if it isn't pretty.
 
The Para is a great knife, honestly I think it's way better for it's intended purpose without the assisted opening. AO is neat, but doesn't serve any practical purpose on a hard use knife IMO. All it does is add complexity and more pieces to break.
 
I don't think the opening problem has ever been a problem for this particular model. It also carries tip down, just like the full sized military.
 
It might be paranoia, but I chose the Endura to avoid the name "MILITARY" just in a liability sense in the off chance, rare, nearly impossible to conceive, far-out, possibility that I would ever be in COURT over a knife and I wanted an innocuous name.

:confused:

I also REALLY like VG-10

:)
 
I just recently got a Military and for some reason I really like it. I only have 20 other Spydies, but I have a lot of other knives, some that are embarrassingly expensive - still, I like that Military for some reason. It is in the pocket of my Carhart coat when I go out to feed the deer at 0430 (I'm retired). For this purpose the size is not a problem. The Manix is a little shorter but bigger overall and a lot beefier. The Para would be a good choice.
 
I have a Military and it is a great knife indeed.

You might try a Lil Temperance if you don't decide on the Para. It is a stout little knife with a 3 inch flat grind blade. Sort of a little Manix I suppose. And, you can carry it tip up if that's something that is important to you.

I hope you find the one right for you. Good luck!
 
By all acounts, the Para is a great knife. Thanks for all the info, insite and suggestions. As is the case with some knives and some manufactures, the "baby" or "para" version of a knife is often less of a knife in more ways than size (to include price :) ). This doesn't seem to be the case with the "Para Military."

As for the word "Military", I are in the military, so not to worried. (good point, though)

As for the AO aspect... can't a fella have just a little "gadget" in his life? :)
 
Definitely, that's why I have a Boa and a Chive. But for a go-to-war folder, I want strong and simple. The Para fits that bill.
 
I have a Para and have handled the full size Military on numerous occassions. They both have superior ergonomics with both a forward and "regular" grips. I chose the Para because at the time I wanted something smaller and was impressed by the design of the compression lock.

I think the compression lock is a love it or hate it thing. I think it's great and super easy to use. I have zero trouble opening and closing it one-handed. But I've seen a few posts by people who dislike it. I believe the compression lock is probably more reliable than the otherwise excellent liner lock on the Military. Unlike a liner, the compression should not slip under torque.

Another thing you have to accept about the Para is the odd blade to handle ratio. It works for me -- the blade is plenty long for the vast majority of cutting tasks, and the longish handle provides a better grip than most knives with the same sized blade but smaller handles. On the other hand, the cutting edge on the Para is roughly the same as that on the much smaller small Sebenza or Benchmade Mini-Griptilian, for example.

The detent on mine is secure and it has never opened in my pocket.

Bottom line, I recommend the Para. Handle one first if you can, and consider what some others see as shortcomings before you buy.
 
Love the Para as well. Had a Military several years ago but sold it because it was just too big for everday carry, for me at least. Waited patiently while Sal & Co. teased us for years about the "Military Jr."

The compression lock on the Para has grown on me, and I find it easy to open and close the knife with one hand. The detent lockup is solid on my knife, and it has never opened in my pocket. I'm very impressed with the S30V. Takes and holds a razor-sharp edge nicely.

The Para has become my favorite EDC and rides in my pocket as I type this. I think it was worth the wait.
 
I've got both, actually three, having the Military in PE and SE and a PE Para.

I've been EDC 'ing the Mil (in either format) for about five years. Many blades have come and gone in the interim but none have been able to challenge.

Recently I tried a Manix, -great knife but no competitor for my affections. So I then swapped that for a Paramilitary. The Para is more my style. The family resemblance is striking and it feels very familiar. I like it, it's a classic Spyderco.

It will not replace the Mil. The compression lock is fine, solid for sure. But I do not find it easy to close one handed. I don't like to flip it shut, it seems a little dramatic. Plus it never just closes, it either closes "most of the way" and then has to be pushed in, or it swings down so fast that it hits and bounces back out to partly open again. If I close it on my leg, or two handed it's fine, just like a lock back.

I find that with my Military I'm able to draw, open, cut with, close and return to pocket so fast and so low key, most people don't even notice. The nested liner lock on this knife is the perfect choice for this cutting system.

Additionally I prefer the extra size of the Mil. The Para is fine, l but as much as I enjoy small knives the fact I've learned is that there's nothing a small knife can do that a bigger knife can't but that the reverse is often true. If size prevented me from carrying the Mil I would choose the Para, but for me it would definitely be a compromise decision.

The other recent challenger I've been trying out, a very Military-esque style knife, is a Swamp Rat Rat Trap. I've got an opinion on that too, I'll have to write about that at some point. ;)
 
I just can't stand huge folders

to me the para is far better choice. The only time when I would consider carrying the full size on are times when I'd carry a fixed blade instead anyway
 
does anyone have a video of open / closing the para one handed. I always assumed with the compression lock on top of the handle that it would be awkward to open and close. I ordered a millie because of this. I haven't run across a dealer in my area that stocked the para so I cannot see how easy it is to open / close on my own.

-SunRunner-
 
The Military is undoubtedly a classic. I have two of them, though I admit I haven’t carried mine much lately. I bought a Para-Military a couple of months ago, but returned it after just one day. It was a real disappointment.

With the Military, you can choke-up on the grip or comfortably hold it further down on the handle. It seemed like with the Para, only the choke-up grip was really feasible. The handle design of the large Millie just didn’t translate to the smaller Para.

There were many fit and finish problems with my Para too: uneven edge grinds, very rough opening, awful finish on the clip, and poorly made thumb-ramp notches on the blade.

The Lil’ Temperance is definitely a knife you should look at as an alternative to the Para-Military; the blade geometry and overall size are similar, and it also uses a compression lock. The Lil’ T. may be a bit more expensive, but the ergos are awesome and the one I have is extremely well constructed.
 
I have lots of liner locks, I was going to get a Military until I looked at the pic and realized that it was in fact a liner lock. I don't know why, but that has really put me off, so I am going with a Police.
 
I just re-ordered a para-military.


If you want some High Quality pics of the para look in the link below,

Para-Military


for me the Para is perfect. it has a nice strong blade. The military may be good for what it is named after Military activities or things like camping, But foir EDC the para is more than enogh. It is light and 2" smaller than the Military. i think spyderco should sell the Para for cheaper than the Military and by more than $10


and either which one you choose, Just remember you will probrolly have and own both of them one day. Just becosue its a spyderco.



also in the pic below its a Benchmade 710HS which also has a 3.9" blade compared to the Militarys 4.0" blade. as you can see the Military would be much longer and Bigger. I coudlent find a side by side of a para and Military so I chose to post this,

PARA710.jpg
 
It's interesting to look at that side-by-side. As posted by Keith, the Para has an abnormal blade-to-handle ratio. As you can see in the picture, the Para has almost as much handle as the longer bladed BM. I would imagine that this is desireable for some meaty fisted folks.

For my part, I have to consider the allotment of pocket space this knife will consume. You see, if I am going to have 4" of knife in the pocket, I'd just as soon have a chunk of blade to match.

Perhaps that is why I am so enamored with the Leek. It represents the perfect pocket proportion for me.
 
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