- Joined
- Jun 29, 1999
- Messages
- 9,783
Spydercos are weird. They feature off-beat designs. The trademark hole is, well, unnecessary in fixed blades, though it functions very well as an opener in folders. Sal Glasser has never been trapped inside the box, so to speak. His designs, while seemingly off-beat, are totally functional, highly ergonomic, superbly engineered and focused on one thing: cutting well. Spyderco offers a wider variety of steels, locks (and non-locking blades) than anyone else in the business, as far as I’m aware. It’s worth downloading their catalogue, or picking one up (the Factory Outlet Store in Golden has stacks of ‘em.).
The hole didn’t stop me from picking up a Mule Train blade in CPM 20CV (a.k.a. M390) on a recent visit to Spyderco in Golden, Colorado, U.S.A. Earth (as it says on the blades of their USA-made knives). What impressed me most is how well it slices. That’s due to what Spyderco calls a full flat grind, pretty close to a true Scandi grind. In several weeks of use now (with Halpern G-10 grips) it continues to impress, whether whittling pine or kitchen duties. It goes in the daypack when we’re hiking. The substantial leather sheath makes it a bit bulky for belt or pocket carry, though. Not that I really need another knife, but as author Joe Abercrombie notes in his excellent trilogy The First Law, “You can never have too many knives.”
My EDC rotation includes a number of smallish knives: Sebbie 21, nice and flat, easy to carry, elegant slicer and a tribute to precise engineering. Cabela’s Grippie in D2, with the marvelous Axis lock. CS American Lawman in CTS-XHP with the superb Tri-Ad back lock that engages like a vault door. Buck Custom Shop 112, oak grips, S30V blade, traditional, totally functional piece of art. They’re all fairly heavy, though, the Grippie aside, and it’s a bit bulky in the pocket. I was thinking seriously of Benchmade’s new 2 oz. Bugout (1.85 oz.), which is getting rave reviews, but I already have several Axis locks. Time for something new.
As I enter my 7th decade (to my amazement), I’ve become an advocate of lighter gear. Spyderco’s Para Military 2 fit the bill, the Military being a tad large for my purposes, not to mention Sheeples’ reaction when you pull one out. My favorite knife store in Calgary had them at the same price offered on-line ($40 off the MSRP of $209.95, even more when you discount the Canadian Loonie), so yesterday I picked one up. Satin blade, S30V (probably my all-time favorite steel). It’s very light, only 3.9 oz., but solidly constructed, with G-10 grip panels, skeletonized stainless steel liners, bronze washer bearings and Spyderco’s ingenious compression lock. You could call it minimalist.
The compression lock takes a bit of explaining. It’s basically half of a liner lock, in that the nested stainless steel liner on the lock side is split longitudinally. On opening (which is almost effortless) the top half quietly clicks into place between the tang and the stop pin. There’s a small cut-out on the right panel for releasing the lock – just press it sideways. It’s on the back of the knife, which takes a bit of getting used to, but it works well and seems as strong as any folder lock, and likely safer than some.
Hair-popping sharp out of the box. It had a tiny burr, which disappeared with a few passes on the DMT fine hone. Then it was hair-topping sharp. It has a totally functional leaf-sharped blade, like the Mule, with a fine point you probably wouldn’t want to use to pry off paint can lids, but I wouldn’t worry about cutting into wood.
Spyderco notes that this newest Para Military 2 includes several mods since the original. The G-10 handle is narrower at the end and thinner, the blade tip was lengthened and additional jimping to both the spine and finger choil were added, along with a new Bushing Pivot System and a larger lanyard hole. My impression is that engineering tolerances are so close to Sebenza’s as to make no difference.
Opened length 8.2”; blade length 3.4” (edge 3.078”), closed length 4.8”, blade thickness .141”. It came with the clip set up for tip down carry but it can be moved to tip up or down, either side. I plan to leave it as is, though I’m more used to tip up.
I’m getting used to the hole. Actually, I like it. This superb little blade is going to get a lot of use.
The hole didn’t stop me from picking up a Mule Train blade in CPM 20CV (a.k.a. M390) on a recent visit to Spyderco in Golden, Colorado, U.S.A. Earth (as it says on the blades of their USA-made knives). What impressed me most is how well it slices. That’s due to what Spyderco calls a full flat grind, pretty close to a true Scandi grind. In several weeks of use now (with Halpern G-10 grips) it continues to impress, whether whittling pine or kitchen duties. It goes in the daypack when we’re hiking. The substantial leather sheath makes it a bit bulky for belt or pocket carry, though. Not that I really need another knife, but as author Joe Abercrombie notes in his excellent trilogy The First Law, “You can never have too many knives.”
My EDC rotation includes a number of smallish knives: Sebbie 21, nice and flat, easy to carry, elegant slicer and a tribute to precise engineering. Cabela’s Grippie in D2, with the marvelous Axis lock. CS American Lawman in CTS-XHP with the superb Tri-Ad back lock that engages like a vault door. Buck Custom Shop 112, oak grips, S30V blade, traditional, totally functional piece of art. They’re all fairly heavy, though, the Grippie aside, and it’s a bit bulky in the pocket. I was thinking seriously of Benchmade’s new 2 oz. Bugout (1.85 oz.), which is getting rave reviews, but I already have several Axis locks. Time for something new.
As I enter my 7th decade (to my amazement), I’ve become an advocate of lighter gear. Spyderco’s Para Military 2 fit the bill, the Military being a tad large for my purposes, not to mention Sheeples’ reaction when you pull one out. My favorite knife store in Calgary had them at the same price offered on-line ($40 off the MSRP of $209.95, even more when you discount the Canadian Loonie), so yesterday I picked one up. Satin blade, S30V (probably my all-time favorite steel). It’s very light, only 3.9 oz., but solidly constructed, with G-10 grip panels, skeletonized stainless steel liners, bronze washer bearings and Spyderco’s ingenious compression lock. You could call it minimalist.
The compression lock takes a bit of explaining. It’s basically half of a liner lock, in that the nested stainless steel liner on the lock side is split longitudinally. On opening (which is almost effortless) the top half quietly clicks into place between the tang and the stop pin. There’s a small cut-out on the right panel for releasing the lock – just press it sideways. It’s on the back of the knife, which takes a bit of getting used to, but it works well and seems as strong as any folder lock, and likely safer than some.
Hair-popping sharp out of the box. It had a tiny burr, which disappeared with a few passes on the DMT fine hone. Then it was hair-topping sharp. It has a totally functional leaf-sharped blade, like the Mule, with a fine point you probably wouldn’t want to use to pry off paint can lids, but I wouldn’t worry about cutting into wood.
Spyderco notes that this newest Para Military 2 includes several mods since the original. The G-10 handle is narrower at the end and thinner, the blade tip was lengthened and additional jimping to both the spine and finger choil were added, along with a new Bushing Pivot System and a larger lanyard hole. My impression is that engineering tolerances are so close to Sebenza’s as to make no difference.
Opened length 8.2”; blade length 3.4” (edge 3.078”), closed length 4.8”, blade thickness .141”. It came with the clip set up for tip down carry but it can be moved to tip up or down, either side. I plan to leave it as is, though I’m more used to tip up.
I’m getting used to the hole. Actually, I like it. This superb little blade is going to get a lot of use.
