Spyderco Para or Emerson Mini Commander?

M

MrGunn

Joined
Jul 23, 2009
Messages
59
Both are fantastic knives, but my wife will only allow me to buy one (for the meantime!). I'm looking at a smaller EDC than my Endura 4 and I have my eyes set on either of the two. The digicam/black para caught my eye while the Emerson mini commander's appeal I couldn't shake off.

Which do you think should I go for first?
 
I'd say para Mil. Its popular legend for a reason. I have yet to see anyone complaining of buying Spyderco Para-Military
 
I'd also vote for the Para.
I have a couple Emersons, but my Paramilitary always bumps them out of rotation, or so it seems.
They're pretty equally sturdy, although the Emersons might be a little more beefy with their full liners, but the flat-ground blade of the Spyderco reeeeeeeally outperforms the obtuse chisel grind of the Emersons.
 
i had 2 P millie, now i only carry Emersons, you should handle both of em and decide which one fits your needs better, for a EDC i would take para altough i dont like tip down (thats why i sold mine) but for SD and all terrain survival and back up knife, i would take the EKI. Perhaps not a Mini comm, rather a Horseman, but i really trust in those waved bastards :D Hope it helps.

Ps: i think Emersons are more comfotable in the hand, my para had a bith short handle for my mid sized palm.
 
I was going to say Para, just because it's an awesome knife.
However, after looking at the Mini-Commander, that thing looks pretty sweet (and it's waved).
Some people describe the Para as, a little cramped sometimes. If you have larger hands I would actually go with the Emerson. The Para is technically superior in every way (steel, lock, utility design), but in this case the Emerson just might fit my hand better.

Personally I've never bothered with the Para, I just use the Military and don't look back.
If you're looking for a smaller EDC. Get the Military, carry it exclusively for a month, then try to use the Endura again. It will be much smaller than it was before.
 
Keep in mind that there's a general bias toward Spyderco over Emerson on these forums. But being a fan of both companies, I still prefer the Para over the Commander. For one, I'm not a fan of recurves. But I just really like a lot of the features of the Para- it's one of my all time favorite models from Spyderco and one of my all time favorite production knives in this price range. The Compression lock in genius, the ergos work well for me, I like the blade to handle ratio (which turns other people off about this model) and I like the finger choil. The Emerson has the wave (plus in my book, not i everyone's) and it carries lower in the pocket. The steel difference is negligible.
 
I have both knives and carry both of them. The Mini Commander is heavier, and I don't like its blade geometry as much as the full flat ground Paramilitary. I do like the wave and tip up carry. The Para has a very weak detente (at least mine does), and I didn't like to carry it tip down for fear of it opening up in my pocket. I sent it to STR to get a deep pocket clip so I can carry it tip up. With the new clip, I prefer the Para, but tip down, I would prefer the Emerson. Both knives fit my hand very well, but my hands seem to be smaller than most people's on this forum, and there isn't any room to spare with the Para, whereas the Mini Commander has a couple centimeters extra space.
 
Para hands down. Better lock, stronger and more reliable, and a better blade steel. Its just the better of the two. My opinion of course.

STR
 
Both are great knives. The Para is an all around great edc. It has no real downside. My Para has a tip up carry, Thanks to STR.
 
Depends

Para as is... the handle to me is a little short, if you don't use the choil, and the tip-down carry is a pain.....that TAAANG. Also I find the detent a little weak...Tip down is great though and the lock is better than the Emerson. It is a great slicer with a wicked tip which is more preferable to me as an EDC.

Emerson better ergos is the handle and more comfortable in the pocket. Downsides...technically the lock is weaker and the blade is thicker and the recurve is a pain. The blade shape to me is not a great EDC choice. If you like Emerson you may want to look at the A-100 or Horseman. Their blade shapes are better EDC choices
 
It's not so much that liner locks are "weak." Many appear to be plenty strong. But the compression lock seems more secure, that is it's less likely to fail from different angles and stresses.
 
I have a Para and a few Emersons.. I really like my CQC-7A thanks to STR.. so much I just picked up a used CQC-7B. Quality is great and feels better in the hand than the Para. The Para is a great knife also, super light and strong. But I like the bigger handle of the Emerson (width).
 
Lycosa said:
I have both.
I carry the Spyder P Mil.
Good luck. :)
Click to expand...

What he said.
It took me a while to get over what at first I thought was a horrible
blade length to handle ratio, but when you realize that the PM just CUTS
and CUTS and CUTS, you'll get it.
 
The Para is a great EDC knife, if you can only get one for the time being I'd go for it.
 
i too have both. The emerson is in a drawer. The para has been used and used. The commander is not in the drawer because I dont want to mess it up. The para is an amazing knife IMO.
 
I loved the way my mini commander felt in the hand and the wave is one of the best things to ever be done to a folding knife in my opinion. But I say had because I sold it to my buddy because recurves aren't my thing. Never had a spyderco para military but have had a few spydercos they have been hit or miss with quality on my plastic handled knives. But ALOT of people really like them so they must be alright I'd say check them both out but man the wave really kicks ass. I carry a cqc10 now
 
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