Spyderco Paramilitary 2 or Military?

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knifeman1996

Joined
Nov 30, 2014
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Hello all,

I've been looking for a good folding knife recently, and have narrowed it down to these two wonderful knives. I'm a bit of an outdoorsman and work-a-holic, so I'm needing a good knife that can keep up. At first I was looking at the Spyderco Military model, an amazingly crafted knife from the looks of it, but then the Paramilitary 2 caught my eye. As these knives are both quite similar I'm having a difficult time deciding. I'm also enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and would like a knife that would function well during deployment. If you would please give me the best qualities of each knife and your personal choice with the reasons you've chosen one over the other, I would greatly appreciate it.
 
Similar in shape maybe. Military is bigger than the pm2. Military is tip down only and is a liner lock vs the compression lock of the pm2.
 
Semper Fi Knifeman 1996...I have both of these knives and they are terrific knives. I have a TI Military and a couple of PM2. I favor the PM2 as it's a legal carry in most states and the compression lock makes easy deployment. Neither come with deep pocket clips so my want to hunt around for one if that's important to you.

Both of these knives would be general purpose knives. You're not going to be chopping down trees with them. They are good for EDC except the Military blade may not be a legal carry in some states. Since you're active duty I would be inclined to look at an auto knife for deployment.

IMO the best all-around carry knife is the PM2.
 
I have both and they both see ALOT of pocket time. My suggestion would be to get both, however if I could only have one it would be the the PM2. You won't be disappointed either way. I recently took my PM2 on a backcountry elk hunt, it handled everything I needed it to do short of processing firewood. I made feather sticks, did food prep, made tent stakes, and butchered an elk. A few touch ups on my spyderco double stuff was all that was required to keep it sharp during a week long trip.
 
Have both, love the Military more. Fits my big mitts better.
 
You'll find this debated a lot-
I own and carry both. I like the PM2 better for EDC rotation.

The considerations I see expressed are that some jurisdictions won't allow a knife of the length of the Military, and some people don't want to carry it if they work in an office. But for outdoors use most people seem to prefer the Military.
 
CJZ said:
Have both, love the Military more. Fits my big mitts better.
Click to expand...
I also like both quite a bit but overall prefer the pm2. If a person has hands too big for a pm2, he really has big hands!:eek: I d like to see a picture of that hand holding a pm2.
 
About three weeks ago I was making the same decision you are now.

I recieved my PM2 two weeks ago. Its been in my front pocket every day since.

My Military came in the mail yesterday. It has been in my back pocket since.

I couldn't decide which one I would like better before I bought them. I still can't.
 
I own both. I never carry the pm2. I think I am probably in the minority on that choice. I picked up the pm2 first, but if I have to choose a small compression lock folder, I'll always prefer the yojimo2 over the pm2. Then I decided its time to try the military. Everything changed. The big sweeping g10 handle that weighs virtually nothing, the big sweeping blade that makes the choil actually sensible compared to the short blade of the pm2. The completely unsticky liner lock that doesn't seem to wear much at all...I fell in love. Even the tip down clip has won me over. Having the military in hand, really helped me see the attraction to the pm2, and not the other way around.

Just as the name of the knives would imply, the pm2 is a reduced version of the military. It has a shorter blade and handle. And if you are free to carry the extra blade length (by law) then I think it makes no sense on shorting yourself. Especially when it feels the same in pocket, weight wise. One big difference I've noticed, is how deeply set into the handle the blade of the military is. It has about an inch of blade stock set into the handle, this gives it great side to side stability at the pivot. The pivot screw is also significantly larger than the pm2. For aesthetic reasons I like having a big pivot screw.

In broad general thinking, I do prefer the compression lock over any liner lock. However if the liner lock is well made (like the military) then it's about equal to me. That's the biggest unique quality between the two knives, but it shouldn't be the deciding factor. It's worth trying a compression lock if you haven't yet.
Here's a pic showing off.
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Semper Fi brother! I had both and preferred the Military more. The handle is bigger for use with gloves and the liner lock is plenty strong. I didn't like the lock style of the Paramilitary 2 and it took a little getting used to. They are both very similar however and I can't really say one is worse than the other to be honest. Its just personal preference really.
 
I own a PM2 and numerous other larger folders, and my PM2 doesn't see much pocket time. Main reason for that being, that I prefer a 3.5-3.75 in blade and I find the PM2 to have a shorter cutting length than I like. If I had to choose again, I probably would have gotten the military.

Also, if you are planning on using one of these on active duty, I would say go for the Military. I personally would feel more comfortable with a larger blade, and if laws don't prevent you from doing so why not.
 
YOUR QUOTE: "I'm also enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and would like a knife that would function well during deployment"

Spyderco Military G-10

A cornerstone in Spyderco's Save and Serve line up, the Military Model came about after someone asked Spyderco's owner Sal Glesser, "If your son were going into the military what folding knife would you send him with?" For certain, it had to meet the requirements of a high-performance, light-weight folder designed for hard use.

Sal Glesser, CEO at Spyderco, personally designed the Military to give if his son were going to be deployed in a war-zone.
I don't think you can go wrong with this one. I've had many PM2's and Millies, but the Millie is for YOU.
Don
link: https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=19
 
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