Encouraged by my last review of the Native 5 LW Blue FRN, I thought I'd do another of my Paramilitary 2 (PM2).
First a disclaimer: This is only my second ever review and also I'm attempting to do these in my free time and with 3 kids finding that time is not always easy!!
Furthermore I don't have a huge knife fund and only own two Spyderco knives at present, therefore this review is on a well known and previously well documented knife.
You have thus, in all probability, seen and heard much of this before already - for that I apologise.
Please also forgive any errors, omissions or anything down right stupid that will no doubt be in the following review, having said that If I do any more reviews in the future it may become something of a trademark !
Right then with that out of the way let's begin:
The Spyderco Paramilitary 2 with digital camo G10 scales and S30V is not only well known but by now legendary.
It's a stock production run knife out of Golden, Colorado but that doesn't IMO make it any less desirable than one of the many sprint run versions that have been produced over the years.
Indeed it offers great value for money when you realise how much knife you get for your $/£/Currency of any other denomination
The heritage of this knife is unmistakeable when you first view it. It is based on the original Paramilitary released in 2004 which in itself was meant to be a mid sized version of the Military.
It is again a knife that shows the Sypderco policy of CQI (Constant Quality Improvement) as the version 2 of the Paramilitary (released in 2010) has several improvements over the original including;
lighter weight, better ergonomics and smoother deployment amongst other tweaks.
The particular PM2 under review today :
The Specifications are as follows:
Blade Length: 3 7/16" (87 mm)
Cutting Edge: 3 5/64" (78 mm)
Blade Thickness: 9/64" (3.5 mm)
Overall Length: 8 9/32" (210 mm)
Closed Length: 4 13/16" (122 mm)
Lanyard Hole Diameter: 9/16" (14 mm)
Blade Steel: CPM-S30V Premium Stainless Steel
Weight: 3.75 oz.
Handle Material: Digital Camo G-10
Made in Golden, Colorado, USA.
On arrival I was pleasantly surprised to see the production date on mine was BM indicating it was made very recently, in February 2016.
I'm not sure if there has been some changes at the production plant recently or whether they have always been like this - but again straight out of the box the blade was razor sharp, perfectly aligned and centred with a buttery smooth action and no blade play in any direction. Things are certainly being well made out of Golden if my knives are at all representative.
The PM2 is a Mid sized knife veering on the larger side, at least when compared to my Native 5, but still fits nicely in the hand. The G10 gives excellent grip and the skeletonized liners help keep the weight low.
The full flat grind and the shape and thickness of the S30V blade makes it a great slicer. It also has a long and pointed tip for piercing.
The blade shape is not as attractive to me as the Native 5 (love that swedge line!) but it serves it's purpose and works great for most tasks.
The blade is signed by both Eric and Sal who both designed elements of the knife:
The Spydie thumb hole is large and allows easy purchase and the pivot is amazingly smooth making this an easy flicker to open and a joy to play with!
When opened the fabulous compression lock holds the blade rock steady whilst the overall ergonomics allow easy access to the lock release.
When in use there is good traction at the jimping for the thumb and at the finger choil and brilliant grip of the G10.
The handle also has a generously sized lanyard hole and the clip can be positioned 4 ways, for left or right-side tip-up or tip-down carry and sits reasonably high allowing for a deep(ish) carry.
To sum up: At the price these are offered at and with the size, weight, steel and cutting performance of the PM2 - it's really a great choice whether you want just one folding knife to do everything or to have one as a part of any collection.
Fit and finish is again impeccable and the action so smooth it just has to be a no-brainer. The only consideration that may hold you back is whether you would daily carry a knife of this size. If you are looking for something dainty this isn't it.
For everyone else - just get one!
First a disclaimer: This is only my second ever review and also I'm attempting to do these in my free time and with 3 kids finding that time is not always easy!!
Furthermore I don't have a huge knife fund and only own two Spyderco knives at present, therefore this review is on a well known and previously well documented knife.
You have thus, in all probability, seen and heard much of this before already - for that I apologise.
Please also forgive any errors, omissions or anything down right stupid that will no doubt be in the following review, having said that If I do any more reviews in the future it may become something of a trademark !
Right then with that out of the way let's begin:
The Spyderco Paramilitary 2 with digital camo G10 scales and S30V is not only well known but by now legendary.
It's a stock production run knife out of Golden, Colorado but that doesn't IMO make it any less desirable than one of the many sprint run versions that have been produced over the years.
Indeed it offers great value for money when you realise how much knife you get for your $/£/Currency of any other denomination
The heritage of this knife is unmistakeable when you first view it. It is based on the original Paramilitary released in 2004 which in itself was meant to be a mid sized version of the Military.
It is again a knife that shows the Sypderco policy of CQI (Constant Quality Improvement) as the version 2 of the Paramilitary (released in 2010) has several improvements over the original including;
lighter weight, better ergonomics and smoother deployment amongst other tweaks.
The particular PM2 under review today :
The Specifications are as follows:
Blade Length: 3 7/16" (87 mm)
Cutting Edge: 3 5/64" (78 mm)
Blade Thickness: 9/64" (3.5 mm)
Overall Length: 8 9/32" (210 mm)
Closed Length: 4 13/16" (122 mm)
Lanyard Hole Diameter: 9/16" (14 mm)
Blade Steel: CPM-S30V Premium Stainless Steel
Weight: 3.75 oz.
Handle Material: Digital Camo G-10
Made in Golden, Colorado, USA.
On arrival I was pleasantly surprised to see the production date on mine was BM indicating it was made very recently, in February 2016.
I'm not sure if there has been some changes at the production plant recently or whether they have always been like this - but again straight out of the box the blade was razor sharp, perfectly aligned and centred with a buttery smooth action and no blade play in any direction. Things are certainly being well made out of Golden if my knives are at all representative.
The PM2 is a Mid sized knife veering on the larger side, at least when compared to my Native 5, but still fits nicely in the hand. The G10 gives excellent grip and the skeletonized liners help keep the weight low.
The full flat grind and the shape and thickness of the S30V blade makes it a great slicer. It also has a long and pointed tip for piercing.
The blade shape is not as attractive to me as the Native 5 (love that swedge line!) but it serves it's purpose and works great for most tasks.
The blade is signed by both Eric and Sal who both designed elements of the knife:
The Spydie thumb hole is large and allows easy purchase and the pivot is amazingly smooth making this an easy flicker to open and a joy to play with!
When opened the fabulous compression lock holds the blade rock steady whilst the overall ergonomics allow easy access to the lock release.
When in use there is good traction at the jimping for the thumb and at the finger choil and brilliant grip of the G10.
The handle also has a generously sized lanyard hole and the clip can be positioned 4 ways, for left or right-side tip-up or tip-down carry and sits reasonably high allowing for a deep(ish) carry.
To sum up: At the price these are offered at and with the size, weight, steel and cutting performance of the PM2 - it's really a great choice whether you want just one folding knife to do everything or to have one as a part of any collection.
Fit and finish is again impeccable and the action so smooth it just has to be a no-brainer. The only consideration that may hold you back is whether you would daily carry a knife of this size. If you are looking for something dainty this isn't it.
For everyone else - just get one!
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