spyderco paramilitary

BadKarma05

BadKarma05

Joined
Feb 19, 2006
Messages
554
im interested in a spyderco paramilitary and i wanted to see what the overall review is around here. is it a good buy? is it a peice? etc. so what do you guys think?:p
 
If you run a search, you will find few, if any, negative views of the Paramillie. It is a great working knife. For a few reasons, I believe it to be ill-suited for self-defense though. It is a great value for pretty much any other working task though. Seriously consider one.
 
I sure do like mine!! It is light and strong. I would encourage you to get one BadKarma05. Here are a couple of pics of mine.

Ron

P1083687_edited-1.jpg

P1083688_edited-1.jpg
 
I got one a week ago and It's a great knife. I love the compression lock, It's strong and makes it flickable. Some won't like the handle/blade ratio, to me is just fine. The G10 scales are really grippy and the pocket clip is beatiful, forget a low profile carrying but get a great knife.

If you can, try it in before buying, some members have encountered quality control problems like the blade being not centered, the opening not as smooth as it should be and some horizontal and/or vertical blade play.

Mine is smooth after oiling it but has a little blade play, not a problem for me but I understand It could be for others.
 
I like both locks equally well. The Para is a great knife. I just wish it didn't stick up so high when it is in the pants. A low ride clip would make it absolutely perfect.
 
deathshead said:
How do you guys like the compression like compared to the AXIS lock?
Click to expand...

I believe they are the two best locks on the market today. When considering a knife from Benchmade or Spyderco, the Axis and Compression lock models always get the first considerations.

The Axis is better for ambidextrous purposes, but seems a little more susceptible to getting gunked up with stuff. The compression lock on most Spydies, I feel is much harder to operate one-handed when using the left hand. That said, compression locks are easier for me to close right-handed than Axis locks are.
 
I think the para is probably my all around favorite Spyderco design.

So get one.

But double and triple check every point of quality first. My Para came with several defects, and I'm not alone. There are plenty of good ones out there, but there are enough ones with problems that you should take a good look at it.

Here's what to look for:

Off centered blades

Vertical play

Unfinished thumb stop on the spine

Unfortunately, mine suffers from all three...but I'm sure spyderco will fix it for me. Just have to actually send it in.

If you have to order it, call NGK and have them look for those three things. Shouldn't be a problem then.

Oh, and I love the compression lock, outside of its apparent QC issues. It's very flickable, very smooth. Not quite as user friendly as the axis, but it has another advantage in its blow through design, making it very easy to keep clean, whereas if you worked in harsher envrionments, you might get a buildup inside an axis lock (although it seems to be very resilient anyway).
 
I think it would be fine.

I carried a Military.

Never thought to myself I'd have a problem defending myself.

The Para's blade isn't exactly the Millie's, but I feel I could cut someone up pretty good (or bad) with it.
 
hmmmm, thank you for you opinions. now i just need to save the money :D i saw one in the passaround forum, missed it though. i hope to catch the next one around. thanks guys!
 
I really like my Para. For me, the compression lock is easier to manipulate than the axis lock. Closing one-handed is so simple - I do not even have to touch the blade. I just hold it with the blade pointing up, at about a 45 degree angle, and release the lock. The blade just falls to the closed position.
 
well,after I carried mine awhile I thought I better get another just in case I lose this one or its discontinued.
for me its my heavy user. I think my next will be a fully serated .I'll use it for fish cleaning. the serated edge cuts off fish heads like you wouldn't believe.
 
I'm with Artfully Martial. Fantastic design, but make sure they built it right.

My Paramilitary had some minor blade wobble at first, which I mostly corrected by tightening screws, but it soon developed into full-blown blade-rattle, where I can actually see and hear the blade moving around when the handle's shaken. (Now, not sending it in for repairs 'cause life caught up with me was my own damned fault, and mine was from the original production run, so they've likely addressed many problems by now, but still, be careful).

Just about a perfect utility knife, when done right.
 
I think the Paramilitary is a wonderful knife. I have held and handled one and I should have bought it when I had the chance. It is still on my list of things to buy.

The one I handled had nothing wrong with it and was perfect. Centered blade, perfect lockup and nice jimping on the thumb ramp.

:)
 
I love my Para! Mine arrived with no imperfections. The one thing that sold me was the blade to handle ratio - comfortable full-size handle with a practical blade length. :thumbup:
 
AmadeusM said:
Would you please elaborate? I am curious. :)
Click to expand...

Perhaps "ill-suited" is a bit harsh. More accurately, it is a poorer choice than the three other sub 3" G-10 spydies I have.

I don't doubt the blade design's effectiveness for combat. I have the spyderedge version; it would cleave right through someone. :eek: The design discrepancy I am referring to is centered around the handle/clip design.

I haven't held a full-size Millie, but I bet grips are more secure with it. As the Paramillie stands now, I can't comfortably grip the knife between the second(G-10) coil and the "end hump" or whatever it is called. Choking up on the blade using the blade choil is fine for working tasks, but makes a standard saber grip feel awkward to me. I guess I just don't like how it feels like there is no "best" area to grip the knife, unlike the Yojimbo and Lil' Temperance, and in several instances, the Gunting.

My other gripe is the pocket clip. Now, this clip is secure and stable, which is fine for ensuring it doesn't fall out. However, it is tip-down, which IMHO is only counter-productive when drawing a knife for an SD situation. People will defend the spyder-drop, but I much rather like having a stable grip on the handle before even opening a blade. The Gunting circumvents this a bit because of it's substantial protruding area and its viability as a closed impact weapon.

Folder deployment is a critical issue for me.

I believe the Paramillie is intrinsically disadvantaged because it's clip is not designed for grip changes or indexing like the other three aforementioned knives are.

The clip is not ambi, but in this case, I don't believe this is a fair objection. The Gunting and Lil' T are both righty-only which makes me more biased in favor of my beloved Yojimbo.

In summary, the Paramilitary is only diminished when compared to its more specialized brothers, and I believe is a better choice than them for utility(though the leaf Lil' T is pretty awesome.)

I apologize for any confusing statements, as I'm a little cranked on caffeine right now. If I need to clarify, someone please set me straight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top