Spyderco Paramilitary

R

rpbali

Joined
Feb 23, 2007
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I'm thinking about buying the paramilitary and I have been reading a lot of great reviews of it. In one of them however someone mentioned that they had some vertical blade play after a little while. Has this occured to anyone else?

Also feel free to mention anything about the para that you feel like.

Thanks.
 
I have had mine for about a year, and there is still zero blade play in any direction.

It has great ergonomics, and is the easiest knife to actually open and close of all the knives that I have.
 
I just completed a trade for a paramilitary, I expect to get it tomorrow. I initially held off on the paramilitary, because I did not think it was enough blade for the handle, which is a concession of political correctness that still bugs me a little bit. However I love the military handle but the blade length is a little bit long for everyday carry in southern Orange County California. And I'm not wild about the exposed liner lock of the military. So I think all in all I will be happy with the paramilitary mind will be serrated. I have since heard that S30V can be prone to chipping, I don't know but I will certainly put this to the test, because although I do not often carry a serrated blade they tend to be used for some of the harder tasks at but knives to. I'm a Gardiner it's basically my profession odd to think of it that way but true. So I'll use my se blade to cut through palm fronds and dead branches, and softer the occasional heavy plastic pot. This doesn't sound like much but sawing through a 5 gallon plastic, however sawing through a 5 gallon plastic containers heavy work.
 
A Druid

Would like to hear from you how the para holds up against that type of use. Would make a very interesting review!
 
The Para-military is one of my favourite, but mine is the worst Spyderco never bought. In fact it has: blade play, blade not centered, reddish coloration in some parts of the blade (not a real problem, but it is not nice to see), a defect on the thumb rest and the logo on the clip is very light. :thumbdn:
Not the usual quality of a Spyderco!

I don't know how much Para-military are good and how much are less good, but after this experience I would inspect the knife before buying it.
 
My Para is about 6 weeks old now. It has the reddish spots that show up on a lot of Spyderco's S30V, but they aren't corrosion and they're no concern for me. This knife is a work horse, not a show horse.

The only time I have any vertical blade play is when the comp lock doesn't fully engage... usually if I open it slowly. If I close it and give it a quick or firm opening rotation, the blade is tight. My blade is also pretty tight at the pivot. I could loosen it up and make it rotate more freely, but that's also not a big concern to me.

I have no horizontal blade play and my blade is perfectly centered.
 
i have two paras -- one an older SE and one a newer, black blade SE.

the older para has noticeable vertical blade play. i got if off ebay, and the blade looked unused, but i don't know if it was "new" or not. the blade is not centered either.

the black para is rock solid.

i love the para, even the one with blade play (its an excuse to beat it up). the compression lock is ingenious, and a lot of fun to play with. i'm also one of the few that find the para's handle a bit uncomfortable. others say it fits like a glove, but not in my hands (too many curves in the handle for me).

all in all, i recommend the para. aside from the blade play (which could have been caused by the previous owner), the other stuff is minor. great knife.
 
I've had my Para for about 1 1/2 years now, and have noticed no vertical blade play whatsoever. The knife has seen some serious use on a daily basis, and works as well as the day I bought it. It really is an exceptional design.
 
Sal, I would like to formally request a Para Military with a lock system either than the current compression lock. I love the Para, but can't get past that compression lock.
 
I've had 2 Para's. One of them had a terribly off centered blade and BOTH of them developped vertical play after a while.:barf: :mad:

I think these were older models because they had the tube like pivot screws:confused:

I don't know if the newers are better and I don't think I will take another chance:grumpy:
 
Awww, now you guys have dampened my spirits towards it. Could i get some replies from people who have had good experiences with the para? Just so that i know they arent all bad...
 
I have a Para, it is perfect, no blade centering issues, no blade play, no blade chipping, love it, heck, it's my avitar picture!
 
veleno said:
The Para-military is one of my favourite, but mine is the worst Spyderco never bought. In fact it has: blade play, blade not centered, reddish coloration in some parts of the blade (not a real problem, but it is not nice to see), a defect on the thumb rest and the logo on the clip is very light. :thumbdn:
Not the usual quality of a Spyderco!

I don't know how much Para-military are good and how much are less good, but after this experience I would inspect the knife before buying it.
Click to expand...

Is the defect on the thumb rest on the right side on the back side of the hump? They mark factory seconds by cutting a small notch in that location with a grinder. A list of complaints like that sounds like a second or a candidate for a trip to Spyderco W&R to me.

I've had mine for about a year. I've used it hard with no complaints. Lockup is still tight, with no vertical play. Has a little side to side, probably could be fixed by tightening the pivot screws. Blade centering? Mine is a little off. So what? If it was a safe queen/display piece I might care (having none of those, I can't be sure I would).

I for one love the big handle/smaller blade combination. 99% of my cutting can be accomplished with a 3" blade, as long as I have a handle I can get a good grip on with my larger-than-average hands.
 
My para is a solid piece of work. I wish it came swiss-cheesed for all clip positions - I'm a tip-up guy - but that's my only real beef. It doesn't fit my hand like a glove, but it has good, non-slip, comfortable ergos.

And it's supremely carryable, light and not a pocket hog.

Think of it as a flat ground "Delica Plus". :)
 
Mine had zero play when new (I've had it for a year), but a little while later the lock bar suddenly started moving over most of the way. Now there is a slight vertical play, most noticeable when it is opened slowly. It is tighter when opened with more "authority."

Even so, the vertical play is small, and it is not ever noticed unless I am cutting something heavy and I pull it backwards out of the cut. There is no side-to side blade play.

It has a full handle for real work, a great blade shape, and a great choil. I was never a fan of finger choils until the Para - this one really works for me.
 
Ok. I am going to buy one right away from an ebay store. Just a question though, would it have a factory warranty on it, or not?
 
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