Tell me about Spyderco southard vs. Military

[jon1all]

The ergos on the Southard are outstanding! The Spydie Hole, while functional, isn't the most user friendly though as it is harder to access use than on a Para2. Don't get me wrong, you can still thumb flick it open, it's just that access to the hole is tighter and therefore it's a bit more difficult to use in this manner. That said, even if you're unsure about a flipper... trust me you'll love this one and that is how you will find yourself opening this knife. The flipper is how this knife is really designed to be opened... just rock your index finger back and the Southard rockets open. Really an awesome flipper!

And yes, it does pack a ton of blade into a relatively small package. The blade:handle ratio is excellent (0.77 for the Southard compared to the Para2's 0.71 or the Millie's 0.72).

 

[wire edge]

I like everything about the Southard. The materials, build quality, ergos, looks, etc. That being said, I'd take a Military over it, because for me, it's a more versatile knife, and a better bang for the buck. My 2 cents.

 

[Hairlesstwinkie]

I'm probably one of the biggest fan of the Southard. The 1 to 1 handle to blade ratio just does it for me especially considering handle to blade ratio isn't exactly Spyderco's strong point. It feels like a bigger knife than it should be because of the extra cutting edge as well as the generous amount of belly. The ergos on the Southard is excellent since the curve of the handle just melts in your hand with no hot spots anywhere. I like the roominess of the Military handle, but I don't like how much pocket space it takes up. Out of all the Spydercos that I own, Southard is probably one of the top in terms of taking up little pocket space as possible. If you are worried about the whole wearing the glove and opening the knife thing, the flipper is about as good if not better than the deployment hole. I had no trouble opening my Southard while wearing gloves. I do have a harder time deploying the Southard via Spydie hole when I'm wearing gloves, but when it's bare hands it opens as well as any other Spyderco if not better because of the stronger detent.

Southard is no less of a hard use knife than the Military or most other knives. I have actually batoned a tree down with my Southard... It happens once and only once. The lockbar didn't engage any further than it did when I had started off and the knife still locked up like a bank vault; no lock rock, no play, and no rattle. I know that if poop hits the fan and I need to grab one knife, Southard will suit my needs just fine in urban or wilderness conditions.

The blade steel is excellent as well. After I had reprofiled my factory edge on my Southard, I didn't even need to do anything else to it. CTS-204P is some amazing stuff. The only down fall of Southard is the price tag. It's a little on the expensive side, but compared to something like CRK, it's a steal. You get an excellent premium steel, Titanium handles, and ball bearing washers (highly recommend some aftermarket ones). Comparing the price of Military and the Southard, Military will win time after time. For what the Southard offers, I think the price is right if you can pick one up under $225. After owning knives from Spyderco, ZT, MT, BM, Brous, CRK, Strider, and Hinderer, in terms of production knife the Southard is still my absolute favorite.

 

[nccole]

I like the Southard, but find myself not carrying it as much. It is top shelf in fit and finish, and smooth smooth smooth. I really appreciate the mechanics of the knife. I love 204P as well. I am not crazy about the ergos though. I am more of a traditional Spyderco fan. Taller and thinner handle, and thinner blade. I have noticed binding when cutting through cardboard. I appreciate how it carries in my pocket, but would rather have a more hand filling knife even if it takes up a bit more pocket space. I can thumb flip and middle finger flip it from the locking side. They are a bit tricky but can be done. Having said that, I am keeping my Southard and don't regret buying it. I just ordered the CRU WEAR Military and bet it will get more use.

 

[Brock O Lee]

If cutting ability is important I would choose the Military over the Southard.

Just looking at the specs, the Military has:
Thinner blade stock (3.7mm vs 4 mm)
Full flat grind vs steep hollow grind (because the blade is so narrow)
Full distal taper vs not
Longer blade (102 mm vs 88mm)

In a knife, cutting ability is important to me.

 

[dgebler]

Gringo,

Funny, your experience with the Ti-Mili is about the same as mine. After loving my PM2 and standard G10 mili I bought the ti-mili thinking it would be my ultimate spyderco. I also could not fall in love with the extra weight. I think it made me love my G10 twice as much as I did in the first place. I ended up selling the ti-mili and bought a Southard (got a really great deal here on bf exchange). Anyway, I still love the military over the Southard. I carry the Southard alot, but I am also bothered by the thick scale on one side (why not use a thinner G10 on one side so the total thickness is equal) and I can't love the brown. Also, maybe it is my favoring the mili, but it also seems to slice much better and I am still having a hard time sharpening the Southard to hair shaving on my sharpmaker.

 

[cujobob]

I held a Southard this past weekend and didn't like how it felt. It felt really chunky and thick. The action was great though.

Chunky and thick? Perhaps compared to some spydercos but overall it's a small knife. I prefer the handle to that of either the domino or the PM2, I do not own a regular military.

 

[Orion's Belt]

Chunky and thick? Perhaps compared to some spydercos but overall it's a small knife. I prefer the handle to that of either the domino or the PM2, I do not own a regular military.

Let me clarify, the handle felt thick and chunky. While being narrow top to bottom, it was too thick for my taste. Perhaps with a slimmer non-locking scale it may fit me better. Excellent knife, just didn't strike me like I thought it would.

 

[TPVT]

Hey Lance.
I have been going through the same thing you have, it seems. I have a PM2, but i have been eyeing a Southard since their release. well finally, i decided to just get one and see if i like it. and guess what? i really do.

i too have never owned a flipper. and, my first impression is that i love it. pretty slick.

the handle on the southard is about a 1/4" shorter than the PM2 (guesstimate...i did not measure). but, the blade is a little bit longer, and the useable portion is longer still, since it lacks the prominent ricasso of the PM2 (see pic).

as others have mentioned, the southard is "beefy." the handle is thicker than the PM2 and so is the blade. the PM2 has a nice tapered blade to the tip. the southard does not have that. i know you use your PM2 for fish processing (love the pics), so for that, the PM2 might still be better (see pic).

however, i did cut up some chicken tonight (cooked), and i actually preferred the southard. that may just be a honeymoon phase though. so, i am going to compare them a bit more over the next days. but, i have a feeling, i will end up selling the PM2.

one thing i never liked about the PM2 is that with the ricasso and handle shape, my hand always felt too far away from the blade. i know that there is a choil, but i don'd find that is where my hand ends up. furthermore, i felt that there was just too much handle (for me). it seems like the southard fits my hand better and that there is less "excess." (see pics)

the other thing i prefer with the southard is that the blade fits into the handle better. i always felt that the blade height was a bit too much with the PM2. i imagine it's tough for spyderco, because they have to have the hole to deploy, so they obviously need steel to fit that in. but, that means that practically, the steel extends out of the handle more than is generally necessary. since the southard is a flipper, the steel does not protrude from the handle, relatively speaking. i find that i usually toss it in my pocket rather than using the clip, so this is a plus for me.

i would recommend just getting one if you have the means. the southards are still popular, so if you don't like it, i expect you wouldn't take too much of a loss if you decided it wasn't right for you.

good luck in your quest.

-todd

 

[Bill1170]

I handled a Southard at SFO. Very nice knife, but not enough distal taper for me. The heavy blade flips well.

 

[gooeytek]

Trying to like my Southard, but it's not going well. Probably gonna sell it soon.

 

[colubrid]

I'm probably one of the biggest fan of the Southard. The 1 to 1 handle to blade ratio just does it for me especially considering handle to blade ratio isn't exactly Spyderco's strong point. It feels like a bigger knife than it should be because of the extra cutting edge as well as the generous amount of belly. The ergos on the Southard is excellent since the curve of the handle just melts in your hand with no hot spots anywhere. I like the roominess of the Military handle, but I don't like how much pocket space it takes up. Out of all the Spydercos that I own, Southard is probably one of the top in terms of taking up little pocket space as possible. If you are worried about the whole wearing the glove and opening the knife thing, the flipper is about as good if not better than the deployment hole. I had no trouble opening my Southard while wearing gloves. I do have a harder time deploying the Southard via Spydie hole when I'm wearing gloves, but when it's bare hands it opens as well as any other Spyderco if not better because of the stronger detent.

Southard is no less of a hard use knife than the Military or most other knives. I have actually batoned a tree down with my Southard... It happens once and only once. The lockbar didn't engage any further than it did when I had started off and the knife still locked up like a bank vault; no lock rock, no play, and no rattle. I know that if poop hits the fan and I need to grab one knife, Southard will suit my needs just fine in urban or wilderness conditions.

The blade steel is excellent as well. After I had reprofiled my factory edge on my Southard, I didn't even need to do anything else to it. CTS-204P is some amazing stuff. The only down fall of Southard is the price tag. It's a little on the expensive side, but compared to something like CRK, it's a steal. You get an excellent premium steel, Titanium handles, and ball bearing washers (highly recommend some aftermarket ones). Comparing the price of Military and the Southard, Military will win time after time. For what the Southard offers, I think the price is right if you can pick one up under $225. After owning knives from Spyderco, ZT, MT, BM, Brous, CRK, Strider, and Hinderer, in terms of production knife the Southard is still my absolute favorite.

No I am the bigger fan of the southward! :E

Also I think it is a excellent tactical knife with the way the blade curves just right. I don't understand why there aren't more comments on tis being a great tactical and utlity knife.

And to the OP...if you never had a flipper this one is one heck of a good (easy) flipper. And you will understand when you get it. You won't use the spydie hole ever again.