The Para 2, why?

I've carried bigger and smaller folders and it feels just about perfect. The handle is just right for me and the blade slices like crazy which is what I like a knife to do. The compression lock makes one hand opening and closing a snap.

To top it off it's available in a constantly changing array of steels and handle colours so if you don't happen to like the stock version one of the sprints or store specials will be on your radar.

Mine is the green G2 scales and M4 blade that Blade HQ teased us with for what seemed like years.
 
Amoo said:
Immediately upon looking at the Para 2, it just seems like a knife I wouldn't enjoy.
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Don't buy it. I felt the same way but bought one anyway. I was severely underwhelmed and had buyers remorse. It just didn't do it for me. The blade to handle ratio, the waste blade real estate, just couldn't win me. If you feel like this now, don't pull the trigger, because when it arrives I think you'll feel let down.
 
My knife tastes change constantly but the PM2 has always been my consistent go to knife. I may carry a Large Sebenza one day and one of my PM2s the next, this always makes me appreciate the value you get in the PM2. I have larger hands so it fits perfectly for me and the blade size is just about perfect. My Para 3 came in yesterday, it is a sweet little knife but I don't see it getting nearly the pocket time my PM2s do. For 3" and under blades I like thinner designs that are more pocketable as I usually carry these without pocket clips.
Para3 and PM2 Cruwear.
Untitled by Danny Nystrom, on Flickr
 
I started EDC'ing PM2, I ended up with the ugly duckling 551 almost everyday in my pocket. Go figure. Even if PM2 is far sexier IMO.
 
Amoo said:
For starters, I don't really want this to turn into a debate thread, all I'm looking for is information from people who own and enjoy the Para 2.

Immediately upon looking at the Para 2, it just seems like a knife I wouldn't enjoy. I'm not a huge fan of the blade shape as I worry about it's toughness with the flat grind and secondly I have small-medium hands so anything over 8" fully open doesn't usually appeal to me. Now with all that said, I have seen a lot of people who enjoy the same style knives I tend to like who ALSO enjoy their para 2. Upon looking at Spyderco's website the Para 3 is smaller then the 2, and fully open comes in at < 8" which puts the entire knife size right in my wheel house.

So for those of you who have and enjoy the Para 2, what is it about this knife in particular that so many people enjoy it? Why do you like yours?
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It's lightweight, it's a hand-filler but small enough to conceal (as compared to its giant brother the Military) and it comes in a variety of different steels at a pretty fair/affordable price point. As someone mentioned on previous page, it's a great slicer as well. If you're interested in trying one, I think the best choice is the S110V blade with blurple handle. It's tough and can "multi-task." I don't care much for the S30V versions at all.
 
I have just a plain-jane satin S30V-black G10 and the more I've tried to use it and carry it, the less I like it. The handle started out meh and went downhill from there. Too boxy, too flat, and finger grooves in exactly the places where my fingers aren't. Oh how I'd be thrilled if the handle were rejiggered to more of an organic, round-cross-sectioned feel with more grip area and less bite.

I'm really puzzled by the statement that it fits larger hands well. I wear an XL glove and the grooves are just way too closely spaced from the choil. If I use the choil, my fingers are scrunched together. If I don't use the choil, my pinky hangs out right on the rearmost swell and can't get purchase either inside the handle or outside. I guess maybe if I try holding it in my fingertips? But then the squared-off edges and flat sides make it so that I'm trying to keep it from twisting in my hand. Just not a comfy knife.
 
As you can see roughly nine out of ten opinions love the PM2 thats a pretty high approval rating!
 
Amoo said:
Thanks to those who have participated so far, and I look forward to hearing more.

Screwdriver, what is it about the knife that makes you keep getting rid of it, and then why do you keep coming back to it?
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Probably because it's a quick knife to sell. You can buy it, play with it, find you don't like it then sell it rather easily.
 
I also thought it was ugly, and lacked toughness. I started a huge ZT fan, and thought they were the be-all end-all for toughness. Then I began actually using my knives a lot and discovered, not only did the ZTs not cut as well as the PM2, but their locks weren't as strong as the compression lock. The PM2 is plenty tough and a great user, but it is not the most aesthetically appealing blade IMO.
 
Had one and the width was a deal breaker for me. Did not sit comfortably in the pocket. If it fits you...go for it. It just was not the blade for me.
 
It's a miss for me. To me it's a cool knife in a bunch of different steels/handle materials but at the end of the day it doesn't fit a use well. It's too big for my office EDC so 5 days of the week it stays home. On the other two days, It has to compete against too many other great knives. I don't like the handle length. If they are going to put a choil, assume I'm using it and cut the handle down just long enough for a full grip. Otherwise, don't put in a choil and make the cutting edge longer. I do not get having an inch of handle sticking past my grip while sacrificing blade length. I really like the knives that give a full grip and no extra and fill it with as much blade as you can. Or knives that put a full grip into as small of a package as you can (Chaparral). The PM3 is a little better in that it looks to not be too big on the grip. With that, a 3" blade is just fine for my daily uses.

I wouldn't say anything negative about someone who finds them ideal and enjoyable but for me it's always been a set of compromises that didn't make sense. Clearly as a group I'm in the minority though. I'd rather smaller and easier to pocket carry (without a clip) for office use or something heavier duty to take out in the woods. I don't have much middle ground between the two that would warrant a middle ground type knife.
 
Amazing slicer, very useful blade shape, oversized thumb hole makes for super easy middle finger spydie flicks, the knife itself is extremely smooth to open and close, compression lock is nice, I have smallish hands and the handle molds perfectly to it as well as larger hands, sprint runs in better steel, can take a ton of abuse for a folder, and the list goes on. Just because it doesn't look like something you'd like doesn't mean it isn't a fantastic knife. But that isn't my call to make for you. The para 3 has all of the same positives going for it, but in a smaller package. Everyone should try it once, and if they don't like it after trying it, that's their prerogative.
 
When I first got a PM2 I felt underwhelmed and sold it pretty quick. The trend in folders today is to be overbuilt. If something is heavy you generally think that it is more durable than something that isn't. Some car companies purposefully make their car doors heavier so that the vehicle feels like it's made better.

The Pm2 does not feel like it will hold up when you get it. It's light for it's size and the knife feels really balanced in hand. Also Spyderco skeletonized the liners and nested them into the G10 so the knife feels thinner. Compared to the current trend the Para doesn't seem as solid but it really is.

The Pm2 once broken in will cut well, carry well, and stand up to any knife task that you put a knife up to. It is a really well made folder and I enjoy carrying mine daily.
 
Yalius said:
I have just a plain-jane satin S30V-black G10 and the more I've tried to use it and carry it, the less I like it. The handle started out meh and went downhill from there. Too boxy, too flat, and finger grooves in exactly the places where my fingers aren't. Oh how I'd be thrilled if the handle were rejiggered to more of an organic, round-cross-sectioned feel with more grip area and less bite.

I'm really puzzled by the statement that it fits larger hands well. I wear an XL glove and the grooves are just way too closely spaced from the choil. If I use the choil, my fingers are scrunched together. If I don't use the choil, my pinky hangs out right on the rearmost swell and can't get purchase either inside the handle or outside. I guess maybe if I try holding it in my fingertips? But then the squared-off edges and flat sides make it so that I'm trying to keep it from twisting in my hand. Just not a comfy knife.
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Everybody's a bit different I suppose. I also have XL hands and it fits me perfectly. I have the S110V blurple.
 
The para 2 covers many bases.

When I was in Brazil for 4 months I brought several different knives with me including Hinderer, spydercos, Benchmade 710 (which rusted because of the humidity) and Emersons. Guess which I carried the most? That is right, the Para 2. Why? Because it was light, slim , concealable in shorts pockets (I din't want to get weighed down in hot weather) and it also had a blade long enough for self defense. Not too long nor to short like my Salt 1 which I took to the beach. I had a pacific Salt also with me but that was just to long when walking around in boardshorts everywhere because of the heat.

The para 2 is the one that proved itself apart from all the others .. not because it is cool. But because it is practical.
 
I think I'm getting an outstanding range of reviews, from people who are being honest about what they love about it and people who are being honest about why it didn't work for them. I really appreciate everybody's time, effort and feedback and hope to get even more. I already know what my next knife is going to be, but I think from the feedback I'm going to watch for a sprint run of the Para 3 and give it a shot as I'd prefer it in something other then a S30V steel as I prefer something with a little bit better edge retention, even if it is harder to keep an edge on it. Keep the feedback coming guys, good and bad, different steel types and all. I think this is a great informational thread on like somebody said, many have deemed one of "the" knives to own.
 
The PM2 is a favorite of mine. Light, comfortable in my mid-size hands, good blade geometry, choice of steels, not too expensive. Addictive flipping action. Tough enough to open cans. After a couple years of harder use for a mid-size folder, its still easy to recommend.
 
Well, if nothing else, this thread should show you one thing. The PM2 might be many things but it is NOT boring. Any knife that can foster actual feelings (for good or bad) in people is definitely something to consider. Plenty of knives out there that people just don't care about one way or another. No feeling, no love, no hate, just "Meh, I need something to scrape this gum off my shoe, I guess this crap knife will work."

I am on the "Recommend highly" side, which is funny because my first PM2, I didn't feel it at all. I bought a PM2 in plain-jane S30v years ago, and just never found myself carrying it. Having always gravitated towards larger folders (because I'm a tall guy with big hands, I wear an XL glove), the PM2 felt almost too delicate. So, I sold it and moved on. Then some time later, I came across a review by Ankerson in the Reviews section for the Military (NOT the PM2) in S110v, and after everything he put that knife through, I was sold. And also, it was weird. I had a Manix 2 Lightweight that was in that particular steel, but that knife just did not impress me. And because I didn't really like the Military, so I snapped up a PM2 in S110v instead.

WOW.

Well, this PM2 has been in my rotation since September last year. It is the cheapest knife I carry, and also one of the absolute toughest and longest in edge-holding. Also, the knife carries very small and slim. I love it, because honestly, it's just enough blade to keep me happy, and the ergos make it seem made for my hand. The only other knives I have with ergos this good are my Emersons, and well, those are Emersons, so there's that.

If you asked me what was different between this time and the last time I had a PM2, I can't really say. Yes, I LOVE the new steel, but the knife is also a joy to use, so maybe it's me and my tastes that changed in that time between having sold the old one, and getting this new one. I recently used this knife to break down a temporary fence for a neighbor, where he had essentially zip-tied a bunch of sheets of chicken wire up around his back yard. This knife was able to split hairs still after cutting through something like 60 or 70 thick zip-ties. Many of those cuts were made just by edging the tip into the "circle" and flipping up, neatly cutting the plastic. That tip may look quite delicate but it will put in the work.

As others have said, the PM2 comes in many different steels, so there's that. Secondly, the fact that these S110v Paramilitary 2's crop up with regularity on the Exchange so cheaply is insane. There was one going for $135 last week in there, what an absolute steal.

I recommend the knife, however, understand if there are some intangibles that you just don't like about it. Those can't be argued. What CAN be stated objectively however, is that this knife is an excellent, effective cutting tool.
 
I was never crazy for Spyderco in general. I've had my share of 40-$120 knives. My coworker would always bring his pm2 in but I never gave it a chance.

I got tired of hearing how awesome it was. Caved in,my first was gifted to me. Bento Box Shop, blue g10 m390. Then I got the Spydie bug, bought 2 pm2 m4 CF and the new Manix 2 cruwear cf all in a span of two months and change.

Yeah I'm hooked. :)

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
 
I've bought a few PM2s over the years, and have never managed to warm up to it. It's a giant handle with an oddly-shaped, short-edged blade for the size of the thing. It's huge in the pocket, too. I mean, a ZT 0454 feels smaller in the pocket, and that's a much larger knife.
 
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