Thin is in!

J

Jay S.

Joined
Dec 7, 2005
Messages
406
I bought my first para 2 last week and in M390 no less. This is by far the best slicer I have owned. It cuts like a laser! I have had most of the "hard use" knives - Strider, Sebenza, several different ZTs, Emersons etc, and none of them ever quite gave me what I was looking for in cutting performance. Seeing as how I don't need to chisel through any cinder blocks, the para 2 will suit me just fine. It's my new favorite and for the first time ever, I am thinking about buying a spare. I still like me some heavy duty frame locks but am loving the thinner blade on the para. Anybody else come to the conclusion that thinner is better(for them)?
 
Thin is very good. Try an Opinel fresh off the stone. It's almost sensuous how it glides through what your cutting.
Carl.
 
I whole heartedly agree. My only hard use folder is a zt0350, and while it is a very nice knife, it sees almost zero pocket time due to its weight and blade thickness. Thin slicers are definitely where its at for me and I agree with you that the para2 is one of the best.
 
I like Para2's. I have several, and they are the bedrock of my EDC's.
I have M390 also, but in a BenchMade 755 MPR, which is my Heavy-Duty if I need one.
Sonny
 
The funny thing about the Para 2 and Millie blade is that they really aren't even that thin. People use them as the yard stick for slicers when they really aren't much thinner than a lot of the beefy knives which are popular now.
 
Try the Spyderco Centofante III. 2mm thick blade, 3 inches long, VG10. Super slicer I got on a recommendation on this Forum.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
The funny thing about the Para 2 and Millie blade is that they really aren't even that thin. People use them as the yard stick for slicers when they really aren't much thinner than a lot of the beefy knives which are popular now.
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True. Could it be Spyderco's overall ergonomics of the knife that make it feel like it cuts so well? And overall blade geometry? To OP if you like how the Para 2 slices check out the Chokwe, that baby is thin!
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
The funny thing about the Para 2 and Millie blade is that they really aren't even that thin. People use them as the yard stick for slicers when they really aren't much thinner than a lot of the beefy knives which are popular now.
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Very true. The geometry lends itself to a pretty thin blade behind the edge though.
 
Steel130 said:
True. Could it be Spyderco's overall ergonomics of the knife that make it feel like it cuts so well? And overall blade geometry? To OP if you like how the Para 2 slices check out the Chokwe, that baby is thin!
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IIRC, the Chokwe is still 3mm thick. The Centofante III otoh is 2mm thick but a similar blade length and also hollow ground. The only other Spydies that thin is the Chaparral but much smaller.
 
mkjellgren said:
Very true. The geometry lends itself to a pretty thin blade behind the edge though.
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Not really, that's what I'm talking about. Take the ZT 0560. I measure it just behind the edge at .81mm, then I measure the Military's edge and it comes in at .70. The difference is tiny.

They aren't ground thin at all really, compared to a lot of other knives. Benchmade grinds a LOT of their knives fairly thin behind the edge. The Mini Onslaught rings in at .49mm. That thing slices like a demon.
 
retzius said:
IIRC, the Chokwe is still 3mm thick. The Centofante III otoh is 2mm thick but a similar blade length and also hollow ground. The only other Spydies that thin is the Chaparral but much smaller.
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We aren't talking about spine thickness. You can have a spine that is 5 mil thick but if the knife is ground well it will still slice like crazy. Take the Microtech Socom Elite for example. It has a beffy 5 mil thick blade, but behind the edge it is only .6mm thick thanks to the aggressive flat grind.

Spine thickness doesn't have as much to do with cutting performance as people make it seem. :)

With that said, normally knives do cut better when the stock is thinner, but it's not always the case.
 
Spyderco also puts more distal taper on their blades than some other companies and this affects slicing ability a lot. On a draw cut the blade gets thinner as it is drawn through the cut. This reduces resistance a lot compared to using a blade that is thick until just before the very tip.
 
True, knives like the Para 2 and Military aren't really that thin at around .025" or so on ave behind the edge, but compared to the typical heavier duty knives that are around .035" or more and with 45 to 50 DPS they are.

What it really comes down to is what ones definition of thin really is, mine starts at .015" behind the edge and gets much thinner than that.
 
Bill1170 said:
Spyderco also puts more distal taper on their blades than some other companies and this affects slicing ability a lot. On a draw cut the blade gets thinner as it is drawn through the cut. This reduces resistance a lot compared to using a blade that is thick until just before the very tip.
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If you measure behind the edge on the Millie and Para 2 the edge doesn't get any thinner near the tip despite the distal taper. The actual blade gets thinner, but the steel behind the edge stays almost exactly the same. I've measured a few now, and from heel to tip the edge stays within .05mm the whole way. :)
 
Ankerson said:
True, knives like the Para 2 and Military aren't really that thin at around .025" or so on ave behind the edge, but compared to the typical heavier duty knives that are around .035" or more and with 45 to 50 DPS they are.

What it really comes down to is what ones definition of thin really is, mine starts at .015" behind the edge and gets much thinner than that.
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Holy crap Jim what do you have that is that thin? I can only imagine how well it cuts, whatever it is.

I'm sitting here looking at .015 on my digital caliper and I can't even slip that half way up the 30 inclusive edge on my Millie!
 
Thin is good, but delicate is bad. I don't want my knife to break falling out of my pocket as I sit.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
Holy crap Jim what do you have that is that thin? I can only imagine how well it cuts, whatever it is.
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I have all 4 of my Phil Wilson knives that are a lot thinner than that with the thinnest being .006" behind the edge to .002" behind the edge at the tip and my 20CP Para 2 that was reground to .008" behind the edge and last is my Alan Davis folder that is .015".
 
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