Underated Buck & Overhyped Spyderco? - Some Overservations

EZ Bake said:
I agree with the OP.

If I were to judge a knife based on how appealing the shape looked, how small it was, how sheeple-friendly it was, and how easily it pulled out of jean pockets as opposed to fit/finish, build-quality, tight lock-up, centered blade, etc...

The Buck Vantage Pro would win every time.
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Can't say the fit and finish is any better on the PM 2 that I received compared to the Vantage. The Vantage also has a rock solid lock up and mine is centered. So what's your point?
 
If you ask me the Para 2 is one of the best edc knives ever, it cuts like a champ, has a great lock, good materials and made by a great company. Yeah the vantage is a great knife but in my mind its not quite as good. Yeah Bucks warranty is good but so is Spyderco's. I haven't heard of problems like that with either company maybe just give it a shot and I bet it grows on you:D
 
These QC issues with the Vantage line should have been resolved by now w/o customers having to send them in.. this is a more than 2yr old problem. At a minimum the Pro series should be checked before leaving the factory. It's enough of an issue I've not purchased one yet. And I really want to give one a try.. if the QC was there I think it'd be a tremendous value.
Till then.. my perfect P2 rides thin and light.
 
A pet peeve of mine (as with a lot of other people) is an of center blade. It just points to something being not lined up correctly. That is one reason I haven't bought a Pro Vantage either. My friend owns a couple of them and he loves them, but the off center blades on both drove me a bit nuts. I'm not aware of the QC issues
 
What I have been carrying lately.

DSC_3529.JPG
 
Both knives are awesome, they both are some of the best sellers of their companies. It's good to have both.
 
newknife said:
Yea, "hype" is probably no the right word. However, everyone has some sort of expectations when they inbox a new knife. Sometimes there is a "wow" factor and sometimes there's not. The PM 2 is a nice knife. Maybe it'll grow on me.
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Yep, that's the problem when you hear so much about how great/perfect a knife is. Makes it very hard for it to exceed your expectations. About the best it can do by that time is meet them, which really isn't a bad thing, just no "Wow!" factor.

Last time I remember a wow was with the Tenacious. Based on price, my expectations were low, so when I got it I was quite impressed at what I got for ~$30.

newknife said:
Can't say the fit and finish is any better on the PM 2 that I received compared to the Vantage. The Vantage also has a rock solid lock up and mine is centered.
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Certainly nothing wrong with a Buck.
They have been making EDC's for how many decades now? You'd kinda think they have it figured out by now.
Not usually much of a wow factor with them, just sort of the basic hard use quality we have come to expect.
However, when they add a few extra touches to a a basic item, it kinda creeps up to the wow level.
Picked up a ParadigmPro a few months ago. Black and blue CNC's G10 handles, BOS heat treat. Maybe not quite a wow, but darn nice.
 
I felt the exact same way when I first got my pm2. However. After giving it a fair chance and edc'ing it for a week or two, it has become one of my favorite knives. It is a knife that will grow on you. TRUST ME.
 
Alann45 said:
Last time I remember a wow was with the Tenacious. Based on price, my expectations were low, so when I got it I was quite impressed at what I got for ~$30.
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Yea, I felt the same way when I got a Rat-1. Getting a lot of knife, and good quality, for a great price certainly helps with the "Wow" factor. Maybe that's one of the reasons I just don't feel it with Para 2 when compared to Vantage.
 
newknife said:
No, it's just a valid observation when comparing the two. "For me", I don't see $40-$45 more value over the Vantage wich is made out of the same materials.
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I do not think that $40 vantage has the same materials: 420HC vs S30v, molded handle vs machined G10. If you are talking about Vantage Pro with S30V, than it is already not $40, but something like $80.
 
bh49 said:
I do not think that $40 vantage has the same materials: 420HC vs S30v, molded handle vs machined G10. If you are talking about Vantage Pro with S30V, than it is already not $40, but something like $80.
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My Vantage Pro with S30v and G10cost $58. My Para 2 with S30V and G10 cost $104. That's a $46 difference.
 
GuinnessSynd said:
I felt the exact same way when I first got my pm2. However. After giving it a fair chance and edc'ing it for a week or two, it has become one of my favorite knives. It is a knife that will grow on you. TRUST ME.
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yea..I'm sure it will over time. Have had that happen with a couple different knives.
 
The pro large runs 55-60 and the non pro 30.
 
newknife said:
Can you tell me specifically what it is that you like better about the Para 2?
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I like the ergonomics much better, it fits my hand perfectly. I love being able to choke up on the blade. I like the fine tip for normal edc cutting tasks. I also love the G-10 scales which provide nice grip. Also the blade locks in tight on your fingers with the aggressive gimping. The speed of deployment is very quick, more so than the buck, at least that's been my experience. I also prefer the compression lock versus the liner lock on the buck.
 
I have both and like both a lot.

I like how the paramilitary 2 is a bit lighter and it has a nice choil to choke up on. It's also one of the smoothest/fastest deploying blades I've handled!

I like the buck for its girth and deep ride pocket clip. The s30v Bos heat treat is some of the best s30v I've used. Some may not notice the difference though.

You can't go wrong with either and both have their pros and cons
 
I Looooove my para2 I just got. Easy one handed open and close. Smooth, feels great in the hand. Pretty light and just all around great.
 
I feel the opposite actually, my first "real" knife was a Para 1, and I've gotten a couple Para 2's since then, I really like them, although for me its on the smaller side of what I usually EDC. I much prefer the compression lock to liner locks. As for the Buck Vantage Pro, I've seen it mentioned on here quite often mostly good besides the common off center complaint and lock up problems, so I really wanted to try one out, I went to a outdoor store here as well as a local knife store of the 9 I looked at (all different about 4 pro, the others were 13c26 and 420HC) 7 had off center blades and/or lock up problems (about 6 the liner went all the way over), I hadn't looked at the specs, but it was also a little too small for me. Different strokes I guess, I still really like the Buck 110 I got from Bucks web specials though (rosewood and CPM 154).
 
The knife isn't overrated or overhyped. It's a Spyderco classic that many, many people love. It just so happens that you do not love it as much as most. Overrated is an absolute term; it means it's overrated period and that the people who enjoy it are simply overhyping it and overrating it, which is not true. I also don't think anyone underrates the Buck Vantage series as they consistently come up when discussing high quality knives for amazing prices. I think the "I am looking for my first EDC" threads typically consist of the Vantage Select, Delica/Tenacious, Leek, Skyline, and a few others, but the Vantage series is very highly regarded.
 
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