What do you think of the spyderco police3 ? Is it unpopular?

B

baliodude

Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Messages
219
Hi

I would appreciate your thoughts about this knife in general.

Also, Is it for edc and utility?

How come there is rarely a mention of this knife? Is it unpopular?
I searched for it and there are no pictures of it in EDC pictures and no utube videos of it but 2.
 
There are some reviews here that praise the Police 3, but I suspect it is simply not as popular as many others because it is a rather large knife, larger than is legal for many to carry in some municipalities.
 
carrot said:
I suspect it is simply not as popular as many others because it is a rather large knife, larger than is legal for many to carry in some municipalities.
Click to expand...

It does not stop large knives such as the Military holding massive popularity. They are more or less the same blade length I believe.
As far as I am aware they are excellent knives like most of the companies products. Spyderco are simply a case of picking whichever suits you.
 
The Police 3 is a very nice knife. It is flat and carrys well for its size. I think it is one of the best knives Spyderco has done. Just my thoughts. THANKS! Kevin :D
 
I'm quite sure that the state of Kansas is not the only place where the legal limit for a pocket knife blade is 4". The Military is within that limit, the Police (including the P III) is not. The Police 3 is a very nice knife, light for its length and slim enough to carry well. Normally I detest stainless handles, but the Police is the exception for me. When I carry that one, I prefer to carry it inside my waistband, and I find the texture of the G-10 on the 3 is aggressive enough to irritate my skin and grippy enough to pull out my shirt tail when I draw it, assuming I could get it to let go of my shirt to get it in there in the first place.

I didn't much care for the reinforced point,
P3_stock_tip.jpg

but a few minutes on the grinder took care of that.
P3_Mod_tip.jpg
 
I'd say it definitly isn't as popular as the Military, but that's not really due to any objective flaws in the design or construction of the knife. The Military just seems to have caught the fancy of the knife fans out there for mostly subjective reasons.

Personally, I still prefer the old Police model (I still have a couple in my collection) but the Police 3 is still a nice knife. I don't usually use my Police for EDC just bacause it's bigger than I feel I need for most every day tasks (for that matter, I feel the same about the Military) and even more sheeple unfriendly than a lot of other locking folders I own. I do carry it while out in the woods sometimes where it performs well.
 
police 3 is a great knife for all the reasons already mentioned.

i think the military captures our attention so regularly for several reasons:

-different steel and scale combos (s30v also comes coated)
-many prefer a liner lock over a lockback
-the "basic" s30v/g10 can normally be found cheaper than the p3
-its made in golden, colorado

the only real advantage i see with the p3 is the four position clip. beyond that, it becomes personal preferences re: lock, steel, and size.

i find them equally comfortable during use.
 
I love my Police 3. From the factory it is a fine cutter that carries better in the pocket than the Millie, and it has a back lock instead of a Millie's liner lock, and I prefer a back lock. The thinner and narrower profile in the pocket make it disappear in my pocket. The things I did not like were the edge was a tad thicker than the Military at .025" (the Millie is slightly thinner at around .022"-.023") and I hate the reinforced dropped tip. I had those taken care of with a trip to Tom Krein, who reground it to a .010" edge and the spine of the knife was flattened out to give the knife a splinter picker tip. The knife easily outslices the Military, and the tip is much thinner and it pierces with extreme ease. I also prefer the VG-10 steel to S30V (but not the CPM D2 in my other Military, which is a steel on par with custom D2 at 61-62RC in testing I did), but I do still prefer the ergos of the Military with it's secure bump at the rear of the grip in case you have to pull the knife out of something if it was stuck. The Police 3 also has a cutting edge of 4", which is a decent bit more than a Military, which has a 4" blade with about a 1/2" less cutting edge due to the choil (the Police 3 is 4 3/8" before subtracting for the choil).

Overall it is an excellent cutting package in factory form. It is probably a knife that should be compared to a Benchmade 710 when you look at blade length and the narrowness and thinness in the pocket. In my mind you would give advantage to the 710 for the lock (though a Spyderco back lock is great as well) but the blade grind and cutting ability go to the Police 3. My hands prefer the ergos of the Police 3, and especially the choil which gives you more control over the cutting edge compared to the 710. Both are excellent knives, but I greatly prefer the Spyderhole on the Police 3 to a thumbstud on a 710 for deployment. Obviously ergonomics and opening methods vary from person to person, so a 710 to Police 3 comparison will probably come down to whether you like a Benchmade or a Spyderco. Axis and thumbstud die hards will go for the 710, and guys that like full flat grinds designed for serious cutting and Spyderholes for blade opening will prefer the Police 3 as I do.

Mike

PS: My Krein regrind the knife is an outstanding slicing machine that can pierce with the best of knives. This knife is a serious cutting machine now that I carry a lot, about as much as my CPM D2 Millie.

Mike
 
I actually like the Police 3 a lot more than the stainless ones. But maybe I'm the minority. :)
 
I love the Police 3, it's long and quick, locks up solid. Here in Ky. with a CDW permit you can carry any knife (auto, any blade length) so it's a fave of mine. I like the handle a lot better than the SS model.
1tsdup.jpg
 
jill jackson said:
I love the Police 3, it's long and quick, locks up solid. Here in Ky. with a CDW permit you can carry any knife (auto, any blade length) so it's a fave of mine. I like the handle a lot better than the SS model.
Click to expand...
The main reason I like the older model is the blade. I just like the lines and the grind better. I don't mind the metal handles (I have one with SS handles and one with aluminum). For untextured metal the grip is pretty secure, and I like the shape in my hand. The metal handle is also nice and thin, which allows it to ride in the pocket more comfortably that a lot of knives of the same size.

I think Spyderco once did some sort of limited run of the old blade with G-10 scales, and to me that would be the perfect combination, but I have not been able to find one like that for sale. :(
 
They used to make the Police with a G-10 handle and an ATS-55 blade steel.
It wasn't a limited run, just wasn't in production long.
They command a premium price as a collector item.
It was part of the Generation II models
Generation 2
Blade Length: 4 1/8″
Closed Length: 5 5/16″
Overall Length: 9 1/2″
Weight: 5.6oz (SS), 3.4oz (G10)

Blade Material: ATS-55, VG-10
Blade Finish: Satin
Blade Grind: Hollow Grind
Handle Material: Stainless Steel, G-10
Locking Mechanism: Lock Back

Years Produced: 1991-2008
Manufacture Location: Seki-City Japan

Variations:
C07P - Plain Edge
C07S - Spyderedge
C07GP - Plain Edge, G10, Full Flat Grind
C07GS - Spyderedge, G10, Full Flat Grind

c07-1-gp.jpg
 
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I carried one for a while, but for me, it's just too big for carrying around. Add to that the horrid expressions when you used it for a mundane task like opening boxes/mail/etc. and it was just too much knife for what I needed day to day. It was a beautiful knife and mine was all serrated blade, which made it look even more menacing (not to me, but to the sheeple). So for those reasons I sold it. I regret not having it, but can't bring myself to spend the money again for something I know I will rarely use (not that that doesn't have it's place, but...)
 
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