which do you prefer - Black blade or natural?

Z

ZachUa

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Jan 1, 2012
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I'm looking at the spyderco paramilitary 2 and I can't decide which blade I like better! Just wondering if there's any downside or upside to either/or version.
 
Definitely natural. I prefer really well done satin finishes the best. And really well done hand rubbed finishes are great as well.
 
I've got quite a few knives with various black coatings, but I prefer them un-coated in general, and in this case I'd definitely go for the natural look.
 
Generally I prefer an uncoated blade. But with the Para's shiny clip, I might opt for the black coated version.
 
I generally much prefer uncoated blades but am about to place an order on a Lionsteel SR-1A with a black blade so for me it really depends on the knife.
The upside for a coated blade is the increased rust resistance but that should be just fine with a Para2 with S30V steel anyway.
The downside is that the blade shows scratches from wear and sharpening much stronger. That may also be an upside for you if you, like me, think that scratches add character to a knife:)

I say just go for whatever appeals to you more visually!
 
The black is tacti-cool looking to me, heh, but it has a slight benefit of being a little less noticeable if it's clipped in my pocket. The silver is nicer looking overall, but probably a little more noticeable. Ultimately it probably won't amount to a hill of beans whether the knife is noticeable when I'm carrying it, but it did cross my mind.
 
I usually prefer un-coated blades, but if it's gonna be coated,
it's got to be dlc. Now the para 2 dlc blade, I like, I'd go
black on black. A bit more discreet, especially when using
in public, the whole blade doesn't shout- look at me!,
especially if you choke up on it and have thumb on spine.
 
Uncoated for me. I have both kinds of PMs and tough as the DLC coating is, it's pretty badly scuffed up now. 'Course, the DLC PM is my garage beater so it gets used for everything dirty and ridiculous and doesn't get much care. Still, my EDC Para gets used for stuff and its satin blade is almost pristine in spite of being 4 or 5 years old and an EDC.
 
I prefer satin finish- either a machined finish or what we used to call a hand-rubbed finish. On some custom fixed blades I have good polished finishes. Way down the list would be a black finish or stone-washed finish, and definitely last on the list would be a bead blasted finish.

Spyderco has a good satin finish. Actually I've read that their black finish holds up better than that from other manufacturers but I don't have any experience with it. I don't mind a black finished blade occasionally for a special look.
 
bdmicarta said:
I prefer satin finish- either a machined finish or what we used to call a hand-rubbed finish. On some custom fixed blades I have good polished finishes. Way down the list would be a black finish or stone-washed finish, and definitely last on the list would be a bead blasted finish.
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I totally agree with that statement.

Ninety percent of my knives have a Satin finish, the balance more polished.

Blade coatings never improve cutting performance.




Big Mike
 
I prefer Satin due to the fact that it doesn't show scratches and wear as easily as the DLC coating. I love the stonewash on my sebenza though.
 
This thread reminds me of when some "gangsta" saw me using my black-coated original Para back when I lived in San Diego, he said "that's a black-head dog, that's illegal to carry..." causing some other people to look and me to start laughing.

In contrast, earlier today I was at a Panera Bread here in Ohio cutting up apples for my kids with a larger folder that's stonewashed and the older gent next to us gave a thumb's up.

I would say if you care about strange/dirty looks and live in a big city that is not very knife and gun friendly, go satin or stonewash for blades...if you really don't care just pick what looks best to you.
 
Definatley a naked blade, coatings have their purpose I guess, but Ive found that just wiping the blade off or just letting it patina will work just fine for me. If your some super high-speed delta sniper whose glare is going to OMG GET ME KILLED then there's this new thing called spray paint.
 
I like the looks of uncoated blades. Also, there seems to be less friction with uncoated blades, so its a win-win in my book.
 
i prefer uncoated blades.

if you plan on using the knife on a regular basis, the coating won't always look new ;)
 
I like the tactical black for carrying and self-defense and natural blade for any cutting! Just got my ZT 560 and will be part of my everyday rotation!
 
I live in Ohio like Bubba lol.
But I really like Uncoated blades for the most part.
Though I do like the coating on the Para2. A lot.
That's the only coated knife I own.
 
My preferred finishes on production blades is as follows:

1. Satin.
2. Stonewash.
3. Bead-blasted.
4. Coating, (Teflon, TiCN, etc)
 
As long as the coating is good, I'd go with a coating every time. It prevents corrosion, and is better in a tactical sense I plainly hate satin blades for scratches and fingerprints. Spyderco's coating is done right with the PM2, get that.
 
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