My growing love for the Para3

[Ric]

I have a griptillian in s30v and I'm not impressed with how quickly it goes dull.

The S30V is outstanding in comparison to other brands.
I would give it a try.

[MFlovejp]

I have a griptillian in s30v and I'm not impressed with how quickly it goes dull.

The S30V is outstanding in comparison to other brands.
I would give it a try.

I’ll second this. I have a griptilian and a sebenza and prefer not just the feel of Spyderco’s S30V but especially the grind, which I feel enhances the steel’s performance quite a bit.

[TkoK83Spy]

I have a griptillian in s30v and I'm not impressed with how quickly it goes dull.

The S30V is outstanding in comparison to other brands.
I would give it a try.

I’ll second this. I have a griptilian and a sebenza and prefer not just the feel of Spyderco’s S30V but especially the grind, which I feel enhances the steel’s performance quite a bit.

I can back this up when it comes to the CRK. Just finished last week reprofiling my Inkosi Insingo. Down to 17 dps, no more convex grind...what a difference that made!

But yes, I've got 4 knives in Spyderco's S30V and haven't had any issues besides a chip in my PM2 that I was able to sharpen out...the chip was 100% my fault as well.

[aicolainen]

My history with the para 3 is a story of ups and downs

It all started with a PM2, which was one of my three first Spyderco's that I bought together. Yep, gotta dive into it properly :)
I liked so much about the PM2, the compression lock was an instant hit, I even liked the flat slabs of G10 and the traction that felt just right. Now, even though these were my first proper folding knives and I was easily impressed, there was obviously a good mix of quality and great design here.
After owning it for a while an obvious problem evolved. I rarely carried it. The reason was size. It was over-sized for what I was using it for and it just felt awkward.
Then rumors started circulating about a smaller version. The idea resonated well with me, who liked everything about it except the size. When the rumors became reliable enough, I decided, without knowing any details, that this had to be a more suitable knife for me. My hopes were up and I sold my PM2 in anticipation even before the P3 was released.

Enter P3 ...and I was practically disappointed even before I got it in hand. The online reviewers had newer sounded so in unison before. And they made sense. The shorter blade with the same blade stock. The horrendous clip placement that made the shorter blade even harder to conceal. And a disappointing blade to handle ratio.
Maybe all of it wasn't objectively bad, but it was so different from what I had expected.
I still ended up owning two, for now, and after mostly ignoring them for quite a while, I started using them in a slightly different role than I first intended.
I think that I'm now, after giving them a fair shake, able to view them more objectively and maybe even more importantly, as a complete package as the designers had envisioned, rather than the sum of its broken parts.
And I have grown to like them. A fair bit, actually.
It still couldn't be my one and only, but who would want to hav only one? As long as I enjoy optimizing my selection with different knives for different use cases, at least one of my P3s should be able to enjoy a somewhat permanent residency around here.

For some reason the LW isn't calling me. Maybe I'll try one some day, but as lightweights go, I feel there are better options for me in Spyderco's lineup.

A typical carry if I'm spending a weekend at home, renovating or attending to issues that needs a little fixing

[kennethsime]

Yea, the Para 3 is a great knife. Definitely highly-recommended to all my friends as a first Spyderco.

One thing I don't love is the pocket bulk:blade length ratio. I find myself enjoying bigger knives lately, and when you put a Military and a Para 3 side by side it's almost a joke - you get SO much more blade on the Military, it's not THAT much heavier, and it takes up less space in the "pocket aperture," which is what concerns me most these days.

The Para 3 LW helps a lot with this, and so does adding a deep-carry clip to the standard G-10 model. I carry the LW Para 3 the most out of the three I own.

[SRT392HEMI]

Para3 is one of my favs too!

[Eliteone2383]

Yea, the Para 3 is a great knife. Definitely highly-recommended to all my friends as a first Spyderco.

One thing I don't love is the pocket bulk:blade length ratio. I find myself enjoying bigger knives lately, and when you put a Military and a Para 3 side by side it's almost a joke - you get SO much more blade on the Military, it's not THAT much heavier, and it takes up less space in the "pocket aperture," which is what concerns me most these days.

The Para 3 LW helps a lot with this, and so does adding a deep-carry clip to the standard G-10 model. I carry the LW Para 3 the most out of the three I own.

I got a Native chief in s90v for when I need that extra blade length :D

[kennethsime]

I got a Native chief in s90v for when I need that extra blade length :D

Nice! Yea, that's another great large folder.

[Wartstein]

....
Enter P3 ...and I was practically disappointed even before I got it in hand. The online reviewers had newer sounded so in unison before. And they made sense. The shorter blade with the same blade stock. The horrendous clip placement that made the shorter blade even harder to conceal. And a disappointing blade to handle ratio.
......

The thick, performance-hindering blade is one of the main points I personally don´t understand in the P3 - given it is not just a funny, cool niche knife as a baby-PM2, but so very popular - among people who often value actually the performance approach of Spyderco.
Don´t get me wrong, I mean this like in "I must be missing something"
But I just don´t fully understand why they did not go the Endura/Delica path and give the "Lil PM2" ( = Para 3) not at least an a bit thinner blade (like they did with Delica vs Endura), even more so since the PM2 has a pretty fat blade anyway already. Can´t be cause it makes the blade "stronger" - who actually thinks a Manix XL or even Endura blade would not be "strong" enough? - both are thinner than a Para 3 blade. And due to the rather fine tip in most scenarios one could not make use of the "strong'", thick P3 blade anyway.
Same goes with the handle: Why keep the exact PM2 handle shape, which in the PM2 brackets most handsizes nicely between front guard and "rear hook", but in the smaller P3 that "rear hook" actually makes it impossible for a bit larger hands to get a good four finger grip on the handle, and using the choil gets almost mandatory? (And the "two good grip option", nice for prolongued use or different tasks, gets lost?)

I know, I have asked these questions several times already, but it remains one of the few "Spyderco mysteries" to me why exactly this knife (though cool in its own way, don´t get me wrong!!) could get so very popular, given all the other small Spydie choices that actually where designed as small knives perfectly from scratch, and are not a scaled down version of a larger folder, keeping features that imho were designed for that larger folder, but don´t work too great in a smaller size...

Not a Para 3 critique by any means! Great, that it is out there and so many do enjoy it! :)
Just me, who loves and thinks a lot about Spydies, and seeks to understand..

[M Sea]

I have a griptillian in s30v and I'm not impressed with how quickly it goes dull.

The S30V is outstanding in comparison to other brands.
I would give it a try.

Agreed, I have had excellent luck with Spyderco’s s30v! Its been great, even down here in a horribly salty/humid environment. I have never had it chip, just slightly roll and its been very good against corrosion. I remember even reading Sal said s30v is no slouch!!

[standy99]

Find the Para 3 in S30V a great knife for just about anything. No need to baby the standard model that can easily be replaced any day of the week. Sprints tend to get used less due to replacement factor.
A bit like a Delica or more like 5-6 is a common knife sitting all around the house and garage as a work horse that’s always handy.

[Wartstein]

Spydercos S30V (actually I never tried any "other" S30V) for me is just a perfect knife steel.

[Eliteone2383]

Find the Para 3 in S30V a great knife for just about anything. No need to baby the standard model that can easily be replaced any day of the week. Sprints tend to get used less due to replacement factor.
A bit like a Delica or more like 5-6 is a common knife sitting all around the house and garage as a work horse that’s always handy.

I specifically wanted the s90v version for hard use. I'm not much for letting tools sit around to collect dust. Someday I'll be dead so I gotta enjoy what I have now.

[standy99]

Find the Para 3 in S30V a great knife for just about anything. No need to baby the standard model that can easily be replaced any day of the week. Sprints tend to get used less due to replacement factor.
A bit like a Delica or more like 5-6 is a common knife sitting all around the house and garage as a work horse that’s always handy.

I specifically wanted the s90v version for hard use. I'm not much for letting tools sit around to collect dust. Someday I'll be dead so I gotta enjoy what I have now.

I know how you feel. I posted something on Instagram a few days ago and I was conscious that it wasn’t one of the normal EDC shots everything new and unused on a colourful hanky.

Used items on a brick :D

[anycal]

Always in my rotation. It serves me well. But it is one of those models that comes and goes. And easy to gift.

Got in on the initial release and used it a bunch. Let a friend use it. He really liked it, so there it went. Same with the LW model. If someone is really impressed with it, I have no problem parting with it. Well, except for the Cruwear.

Bought the Maxamet during the seconds sale. Waiting for someone to be wowed by it...

[gull wing]

Para 3 is the best knife for me.
Size
Handle Feel
Ease of lock - Compression
I paired a M390 blade with the Lightweight handle, this is it for me.

[RollinsJK]

I agree 100 percent! I love my Para 3 lightweight and it has become my favorite knife that I own. I also own a Bugout but in my opinion the P3LW has it beat!