Spyderco Forums

Looking at my military, I am noticing the tip is REALLY thin. Now from the side it is still plenty wide but the spine is so skinny I'm wondering... should I be worried about damaging it? I mean in normal use. Not prying or anything, just cutting and poking.

Don't know why I never noticed it before but mostly I carry the smaller or midsize spyders... maybe that's why.
Anyone know about this? Should I worry or is it cool?



lonerider

When I got my first Military I thought the tip looked fragile too. But to date I have not had any problems whatsoever, even in hard use (or abuse - stabbing a steel can). I think it's tougher than it looks.

Barring accidents, as long as you don't go overboard with prying or anything like that you should be fine.

I have yet to damage one but I also rarely stab anything more than a box.

If you never, ever make a mistake that causes the tip to come into contact with something hard, you'll be absolutely fine. Unfortunately I do make mistakes occasionally and have broken the tip, which is unnecessarily acute IMHO.

I very rarely carry my Millie, so I can't really weigh in concerning tip strength. But in use I sure am worried about breaking it, unlike with my Enduras and Stretches .

I like the classy, clean looks of the Millie-blade, but aside of that I'd really want it to have a stouter tip. I don't see why a otherwise very sturdy knife with thick bladestock has such a delicate tip. So I'd like to see it beeing made stouter (like on the Endura) OR the whole bladestock to be thinner and slicier while keeping the current tip.

Same goes with the PM2, which I like very much more than the Millie; it's tip should be a tad stronger than the Millis due to the more obtuse angle, but still to fragile (or just fragile looking?!) for my taste.

Again, i think a thicker stock makes more sense when combined with a stouter tip, even in the PM2.

This is a good reason why we need a Tanto Millie and PMillie.

I've used the Military in a variety of steels very hard and I've never had an issue with tip durability. I love how thin it is and the straight spine. Many other larger Spydercos have a rounded tip, like Enduras, Police 3/4 and Pacific Salt. It functions very well for me.

I carried mine for a year in Africa, and a year in the field before that, and never had an issue. If you use your knife as a knife, it'll hold up just fine for as many years as you have in you. I've had a couple of borrowed knives returned with boogered up points when I was younger and dumber, and now I carry a Swiss Army Tinker with its own screwdriver tips for those people who say "hey, lemme borrow your knife."

I've never had an issue with an Endura, or any military/pm2 that I've modified to have an Endura tip (slight drop point at the end) after breaking said tip off.

One may ask "what are you doing with your knife that warrants a stronger tip than that exhibited by the military?"

But one could also ask "what are you stabbing that requires a tip that's pointer and more acute than that exhibited by the Endura?"

It's all opinion. I don't feel I ask too much of knives. But as stated I have made mistakes and broken a tip off. And it just so happens to be some of the pointiest, most acute tips in the knife world. So for me, it is too pointy. The Endura's tip is leagues stronger while having ample penetrating power in essentially any scenario.

It's not that other tips are too thick for me to use, it's that tips like the Millie work better.

I could get by with a 30dps edge, but a 10dps works better for me.

I've accidentally sliced into steel with my Millies. I've intentionally chopped wood and batoned small sticks for kindling. I've stabbed all sorts of double walled boxes, sometimes bumping into canned goods etc. inside the box.

Hasn't been an issue for me.

I modify my knives to have pointier tips (Pacific Salt, Endura 4, etc.) just like I modify my edge bevels to be thinner. It increases performance for me with zero draw backs aside from the time investment.

I've never broken a tip on a knife by accident, even my camp knives I routinely pry wood with.

Pro tip - don't go shucking oysters with it :o

(In my defense - it was all we had amongst us at the time so I took a hit for the team)

Vivi, you are a man among men.

I’ve used the Military for years, this is not a concern for normal use.

It is strong enough for me. I dropped a Para2 tip first on asphalt and then again a few months later on concrete. I lost about 1/16 of an inch that second time which sharpened right out.

It all comes down to how you use your knives.

I think the fine splinter probe tip is one of the most desirable features of the Military and certainly durable enough for my need. :)

Bloke wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 5:24 pm

I think the fine splinter probe tip is one of the most desirable features of the Military and certainly durable enough for my need. :)

Could it pierce the hide of a saltie or a white pointer or bull shark without breaking? Or would you recommend a Saber Grind Endura 4?

Bloke wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 5:24 pm

I think the fine splinter probe tip is one of the most desirable features of the Military and certainly durable enough for my need. :)

If I lived in Australia I'd want one of the stabbiest, pokiest knives on Earth too! There's more animals that can kill you on that island than Spyderco has knives!

The Military is in need of serious upgrading the one style clip carry is completely unacceptable in this day and age. It needs the Full paramilitary 2 upgrades to carry options and locking mechanisms to be relevant in 2019.

Bloke wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 5:24 pm

I think the fine splinter probe tip is one of the most desirable features of the Military and certainly durable enough for my need. :)

Agreed, a fine tip can be a good feature, but what's the point / advantage in making the rest of the blade that thick and sturdy then?

I've owned and used (off and on as my collection grew) my Military for some 20 years, and I never broke the tip.